Psalm 44

Israel’s Complaint

For the choir director. A Maskil of the sons of Korah.

God, we have heard with our ears—
our ancestors have told us—
the work you accomplished in their days,
in days long ago:(A)
In order to plant them,
you displaced the nations by your hand;
in order to settle them,
you brought disaster on the peoples.(B)
For they did not take the land by their sword—
their arm did not bring them victory—
but by your right hand, your arm,
and the light of your face,(C)
because you were favorable toward them.(D)

You are my King, my God,
who ordains[a] victories for Jacob.(E)
Through you we drive back our foes;
through your name we trample our enemies.(F)
For I do not trust in my bow,
and my sword does not bring me victory.(G)
But you give us victory over our foes
and let those who hate us be disgraced.(H)
We boast in God all day long;(I)
we will praise your name forever.(J)Selah

But you have rejected and humiliated us;
you do not march out with our armies.(K)
10 You make us retreat from the foe,
and those who hate us
have taken plunder for themselves.(L)
11 You hand us over to be eaten like sheep
and scatter us among the nations.(M)
12 You sell your people for nothing;
you make no profit from selling them.(N)
13 You make us an object of reproach to our neighbors,
a source of mockery and ridicule to those around us.(O)
14 You make us a joke among the nations,
a laughingstock[b] among the peoples.(P)
15 My disgrace is before me all day long,
and shame has covered my face,(Q)
16 because of the taunts[c] of the scorner and reviler,
because of the enemy and avenger.(R)

17 All this has happened to us,
but we have not forgotten you
or betrayed your covenant.(S)
18 Our hearts have not turned back;
our steps have not strayed from your path.(T)
19 But you have crushed us in a haunt of jackals
and have covered us with deepest darkness.(U)
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God
and spread out our hands to a foreign god,(V)
21 wouldn’t God have found this out,
since he knows the secrets of the heart?(W)
22 Because of you we are being put to death all day long;
we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.(X)

23 Wake up, Lord! Why are you sleeping?
Get up! Don’t reject us forever!(Y)
24 Why do you hide
and forget our affliction and oppression?(Z)
25 For we have sunk down to the dust;
our bodies cling to the ground.(AA)
26 Rise up! Help us!
Redeem us because of your faithful love.(AB)

Footnotes

  1. 44:4 LXX, Syr, Aq; MT reads King, God; ordain
  2. 44:14 Lit shaking of the head
  3. 44:16 Lit voice

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!

Footnotes

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