Psalm 44²¹

For the music director; by the Korachites, a well-written song²²
44:1 O God, we have clearly heard;¹
Our fathers have told us
what you did² in their days,
in ancient times.³
44:2 You, by your power,⁴ defeated nations and settled our fathers on their land,⁵
you crushed⁶ the people living there⁷ and enabled our fathers to occupy it.⁸
44:3 For they did not conquer⁹ the land by their swords,
and they did not prevail by their strength,¹⁰
but rather by your power,¹¹ strength¹² and good favor,¹³
for you were partial to¹⁴ them.
44:4 You are my¹⁵ king, O God!
Decree¹⁶ Jacob’s¹⁷ deliverance!
44:5 By your power¹⁸ we will drive back¹⁹ our enemies,
by your strength²⁰ we will trample down²¹ our foes!²²
44:6 For I do not trust in my bow,
and I do not prevail by my sword.
44:7 For you deliver²³ us from our enemies,
you humiliate²⁴ those who hate us.
44:8 In God I boast all day long,
and we will continually give thanks to your name. (Selah)
44:9 But²⁵ you rejected and embarrassed us!
You did not go into battle with our armies.²⁶
44:10 You made us retreat²⁷ from the enemy,
Those who hate us take whatever they want from us.²⁸
44:11 You handed us²⁹ over like sheep to be eaten,
you scattered us among the nations.
44:12 You sold³⁰ your people for a pittance,³¹
you did not ask a high price for them.³²
44:13 You made us³³ an object of disdain to our neighbors,
those who live on our borders taunt and insult us.³⁴
44:14 You made us³⁵ an object of ridicule³⁶ among the nations,
foreigners treat us with contempt.³⁷
44:15 All day long I feel humiliated,³⁸
and am overwhelmed with shame,³⁹
44:16 before the vindictive enemy
who ridicules and insults me.⁴⁰
44:17 All this has happened to us, even though we have not rejected you,⁴¹
or violated your covenant with us.⁴²
44:18 We have not been unfaithful,⁴³
nor have we disobeyed your commands.⁴⁴
44:19 Yet you have battered us, leaving us a heap of ruins overrun by wild dogs;⁴⁵
you have covered us with darkness.⁴⁶
44:20 If we had rejected our God,⁴⁷
and spread out our hands in prayer to another god,⁴⁸
44:21 would not God discover it,
for he knows⁴⁹ one’s thoughts?⁵⁰
44:22 Yet because of you⁵¹ we are killed all day long,
we are treated like⁵² sheep at the slaughtering block.⁵³
44:23 Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O sovereign master?
Wake up!⁵⁴ Do not reject us forever!
44:24 Why do look the other way,⁵⁵
and ignore⁵⁶ the way we are oppressed and mistreated?⁵⁷
44:25 For we lie in the dirt,
with our bellies pressed to the ground.⁵⁸
44:26 Rise up and help us!
Rescue us⁵⁹ because of your loyal love!