For the music director: a maskil

of the sons of Korah, a contemplative song.

O God, we have heard with our ears

– our ancestors have told us –

of what You did in their time and long before.

You displaced nations with Your hand

and planted our ancestors.

You crushed the peoples and You drove them out.

It was not by their own swords

that our ancestors took over the land,

nor did their own arms bring them victory;

it was Your right hand,

Your arm,

and the light of Your face

– because You were pleased with them.

You are my Monarch and my God

– command success for Jacob!

Through Your might, we push back our enemies.

Through Your name, we trample our foes.

I don’t trust in my bow

and my sword doesn’t win my battles.

You are the One who saves us

from our oppressors

and make our oppressors be ashamed.

We boast in God the whole day long

and we praise Your Name forever.

Selah

But now You have rejected and humiliated us,

and You no longer go out with our soldiers.

You make us retreat in battle,

and our foes have plundered us.

You gave us up to be gobbled up like sheep,

and have scattered us among strangers.

You sell Your people for nothing, making no profit.

You made our neighbors taunt us,

made us a source of mockery and ridicule

to those who are around us.

You have made us a joke among the nations,

the peoples shake their heads at us.

All day long my disgrace is before me

and shame covers my face

at the sounds of taunting and reviling

coming from the face of an enemy bent on revenge.

All of this befell us

even though we didn’t forget You

or break Your covenant.

Our hearts have not turned back

nor have our feet strayed from Your path.

Yet You crushed us among jackals

and blanketed us with the shadow of death.

If we had forgotten our God’s Name

or reached out to a strange god

wouldn’t God have discovered it

since God knows the secrets of our heart?

Yet for Your sake we are slain all day long.

We are counted among the sheep to be slaughtered.

Awaken, Adonai!

Why are You sleeping?

Wake up!

Don’t forever reject us!

Why do You hide Your face

and forget our affliction and oppression?

For our soul has sunk down to the dirt,

our belly clings to the earth.

Rise up!

Help us and redeem us

for the sake of Your mercy.