1 W e have heard with our ears, O God, Our fathers have told us, The deeds You did in their days, In days 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 Y ou drove out the nations with Your hand, But them You planted; You afflicted the peoples, 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 did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, Nor did their own arm save them; But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, Because You favored 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 Y ou are my King, O God; Command victories for Jacob.

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

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

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

7 B ut You have saved us from our enemies, And have put to shame those who 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 day long, And praise Your name forever. Selah

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

9 B ut You have cast us off and put us to shame, And You do not go out 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 Y ou make us turn back from the enemy, And those who hate us have taken spoil for themselves.

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

11 Y ou have given us up like sheep intended for food, And have scattered us among the nations.

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

12 Y ou sell Your people for next to nothing, And are not enriched by selling them.

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

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

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

14 Y ou make us a byword among the nations, A shaking of the head among the peoples.

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

15 M y dishonor is continually before me, And the shame of my face has covered me,

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

16 B ecause of the voice of him who reproaches and reviles, Because of the enemy and the avenger.

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

17 A ll this has come upon us; But we have not forgotten You, Nor have we dealt falsely with Your 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 has not turned back, Nor have our steps departed from Your way;

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

19 B ut You have severely broken us in the place of jackals, 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 had forgotten the name of our God, Or stretched out our hands to a foreign god,

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

21 W ould not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.

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

22 Y et for Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted 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 do You sleep, O Lord? Arise! Do not cast us off forever.

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

24 W hy do You hide Your face, And forget 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 body clings to the ground.

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 Your mercies’ sake.

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