Psalms 44:1-23
Psalms 44:1-26 The Message (MSG)
We’ve been hearing about this, God, all our lives. Our fathers told us the stories their fathers told them, How single-handedly you weeded out the godless from the fields and planted us, How you sent those people packing but gave us a fresh start. We didn’t fight for this land; we didn’t work for it—it was a gift! You gave it, smiling as you gave it, delighting as you gave it. You’re my King, O God— command victories for Jacob! With your help we’ll wipe out our enemies, in your name we’ll stomp them to dust. I don’t trust in weapons; my sword won’t save me— But it’s you, you who saved us from the enemy; you made those who hate us lose face. All day we parade God’s praise— we thank you by name over and over. But now you’ve walked off and left us, you’ve disgraced us and won’t fight for us. You made us turn tail and run; those who hate us have cleaned us out. You delivered us as sheep to the butcher, you scattered us to the four winds. You sold your people at a discount— you made nothing on the sale. You made people on the street, people we know, poke fun and call us names. You made us a joke among the godless, a cheap joke among the rabble. Every day I’m up against it, my nose rubbed in my shame— Gossip and ridicule fill the air, people out to get me crowd the street. All this came down on us, and we’ve done nothing to deserve it. We never betrayed your Covenant: our hearts were never false, our feet never left your path. Do we deserve torture in a den of jackals? or lockup in a black hole? If we had forgotten to pray to our God or made fools of ourselves with store-bought gods, Wouldn’t God have figured this out? We can’t hide things from him. No, you decided to make us martyrs, lambs assigned for sacrifice each day. Get up, GOD! Are you going to sleep all day? Wake up! Don’t you care what happens to us? Why do you bury your face in the pillow? Why pretend things are just fine with us? And here we are—flat on our faces in the dirt, held down with a boot on our necks. Get up and come to our rescue. If you love us so much, Help us!
Psalms 44:1-23 King James Version (KJV)
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. How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; How thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out. For 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. Thou art my King, O God: Command deliverances for Jacob. Through thee will we push down our enemies: Through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us. For I will not trust in my bow, Neither shall my sword save me. But thou hast saved us from our enemies, And hast put them to shame that hated us. In God we boast all the day long, And praise thy name for ever. Selah. But thou hast cast off, and put us to shame; And goest not forth with our armies. Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy: And they which hate us spoil for themselves. Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat; And hast scattered us among the heathen. Thou sellest thy people for nought, And dost not increase thy wealth by their price. Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, A scorn and a derision to them that are round about us. Thou makest us a byword among the heathen, A shaking of the head among the people. My confusion is continually before me, And the shame of my face hath covered me, For the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth; By reason of the enemy and avenger. All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, Neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant. Our heart is not turned back, Neither have our steps declined from thy way; Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons, And covered us with the shadow of death. If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god; Shall not God search this out? For he knoweth the secrets of the heart. Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; We are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? Arise, cast us not off for ever.
Psalms 44:1-23 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)
O God, we have heard with our ears, Our fathers have told us The work that You did in their days, In the days of old. You with Your own hand drove out the nations; Then You planted them; You afflicted the peoples, Then You spread them abroad. For by their own sword they did not possess the land, And their own arm did not save them, But Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your presence, For You favored them. You are my King, O God; Command victories for Jacob. Through You we will push back our adversaries; Through Your name we will trample down those who rise up against us. For I will not trust in my bow, Nor will my sword save me. But You have saved us from our adversaries, And You have put to shame those who hate us. In God we have boasted all day long, And we will give thanks to Your name forever. Selah. Yet You have rejected us and brought us to dishonor, And do not go out with our armies. You cause us to turn back from the adversary; And those who hate us have taken spoil for themselves. You give us as sheep to be eaten And have scattered us among the nations. You sell Your people cheaply, And have not profited by their sale. You make us a reproach to our neighbors, A scoffing and a derision to those around us. You make us a byword among the nations, A laughingstock among the peoples. All day long my dishonor is before me And my humiliation has overwhelmed me, Because of the voice of him who reproaches and reviles, Because of the presence of the enemy and the avenger. All this has come upon us, but we have not forgotten You, And we have not dealt falsely with Your covenant. Our heart has not turned back, And our steps have not deviated from Your way, Yet You have crushed us in a place of jackals And covered us with the shadow of death. If we had forgotten the name of our God Or extended our hands to a strange god, Would not God find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart. But for Your sake we are killed all day long; We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. Arouse Yourself, why do You sleep, O Lord? Awake, do not reject us forever.
