Psalm 44

⁴ You are my King and my God.
    You give victories to the people of Jacob.
⁵ With your help we push back our enemies.
    By your power we walk all over them.
⁶ I put no trust in my bow.
    My sword doesn’t bring me victory.
⁷ But you give us victory over our enemies.
    You put them to shame.
⁸ All day long we talk about how great God is.
    We will praise your name forever.

⁹ But now you have turned your back on us and made us humble.
    You don’t march out with our armies anymore.
¹⁰ You made us turn and run from our enemies.
    They have taken what belongs to us.
¹¹ You handed us over to be eaten up like sheep.
    You have scattered us among the nations.
¹² You sold your people for very little.
    You didn’t gain anything when you sold them.

¹³ You have made us something that our neighbors laugh at.
    Those who live around us make fun of us and tease us.
¹⁴ The nations make jokes about us.
    They shake their heads at us.
¹⁵ All day long I have to live with my shame.
    My face is covered with it.
¹⁶ That’s because they laugh at me and attack me with their words.
    They want to get even with me.

¹⁷ All of this happened to us,
    even though we had not forgotten you.
    We had not broken the covenant you made with us.
¹⁸ Our hearts had not turned away from you.
    Our feet had not wandered from your path.
¹⁹ But you crushed us and left us to the wild dogs.
    You covered us over with deep darkness.

²⁰ We didn’t forget our God.
    We didn’t spread out our hands in prayer to a false god.
²¹ If we had, God would have discovered it.
    He knows the secrets of our hearts.
²² But because of you, we face death all day long.
    We are considered as sheep to be killed.

²³ Lord, wake up! Why are you sleeping?
    Get up! Don’t say no to us forever.
²⁴ Why do you turn your face away from us?
    Why do you forget our pain and troubles?

²⁵ We are brought down to the dust.
    Our bodies lie flat on the ground.
²⁶ Rise up and help us.
    Save us because of your faithful love.