44:1 For the director of music. A ·maskil [skillful psalm; meditation] of the sons of Korah [C descendants of Kohath, son of Levi, who served as Temple musicians; 1 Chr. 6:22]. God, we have heard ·about you [L with our ears; 78:3]. Our ·ancestors [fathers] ·told [recited to] us what you did in their days, in days long ago.
44:2 With your ·power [L hand] you ·forced [dispossessed] the nations out of the land and ·placed [L planted] our ancestors here. You ·destroyed [troubled] ·those other nations [L the peoples], but you ·made our ancestors grow strong [set them free].
44:3 It wasn’t their swords that ·took [possessed] the land. It wasn’t their ·power [L arm] that gave them victory. But it was your ·great power [L arm] and ·strength [L right hand]. ·You were with them [L …and the light of your face] because you ·loved [delighted in] them.
44:4 My God, you are my King. ·Your commands led Jacob’s people to victory [or You command victory for Jacob; C Jacob is another name for Israel].
44:5 With your help we pushed ·back [down] our enemies. In your name we trampled those who ·came [rose up] against us.
44:6 I don’t trust my bow to help me, and my sword can’t ·save me [give me victory].
44:7 You ·saved us from [gave us victory over] our foes, and you made ·our enemies [L those who hate us] ashamed.
44:8 We will praise God every day; we will ·praise [give thanks to] your name forever. ·Selah [Interlude]
44:9 But you have rejected us and ·shamed [humiliated] us. You don’t ·march [L go out] with our armies anymore [Ex. 15:3; 2 Chr. 20:20–21].
44:10 You let our enemies push us back, and those who hate us have ·taken our wealth [plundered us].
44:11 You ·gave us away [made us] like sheep ·to be eaten [for slaughter] and have scattered us among the nations.
44:12 You sold your people for nothing and made no profit on the sale.
44:13 You made us a ·joke [reproach] to our neighbors; those around us ·laugh [ridicule] and make fun of us.
44:14 You made us a ·joke [byword; proverb] to the other nations; people shake their heads.
44:15 I am always in disgrace, and ·I am [L my face is] covered with shame.
44:16 My enemy is getting ·even [revenge] with ·insults [taunts] and curses.
44:17 All these things have happened to us, but we have not forgotten you or ·failed to keep [been false to; betrayed] our ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with you [C perhaps a reference to the covenant with Moses; Ex. 19–24].
44:18 Our hearts haven’t turned ·away [back] from you, and ·we haven’t stopped following you [L our steps have not departed from your way].
44:19 But you crushed us in this place where ·wild dogs [jackals] live [C desolate areas], and you covered us with ·deep darkness [or the shadow of death; Nah. 1:8].
44:20 If we had forgotten the name of our God or ·lifted [L spread] our hands in prayer to ·foreign [L strange] gods,
44:21 ·God would have known [L Would not God discover this…?], because he knows ·what is in [L the secrets of] our hearts.
44:22 But for you we are ·in danger of death [L killed] all the time. People think we are worth no more than sheep to be ·killed [slaughtered; Is. 53:7].
44:23 Wake up, Lord! Why are you sleeping? Get up! Don’t reject us forever [Lam. 5:22].
44:24 Why do you hide your face from us? Have you forgotten our ·pain [affliction] and ·troubles [oppression]?
44:25 We have ·been pushed down [sunk down] into the ·dirt [dust]; ·we are flat on the ground [L our stomachs cleave to the earth].
44:26 ·Get [Rise] up and help us. Because of your ·love [loyalty], ·save [redeem; ransom] us.
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