Psalms 42-44

Psalm 42

¹For the Chief Musician; Maschil of the sons of Korah. As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.

²My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

³My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?

⁴These things I remember, and pour out my soul within me, how I went with the throng, and led them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, a multitude keeping holyday.

⁵Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the health of his countenance.

⁶O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore do I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and the Hermons, from the hill Mizar.

⁷Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.

⁸Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the day-time, and in the night his song shall be with me, even a prayer unto the God of my life.

⁹I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

¹⁰As with a sword in my bones, mine adversaries reproach me; while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?

¹¹Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

Psalm 43

¹Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.

²For thou art the God of my strength; why hast thou cast me off? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

³O send out thy light and thy truth; let them lead me: let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.

⁴Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: and upon the harp will I praise thee, O God, my God.

⁵Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

Psalm 44

¹For the Chief Musician; a Psalm of the sons of Korah. Maschil. We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the days of old.

²Thou didst drive out the nations with thy hand, and plantedst them in; thou didst afflict the peoples, and didst spread them abroad.

³For they gat not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them.

⁴Thou art my King, O God: command deliverance for Jacob.

⁵Through thee will we push down our adversaries: through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us.

⁶For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.

⁷But thou hast saved us from our adversaries, and hast put them to shame that hate us.

⁸In God have we made our boast all the day long, and we will give thanks unto thy name for ever. Selah

⁹But now thou hast cast us off, and brought us to dishonour; and goest not forth with our hosts.

¹⁰Thou makest us to turn back from the adversary: and they which hate us spoil for themselves.

¹¹Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat; and hast scattered us among the nations.

¹²Thou sellest thy people for nought, and hast not increased thy wealth by their price.

¹³Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us.

¹⁴Thou makest us a byword among the nations, a shaking of the head among the peoples.

¹⁵All the day long is my dishonour before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me,

¹⁶For the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth; by reason of the enemy and the avenger.

¹⁷All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.

¹⁸Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way;

¹⁹That thou hast sore broken us in the place of jackals, and covered us with the shadow of death.

²⁰If we have forgotten the name of our God, or spread forth our hands to a strange god;

²¹Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.

²²Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

²³Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever.

²⁴Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression?

²⁵For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaveth unto the earth.

²⁶Rise up for our help, and redeem us for thy lovingkindness’ sake.