Psalms 44:1-23 New Century Version (NCV)
God, we have heard about you. Our ancestors told us what you did in their days, in days long ago. With your power you forced the nations out of the land and placed our ancestors here. You destroyed those other nations, but you made our ancestors grow strong. It wasn’t their swords that took the land. It wasn’t their power that gave them victory. But it was your great power and strength. You were with them because you loved them. My God, you are my King. Your commands led Jacob’s people to victory. With your help we pushed back our enemies. In your name we trampled those who came against us. I don’t trust my bow to help me, and my sword can’t save me. You saved us from our foes, and you made our enemies ashamed. We will praise God every day; we will praise your name forever.Selah But you have rejected us and shamed us. You don’t march with our armies anymore. You let our enemies push us back, and those who hate us have taken our wealth. You gave us away like sheep to be eaten and have scattered us among the nations. You sold your people for nothing and made no profit on the sale. You made us a joke to our neighbors; those around us laugh and make fun of us. You made us a joke to the other nations; people shake their heads. I am always in disgrace, and I am covered with shame. My enemy is getting even with insults and curses. All these things have happened to us, but we have not forgotten you or failed to keep our agreement with you. Our hearts haven’t turned away from you, and we haven’t stopped following you. But you crushed us in this place where wild dogs live, and you covered us with deep darkness. If we had forgotten our God or lifted our hands in prayer to foreign gods, God would have known, because he knows what is in our hearts. But for you we are in danger of death all the time. People think we are worth no more than sheep to be killed. Wake up, Lord! Why are you sleeping? Get up! Don’t reject us forever.
Psalms 44:1-23 American Standard Version (ASV)
We have heard with our ears, O God, Our fathers have told us, What work thou didst in their days, In the days of old. Thou didst drive out the nations with thy hand; But them thou didst plant: Thou didst afflict the peoples; But them thou didst spread abroad. For they gat 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 wast favorable unto them. Thou art my King, O God: Command deliverance for Jacob. Through thee will we push down our adversaries: Through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us. For I will not trust in my bow, Neither shall my sword save me. But thou hast saved us from our adversaries, And hast put them to shame that hate us. In God have we made our boast all the day long, And we will give thanks unto thy name for ever. [Selah But now thou hast cast us off, and brought us to dishonor, And goest not forth with our hosts. Thou makest us to turn back from the adversary; And they that hate us take spoil for themselves. Thou hast made us like sheep appointed for food, And hast scattered us among the nations. Thou sellest thy people for nought, And hast not increased thy wealth by their price. Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbors, A scoffing and a derision to them that are round about us. Thou makest us a byword among the nations, A shaking of the head among the peoples. All the day long is my dishonor before me, And the shame of my face hath covered me, For the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth, By reason of the enemy and the avenger. All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, Neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant. Our heart is not turned back, Neither have our steps declined from thy way, That thou hast sore broken us in the place of jackals, And covered us with the shadow of death. If we have forgotten the name of our God, Or spread forth our hands to a strange god; Will not God search this out? For he knoweth the secrets of the heart. Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? Arise, cast us not off for ever.
Psalms 44:1-23 New International Version (NIV)
We have heard it with our ears, O God; our ancestors have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago. With your hand you drove out the nations and planted our ancestors; you crushed the peoples and made our ancestors flourish. 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. You are my King and my God, who decrees victories for Jacob. Through you we push back our enemies; through your name we trample our foes. I put no trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame. In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever. But now you have rejected and humbled us; you no longer go out with our armies. You made us retreat before the enemy, and our adversaries have plundered us. You gave us up to be devoured like sheep and have scattered us among the nations. You sold your people for a pittance, gaining nothing from their sale. You have made us a reproach to our neighbors, the scorn and derision of those around us. You have made us a byword among the nations; the peoples shake their heads at us. I live in disgrace all day long, and my face is covered with shame at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me, because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge. All this came upon us, though we had not forgotten you; we had not been false to your covenant. Our hearts had not turned back; our feet had not strayed from your path. But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals; you covered us over with deep darkness. If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god, would not God have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart? Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.
