WE have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us * what thou hast done in their time of old:
 
How thou hast driven out the heathen with thy hand, and planted our fathers in; * how thou hast destroyed the nations, and made thy people to flourish.
 
For they gat not the land in possession through their own sword, * neither was it their own arm that helped them;
 
But thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance; * because thou hadst a favour unto them.
 
Thou art my King, O God; * send help unto Jacob.
 
Through thee will we overthrow our enemies, * and in thy Name will we tread them under that rise up against us.
 
For I will not trust in my bow, * it is not my sword that shall help me;
 
But it is thou that savest us from our enemies, * and puttest them to confusion that hate us.
 
We make our boast of God all day long, * and will praise thy Name for ever.
 
But now thou art far off, and puttest us to confusion, * and goest not forth with our armies.
 
Thou makest us to turn our backs upon our enemies, * so that they which hate us spoil our goods.
 
Thou lettest us be eaten up like sheep, * and hast scattered us among the heathen.
 
Thou sellest thy people for nought, * and takest no money for them.
 
Thou makest us to be rebuked of our neighbours, * to be laughed to scorn, and had in derision of them that are round about us.
 
Thou makest us to be a by-word among the nations, * and that the peoples shake their heads at us.
 
My confusion is daily before me, * and the shame of my face hath covered me;
 
For the voice of the slanderer and blasphemer, * for the enemy and avenger.
 
And though all this be come upon us, yet do we not forget thee, * nor behave ourselves frowardly in thy covenant.
 
Our heart is not turned back, * neither our steps gone out of thy way;
 
No, not when thou hast smitten us into the place of dragons, * and covered us with the shadow of death.
 
If we have forgotten the Name of our God, and holden up our hands to any strange god, * shall not God search it out? for he knoweth the very secrets of the heart.
 
For thy sake also are we killed all the day long, * and are counted as sheep appointed to be slain.
 
Up, Lord, why sleepest thou? * awake, and be not absent from us for ever.
 
Wherefore hidest thou thy face, * and forgettest our misery and trouble?
 
For our soul is brought low, even unto the dust; * our belly cleaveth unto the ground.
 
Arise, and help us, * and deliver us, for thy mercy's sake.

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