Psalm 44
Israel’s Complaint
For the choir director. A Maskil of the sons of Korah.
1 God, we have heard with our ears—
our ancestors have told us—
the work you accomplished in their days,
in days long ago: b
you displaced the nations by your hand;
in order to settle them,
you brought disaster on the peoples. c
3 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, d
because you were favorable toward them. e
who ordains C victories for Jacob. f
5 Through you we drive back our foes;
through your name we trample our enemies. g
6 For I do not trust in my bow,
and my sword does not bring me victory. h
7 But you give us victory over our foes
and let those who hate us be disgraced. i
8 We boast in God all day long;
we will praise your name forever. j Selah
9 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 D 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 E 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
and forget our affliction and oppression? z
25 For we have sunk down to the dust;
our bodies cling to the ground. a
Redeem us because of your faithful love. b