Psalms 44:1-23 New King James Version (NKJV)
We have heard with our ears, O God, Our fathers have told us, The deeds You did in their days, In days of old: You drove out the nations with Your hand, But them You planted; You afflicted the peoples, and cast them out. For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, Nor did their own arm save them; But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, Because You favored them. You are my King, O God; Command victories for Jacob. Through You we will push down our enemies; Through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us. For I will not trust in my bow, Nor shall my sword save me. But You have saved us from our enemies, And have put to shame those who hated us. In God we boast all day long, And praise Your name forever. Selah But You have cast us off and put us to shame, And You do not go out with our armies. You make us turn back from the enemy, And those who hate us have taken spoil for themselves. You have given us up like sheep intended for food, And have scattered us among the nations. You sell Your people for next to nothing, And are not enriched by selling them. You make us a reproach to our neighbors, A scorn and a derision to those all around us. You make us a byword among the nations, A shaking of the head among the peoples. My dishonor is continually before me, And the shame of my face has covered me, Because of the voice of him who reproaches and reviles, Because of the enemy and the avenger. All this has come upon us; But we have not forgotten You, Nor have we dealt falsely with Your covenant. Our heart has not turned back, Nor have our steps departed from Your way; But You have severely broken us in the place of jackals, And covered us with the shadow of death. If we had forgotten the name of our God, Or stretched out our hands to a foreign god, Would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart. Yet for Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord? Arise! Do not cast us off forever.
Psalms 44:1-23 Amplified Bible (AMP)
We have heard with our ears, O God, Our fathers have told us The work You did in their days, In the days of old. You drove out the [pagan] nations with Your own hand; Then you planted and established them (Israel); [It was by Your power that] You uprooted the [pagan] peoples, Then You spread them abroad. For our fathers did not possess the land [of Canaan] by their own sword, Nor did their own arm save them, But Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your presence, Because You favored and delighted in them. ¶You are my King, O God; Command victories and deliverance for Jacob (Israel). Through You we will gore our enemies [like a bull]; Through Your name we will trample down those who rise up against us. For I will not trust in my bow, Nor will my sword save me. But You have saved us from our enemies, And You have put them to shame and humiliated those who hate us. In God we have boasted all the day long, And we will praise and give thanks to Your name forever. Selah. ¶But now You have rejected us and brought us to dishonor, And You do not go out with our armies [to lead us to victory]. You make us turn back from the enemy, And those who hate us have taken spoil for themselves. You have made us like sheep to be eaten [as mutton] And have scattered us [in exile] among the nations. You sell Your people cheaply, And have not increased Your wealth by their sale. You have made us the reproach and taunt of our neighbors, A scoffing and a derision to those around us. You make us a byword among the nations, A laughingstock among the people. My dishonor is before me all day long, And humiliation has covered my face, Because of the voice of the taunter and reviler, Because of the presence of the enemy and the avenger. ¶All this has come upon us, yet we have not forgotten You, Nor have we been false to Your covenant [which You made with our fathers]. Our heart has not turned back, Nor have our steps wandered from Your path, Yet You have [distressingly] crushed us in the place of jackals And covered us with [the deep darkness of] the shadow of death. ¶If we had forgotten the name of our God Or stretched out our hands to a strange god, Would not God discover this? For He knows the secrets of the heart. But for Your sake we are killed all the day long; We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. [Rom 8:35-39] Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord? Awaken, do not reject us forever.
Psalms 44:1-23 New Living Translation (NLT)
O God, we have heard it with our own ears— our ancestors have told us of all you did in their day, in days long ago: You drove out the pagan nations by your power and gave all the land to our ancestors. You crushed their enemies and set our ancestors free. They did not conquer the land with their swords; it was not their own strong arm that gave them victory. It was your right hand and strong arm and the blinding light from your face that helped them, for you loved them. You are my King and my God. You command victories for Israel. Only by your power can we push back our enemies; only in your name can we trample our foes. I do not trust in my bow; I do not count on my sword to save me. You are the one who gives us victory over our enemies; you disgrace those who hate us. O God, we give glory to you all day long and constantly praise your name. Interlude But now you have tossed us aside in dishonor. You no longer lead our armies to battle. You make us retreat from our enemies and allow those who hate us to plunder our land. You have butchered us like sheep and scattered us among the nations. You sold your precious people for a pittance, making nothing on the sale. You let our neighbors mock us. We are an object of scorn and derision to those around us. You have made us the butt of their jokes; they shake their heads at us in scorn. We can’t escape the constant humiliation; shame is written across our faces. All we hear are the taunts of our mockers. All we see are our vengeful enemies. All this has happened though we have not forgotten you. We have not violated your covenant. Our hearts have not deserted you. We have not strayed from your path. Yet you have crushed us in the jackal’s desert home. You have covered us with darkness and death. If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread our hands in prayer to foreign gods, God would surely have known it, for he knows the secrets of every heart. But for your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep. Wake up, O Lord! Why do you sleep? Get up! Do not reject us forever.
