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43 Defend me, God.
    Argue my case against those people who don’t know you.
    Protect me from those evil liars.
God, you are my place of safety.
    Why have you turned me away?
Why must I suffer this sadness
    that my enemies have brought me?
Send your light and your truth to guide me,
    to lead me to your holy mountain, to your home.
I want to go to God’s altar,
    to the God who makes me so very happy.
God, my God, I want to play my harp
    and sing praises to you!

Why am I so sad?
    Why am I so upset?
I tell myself, “Wait for God’s help!
    You will again have a chance to praise him,
    your God, the one who will save you.”

To the director: A maskil from the Korah family.

44 God, we have heard about you.
    Our fathers told us what you did in their lifetime.
    They told us what you did long ago.
With your great power you took this land from other people,
    and you gave it to us.
You crushed those foreigners
    and forced them to leave this land.
It was not our fathers’ swords that took the land.
    It was not their strong arms that brought them victory.
It was your power.
    It was because you accepted them and smiled down on them.
God, you are my king.
    Give the command and lead Jacob’s people to victory.
We need your help to push our enemies back.
    Only in your name can we trample those who attacked us.
I don’t put my trust in my bow.
    My sword cannot save me.
You are the one who saved us from our enemies.
    You are the one who put our enemies to shame.
We have praised you all day long,
    and we will praise your name forever. Selah

But you left us and put us to shame.
    You did not go with us into battle.
10 You let our enemies push us back.
    You let them take our wealth.
11 You gave us away like sheep to be killed and eaten.
    You scattered us among the nations.
12 You sold your people for nothing.
    You did not even argue over the price.
13 You made us a joke to our neighbors.
    They laugh and make fun of us.
14 You made us one of the stories that people love to tell.
    People all over the world laugh at us and shake their heads.
15 All I can think about is my shame.
    Just look at my face, and you will see it.
16 All I can hear are the jokes and insults of my enemies,
    as I watch them take their revenge.
17 We have not forgotten you.
    But you do all those things to us.
    We did not break the agreement you gave us.
18 We did not turn away from you.
    We did not stop following you.
19 But you crushed us in this home of jackals.
    You left us in this place as dark as death.
20 Did we forget the name of our God?
    Did we pray to foreign gods?
21 If we did, then God knows it,
    because he knows our deepest secrets.
22 All day long we died for you.
    We are like sheep being led away to be killed.
23 Lord, wake up!
    Why are you sleeping?
    Get up! Don’t ignore us forever!
24 Why are you hiding from us?
    Have you forgotten our pain and troubles?
25 We have been pushed down into the dirt.
    We are lying face down in the dust.[a]
26 Get up and help us!
    Rescue us because of your faithful love.

To the director: To the tune “Shoshanim.”[b] A maskil from the Korah family. A love song.

45 Beautiful thoughts fill my mind
    as I speak these lines for the king.
These words come from my tongue
    as from the pen of a skilled writer.

You are more handsome than anyone,
    and you say such pleasant things.
    So God will always bless you.
Put on your sword, mighty warrior,
    so impressive in your splendid uniform.
Go out in your greatness to win the victory for what is true and right.
    Let us see the amazing things you can do with your powerful right arm.[c]
Your sharp arrows will go deep into the hearts of your enemies,
    who will fall to the ground in front of you.
God,[d] your kingdom will last forever.
    You use your authority for justice.
You love what is right and hate what is wrong.
    So God, your God, chose you to be king,
    giving you more joy and honor than anyone like you.[e]
From your clothes comes the wonderful smell of myrrh, aloes, and cassia.
    In palaces decorated with ivory, you enjoy the music of stringed instruments.
Here are ladies of honor, daughters of kings.
    Your bride[f] stands at your right side, wearing a gown decorated with the finest gold.

10 My lady,[g] listen to me.
    Listen carefully and understand me.
Forget your people and your father’s family,
11     so that the king will be pleased with your beauty.
He will be your new husband,[h]
    so you must honor him.
12 People from Tyre will bring you gifts.
    Their richest people will try to win your friendship.

13 The princess is so beautiful in her gown,
    like a pearl set in gold.
14 Clothed in beauty, she is led to the king,
    followed by her bridesmaids.
15 Filled with joy and excitement,
    they enter into the king’s palace.

16 Your sons will be kings like their ancestors.
    You will make them rulers throughout the land.
17 You will be famous for generations.
    People will praise you forever and ever.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 44:25 This shows that the people were being treated like slaves who must bow down to their masters.
  2. Psalm 45:1 Psalm 45 To the tune “Shoshanim” Or “On the Shoshanim.”
  3. Psalm 45:4 right arm This pictures God as a warrior-king. The right arm is a symbol of his power and authority.
  4. Psalm 45:6 God This might be a song to God as king. Or here, the writer might be using the word “God” as a title for the king.
  5. Psalm 45:7 chose … anyone like you Literally, “anointed you with the oil of gladness above your companions.” This refers to the special oil used in the dedication of a new priest or king.
  6. Psalm 45:9 bride Or “queen.”
  7. Psalm 45:10 My lady Literally, “Daughter.”
  8. Psalm 45:11 husband Or “master.”

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