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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”

Psalm 44[a]

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.[b]

We have heard it with our ears,(A) O God;
    our ancestors have told us(B)
what you did in their days,
    in days long ago.(C)
With your hand you drove out(D) the nations
    and planted(E) our ancestors;
you crushed(F) the peoples
    and made our ancestors flourish.(G)
It was not by their sword(H) that they won the land,
    nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand,(I) your arm,(J)
    and the light(K) of your face, for you loved(L) them.

You are my King(M) and my God,(N)
    who decrees[c] victories(O) for Jacob.
Through you we push back(P) our enemies;
    through your name we trample(Q) our foes.
I put no trust in my bow,(R)
    my sword does not bring me victory;
but you give us victory(S) over our enemies,
    you put our adversaries to shame.(T)
In God we make our boast(U) all day long,(V)
    and we will praise your name forever.[d](W)

But now you have rejected(X) and humbled us;(Y)
    you no longer go out with our armies.(Z)
10 You made us retreat(AA) before the enemy,
    and our adversaries have plundered(AB) us.
11 You gave us up to be devoured like sheep(AC)
    and have scattered us among the nations.(AD)
12 You sold your people for a pittance,(AE)
    gaining nothing from their sale.

13 You have made us a reproach(AF) to our neighbors,(AG)
    the scorn(AH) and derision(AI) of those around us.
14 You have made us a byword(AJ) among the nations;
    the peoples shake their heads(AK) at us.
15 I live in disgrace(AL) all day long,
    and my face is covered with shame(AM)
16 at the taunts(AN) of those who reproach and revile(AO) me,
    because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.(AP)

17 All this came upon us,
    though we had not forgotten(AQ) you;
    we had not been false to your covenant.
18 Our hearts had not turned(AR) back;
    our feet had not strayed from your path.
19 But you crushed(AS) us and made us a haunt for jackals;(AT)
    you covered us over with deep darkness.(AU)

20 If we had forgotten(AV) the name of our God
    or spread out our hands to a foreign god,(AW)
21 would not God have discovered it,
    since he knows the secrets of the heart?(AX)
22 Yet for your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep(AY) to be slaughtered.(AZ)

23 Awake,(BA) Lord! Why do you sleep?(BB)
    Rouse yourself!(BC) Do not reject us forever.(BD)
24 Why do you hide your face(BE)
    and forget(BF) our misery and oppression?(BG)

25 We are brought down to the dust;(BH)
    our bodies cling to the ground.
26 Rise up(BI) and help us;
    rescue(BJ) us because of your unfailing love.(BK)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 44:1 In Hebrew texts 44:1-26 is numbered 44:2-27.
  2. Psalm 44:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  3. Psalm 44:4 Septuagint, Aquila and Syriac; Hebrew King, O God; / command
  4. Psalm 44:8 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.