1 O God, we have heard with our ears, Our fathers have told us The work that You did 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 Y ou with Your own hand drove out the nations; Then You planted them; You afflicted the peoples, Then You spread them abroad.

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

3 F or by their own sword they did not possess the land, And their own arm did not save them, But Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your presence, For You favored 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 Y ou are my King, O God; Command victories for Jacob.

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

5 T hrough You we will push back our adversaries; Through Your name we will trample down those who 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, Nor will my sword save me.

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

7 B ut You have saved us from our adversaries, And You have put to shame those who hate us.

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

8 I n God we have boasted all day long, And we will give thanks to Your name forever. Selah.

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

9 Y et You have rejected us and brought us to dishonor, And do not go out with our armies.

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

10 Y ou cause us to turn back from the adversary; And those who hate us have taken spoil for themselves.

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

11 Y ou give us as sheep to be eaten And have scattered us among the nations.

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

12 Y ou sell Your people cheaply, And have not profited by their sale.

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

13 Y ou make us a reproach to our neighbors, A scoffing and a derision to those around us.

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

14 Y ou make us a byword among the nations, A laughingstock among the peoples.

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

15 A ll day long my dishonor is before me And my humiliation has overwhelmed me,

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

16 B ecause of the voice of him who reproaches and reviles, Because of the presence 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 has come upon us, but we have not forgotten You, And we have not dealt falsely with Your covenant.

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

18 O ur heart has not turned back, And our steps have not deviated from Your way,

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

19 Y et You have crushed us in a 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 had forgotten the name of our God Or extended 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 ould not God find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.

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

22 B ut for Your sake we are killed all day long; We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

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

23 A rouse Yourself, why do You sleep, O Lord? Awake, do not reject us forever.

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

24 W hy do You hide Your face And forget our affliction and our oppression?

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

25 F or our soul has sunk down into the dust; Our body cleaves to the earth.

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

26 R ise up, be our help, And redeem us for the sake of Your lovingkindness.

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