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Rise Up, Be Our Help

For the choir director. Of the sons of Korah. A [a]Maskil.

44 O God, we have heard with our ears,
Our (A)fathers have recounted to us
The (B)work that You did in their days,
In the (C)days of old.
You with Your own hand (D)dispossessed the nations;
Then You (E)planted them;
You (F)afflicted the peoples,
Then You (G)cast them out.
For by their own sword they (H)did not possess the land,
And their own arm did not save them,
But Your right hand and Your (I)arm and the (J)light of Your presence,
For You (K)favored them.

You are (L)my King, O God;
(M)Command [b]salvation for Jacob.
Through You we will (N)push back our adversaries;
Through Your name we will (O)tread down those who rise up against us.
For I will (P)not trust in my bow,
And my sword will not save me.
But You (Q)have saved us from our adversaries,
And You have (R)put to shame those who hate us.
In God we have (S)boasted all day long,
And we will (T)give thanks to Your name forever. [c]Selah.

Yet You (U)have rejected us and brought us to (V)dishonor,
And (W)do not go out with our armies.
10 You cause us to (X)turn back from the adversary;
And those who hate us (Y)have plundered us for themselves.
11 You give us as (Z)sheep [d]to be eaten
And have (AA)scattered us among the nations.
12 You (AB)sell Your people [e]for no amount,
And You have not [f]profited from their price.
13 You make us a (AC)reproach to our neighbors,
A mockery and a (AD)derision to those around us.
14 You make us (AE)a byword among the nations,
A [g](AF)laughingstock among the peoples.
15 All day long my dishonor is before me
And [h]the (AG)shame of my face has covered me,
16 Because of the voice of him who (AH)reproaches and reviles,
Because of the presence of the (AI)enemy and the avenger.

17 All this has come upon us, but we have (AJ)not forgotten You,
And we have not (AK)dealt falsely with Your covenant.
18 Our heart has not (AL)turned back,
Nor have our steps (AM)deviated from Your path,
19 Yet You have (AN)crushed us in a place of (AO)jackals
And covered us with (AP)the shadow of death.

20 If we had (AQ)forgotten the name of our God
Or spread our [i]hands to (AR)a strange god,
21 Would not God (AS)find this out?
For He knows the secrets of the heart.
22 But (AT)for Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are counted as (AU)sheep for the slaughter.
23 (AV)Arouse Yourself, why (AW)do You sleep, O Lord?
Awake, (AX)do not reject us forever.
24 Why do You (AY)hide Your face
And (AZ)forget our affliction and our oppression?
25 For our (BA)soul has sunk down into the dust;
Our [j]body cleaves to the earth.
26 (BB)Rise up, be our help,
And (BC)redeem us for the sake of Your lovingkindness.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 44 Title Possibly Contemplative, Didactic, Skillful Psalm
  2. Psalm 44:4 Lit salvations
  3. Psalm 44:8 Selah may mean Pause, Crescendo, Musical Interlude
  4. Psalm 44:11 Lit for food
  5. Psalm 44:12 Lit for no wealth
  6. Psalm 44:12 Or set a high price on them
  7. Psalm 44:14 Lit shaking of the head
  8. Psalm 44:15 Or humiliation
  9. Psalm 44:20 Lit palms
  10. Psalm 44:25 Lit womb, stomach

Present Defeat and Past Deliverance

For the music director. Of the sons of Korah. A maskil.[a]

44 O God, we have heard with our ears;
our ancestors[b] have told us
of work you worked in their days,
in days of old.
You with your hand drove out the nations,
but them[c] you planted.
You harmed the peoples,
but them[d] you let spread out.
For not with their sword
did they possess the land,
and their arm did not give them victory.
Rather it was your right hand and your arm
and the light of your presence,
because you delighted in them.
You are my king, O God.
Command[e] victories for Jacob.
By you we push down our enemies;
by your name we tread down those who rise up against us.
For I do not trust my bow,
and my sword cannot give me victory.
Rather you have saved us from our enemies,[f]
and have humiliated those who hate us.
In God we boast all the day,
and we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah
Surely you have rejected and disgraced us,
and have not gone out with our armies.
10 You have caused us to pull back from the enemy,
and so those who hate us have plundered for themselves.
11 You have given us as sheep for food,
and among the nations you have scattered us.
12 You have sold your people cheaply,[g]
and did not profit by their price.
13 You have made us a taunt to our neighbors,
a derision and a scorn to those around us.
14 You have made us a byword among the nations,
a shaking of the head among the peoples.
15 All day long[h] my disgrace is before me,
and the shame of my face covers me,
16 because of the voice of the taunter and the reviler,
because of the enemy and the avenger.
17 All this has befallen us, though we have not forgotten you,
and we have not been false to your covenant.
18 Our heart has not turned back,
and our steps have not turned aside from your way.
19 But you have crushed us in a place of jackals,
and have covered us with deep shadow.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God,
or had spread out our hands in prayer to a foreign god,
21 would not God discover this,
for he knows the secrets of the heart?
22 Rather, on account of you we are killed all day long;[i]
we are accounted as sheep for slaughter.
23 Wake up! Why do you sleep, O Lord?
Awake! Do not reject forever.
24 Why do you hide your face?
Have you forgotten our misery and our oppression?
25 For our soul is bowed down to the dust.
Our body[j] clings to the ground.
26 Rise up! Be a help for us,
and redeem us for the sake of your loyal love.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 44:1 The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm; the English verse number is reduced by one
  2. Psalm 44:1 Or “fathers”
  3. Psalm 44:2 That is, Israel
  4. Psalm 44:2 That is, Israel
  5. Psalm 44:4 Or “who commands,” see LXX
  6. Psalm 44:7 Or “made us victorious over our enemies”
  7. Psalm 44:12 Literally “for what is not wealth”
  8. Psalm 44:15 Literally “All of the day”
  9. Psalm 44:22 Literally “all of the day”
  10. Psalm 44:25 Literally “belly”