Former Times of Help and Present Troubles.

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

44 God, we have heard with our ears,
Our (A)fathers have told us
The (B)work that You did in their days,
In the (C)days of old.
You with Your own hand (D)drove out the nations;
Then You (E)planted them;
You (F)afflicted the peoples,
Then You (G)let them go free.
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, God;
(M)Command [b]victories for Jacob.
Through You we will (N)push back our adversaries;
Through Your name we will (O)trample down those who rise up against us.
For I will (P)not trust in my bow,
Nor will my sword 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. 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 enemy;
And those who hate us (Y)have taken spoils for themselves.
11 You turn us over [c]to be eaten like (Z)sheep,
And have (AA)scattered us among the nations.
12 You (AB)sell Your people [d]cheaply,
And have not [e]profited by their sale.
13 You make us an object of (AC)reproach to our neighbors,
Of scoffing and (AD)ridicule to those around us.
14 You make us (AE)a proverb among the nations,
A [f](AF)laughingstock among the peoples.
15 All day long my dishonor is before me
And [g]I am covered with my (AG)humiliation,
16 Because of the voice of one who (AH)taunts 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,
And our steps (AM)have not deviated from Your way,
19 Yet You have (AN)crushed us in a place of (AO)jackals
And covered us with [h](AP)deep darkness.

20 If we had (AQ)forgotten the name of our God
Or extended our [i]hands to (AR)a strange god,
21 Would God not (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 regarded as (AU)sheep to be slaughtered.
23 (AV)Wake Yourself up, why (AW)do You sleep, Lord?
Awake, (AX)do not reject us forever.
24 Why do You (AY)hide Your face
And (AZ)forget our affliction and oppression?
25 For our (BA)souls have sunk down into the dust;
Our bodies cling to the earth.
26 (BB)Rise up, be our help,
And (BC)redeem us because of Your mercy.

Notas al pie

  1. Psalm 44 Title Possibly Contemplative; or Didactic; or Skillful Psalm
  2. Psalm 44:4 Lit salvation
  3. Psalm 44:11 Lit for food
  4. Psalm 44:12 Lit for no wealth
  5. Psalm 44:12 Or set a high price on them
  6. Psalm 44:14 Lit shaking of the head
  7. Psalm 44:15 Lit the shame of my face has covered me
  8. Psalm 44:19 Or the shadow of death
  9. Psalm 44:20 Lit palms

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)

Notas al pie

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