Add parallel Print Page Options

Psalm 44

To the Chief Musician. [A Psalm] of the sons of Korah. A skillful song, or a didactic or reflective poem.

We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us [what] work You did in their days, in the days of old.

You drove out the nations with Your hand and it was Your power that gave [Israel] a home by rooting out the [heathen] peoples, but [Israel] You spread out.

For they got not the land [of Canaan] in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them; but Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your countenance [did it], because You were favorable toward and did delight in them.

You are my King, O God; command victories and deliverance for Jacob (Israel).

Through You shall we push down our enemies; through Your name shall we tread them under who rise up against us.

For I will not trust in and lean on my bow, neither shall my sword save me.

But You have saved us from our foes and have put them to shame who hate us.

In God we have made our boast all the day long, and we will give thanks to Your name forever. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

But now You have cast us off and brought us to dishonor, and You go not out with our armies.

10 You make us to turn back from the enemy, and they who hate us take spoil for themselves.

11 You have made us like sheep intended for mutton and have scattered us in exile among the nations.

12 You sell Your people for nothing, and have not increased Your wealth by their price.

13 You have made us the taunt of our neighbors, a scoffing and a derision to those who are round about us.

14 You make us a byword among the nations, a shaking of the heads among the people.

15 My dishonor is before me all day long, and shame has covered my face

16 At the words of the taunter and reviler, by reason of the enemy and the revengeful.

17 All this is come upon us, yet have we not forgotten You, neither have we been false to Your covenant [which You made with our fathers].

18 Our hearts are not turned back, neither have our steps declined from Your path,

19 Though You have distressingly broken us in the place of jackals and covered us with deep darkness, even with the shadow of death.

20 If we had forgotten the name of our God or stretched out our hands to a strange god,

21 Would not God discover this? For He knows the secrets of the heart.

22 No, but for Your sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.(A)

23 Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord? Arouse Yourself, cast us not off forever!

24 Why do You hide Your face and forget our affliction and our oppression?

25 For our lives are bowed down to the dust; our bodies cleave to the ground.

26 Rise up! Come to our help, and deliver us for Your mercy’s sake and because of Your steadfast love!

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.