Psalm 44

We have heard it with our ears, O God;
    our ancestors have told us 
what you did in their days,
    in days long ago. 
² With your hand you drove out the nations
    and planted our ancestors;
you crushed the peoples
    and made our ancestors flourish. 
³ It was not by their sword that they won the land,
    nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand, your arm, 
    and the light of your face, for you loved them.

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

⁹ But now you have rejected and humbled us; 
    you no longer go out with our armies. 
¹⁰ You made us retreat before the enemy,
    and our adversaries have plundered us.
¹¹ You gave us up to be devoured like sheep 
    and have scattered us among the nations. 
¹² You sold your people for a pittance, 
    gaining nothing from their sale.

¹³ You have made us a reproach to our neighbors, 
    the scorn and derision of those around us.
¹⁴ You have made us a byword among the nations;
    the peoples shake their heads at us.
¹⁵ I live in disgrace all day long,
    and my face is covered with shame 
¹⁶ at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me,
    because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.

¹⁷ All this came upon us,
    though we had not forgotten you;
    we had not been false to your covenant.
¹⁸ Our hearts had not turned back;
    our feet had not strayed from your path.
¹⁹ But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals; 
    you covered us over with deep darkness.

²⁰ If we had forgotten the name of our God
    or spread out our hands to a foreign god, 
²¹ would not God have discovered it,
    since he knows the secrets of the heart? 
²² Yet for your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

²³ Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep? 
    Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever. 
²⁴ Why do you hide your face 
    and forget our misery and oppression?

²⁵ We are brought down to the dust; 
    our bodies cling to the ground.
²⁶ Rise up and help us;
    rescue us because of your unfailing love.