Psalms 44

We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.

1God, we have heard it with our own ears. Our fathers told us what you did long ago, in their days.

2How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out.

2With your own hand you drove other nations out of the land. You planted our fathers there instead. You crushed those peoples and sent them away.

NoteThe old word "heathen" here just means the other nations who lived in the land.

3For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them.

3Our fathers did not win the land with their swords. Their own strength did not save them. It was your right hand and your arm. It was the light of your face, because you loved them.

4Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.

4You are my King, O God. Give the order that brings help to Jacob's people.

5Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us.

5With your help we push our enemies back. In your name we walk right over those who attack us.

6For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.

6I do not trust my bow to keep me safe. My sword cannot save me.

7But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us.

7You are the one who saves us from our enemies. You put those who hate us to shame.

8In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah.

8We are proud of God all day long. We will praise your name forever. Selah, a pause in the music.

9But thou hast cast off, and put us to shame; and goest not forth with our armies.

9But now you have turned away from us. You have let us be shamed. You no longer march out with our armies.

10Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy: and they which hate us spoil for themselves.

10You make us run away from the enemy. The people who hate us take our things.

11Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat; and hast scattered us among the heathen.

11You have handed us over like sheep to be eaten. You have scattered us among other nations.

NoteIn 1611, "meat" meant any food. "Sheep appointed for meat" means sheep raised to be eaten.

12Thou sellest thy people for nought, and dost not increase thy wealth by their price.

12You sell your own people for nothing. You gain no money at all from the sale.

13Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us.

13You let our neighbors look down on us. The people around us laugh at us.

14Thou makest us a byword among the heathen, a shaking of the head among the people.

14Other nations make jokes about us. People shake their heads when they see us.

15My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me,

15All day long I feel my disgrace. Shame covers my face.

16For the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth; by reason of the enemy and avenger.

16I hear people mocking us and saying bad things about God. Our enemy wants to pay us back.

17All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.

17All of this has happened to us. Still we have not forgotten you. We have not broken our agreement with you.

18Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way;

18Our hearts have not turned away from you. Our feet have not left your path.

19Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death.

19But you have crushed us in a place where wild dogs live. You have covered us with deep darkness.

NoteThe old word "dragons" here means jackals, wild dogs that live in empty, ruined places.

20If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god;

20Suppose we had forgotten the name of our God. Suppose we had lifted our hands to a foreign god.

21Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.

21Would God not find that out? He knows every secret in the heart.

22Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

22Because we belong to you, we face death all day long. People count us as sheep ready to be killed.

23Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever.

23Wake up, Lord! Why are you sleeping? Get up! Do not turn away from us forever.

24Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression?

24Why do you hide your face from us? Why do you forget our pain and our trouble?

25For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaveth unto the earth.

25We have sunk down into the dust. Our bodies lie flat on the ground.

26Arise for our help, and redeem us for thy mercies’ sake.

26Get up and help us! Save us, because your love never stops.