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(A special psalm by the clan of Korah and for the music leader.)

A Prayer for Help

Our God, our ancestors told us
what wonders you worked
    and we listened carefully.
You chased off the nations
by causing them trouble
    with your powerful arm.
Then you let our ancestors
    take over their land.
Their strength and weapons
were not what won the land
    and gave them victory!
You loved them and fought
with your powerful arm
    and your shining glory.

You are my God and King,
and you give victory[a]
    to the people of Jacob.
By your great power,
we knocked our enemies down
    and trampled on them.
I don't depend on my arrows
    or my sword to save me.
But you saved us
from our hateful enemies,
    and you put them to shame.
We boast about you, our God,
    and we are always grateful.

But now you have rejected us;
you don't lead us into battle,
    and we look foolish.
10 You made us retreat,
and our enemies have taken
    everything we own.
11 You let us be slaughtered
    like sheep,
and you scattered us
    among the nations.
12 You sold your people
for little or nothing,
    and you earned no profit.

13 You made us look foolish
    to our neighbors;
people who live nearby
    insult us and sneer.
14 Foreigners joke about us
    and shake their heads.
15 I am embarrassed every day,
    and I blush with shame.
16 But others mock and sneer,
as they watch my enemies
    take revenge on me.

17 All this happened to us,
though we didn't forget you
    or break our agreement.
18 We always kept you in mind
    and followed your teaching.
19 But you crushed us,
    and you covered us
with deepest darkness
    where wild animals live.

20 We did not forget you
or lift our hands in prayer
    to foreign gods.
21 You would have known it
because you discover
    every secret thought.
22 (A) We face death all day for you.
We are like sheep on their way
    to be slaughtered.

23 Wake up! Do something, Lord!
Why are you sleeping?
    Don't desert us forever.
24 Why do you keep looking away?
Don't forget our sufferings
    and all our troubles.
25 We are flat on the ground,
    holding on to the dust.
26 Do something! Help us!
Show how kind you are
    and come to our rescue.

Footnotes

  1. 44.4 and … victory: One ancient translation; Hebrew “please give victory.”

追念神古昔之恩

44 可拉後裔的訓誨詩,交於伶長。

神啊,你在古時我們列祖的日子所行的事,我們親耳聽見了,我們的列祖也給我們述說過。
你曾用手趕出外邦人,卻栽培了我們列祖;你苦待列邦,卻叫我們列祖發達。
因為他們不是靠自己的刀劍得地土,也不是靠自己的膀臂得勝,乃是靠你的右手、你的膀臂和你臉上的亮光,因為你喜悅他們。
神啊,你是我的王,求你出令使雅各得勝。
我們靠你要推倒我們的敵人,靠你的名要踐踏那起來攻擊我們的人。
因為我必不靠我的弓,我的刀也不能使我得勝。
唯你救了我們脫離敵人,使恨我們的人羞愧。
我們終日因神誇耀,還要永遠稱謝你的名。(細拉)

陳述己身今時之苦

但如今你丟棄了我們,使我們受辱,不和我們的軍兵同去。

10 你使我們向敵人轉身退後,那恨我們的人任意搶奪。
11 你使我們當做快要被吃的羊,把我們分散在列邦中。
12 你賣了你的子民也不賺利,所得的價值並不加添你的資財。
13 你使我們受鄰國的羞辱,被四圍的人嗤笑譏刺。
14 你使我們在列邦中做了笑談,使眾民向我們搖頭。
15 我的凌辱終日在我面前,我臉上的羞愧將我遮蔽,
16 都因那辱罵毀謗人的聲音,又因仇敵和報仇人的緣故。
17 這都臨到我們身上,我們卻沒有忘記你,也沒有違背你的約。
18 我們的心沒有退後,我們的腳也沒有偏離你的路。
19 你在野狗之處壓傷我們,用死蔭遮蔽我們。
20 倘若我們忘了神的名,或向別神舉手,
21 神豈不鑒察這事嗎?因為他曉得人心裡的隱祕。
22 我們為你的緣故終日被殺,人看我們如將宰的羊。
23 主啊,求你睡醒!為何儘睡呢?求你興起,不要永遠丟棄我們!
24 你為何掩面,不顧我們所遭的苦難和所受的欺壓?
25 我們的性命伏於塵土,我們的肚腹緊貼地面。
26 求你起來幫助我們,憑你的慈愛救贖我們!