Israel’s Complaint

For the choir director. A •Maskil of the sons of Korah.

1God, we have heard with our ears —

our ancestors have told us —

the work You accomplished in their days,

in days long ago:a

2to plant them,

You drove out the nations with Your hand;

to settle them,

You crushed the peoples.b

3For they did not take the land by their sword —

their arm did not bring them victory —

but by Your right hand, Your arm,

and the light of Your face,

for You were pleased with them.c

4You are my King, my God,

who ordainsd victories for Jacob.e

5Through You we drive back our foes;

through Your name we trample our enemies.f

6For I do not trust in my bow,

and my sword does not bring me victory.g

7But You give us victory over our foes

and let those who hate us be disgraced.h

8We boast in God all day long;

we will praise Your name forever.i•Selah

9But You have rejected and humiliated us;

You do not march out with our armies.j

10You make us retreat from the foe,

and those who hate us

have taken plunder for themselves.k

11You hand us over to be eaten like sheep

and scatter us among the nations.l

12You sell Your people for nothing;

You make no profit from selling them.m

13You make us an object of reproach to our neighbors,

a source of mockery and ridicule to those around us.n

14You make us a joke among the nations,

a laughingstocko among the peoples.p

15My disgrace is before me all day long,

and shame has covered my face,q

16because of the voice of the scorner and reviler,

because of the enemy and avenger.r

17All this has happened to us,

but we have not forgotten You

or betrayed Your covenant.s

18Our hearts have not turned back;

our steps have not strayed from Your path.t

19But You have crushed us in a haunt of jackals

and have covered us with deepest darkness.u

20If we had forgotten the name of our God

and spread out our hands to a foreign god,v

21wouldn’t God have found this out,

since He knows the secrets of the heart?w

22Because of You we are slain all day long;

we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.x

23Wake up, LORD! Why are You sleeping?

Get up! Don’t reject us forever!y

24Why do You hide Yourself

and forget our affliction and oppression?z

25For we have sunk down to the dust;

our bodies cling to the ground.aa

26Rise up! Help us!

Redeem us because of Your faithful love.ab