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

To the Overseer. -- By sons of Korah. An Instruction. O God, with our ears we have heard, Our fathers have recounted to us, The work Thou didst work in their days, In the days of old.

2 T hou didst drive out the nations with thy hand; But them thou didst plant: Thou didst afflict the peoples; But them thou didst spread abroad.

Thou, Thy hand, nations hast dispossessed. And Thou dost plant them. Thou afflictest peoples, and sendest them away.

3 F or they gat 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 wast favorable unto them.

For, not by their sword Possessed they the land, And their arm gave not salvation to them, But Thy right hand, and Thine arm, And the light of Thy countenance, Because Thou hadst accepted them.

4 T hou art my King, O God: Command deliverance for Jacob.

Thou He, my king, O God, Command the deliverances of Jacob.

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

By Thee our adversaries we do push, By Thy name tread down our withstanders,

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

For, not in my bow do I trust, And my sword doth not save me.

7 B ut thou hast saved us from our adversaries, And hast put them to shame that hate us.

For Thou hast saved us from our adversaries, And those hating us Thou hast put to shame.

8 I n God have we made our boast all the day long, And we will give thanks unto thy name for ever. Selah

In God we have boasted all the day, And Thy name to the age we thank. Selah.

9 B ut now thou hast cast us off, and brought us to dishonor, And goest not forth with our hosts.

In anger Thou hast cast off and causest us to blush, And goest not forth with our hosts.

10 T hou makest us to turn back from the adversary; And they that hate us take spoil for themselves.

Thou causest us to turn backward from an adversary, And those hating us, Have spoiled for themselves.

11 T hou hast made us like sheep appointed for food, And hast scattered us among the nations.

Thou makest us food like sheep, And among nations Thou hast scattered us.

12 T hou sellest thy people for nought, And hast not increased thy wealth by their price.

Thou sellest Thy people -- without wealth, And hast not become great by their price.

13 T hou makest us a reproach to our neighbors, A scoffing and a derision to them that are round about us.

Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, A scorn and a reproach to our surrounders.

14 T hou makest us a byword among the nations, A shaking of the head among the peoples.

Thou makest us a simile among nations, A shaking of the head among peoples.

15 A ll the day long is my dishonor before me, And the shame of my face hath covered me,

All the day my confusion before me, And the shame of my face hath covered me.

16 F or the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth, By reason of the enemy and the avenger.

Because of the voice of a reproacher and reviler, Because of an enemy and a self-avenger.

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

All this met us, and we did not forget Thee, Nor have we dealt falsely in Thy covenant.

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

We turn not backward our heart, Nor turn aside doth our step from Thy path.

19 T hat thou hast sore broken us in the place of jackals, And covered us with the shadow of death.

But Thou hast smitten us in a place of dragons, And dost cover us over with death-shade.

20 I f we have forgotten the name of our God, Or spread forth our hands to a strange god;

If we have forgotten the name of our God, And spread our hands to a strange God,

21 W ill not God search this out? For he knoweth the secrets of the heart.

Doth not God search out this? For He knoweth the secrets of the heart.

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

Surely, for Thy sake we have been slain all the day, Reckoned as sheep of the slaughter.

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

Stir up -- why dost Thou sleep, O Lord? Awake, cast us not off for ever.

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

Why Thy face hidest Thou? Thou forgettest our afflictions and our oppression,

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

For bowed to the dust hath our soul, Cleaved to the earth hath our belly.

26 R ise up for our help, And redeem us for thy lovingkindness' sake.

Arise, a help to us, And ransom us for thy kindness' sake.