The Suffering, Praise, and Posterity of the Messiah

To the Chief Musician. Set to [a]“The Deer of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David.

22 My (A)God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?
Why are You so far from helping Me,
And from the words of My groaning?
O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear;
And in the night season, and am not silent.

But You are holy,
Enthroned in the (B)praises of Israel.
Our fathers trusted in You;
They trusted, and You delivered them.
They cried to You, and were delivered;
(C)They trusted in You, and were not ashamed.

But I am (D)a worm, and no man;
(E)A reproach of men, and despised by the people.
(F)All those who see Me ridicule Me;
They [b]shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
“He(G) [c]trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him;
(H)Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”

(I)But You are He who took Me out of the womb;
You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts.
10 I was cast upon You from birth.
From My mother’s womb
(J)You have been My God.
11 Be not far from Me,
For trouble is near;
For there is none to help.

12 (K)Many bulls have surrounded Me;
Strong bulls of (L)Bashan have encircled Me.
13 (M)They [d]gape at Me with their mouths,
Like a raging and roaring lion.

14 I am poured out like water,
(N)And all My bones are out of joint;
My heart is like wax;
It has melted [e]within Me.
15 (O)My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
And (P)My tongue clings to My jaws;
You have brought Me to the dust of death.

16 For dogs have surrounded Me;
The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.
(Q)They[f] pierced My hands and My feet;
17 I can count all My bones.
(R)They look and stare at Me.
18 (S)They divide My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots.

19 But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me;
O My Strength, hasten to help Me!
20 Deliver Me from the sword,
(T)My[g] precious life from the power of the dog.
21 (U)Save Me from the lion’s mouth
And from the horns of the wild oxen!

(V)You have answered Me.

22 (W)I will declare Your name to (X)My brethren;
In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.
23 (Y)You who fear the Lord, praise Him!
All you [h]descendants of Jacob, glorify Him,
And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel!
24 For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;
Nor has He hidden His face from Him;
But (Z)when He cried to Him, He heard.

25 (AA)My praise shall be of You in the great assembly;
(AB)I will pay My vows before those who fear Him.
26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied;
Those who seek Him will praise the Lord.
Let your heart live forever!

27 All the ends of the world
Shall remember and turn to the Lord,
And all the families of the [i]nations
Shall worship before [j]You.
28 (AC)For the kingdom is the Lord’s,
And He rules over the nations.

29 (AD)All the prosperous of the earth
Shall eat and worship;
(AE)All those who go down to [k]the dust
Shall bow before Him,
Even he who cannot keep himself alive.

30 A posterity shall serve Him.
It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation,
31 They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born,
That He has done this.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 22:1 Heb. Aijeleth Hashahar
  2. Psalm 22:7 Show contempt with their mouth
  3. Psalm 22:8 LXX, Syr., Vg. hoped; Tg. praised
  4. Psalm 22:13 Lit. have opened their mouths at Me
  5. Psalm 22:14 Lit. in the midst of My bowels
  6. Psalm 22:16 So with some Heb. mss., LXX, Syr., Vg.; MT Like a lion instead of They pierced
  7. Psalm 22:20 Lit. My only one
  8. Psalm 22:23 Lit. seed
  9. Psalm 22:27 Gentiles
  10. Psalm 22:27 So with MT, LXX, Tg.; Arab., Syr., Vg. Him
  11. Psalm 22:29 Death

Psalm 22

Plea for Deliverance from Suffering and Hostility

To the leader: according to The Deer of the Dawn. A Psalm of David.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
    Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?(A)
O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer;
    and by night but find no rest.(B)

Yet you are holy,
    enthroned on the praises of Israel.(C)
In you our ancestors trusted;
    they trusted, and you delivered them.
To you they cried and were saved;
    in you they trusted and were not put to shame.(D)

But I am a worm and not human,
    scorned by others and despised by the people.(E)
All who see me mock me;
    they sneer at me; they shake their heads;(F)
“Commit your cause to the Lord; let him deliver—
    let him rescue the one in whom he delights!”(G)

Yet it was you who took me from the womb;
    you kept me safe on my mother’s breast.(H)
10 On you I was cast from my birth,
    and since my mother bore me you have been my God.(I)
11 Do not be far from me,
    for trouble is near,
    and there is no one to help.

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

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;(L)
15 my mouth[a] is dried up like a potsherd,
    and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
    you lay me in the dust of death.(M)

16 For dogs are all around me;
    a company of evildoers encircles me;
they bound my hands and feet.[b](N)
17 I can count all my bones.
They stare and gloat over me;
18 they divide my clothes among themselves,
    and for my clothing they cast lots.(O)

19 But you, O Lord, do not be far away!
    O my help, come quickly to my aid!
20 Deliver my soul from the sword,
    my life[c] from the power of the dog!(P)
21     Save me from the mouth of the lion!

From the horns of the wild oxen you have rescued[d] me.(Q)
22 I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters;[e]
    in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:(R)
23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!
    All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him;
    stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!(S)
24 For he did not despise or abhor
    the affliction of the afflicted;
he did not hide his face from me[f]
    but heard when I[g] cried to him.(T)

25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
    my vows I will pay before those who fear him.(U)
26 The poor[h] shall eat and be satisfied;
    those who seek him shall praise the Lord.
    May your hearts live forever!(V)

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.[i](W)
28 For dominion belongs to the Lord,
    and he rules over the nations.(X)

29 To him,[j] indeed, shall all who sleep in[k] the earth bow down;
    before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
    and I shall live for him.[l](Y)
30 Posterity will serve him;
    future generations will be told about the Lord(Z)
31 and[m] proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,
    saying that he has done it.(AA)

Footnotes

  1. 22.15 Cn: Heb strength
  2. 22.16 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  3. 22.20 Heb my only one
  4. 22.21 Heb answered
  5. 22.22 Or kindred
  6. 22.24 Heb him
  7. 22.24 Heb he
  8. 22.26 Or afflicted
  9. 22.27 Gk Syr Jerome: Heb you
  10. 22.29 Cn: Heb They have eaten and
  11. 22.29 Cn: Heb all the fat ones
  12. 22.29 Compare Gk Syr Vg: Heb and he who cannot keep himself alive
  13. 22.31 Compare Gk: Heb it will be told about the Lord to the generation, they will come and