Psalm 44[a]

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

We 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)
With your hand you drove out(D) the nations
    and planted(E) our ancestors;
you crushed(F) the peoples
    and made our ancestors flourish.(G)
It 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Notas al pie

  1. Psalm 44:1 In Hebrew texts 44:1-26 is numbered 44:2-27.
  2. Psalm 44:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  3. Psalm 44:4 Septuagint, Aquila and Syriac; Hebrew King, O God; / command
  4. Psalm 44:8 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.

Psalm 44

For the choir director: A psalm[a] of the descendants of Korah.

O God, we have heard it with our own ears—
    our ancestors have told us
of all you did in their day,
    in days long ago:
You drove out the pagan nations by your power
    and gave all the land to our ancestors.
You crushed their enemies
    and set our ancestors free.
They did not conquer the land with their swords;
    it was not their own strong arm that gave them victory.
It was your right hand and strong arm
    and the blinding light from your face that helped them,
    for you loved them.

You are my King and my God.
    You command victories for Israel.[b]
Only by your power can we push back our enemies;
    only in your name can we trample our foes.
I do not trust in my bow;
    I do not count on my sword to save me.
You are the one who gives us victory over our enemies;
    you disgrace those who hate us.
O God, we give glory to you all day long
    and constantly praise your name. Interlude

But now you have tossed us aside in dishonor.
    You no longer lead our armies to battle.
10 You make us retreat from our enemies
    and allow those who hate us to plunder our land.
11 You have butchered us like sheep
    and scattered us among the nations.
12 You sold your precious people for a pittance,
    making nothing on the sale.
13 You let our neighbors mock us.
    We are an object of scorn and derision to those around us.
14 You have made us the butt of their jokes;
    they shake their heads at us in scorn.
15 We can’t escape the constant humiliation;
    shame is written across our faces.
16 All we hear are the taunts of our mockers.
    All we see are our vengeful enemies.

17 All this has happened though we have not forgotten you.
    We have not violated your covenant.
18 Our hearts have not deserted you.
    We have not strayed from your path.
19 Yet you have crushed us in the jackal’s desert home.
    You have covered us with darkness and death.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God
    or spread our hands in prayer to foreign gods,
21 God would surely have known it,
    for he knows the secrets of every heart.
22 But for your sake we are killed every day;
    we are being slaughtered like sheep.

23 Wake up, O Lord! Why do you sleep?
    Get up! Do not reject us forever.
24 Why do you look the other way?
    Why do you ignore our suffering and oppression?
25 We collapse in the dust,
    lying face down in the dirt.
26 Rise up! Help us!
    Ransom us because of your unfailing love.

Notas al pie

  1. 44:Title Hebrew maskil. This may be a literary or musical term.
  2. 44:4 Hebrew for Jacob. The names “Jacob” and “Israel” are often interchanged throughout the Old Testament, referring sometimes to the individual patriarch and sometimes to the nation.

Psalm 44[a]

God’s Past Favor and Israel’s Present Need

For the leader. A maskil of the Korahites.

I

O God, we have heard with our own ears;
    our ancestors have told us(A)
The deeds you did in their days,
    with your own hand in days of old:
You rooted out nations to plant them,(B)
    crushed peoples and expelled them.
Not with their own swords did they conquer the land,(C)
    nor did their own arms bring victory;
It was your right hand, your own arm,
    the light of your face for you favored them.(D)
You are my king and my God,(E)
    who bestows victories on Jacob.
Through you we batter our foes;
    through your name we trample our adversaries.
Not in my bow do I trust,
    nor does my sword bring me victory.
You have brought us victory over our enemies,
    shamed those who hate us.
In God we have boasted all the day long;
    your name we will praise forever.
Selah

II

10 (F)But now you have rejected and disgraced us;
    you do not march out with our armies.(G)
11 You make us retreat[b] before the foe;
    those who hate us plunder us at will.(H)
12 You hand us over like sheep to be slaughtered,
    scatter us among the nations.(I)
13 You sell your people for nothing;
    you make no profit from their sale.(J)
14 You make us the reproach of our neighbors,(K)
    the mockery and scorn of those around us.
15 You make us a byword among the nations;
    the peoples shake their heads at us.
16 All day long my disgrace is before me;
    shame has covered my face
17 At the sound of those who taunt and revile,
    at the sight of the enemy and avenger.

