Psalm 44*God’s Past Favor and Israel’s Present Need1For the leader. A maskil of the Korahites. I 2O God, we have heard with our own ears; our ancestors have told usa The deeds you did in their days, with your own hand in days of old: 3You rooted out nations to plant them,b crushed peoples and expelled them. 4Not with their own swords did they conquer the land,c nor did their own arms bring victory; It was your right hand, your own arm, the light of your face for you favored them.d 5You are my king and my God,e who bestows victories on Jacob. 6Through you we batter our foes; through your name we trample our adversaries. 7Not in my bow do I trust, nor does my sword bring me victory. 8You have brought us victory over our enemies, shamed those who hate us. 9In God we have boasted all the day long; your name we will praise forever. Selah II 10fBut now you have rejected and disgraced us; you do not march out with our armies.g 11You make us retreat* before the foe; those who hate us plunder us at will.h 12You hand us over like sheep to be slaughtered, scatter us among the nations.i 13You sell your people for nothing; you make no profit from their sale.j 14You make us the reproach of our neighbors,k the mockery and scorn of those around us. 15You make us a byword among the nations; the peoples shake their heads at us. 16All day long my disgrace is before me; shame has covered my face 17At the sound of those who taunt and revile, at the sight of the enemy and avenger. III 18All this has come upon us, though we have not forgotten you, nor been disloyal to your covenant. 19*Our hearts have not turned back, nor have our steps strayed from your path. 20Yet you have left us crushed, desolate in a place of jackals;*l you have covered us with a shadow of death. 21If we had forgotten the name of our God, stretched out our hands to another god, 22Would not God have discovered this, God who knows the secrets of the heart? 23For you we are slain all the day long, considered only as sheep to be slaughtered.m IV Book IntroductionFootnotesScripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Home |