Psalm 44 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

Psa 44:1

Psa 44:1For the choir director: A psalm[fn] of the descendants of Korah.

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:

Psa 44:2

Psa 44:2You 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.

Psa 44:3

Psa 44:3They 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.

Psa 44:4

Psa 44:4You are my King and my God.
You command victories for Israel.[fn]

Psa 44:5

Psa 44:5Only by your power can we push back our enemies;
only in your name can we trample our foes.

Psa 44:6

Psa 44:6I do not trust in my bow;
I do not count on my sword to save me.

Psa 44:7

Psa 44:7You are the one who gives us victory over our enemies;
you disgrace those who hate us.

Psa 44:8

Psa 44:8O God, we give glory to you all day long
and constantly praise your name.
Interlude

Psa 44:9

Psa 44:9But now you have tossed us aside in dishonor.
You no longer lead our armies to battle.

Psa 44:10

Psa 44:10You make us retreat from our enemies
and allow those who hate us to plunder our land.

Psa 44:11

Psa 44:11You have butchered us like sheep
and scattered us among the nations.

Psa 44:12

Psa 44:12You sold your precious people for a pittance,
making nothing on the sale.

Psa 44:13

Psa 44:13You let our neighbors mock us.
We are an object of scorn and derision to those around us.

Psa 44:14

Psa 44:14You have made us the butt of their jokes;
they shake their heads at us in scorn.

Psa 44:15

Psa 44:15We can’t escape the constant humiliation;
shame is written across our faces.

Psa 44:16

Psa 44:16All we hear are the taunts of our mockers.
All we see are our vengeful enemies.

Psa 44:17

Psa 44:17All this has happened though we have not forgotten you.
We have not violated your covenant.

Psa 44:18

Psa 44:18Our hearts have not deserted you.
We have not strayed from your path.

Psa 44:19

Psa 44:19Yet you have crushed us in the jackal’s desert home.
You have covered us with darkness and death.

Psa 44:20

Psa 44:20If we had forgotten the name of our God
or spread our hands in prayer to foreign gods,

Psa 44:21

Psa 44:21God would surely have known it,
for he knows the secrets of every heart.

Psa 44:22

Psa 44:22But for your sake we are killed every day;
we are being slaughtered like sheep.

Psa 44:23

Psa 44:23Wake up, O Lord! Why do you sleep?
Get up! Do not reject us forever.

Psa 44:24

Psa 44:24Why do you look the other way?
Why do you ignore our suffering and oppression?

Psa 44:25

Psa 44:25We collapse in the dust,
lying face down in the dirt.

Psa 44:26

Psa 44:26Rise up! Help us!
Ransom us because of your unfailing love.

See the NLT Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

NLT Footnotes

(44:1)

Hebrew maskil. This may be a literary or musical term.

(44:4)

Hebrew for Jacob. The names “Jacob” and “Israel” are often interchanged throughout the Old Testament, referring sometimes to the individual patriarch and sometimes to the nation.

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For more information on this translation, see the NLT Preface.