Psalms 44:1-23 The Passion Translation (TPT)
God, we’ve heard about all the glorious miracles you’ve done for our ancestors in days gone by. They told us about the ancient times, how by your power you drove out the ungodly nations from this land, crushing all their strongholds and giving the land to us. Now the people of Israel cover the land from one end to the other, all because of your grace and power! Our forefathers didn’t take the land by their own strength or their own skill or strategy. But it was through the shining forth of your radiant presence and the display of your mighty power. You loved to give them victory, for you took great delight in them. You are my God, my King! It’s now time to decree majesties for Jacob! Through your glorious name and your awesome power, we can push through to any victory and defeat every enemy. For I will not trust in the weapons of the world; I know they will never save me. Only you will be our Savior from all our enemies. All those who hate us you have brought to shame. So now I constantly boast in you. I can never thank you enough! Pause in his presence But you have turned your back on us; you walked off and left us! You’ve rejected us, tossing us aside in humiliating shame. You don’t go before us anymore in our battles. We retreat before our enemies in defeat, for you are no longer helping us. Those who hate us have invaded our land and plundered our people. You have treated us like sheep in the slaughter pen, ready to be butchered. You’ve scattered us to the four winds. You have sold us as slaves for nothing! You have counted us, your precious ones, as worthless. You have caused our neighbors to despise and scorn us. All those around us mock and curse us. You have made us the butt of their jokes. Disliked by all, we are the laughingstock of the people. There’s no escape from this constant curse, this humiliation! We are despised, jeered, overwhelmed by shame, and overcome at every turn by our hateful and heartless enemies. Despite all of this, we have not forgotten you; we have not broken covenant with you. We have not betrayed you; our hearts are still yours. Our steps have not strayed from your path. Yet you have crushed us, leaving us in this wilderness place of misery and desperation. With nowhere else to turn, death’s dark door seems to be the only way out. If we had forsaken your holy name, wouldn’t you know it? You’d be right in leaving us. If we had worshiped before other gods, no one would blame you for punishing us. God, you know our every heart-secret. You know we still want you! Because of you we face death threats every day. Like martyrs we are dying daily. We are seen as lambs lined up to be slaughtered as sacrifices. So wake up, Lord God! Why would you sleep when we’re in trouble? Are you forsaking us forever?
Psalms 44:1-23 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)
O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old: you with your own hand drove out the nations, but them you planted; you afflicted the peoples, but them you set free; for not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm save them, but your right hand and your arm, and the light of your face, for you delighted in them. You are my King, O God; ordain salvation for Jacob! Through you we push down our foes; through your name we tread down those who rise up against us. For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me. But you have saved us from our foes and have put to shame those who hate us. In God we have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah But you have rejected us and disgraced us and have not gone out with our armies. You have made us turn back from the foe, and those who hate us have gotten spoil. You have made us like sheep for slaughter and have scattered us among the nations. You have sold your people for a trifle, demanding no high price for them. You have made us the taunt of our neighbors, the derision and scorn of those around us. You have made us a byword among the nations, a laughingstock among the peoples. All day long my disgrace is before me, and shame has covered my face at the sound of the taunter and reviler, at the sight of the enemy and the avenger. All this has come upon us, though we have not forgotten you, and we have not been false to your covenant. Our heart has not turned back, nor have our steps departed from your way; yet you have broken us in the place of jackals and covered us with the shadow of death. If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god, would not God discover this? For he knows the secrets of the heart. Yet for your sake we are killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever!