Psalm 44

New International Version

Psalm 44^[a]

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.^[b]

¹We have heard it with our ears,^(A) O God;
    our ancestors have told us^(B)
what you did in their days,
    in days long ago.^(C)
²With your hand you drove out^(D) the nations
    and planted^(E) our ancestors;
you crushed^(F) the peoples
    and made our ancestors flourish.^(G)
³It was not by their sword^(H) that they won the land,
    nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand,^(I) your arm,^(J)
    and the light^(K) of your face, for you loved^(L) them.

⁴You are my King^(M) and my God,^(N)
    who decrees^[c] victories^(O) for Jacob.
⁵Through you we push back^(P) our enemies;
    through your name we trample^(Q) our foes.
⁶I put no trust in my bow,^(R)
    my sword does not bring me victory;
⁷but you give us victory^(S) over our enemies,
    you put our adversaries to shame.^(T)
⁸In God we make our boast^(U) all day long,^(V)
    and we will praise your name forever.^[d]^(W)

⁹But now you have rejected^(X) and humbled us;^(Y)
    you no longer go out with our armies.^(Z)
¹⁰You made us retreat^(AA) before the enemy,
    and our adversaries have plundered^(AB) us.
¹¹You gave us up to be devoured like sheep^(AC)
    and have scattered us among the nations.^(AD)
¹²You sold your people for a pittance,^(AE)
    gaining nothing from their sale.

¹³You have made us a reproach^(AF) to our neighbors,^(AG)
    the scorn^(AH) and derision^(AI) of those around us.
¹⁴You have made us a byword^(AJ) among the nations;
    the peoples shake their heads^(AK) at us.
¹⁵I live in disgrace^(AL) all day long,
    and my face is covered with shame^(AM)
¹⁶at the taunts^(AN) of those who reproach and revile^(AO) me,
    because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.^(AP)

¹⁷All this came upon us,
    though we had not forgotten^(AQ) you;
    we had not been false to your covenant.
¹⁸Our hearts had not turned^(AR) back;
    our feet had not strayed from your path.
¹⁹But you crushed^(AS) us and made us a haunt for jackals;^(AT)
    you covered us over with deep darkness.^(AU)

²⁰If we had forgotten^(AV) the name of our God
    or spread out our hands to a foreign god,^(AW)
²¹would not God have discovered it,
    since he knows the secrets of the heart?^(AX)
²²Yet for your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep^(AY) to be slaughtered.^(AZ)

²³Awake,^(BA) Lord! Why do you sleep?^(BB)
Rouse yourself!^(BC) Do not reject us forever.^(BD)
²⁴Why do you hide your face^(BE)
and forget^(BF) our misery and oppression?^(BG)

²⁵We are brought down to the dust;^(BH)
our bodies cling to the ground.
²⁶Rise up^(BI) and help us;
rescue^(BJ) us because of your unfailing love.^(BK)

Footnotes

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.

1 Corinthians 11

New International Version

11 ¹Follow my example,^(A) as I follow the example of Christ.^(B)

On Covering the Head in Worship

²I praise you^(C) for remembering me in everything^(D) and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you.^(E) ³But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ,^(F) and the head of the woman is man,^[a]^(G) and the head of Christ is God.^(H) ⁴Every man who prays or prophesies^(I) with his head covered dishonors his head. ⁵But every woman who prays or prophesies^(J) with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved.^(K) ⁶For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head.

⁷A man ought not to cover his head,^[b] since he is the image^(L) and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. ⁸For man did not come from woman, but woman from man;^(M) ⁹neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.^(N) ¹⁰It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own^[c] head, because of the angels. ¹¹Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. ¹²For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.^(O)

¹³Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? ¹⁴Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, ¹⁵but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. ¹⁶If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God.^(P)

Correcting an Abuse of the Lord’s Supper^(Q)

¹⁷In the following directives I have no praise for you,^(R) for your meetings do more harm than good. ¹⁸In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions^(S) among you, and to some extent I believe it. ¹⁹No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval.^(T) ²⁰So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, ²¹for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers.^(U) As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. ²²Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God^(V) by humiliating those who have nothing?^(W) What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you?^(X) Certainly not in this matter!

²³For I received from the Lord^(Y) what I also passed on to you:^(Z) The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body,^(AA) which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant^(AB) in my blood;^(AC) do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.^(AD)

²⁷So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.^(AE) ²⁸Everyone ought to examine themselves^(AF) before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. ²⁹For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. ³⁰That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.^(AG) ³¹But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment.^(AH) ³²Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined^(AI) so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.^(AJ)

³³So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together. ³⁴Anyone who is hungry^(AK) should eat something at home,^(AL) so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.

And when I come^(AM) I will give further directions.

Footnotes

1 Corinthians 11:3 Or of the wife is her husband
1 Corinthians 11:7 Or ⁴Every man who prays or prophesies with long hair dishonors his head. ⁵But every woman who prays or prophesies with no covering of hair dishonors her head—she is just like one of the “shorn women.” ⁶If a woman has no covering, let her be for now with short hair; but since it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair shorn or shaved, she should grow it again. ⁷A man ought not to have long hair
1 Corinthians 11:10 Or have a sign of authority on her