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Why Have You Forsaken Me?

For the choir director. According to [a]Aijeleth Hashshahar. A Psalm of David.

22 (A)My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
[b](B)Far from my salvation are the words of my [c](C)groaning.
O my God, I (D)call by day, but You do not answer;
And by night, but [d]I have no rest.
Yet (E)You are holy,
[e]Enthroned upon (F)the praises of Israel.
In You our fathers (G)trusted;
They trusted and You (H)rescued them.
To You they cried out and were granted escape;
(I)In You they trusted and were not [f]disappointed.

But I am a (J)worm and not a man,
A (K)reproach of men and (L)despised by the people.
All who see me (M)mock me;
They [g]smack their lip, they (N)wag their head, saying,
[h]Commit yourself to Yahweh; (O)let Him rescue him;
Let Him deliver him, because He delights in him.”

Yet You are He who (P)brought me out of the womb;
You made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts.
10 Upon You I was cast (Q)from [i]birth;
You have been my God from my mother’s womb.

11 (R)Be not far from me, for [j]distress is near;
For there is (S)none to help.
12 Many (T)bulls have surrounded me;
Strong bulls of (U)Bashan have encircled me.
13 They (V)open wide their mouth at me,
As a (W)lion that tears and roars.
14 I am (X)poured out like water,
And all my (Y)bones are out of joint;
My (Z)heart is like wax;
It is melted within [k]me.
15 My (AA)strength is dried up like a potsherd,
And (AB)my tongue cleaves to my jaws;
And You (AC)lay me [l]in the dust of death.
16 For (AD)dogs have surrounded me;
[m]A band of evildoers has encompassed me;
[n]They (AE)pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I count all my bones.
(AF)They look, they stare at me;
18 They (AG)divide my garments among them,
And for my clothing they cast lots.

19 But You, O Yahweh, (AH)be not far off;
O my Strength, (AI)hasten to my help.
20 Deliver my [o]soul from (AJ)the sword,
My (AK)only life from the [p]power of the dog.
21 Save me from the mouth of the (AL)lion;
From the horns of the (AM)wild oxen You (AN)have answered me.

22 I will surely (AO)recount Your name to my brothers;
In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.
23 (AP)You who fear Yahweh, praise Him;
All you seed of Jacob, (AQ)glorify Him,
And (AR)stand in awe of Him, all you seed of Israel.
24 For He has (AS)not despised and He has not abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;
And He has not (AT)hidden His face from him;
But (AU)when he cried to Him for help, He heard.

25 Of You is (AV)my praise in the great assembly;
I shall (AW)pay my vows before those who fear Him.
26 The [q]afflicted will eat and (AX)be satisfied;
Those who seek Him will (AY)praise Yahweh.
May your (AZ)heart live forever!
27 All the (BA)ends of the earth will remember and turn to Yahweh,
And all the (BB)families of the nations will worship before [r]You.
28 For the (BC)kingdom is Yahweh’s
And He (BD)rules over the nations.
29 All the [s](BE)prosperous of the earth will eat and worship,
All those who (BF)go down to the dust will bow before Him,
Even he who [t](BG)cannot keep his soul alive.
30 (BH)Their seed will serve Him;
It will be recounted about the Lord to (BI)the coming generation.
31 They will come and (BJ)will declare His righteousness
To a people (BK)who will be born, that He has done it.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 22 Title Lit The Doe of the Dawn; possibly a title for a tune
  2. Psalm 22:1 Or Why are You so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?
  3. Psalm 22:1 Lit roaring
  4. Psalm 22:2 Lit there is no silence for me
  5. Psalm 22:3 Or Inhabit the praises
  6. Psalm 22:5 Or ashamed
  7. Psalm 22:7 Make clicking sounds; lit separate the lip
  8. Psalm 22:8 Or He committed himself; lit Roll
  9. Psalm 22:10 Lit a womb
  10. Psalm 22:11 Or trouble
  11. Psalm 22:14 Lit my inward parts
  12. Psalm 22:15 Lit to
  13. Psalm 22:16 Or An assembly
  14. Psalm 22:16 Or Like a lion, my...
  15. Psalm 22:20 Or life
  16. Psalm 22:20 Lit paw
  17. Psalm 22:26 Or poor
  18. Psalm 22:27 Some versions Him
  19. Psalm 22:29 Lit fat ones
  20. Psalm 22:29 Or did not

Plea for Deliverance from Suffering and Hostility

To the choirmaster: according to The Hind of the Dawn. A Psalm of David.

22 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
    Why art thou so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry by day, but thou dost not answer;
    and by night, but find no rest.

Yet thou art holy,
    enthroned on the praises of Israel.
In thee our fathers trusted;
    they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
To thee they cried, and were saved;
    in thee they trusted, and were not disappointed.

But I am a worm, and no man;
    scorned by men, and despised by the people.
All who see me mock at me,
    they make mouths at me, they wag their heads;
“He committed his cause to the Lord; let him deliver him,
    let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”

Yet thou art he who took me from the womb;
    thou didst keep me safe upon my mother’s breasts.
10 Upon thee was I cast from my birth,
    and since my mother bore me thou hast been my God.
11 Be not far from me,
    for trouble is near
    and there is none to help.

12 Many bulls encompass me,
    strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
13 they open wide their mouths at me,
    like a ravening and roaring lion.

14 I am poured out like water,
    and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax,
    it is melted within my breast;
15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd,
    and my tongue cleaves to my jaws;
    thou dost lay me in the dust of death.

16 Yea, dogs are round about me;
    a company of evildoers encircle me;
    they have pierced[a] my hands and feet—
17 I can count all my bones—
    they stare and gloat over me;
18 they divide my garments among them,
    and for my raiment they cast lots.

19 But thou, O Lord, be not far off!
    O thou my help, hasten to my aid!
20 Deliver my soul from the sword,
    my life[b] from the power of the dog!
21 Save me from the mouth of the lion,
    my afflicted soul[c] from the horns of the wild oxen!

22 I will tell of thy name to my brethren;
    in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee:
23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!
    all you sons of Jacob, glorify him,
    and stand in awe of him, all you sons of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or abhorred
    the affliction of the afflicted;
and he has not hid his face from him,
    but has heard, when he cried to him.

25 From thee comes my praise in the great congregation;
    my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
26 The afflicted[d] shall eat and be satisfied;
    those who seek him shall praise the Lord!
    May your hearts live for ever!

27 All the ends of the earth shall remember
    and turn to the Lord;
and all the families of the nations
    shall worship before him.[e]
28 For dominion belongs to the Lord,
    and he rules over the nations.

29 Yea, to him[f] shall all the proud of the earth bow down;
    before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
    and he who cannot keep himself alive.
30 Posterity shall serve him;
    men shall tell of the Lord to the coming generation,
31 and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,
    that he has wrought it.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 22:16 Gk Syr Jerome: Heb like a lion
  2. Psalm 22:20 Heb my only one
  3. Psalm 22:21 Gk Syr: Heb thou hast answered me
  4. Psalm 22:26 Or poor
  5. Psalm 22:27 Gk Syr Jerome: Heb thee
  6. Psalm 22:29 Cn: Heb they have eaten and