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Psalm 42-44
The Message
Psalm 42-44
The Message
42 1-3 A white-tailed deer drinks
from the creek;
I want to drink God,
deep drafts of God.
I’m thirsty for God-alive.
I wonder, “Will I ever make it—
arrive and drink in God’s presence?”
I’m on a diet of tears—
tears for breakfast, tears for supper.
All day long
people knock at my door,
Pestering,
“Where is this God of yours?”
4 These are the things I go over and over,
emptying out the pockets of my life.
I was always at the head of the worshiping crowd,
right out in front,
Leading them all,
eager to arrive and worship,
Shouting praises, singing thanksgiving—
celebrating, all of us, God’s feast!
5 Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul?
Why are you crying the blues?
Fix my eyes on God—
soon I’ll be praising again.
He puts a smile on my face.
He’s my God.
6-8 When my soul is in the dumps, I rehearse
everything I know of you,
From Jordan depths to Hermon heights,
including Mount Mizar.
Chaos calls to chaos,
to the tune of whitewater rapids.
Your breaking surf, your thundering breakers
crash and crush me.
Then God promises to love me all day,
sing songs all through the night!
My life is God’s prayer.
9-10 Sometimes I ask God, my rock-solid God,
“Why did you let me down?
Why am I walking around in tears,
harassed by enemies?”
They’re out for the kill, these
tormentors with their obscenities,
Taunting day after day,
“Where is this God of yours?”
11 Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul?
Why are you crying the blues?
Fix my eyes on God—
soon I’ll be praising again.
He puts a smile on my face.
He’s my God.
43 1-2 Clear my name, God; stick up for me
against these loveless, immoral people.
Get me out of here, away
from these lying degenerates.
I counted on you, God.
Why did you walk out on me?
Why am I pacing the floor, wringing my hands
over these outrageous people?
3-4 Give me your lantern and compass,
give me a map,
So I can find my way to the sacred mountain,
to the place of your presence,
To enter the place of worship,
meet my exuberant God,
Sing my thanks with a harp,
magnificent God, my God.
5 Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul?
Why are you crying the blues?
Fix my eyes on God—
soon I’ll be praising again.
He puts a smile on my face.
He’s my God.
44 1-3 We’ve been hearing about this, God,
all our lives.
Our fathers told us the stories
their fathers told them,
How single-handedly you weeded out the godless
from the fields and planted us,
How you sent those people packing
but gave us a fresh start.
We didn’t fight for this land;
we didn’t work for it—it was a gift!
You gave it, smiling as you gave it,
delighting as you gave it.
4-8 You’re my King, O God—
command victories for Jacob!
With your help we’ll wipe out our enemies,
in your name we’ll stomp them to dust.
I don’t trust in weapons;
my sword won’t save me—
But it’s you, you who saved us from the enemy;
you made those who hate us lose face.
All day we parade God’s praise—
we thank you by name over and over.
9-12 But now you’ve walked off and left us,
you’ve disgraced us and won’t fight for us.
You made us turn tail and run;
those who hate us have cleaned us out.
You delivered us as sheep to the butcher,
you scattered us to the four winds.
You sold your people at a discount—
you made nothing on the sale.
13-16 You made people on the street,
people we know, poke fun and call us names.
You made us a joke among the godless,
a cheap joke among the rabble.
Every day I’m up against it,
my nose rubbed in my shame—
Gossip and ridicule fill the air,
people out to get me crowd the street.
17-19 All this came down on us,
and we’ve done nothing to deserve it.
We never betrayed your Covenant: our hearts
were never false, our feet never left your path.
Do we deserve torture in a den of jackals?
or lockup in a black hole?
20-22 If we had forgotten to pray to our God
or made fools of ourselves with store-bought gods,
Wouldn’t God have figured this out?
We can’t hide things from him.
No, you decided to make us martyrs,
lambs assigned for sacrifice each day.
23-26 Get up, God! Are you going to sleep all day?
Wake up! Don’t you care what happens to us?
Why do you bury your face in the pillow?
Why pretend things are just fine with us?
And here we are—flat on our faces in the dirt,
held down with a boot on our necks.
Get up and come to our rescue.
If you love us so much, Help us!
Psalm 42-44
New International Version
Psalm 42-44
New International Version
BOOK II
Psalms 42–72
Psalm 42[a][b]
For the director of music. A maskil[c] of the Sons of Korah.
1 As the deer(A) pants for streams of water,(B)
so my soul pants(C) for you, my God.
