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Psalm 44

This is a special song that the sons of Korah wrote for the music leader.

God, please help us! [ a ]

44 God, we have heard it for ourselves.
Our ancestors told us
what you did for them a long time ago.
2 You used your power to chase away the other nations,
so that our ancestors could live in their land.
You punished those nations,
and you helped our ancestors to be free.
3 Our ancestors did not get the land
by the power of their own swords.
Their own strength did not win the fight.
It was your own power and strength that did it!
You were kind to them because you were their friend.
4 God, you are my king!
You command that Jacob's descendants
must win against their enemies.
5 Because of your power,
we can knock down our enemies.
Because of your strength,
we can beat them down.
6 I do not trust in my bow and arrows.
It is not my sword
that has helped me to win the fight.
7 It is you who rescues us from our enemies.
You bring shame on the people that hate us.
8 Every day, we praise you, God.
We will always thank you, all the time,
because you are great!
Selah.
9 But now you have turned against us.
You have made us ashamed.
When our armies go out to fight a battle,
you no longer go with us.
10 You make us run away from our enemies.
The people who hate us take from us whatever they like!
11 You have put us under their power,
so that they kill us like sheep for them to eat.
You have sent us away
to live in foreign countries.
12 You have sold your own people,
for almost nothing!
They had no value to you.
13 The people who live in countries near us
do not respect us.
They laugh at us
and they insult us.
14 The other nations tell jokes about us.
They think that we are nothing.
15 I feel ashamed all the time.
I do not know where to look.
16 This is because my cruel enemies are always insulting me.
All they want is to hurt me.
17 We have not turned away from you,
but all this has happened to us.
We have not turned against the covenant that you made with us.
18 We have continued to serve you
and obey your commands.
19 But you have broken us in pieces.
You have left us for wild dogs to eat.
You have covered us with the darkness of death.
20 We might have turned against you, our God,
and worshipped a strange god.
21 But if we had done that,
you would have discovered it.
You know even our most secret thoughts.
22 But, because we are your people, God,
people try to kill us all the time.
They think that we are like sheep
and we are ready to be killed.

23 Lord, do something!
Why are you sleeping? Wake up!
Do not turn away from us for ever!
24 Why do you turn away from us?
Why do you forget our troubles
and the way that people hurt us?
25 We have fallen down in the dirt.
Our bodies are lying on the ground.
26 Wake up and help us!
Save us, because of your faithful love.

Footnotes

  1. 44:1 Verses 1-8 tell us what God did for the Israelites when they came into the country that he had promised to give to them, Canaan. They did not win the land for themselves, but God did it for them. Their enemies were the people that lived in the land before they did. In verses 9-22 we read that something bad has happened. The people are saying that they obeyed their part of the covenant, but God still did not take care of them. In verses 23-26 the person who wrote the psalm prays. He asks God to send help quickly.

To the director: A maskil from the Korah family.

44 God, we have heard about you.
Our fathers told us what you did in their lifetime.
They told us what you did long ago.
2 With 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.
3 It 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.
4 God, you are my king.
Give the command and lead Jacob’s people to victory.
5 We need your help to push our enemies back.
Only in your name can we trample those who attacked us.
6 I don’t put my trust in my bow.
My sword cannot save me.
7 You are the one who saved us from our enemies.
You are the one who put our enemies to shame.
8 We have praised you all day long,
and we will praise your name forever. Selah

9 But you left us and put us to shame.
You did not go with us into battle.
10 You let our enemies push us back.
You let them take our wealth.
11 You gave us away like sheep to be killed and eaten.
You scattered us among the nations.
12 You sold your people for nothing.
You did not even argue over the price.
13 You made us a joke to our neighbors.
They laugh and make fun of us.
14 You made us one of the stories that people love to tell.
People all over the world laugh at us and shake their heads.
15 All I can think about is my shame.
Just look at my face, and you will see it.
16 All I can hear are the jokes and insults of my enemies,
as I watch them take their revenge.
17 We have not forgotten you.
But you do all those things to us.
We did not break the agreement you gave us.
18 We did not turn away from you.
We did not stop following you.
19 But you crushed us in this home of jackals.
You left us in this place as dark as death.
20 Did we forget the name of our God?
Did we pray to foreign gods?
21 If we did, then God knows it,
because he knows our deepest secrets.
22 All day long we died for you.
We are like sheep being led away to be killed.
23 Lord, wake up!
Why are you sleeping?
Get up! Don’t ignore us forever!
24 Why are you hiding from us?
Have you forgotten our pain and troubles?
25 We have been pushed down into the dirt.
We are lying face down in the dust. [ a ]
26 Get up and help us!
Rescue us because of your faithful love.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 44:25 This shows that the people were being treated like slaves who must bow down to their masters.

44 We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.

2 How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out.

3 For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them.

4 Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.

5 Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us.

6 For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.

7 But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us.

8 In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah.

9 But thou hast cast off, and put us to shame; and goest not forth with our armies.

10 Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy: and they which hate us spoil for themselves.

11 Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat; and hast scattered us among the heathen.

12 Thou sellest thy people for nought, and dost not increase thy wealth by their price.

13 Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us.

14 Thou makest us a byword among the heathen, a shaking of the head among the people.

15 My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me,

16 For the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth; by reason of the enemy and avenger.

17 All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.

18 Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way;

19 Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death.

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

21 Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.

22 Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

23 Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever.

24 Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression?

25 For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaveth unto the earth.

26 Arise for our help, and redeem us for thy mercies' sake.

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.
2 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.
3 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.

4 You are ( L ) my King, God;
( M ) Command [ b ] victories for Jacob.
5 Through You we will ( N ) push back our adversaries;
Through Your name we will ( O ) trample down those who rise up against us.
6 For I will ( P ) not trust in my bow,
Nor will my sword save me.
7 But You ( Q ) have saved us from our adversaries,
And You have ( R ) put to shame those who hate us.
8 In God we have ( S ) boasted all day long,
And we will ( T ) give thanks to Your name forever. Selah

9 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.

Footnotes

  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 [ a ]

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

1 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 )
2 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 )
3 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.

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

9 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.
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