Lyrics
O God, we have clearly heard Our ancestors have told us What you did in their days In ancient times
You, by your power Defeated nations And settled our fathers on their land You crushed the people living there And enabled our ancestors To occupy it
For they did not conquer the land By their swords And they did not prevail By their strength
But rather by your power Strength, and good favor For you were partial to them
You are my king, O God Decree יַעֲקֹב’s deliverance
By your power We will drive back our enemies By your strength We will trample down our foes
For I do not trust in my bow And I do not prevail by my sword
For you deliver us from our enemies You humiliate those who hate us In God we boast all day long And we will continually give thanks To your name
But you rejected and embarrassed us You did not go into battle With our armies
You made us retreat from the enemy Those who hate us Take whatever they want from us
You handed us over Like sheep to be eaten You scattered us among the nations
You sold your people for a pittance You did not ask a high price for them
You made us an object of disdain To our neighbors Those who live on our borders Taunt and insult us
You made us an object of ridicule Among the nations Foreigners treat us with contempt
All day long I feel humiliated And am overwhelmed with shame Before the vindictive enemy Who ridicules and insults me
All this has happened to us Even though we have not rejected you Or violated your covenant with us
We have not been unfaithful Nor have we disobeyed your commands
Yet you have battered us Leaving us a heap of ruins Overrun by wild dogs You have covered us with darkness
If we had rejected our God And spread out our hands in prayer To another god Would not God discover it For he knows our secret thoughts
Yet because of you We are killed all day long We are treated like sheep At the slaughtering block
Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord? Wake up! Do not reject us forever
Why do you look the other way And ignore the way we are oppressed And mistreated
For we lie in the dirt With our bellies pressed to the ground
Rise up and help us Rescue us Because of your loyal love
Rise up and help us Rescue us Because of your loyal love