Psalm 44

New Life Version

Prayer because of Troubles

44 O God, we have heard with our ears. Our fathers have told us what work You did in their days, in the days long ago. ² With Your own hand You made the nations leave, and put our fathers in the land. You brought trouble upon the nations, and You spread them out. ³ It was not by their sword that they took the land. Their own arm did not save them. But it was Your right hand, and Your arm, and the light of Your face, for You favored them.

⁴ You are my King, O God. Jacob wins because You say it must be so. ⁵ Through You we will push away those who hate us. Through Your name we will walk over those who rise up against us. ⁶ For I will not trust my bow, and my sword will not save me. ⁷ But You have saved us from those who fight against us. You have put to shame those who hate us. ⁸ In God we have had our pride all day long. And we will give thanks to Your name forever.

⁹ But now You have turned from us and have put us to shame. You do not go out with our armies. ¹⁰ You made us turn away from those who fight against us. And those who hate us have robbed us. ¹¹ You give us up to be eaten like sheep. You have spread us out among the nations. ¹² You sell Your people for nothing, and become no richer from their price. ¹³ You have made us a shame to our neighbors. Those around us laugh and make fun of us. ¹⁴ You have made us hated among the nations. The people laugh at us. ¹⁵ All day long my shame is with me and has become too much for me. ¹⁶ Those who talk against me, and who hate me are around me and want to punish me.

¹⁷ All this has come upon us, but we have not forgotten You. We have not been false to Your agreement. ¹⁸ Our heart has not turned away. And our steps have not turned from Your way. ¹⁹ But You have crushed us in a place of wild dogs, and covered us with the shadow of death.

²⁰ If we had forgotten the name of our God, or put out our hands to a strange god, ²¹ would not God find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart. ²² But we are killed all day long because of You. We are thought of as sheep that are ready to be killed. ²³ Awake, O Lord! Why do You sleep? Rise up! Do not turn away from us forever. ²⁴ Why do You hide Your face? Why do You forget our troubles and our suffering? ²⁵ For our soul is brought down to the dust. Our body holds on to the earth. ²⁶ Rise up and help us! Save us because of Your loving-kindness.