Psalm 44

O God, we with our ears have heard,
our fathers us have told,
What works thou in their days hast done,
and in the times of old.
How thou didst drive the Heathen out,
and plant them in their land,
Mad'st them take root, but didst afflict
the Heathen with thine hand.

'Twas not their sword that gate for them
possession of the land,
Nor did the strength of their own arm,
save them from th'enemies hand:
But thy right hand, thine arm, the light
of thine own countenance,
Because them out of thy free love,
it pleas'd thee to advance.

'Tis thou, O God, that art my King,
command deliverances,
For Jacob thine own people, now
in time of this distress.
Through thy pow'r will we now at once
push down our enemies,
Through thy name will we tread them down
that up against us rise.

For neither shall my sword me save,
nor trust I in my bow,
Thou sav'st us from our foes, and them
with shame dost overthrow.
In God we all day long do boast,
and ever praise thy name,
But now thou hast us quite cast off,
and hast put us to shame.

Thou with our armies goest not forth,
but from our foes dost make
Us fly, our haters do our goods
spoil for themselves, and take.
Amongst the Heathen thou dost us
scatter, and give for meat
Like sheep, and sell'st us for no price,
nor wealth by us dost get.

The Second Part.

Unto our neighbours a reproach
thou makest us to be,
They mock us that dwell round about,
to them a scorn are we.
Yea, thou amongst the Heathen all,
a by-word dost us make,
The nations proudly in contempt
their heads at us do shake.

Thus my confusion hast thou made
before me still to be,
Yea so, that daily shame of face
doth wholly cover me.
Ev'n for his voice that doth reproach,
and utter blasphemy,
Because of the avenger, and
the cruel enemy.

For all this we forgat not thee,
nor yet thy covenant brake,
We turn'd not back our hearts from thee,
nor did thy paths forsake.
Though thou us brak'st in desolate
places of Dragons fell,
And didst us cover with the shade
of dreadful death and hell.

If our Gods name we have forgot,
or help of idols sought,
Shall not God search this out, who knows
the hearts most secret thought?
Yea, all day long most cruelly,
slain for thy name are we,
As sheep that are for slaughter kept,
so we accompted be.

But, Lord awake, why sleepest thou?
arise, and us deliver,
Stand up, and do not us forsake,
nor cast us off for ever.
Why doest thou hide thy face, and us
in grief and sorrows leave?
Our souls stoop to the dust, to th'earth
our bellies fast do cleave.

Arise now, O thou gracious God,
to us an helper be,
We pray thee for thy mercies sake,
redeem and set us free.