III

18 All this has come upon us,
    though we have not forgotten you,
    nor been disloyal to your covenant.
19 [c]Our hearts have not turned back,
    nor have our steps strayed from your path.
20 Yet you have left us crushed,
    desolate in a place of jackals;[d](L)
    you have covered us with a shadow of death.
21 If we had forgotten the name of our God,
    stretched out our hands to another god,
22 Would not God have discovered this,
    God who knows the secrets of the heart?
23 For you we are slain all the day long,
    considered only as sheep to be slaughtered.(M)

IV

24 Awake! Why do you sleep, O Lord?
    Rise up! Do not reject us forever!(N)
25 Why do you hide your face;(O)
    why forget our pain and misery?
26 For our soul has been humiliated in the dust;(P)
    our belly is pressed to the earth.
27 Rise up, help us!
    Redeem us in your mercy.

Notas al pie

  1. Psalm 44 In this lament the community reminds God of past favors which it has always acknowledged (Ps 44:2–9). But now God has abandoned Israel to defeat and humiliation (Ps 44:10–17), though the people are not conscious of any sin against the covenant (Ps 44:18–23). They struggle with being God’s special people amid divine silence; yet they continue to pray (Ps 44:24–26).
  2. 44:11 You make us retreat: the corollary of Ps 44:3. Defeat, like victory, is God’s doing; neither Israel nor its enemies can claim credit (Ps 44:23).
  3. 44:19 Our hearts have not turned back: Israel’s defeat was not caused by its lack of fidelity.
  4. 44:20 A place of jackals: following Israel’s defeat and exile (Ps 44:11–12), the land lies desolate, inhabited only by jackals, cf. Is 13:22; Jer 9:10; 10:22. Others take tannim as “sea monster” (cf. Ez 29:3; 32:2) and render: “you crushed us as you did the sea monster.”

Come to Our Help

To the choirmaster. (A)A Maskil[a] of the Sons of Korah.

44 O God, we have heard with our ears,
    (B)our fathers have told us,
what deeds you performed in their days,
    (C)in the days of old:
you with your own hand (D)drove out the nations,
    but (E)them you planted;
you afflicted the peoples,
    but (F)them you set free;
for not (G)by their own sword did they win the land,
    nor did their own arm save them,
but your right hand and your arm,
    and (H)the light of your face,
    (I)for you delighted in them.

(J)You are my King, O God;
    (K)ordain salvation for Jacob!
Through you we (L)push down our foes;
    through your name we (M)tread down those who rise up against us.
For not in (N)my bow do I trust,
    nor can my sword save me.
But you have saved us from our foes
    and have (O)put to shame those who hate us.
(P)In God we have boasted continually,
    and we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah

But you have (Q)rejected us and disgraced us
    and (R)have not gone out with our armies.
10 You have made us (S)turn back from the foe,
    and those who hate us have gotten spoil.
11 You have made us like (T)sheep for slaughter
    and have (U)scattered us among the nations.
12 (V)You have sold your people for a trifle,
    demanding no high price for them.
13 You have made us (W)the taunt of our neighbors,
    the derision and (X)scorn of those around us.
14 You have made us (Y)a byword among the nations,
    (Z)a laughingstock[b] among the peoples.
15 All day long my disgrace is before me,
    and (AA)shame has covered my face
16 at the sound of the taunter and reviler,
    at the sight of (AB)the enemy and the avenger.

17 (AC)All this has come upon us,
    though we have not forgotten you,
    and we have not been false to your covenant.
18 Our heart has not turned back,
    nor have our (AD)steps (AE)departed from your way;
19 yet you have (AF)broken us in the place of (AG)jackals
    and covered us with (AH)the shadow of death.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God
    or (AI)spread out our hands to (AJ)a foreign god,
21 (AK)would not God discover this?
    (AL)For he knows the secrets of the heart.
22 Yet (AM)for your sake we are killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.

23 (AN)Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord?
    Rouse yourself! (AO)Do not reject us forever!
24 Why (AP)do you hide your face?
    Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?
25 For our (AQ)soul is bowed down to the dust;
    our belly clings to the ground.
26 Rise up; (AR)come to our help!
    (AS)Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love!

Notas al pie

  1. Psalm 44:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
  2. Psalm 44:14 Hebrew a shaking of the head