2 My soul thirsts(D) for God, for the living God.(E)
When can I go(F) and meet with God?
3 My tears(G) have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”(H)
4 These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:(I)
how I used to go to the house of God(J)
under the protection of the Mighty One[d]
with shouts of joy(K) and praise(L)
among the festive throng.(M)
5 Why, my soul, are you downcast?(N)
Why so disturbed(O) within me?
Put your hope in God,(P)
for I will yet praise(Q) him,
my Savior(R) and my God.(S)
6 My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember(T) you
from the land of the Jordan,(U)
the heights of Hermon(V)—from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep(W)
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.(X)
8 By day the Lord directs his love,(Y)
at night(Z) his song(AA) is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.(AB)
9 I say to God my Rock,(AC)
“Why have you forgotten(AD) me?
Why must I go about mourning,(AE)
oppressed(AF) by the enemy?”(AG)
10 My bones suffer mortal agony(AH)
as my foes taunt(AI) me,
saying to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”(AJ)
11 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.(AK)
Psalm 43[e]
1 Vindicate me, my God,
and plead my cause(AL)
against an unfaithful nation.
Rescue me(AM) from those who are
deceitful and wicked.(AN)
2 You are God my stronghold.
Why have you rejected(AO) me?
Why must I go about mourning,(AP)
oppressed by the enemy?(AQ)
3 Send me your light(AR) and your faithful care,(AS)
let them lead me;(AT)
let them bring me to your holy mountain,(AU)
to the place where you dwell.(AV)
4 Then I will go(AW) to the altar(AX) of God,
to God, my joy(AY) and my delight.(AZ)
I will praise you with the lyre,(BA)
O God, my God.
5 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.(BB)
Psalm 44[f]
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.[g]
1 We have heard it with our ears,(BC) O God;
our ancestors have told us(BD)
what you did in their days,
in days long ago.(BE)
2 With your hand you drove out(BF) the nations
and planted(BG) our ancestors;
you crushed(BH) the peoples
and made our ancestors flourish.(BI)
3 It was not by their sword(BJ) that they won the land,
nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand,(BK) your arm,(BL)
and the light(BM) of your face, for you loved(BN) them.
4 You are my King(BO) and my God,(BP)
who decrees[h] victories(BQ) for Jacob.
5 Through you we push back(BR) our enemies;
through your name we trample(BS) our foes.
6 I put no trust in my bow,(BT)
my sword does not bring me victory;
7 but you give us victory(BU) over our enemies,
you put our adversaries to shame.(BV)
8 In God we make our boast(BW) all day long,(BX)
and we will praise your name forever.[i](BY)
9 But now you have rejected(BZ) and humbled us;(CA)
you no longer go out with our armies.(CB)
10 You made us retreat(CC) before the enemy,
and our adversaries have plundered(CD) us.
11 You gave us up to be devoured like sheep(CE)
and have scattered us among the nations.(CF)
12 You sold your people for a pittance,(CG)
gaining nothing from their sale.
13 You have made us a reproach(CH) to our neighbors,(CI)
the scorn(CJ) and derision(CK) of those around us.
14 You have made us a byword(CL) among the nations;
the peoples shake their heads(CM) at us.
15 I live in disgrace(CN) all day long,
and my face is covered with shame(CO)
16 at the taunts(CP) of those who reproach and revile(CQ) me,
because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.(CR)
17 All this came upon us,
though we had not forgotten(CS) you;
we had not been false to your covenant.
18 Our hearts had not turned(CT) back;
our feet had not strayed from your path.
19 But you crushed(CU) us and made us a haunt for jackals;(CV)
you covered us over with deep darkness.(CW)
20 If we had forgotten(CX) the name of our God
or spread out our hands to a foreign god,(CY)
21 would not God have discovered it,
since he knows the secrets of the heart?(CZ)
22 Yet for your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep(DA) to be slaughtered.(DB)
Footnotes
- Psalm 42:1 In many Hebrew manuscripts Psalms 42 and 43 constitute one psalm.
- Psalm 42:1 In Hebrew texts 42:1-11 is numbered 42:2-12.
- Psalm 42:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 42:4 See Septuagint and Syriac; the meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
- Psalm 43:1 In many Hebrew manuscripts Psalms 42 and 43 constitute one psalm.
- Psalm 44:1 In Hebrew texts 44:1-26 is numbered 44:2-27.
- Psalm 44:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 44:4 Septuagint, Aquila and Syriac; Hebrew King, O God; / command
- Psalm 44:8 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.