1 W e have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.

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 H ow thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out.

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 F or they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them.

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 T hou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.

You are my King, O God. Jacob wins because You say it must be so.

5 T hrough thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us.

Through You we will push away those who hate us. Through Your name we will walk over those who rise up against us.

6 F or I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.

For I will not trust my bow, and my sword will not save me.

7 B ut thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us.

But You have saved us from those who fight against us. You have put to shame those who hate us.

8 I n God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah.

In God we have had our pride all day long. And we will give thanks to Your name forever.

9 B ut thou hast cast off, and put us to shame; and goest not forth with our armies.

But now You have turned from us and have put us to shame. You do not go out with our armies.

10 T hou makest us to turn back from the enemy: and they which hate us spoil for themselves.

You made us turn away from those who fight against us. And those who hate us have robbed us.

11 T hou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat; and hast scattered us among the heathen.

You give us up to be eaten like sheep. You have spread us out among the nations.

12 T hou sellest thy people for nought, and dost not increase thy wealth by their price.

You sell Your people for nothing, and become no richer from their price.

13 T hou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us.

You have made us a shame to our neighbors. Those around us laugh and make fun of us.

14 T hou makest us a byword among the heathen, a shaking of the head among the people.

You have made us hated among the nations. The people laugh at us.

15 M y confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me,

All day long my shame is with me and has become too much for me.

16 f or the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth; by reason of the enemy and avenger.

Those who talk against me, and who hate me are around me and want to punish me.

17 A ll this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.

All this has come upon us, but we have not forgotten You. We have not been false to Your agreement.

18 O ur heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way;

Our heart has not turned away. And our steps have not turned from Your way.

19 t hough thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death.

But You have crushed us in a place of wild dogs, and covered us with the shadow of death.

20 I f we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god;

If we had forgotten the name of our God, or put out our hands to a strange god,

21 s hall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.

would not God find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.

22 Y ea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

But we are killed all day long because of You. We are thought of as sheep that are ready to be killed.

23 A wake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever.

Awake, O Lord! Why do You sleep? Rise up! Do not turn away from us forever.

24 W herefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression?

Why do You hide Your face? Why do You forget our troubles and our suffering?

25 F or our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaveth unto the earth.

For our soul is brought down to the dust. Our body holds on to the earth.

26 A rise for our help, and redeem us for thy mercies’ sake.

Rise up and help us! Save us because of Your loving-kindness.