Psalm 44

Israel’s Complaint

For the choir director. A Maskil of the sons of Korah.

¹God, we have heard with our ears —

our ancestors have told us —

the work you accomplished in their days,

in days long ago: ^a

²In order to plant them,

you displaced the nations by your hand;

in order to settle them,

you brought disaster on the peoples. ^b

³For 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, ^c

because you were favorable toward them. ^d

⁴You are my King, my God,

who ordains ^e victories for Jacob. ^f

⁵Through you we drive back our foes;

through your name we trample our enemies. ^g

⁶For I do not trust in my bow,

and my sword does not bring me victory. ^h

⁷But you give us victory over our foes

and let those who hate us be disgraced. ⁱ

⁸We boast in God all day long; ^j

we will praise your name forever. ^k Selah

⁹But you have rejected and humiliated us;

you do not march out with our armies. ^l

¹⁰You make us retreat from the foe,

and those who hate us

have taken plunder for themselves. ^m

¹¹You hand us over to be eaten like sheep

and scatter us among the nations. ⁿ

¹²You sell your people for nothing;

you make no profit from selling them. ^o

¹³You make us an object of reproach to our neighbors,

a source of mockery and ridicule to those around us. ^p

¹⁴You make us a joke among the nations,

a laughingstock ^q among the peoples. ^r

¹⁵My disgrace is before me all day long,

and shame has covered my face, ^s

¹⁶because of the taunts ^t of the scorner and reviler,

because of the enemy and avenger. ^u

¹⁷All this has happened to us,

but we have not forgotten you

or betrayed your covenant. ^v

¹⁸Our hearts have not turned back;

our steps have not strayed from your path. ^w

¹⁹But you have crushed us in a haunt of jackals

and have covered us with deepest darkness. ^x

²⁰If we had forgotten the name of our God

and spread out our hands to a foreign god, ^y

²¹wouldn’t God have found this out,

since he knows the secrets of the heart? ^z

²²Because of you we are being put to death all day long;

we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. ^aa

²³Wake up, Lord! Why are you sleeping?

Get up! Don’t reject us forever! ^ab

²⁴Why do you hide

and forget our affliction and oppression? ^ac

²⁵For we have sunk down to the dust;

our bodies cling to the ground. ^ad

²⁶Rise up! Help us!

Redeem us because of your faithful love. ^ae