To the Overcomer for the sons of Korah, Maschil.

¹ ¶ We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days in the times of old.

² How thou didst drive out the Gentiles with thy hand and plant them in their place; how thou didst afflict the peoples and cast them out.

³ For they did not get the land in inheritance by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them, but thy right hand and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance because thy delight was in them.

⁴ Thou art my King, O God; command saving health unto Jacob.

⁵ Through thee will we push down our enemies; through thy name will we tread under those that rise up against us.

⁶ For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.

⁷ But thou hast saved us from our enemies and hast put to shame those that hated us.

⁸ In God we boast all the day long and praise thy name for ever. Selah.

⁹ ¶ But thou hast cast us off and put us to shame and doth not go forth with our armies.

¹⁰ Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy, and we are spoiled by those who hate us.

¹¹ Thou hast given us over like sheep appointed for food and hast scattered us among the Gentiles.

¹² Thou hast sold thy people for nothing and dost not increase thy wealth by their price.

¹³ Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and a derision to those that are round about us.

¹⁴ Thou makest us a byword among the Gentiles, a shaking of the head among the people.

¹⁵ My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face has covered me,

¹⁶ for the voice of him that reproaches and blasphemes by reason of the enemy and of the avenger.

¹⁷ ¶ All this is come upon us; yet we have not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.

¹⁸ Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way

¹⁹ though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons and covered us with the shadow of death.

²⁰ If we have forgotten the name of our God or stretched out our hands to a strange god,

²¹ shall not God search this out? For he knows the secrets of the heart.

²² Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

²³ Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? Arise, do not cast us off for ever.

²⁴ Why dost thou hide thy face and forget our affliction and our oppression?

²⁵ For our soul is bowed down to the dust; our belly cleaves unto the earth.

²⁶ Arise for our help and ransom us for thy mercies’ sake.