Psalms 44
44
National Lament and Prayer for Help
To the leader. Of the Korahites. A Maskil.
1We have heard with our ears, O God,
our ancestors have told us,
what deeds you performed in their days,
in the days of old:
2you with your own hand drove out the nations,
but them you planted;
you afflicted the peoples,
but them you set free;
3for not by their own sword did they win the land,
nor did their own arm give them victory;
but your right hand, and your arm,
and the light of your countenance,
for you delighted in them.
4You are my King and my God;
you command#44.4 Gk Syr: Heb You are my King, O God; command victories for Jacob.
5Through you we push down our foes;
through your name we tread down our assailants.
6For not in my bow do I trust,
nor can my sword save me.
7But you have saved us from our foes,
and have put to confusion those who hate us.
8In God we have boasted continually,
and we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah
9Yet you have rejected us and abased us,
and have not gone out with our armies.
10You made us turn back from the foe,
and our enemies have gotten spoil.
11You have made us like sheep for slaughter,
and have scattered us among the nations.
12You have sold your people for a trifle,
demanding no high price for them.
13You have made us the taunt of our neighbors,
the derision and scorn of those around us.
14You have made us a byword among the nations,
a laughingstock#44.14 Heb a shaking of the head among the peoples.
15All day long my disgrace is before me,
and shame has covered my face
16at the words of the taunters and revilers,
at the sight of the enemy and the avenger.
17All this has come upon us,
yet we have not forgotten you,
or been false to your covenant.
18Our heart has not turned back,
nor have our steps departed from your way,
19yet you have broken us in the haunt of jackals,
and covered us with deep darkness.
20If we had forgotten the name of our God,
or spread out our hands to a strange god,
21would not God discover this?
For he knows the secrets of the heart.
22Because of you we are being killed all day long,
and accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
23Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord?
Awake, do not cast us off forever!
24Why do you hide your face?
Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?
25For we sink down to the dust;
our bodies cling to the ground.
26Rise up, come to our help.
Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love.
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Psalms 44: NRSV
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New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Psalms 44
44
To the director: A maskil from the Korah family.
1God, we have heard about you.
Our fathers told us what you did in their lifetime.
They told us what you did long ago.
2With your great power you took this land from other people,
and you gave it to us.
You crushed those foreigners
and forced them to leave this land.
3It was not our fathers’ swords that took the land.
It was not their strong arms that brought them victory.
It was your power.
It was because you accepted them and smiled down on them.
4God, you are my king.
Give the command and lead Jacob’s people to victory.
5We need your help to push our enemies back.
Only in your name can we trample those who attacked us.
6I don’t put my trust in my bow.
My sword cannot save me.
7You are the one who saved us from our enemies.
You are the one who put our enemies to shame.
8We have praised you all day long,
and we will praise your name forever. Selah
9But you left us and put us to shame.
You did not go with us into battle.
10You let our enemies push us back.
You let them take our wealth.
11You gave us away like sheep to be killed and eaten.
You scattered us among the nations.
12You sold your people for nothing.
You did not even argue over the price.
13You made us a joke to our neighbors.
They laugh and make fun of us.
14You made us one of the stories that people love to tell.
People all over the world laugh at us and shake their heads.
15All I can think about is my shame.
Just look at my face, and you will see it.
16All I can hear are the jokes and insults of my enemies,
as I watch them take their revenge.
17We have not forgotten you.
But you do all those things to us.
We did not break the agreement you gave us.
18We did not turn away from you.
We did not stop following you.
19But you crushed us in this home of jackals.
You left us in this place as dark as death.
20Did we forget the name of our God?
Did we pray to foreign gods?
21If we did, then God knows it,
because he knows our deepest secrets.
22All day long we died for you.
We are like sheep being led away to be killed.
23Lord, wake up!
Why are you sleeping?
Get up! Don’t ignore us forever!
24Why are you hiding from us?
Have you forgotten our pain and troubles?
25We have been pushed down into the dirt.
We are lying face down in the dust.#44:25 This shows that the people were being treated like slaves who must bow down to their masters.
26Get up and help us!
Rescue us because of your faithful love.
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