A Prayer for Protection
1 With our own ears we have heard it, O God—
our ancestors have told us about it,
about the great things you did in their time,
in the days of long ago:
2 how you yourself drove out the heathen
and established your people in their land;
how you punished the other nations
and caused your own to prosper.
3 Your people did not conquer the land with their swords;
they did not win it by their own power;
it was by your power and your strength,
by the assurance of your presence,
which showed that you loved them.
4 You are my king and my God;
you give victory to your people,
5 and by your power we defeat our enemies.
6 I do not trust in my bow
or in my sword to save me;
7 but you have saved us from our enemies
and defeated those who hate us.
8 We will always praise you
and give thanks to you forever.
9 But now you have rejected us and let us be defeated;
you no longer march out with our armies.
10 You made us run from our enemies,
and they took for themselves what was ours.
11 You allowed us to be slaughtered like sheep;
you scattered us in foreign countries.
12 You sold your own people for a small price
as though they had little value.
13 Our neighbors see what you did to us,
and they mock us and laugh at us.
14 You have made us a joke among the nations;
they shake their heads at us in scorn.
15 I am always in disgrace;
I am covered with shame
16 from hearing the sneers and insults
of my enemies and those who hate me.
17 All this has happened to us,
even though we have not forgotten you
or broken the covenant you made with us.
18 We have not been disloyal to you;
we have not disobeyed your commands.
19 Yet you left us helpless among wild animals;
you abandoned us in deepest darkness.
20 If we had stopped worshiping our God
and prayed to a foreign god,
21 you would surely have discovered it,
because you know our secret thoughts.
22 But it is on your account that we are being killed all the time,
that we are treated like sheep to be slaughtered.
23 Wake up, Lord! Why are you asleep?
Rouse yourself! Don't reject us forever!
24 Why are you hiding from us?
Don't forget our suffering and trouble!
25 We fall crushed to the ground;
we lie defeated in the dust.
26 Come to our aid!
Because of your constant love save us!
1 To him that excelleth. A Psalme to give instruction, committed to the sonnes of Korah. We haue heard with our eares, O God: our fathers haue tolde vs the workes, that thou hast done in their dayes, in the olde time: 2 Howe thou hast driuen out the heathen with thine hand, and planted them: how thou hast destroyed the people, and caused them to grow. 3 For they inherited not the lande by their owne sworde, neither did their owne arme saue them: but thy right hand, and thine arme and the light of thy countenance, because thou didest fauour them. 4 Thou art my King, O God: send helpe vnto Iaakob. 5 Through thee haue we thrust backe our aduersaries: by thy Name haue we troden downe them that rose vp against vs. 6 For I do not trust in my bowe, neither can my sworde saue me. 7 But thou hast saued vs from our aduersaries, and hast put them to confusion that hate vs. 8 Therefore will wee praise God continually, and will confesse thy Name for euer. Selah. 9 But now thou art farre off, and puttest vs to confusion, and goest not forth with our armies. 10 Thou makest vs to turne backe from the aduersary, and they, which hate vs, spoile for theselues. 11 Thou giuest vs as sheepe to bee eaten, and doest scatter vs among the nations. 12 Thou sellest thy people without gaine, and doest not increase their price. 13 Thou makest vs a reproche to our neighbours, a iest and a laughing stocke to them that are round about vs. 14 Thou makest vs a prouerbe among the nations, and a nodding of the head among the people. 15 My confusion is dayly before me, and the shame of my face hath couered me, 16 For the voyce of the slaunderer and rebuker, for the enemie and auenger. 17 All this is come vpon vs, yet doe wee not forget thee, neither deale wee falsly concerning thy couenant. 18 Our heart is not turned backe: neither our steps gone out of thy paths, 19 Albeit thou hast smitten vs downe into the place of dragons, and couered vs with the shadow of death. 20 If wee haue forgotten the Name of our God, and holden vp our hands to a strange god, 21 Shall not God searche this out? for hee knoweth the secrets of the heart. 22 Surely for thy sake are we slaine continually, and are counted as sheepe for the slaughter. 23 Vp, why sleepest thou, O Lord? awake, be not farre off for euer. 24 Wherefore hidest thou thy face? and forgettest our miserie and our affliction? 25 For our soule is beaten downe vnto the dust: our belly cleaueth vnto the ground. 26 Rise vp for our succour, and redeeme vs for thy mercies sake.