Psalm 22

From Suffering to Praise

For the choir director: according to “The Deer of the Dawn.” A psalm of David.

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?(A)
Why are you so far from my deliverance(B)
and from my words of groaning?(C)
My God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
by night, yet I have no rest.(D)
But you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.(E)
Our ancestors trusted in you;
they trusted, and you rescued them.(F)
They cried to you and were set free;
they trusted in you and were not disgraced.(G)

But I am a worm and not a man,(H)
scorned by mankind and despised by people.(I)
Everyone who sees me mocks me;
they sneer[a] and shake their heads:(J)
“He relies on[b] the Lord;
let him save him;
let the Lord[c] rescue him,
since he takes pleasure in him.”(K)

It was you who brought me out of the womb,
making me secure at my mother’s breast.(L)
10 I was given over to you at birth;[d]
you have been my God from my mother’s womb.(M)

11 Don’t be far from me, because distress is near
and there’s no one to help.(N)

12 Many bulls surround me;
strong ones of Bashan encircle me.(O)
13 They open their mouths against me—
lions, mauling and roaring.(P)
14 I am poured out like water,(Q)
and all my bones are disjointed;(R)
my heart is like wax,
melting within me.(S)
15 My strength is dried up like baked clay;(T)
my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.(U)
You put me into the dust of death.(V)
16 For dogs have surrounded me;(W)
a gang of evildoers has closed in on me;
they pierced[e] my hands and my feet.(X)
17 I can count all my bones;
people[f] look and stare at me.(Y)
18 They divided my garments among themselves,
and they cast lots for my clothing.(Z)

19 But you, Lord, don’t be far away.(AA)
My strength, come quickly to help me.(AB)
20 Rescue my life from the sword,(AC)
my only life[g] from the power of these dogs.
21 Save me from the lion’s mouth,(AD)
from the horns of wild oxen.
You answered me![h]
22 I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters;
I will praise you in the assembly.(AE)
23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!(AF)
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
All you descendants of Israel, revere him!(AG)
24 For he has not despised or abhorred
the torment of the oppressed.(AH)
He did not hide his face from him(AI)
but listened when he cried to him for help.(AJ)

25 I will give praise in the great assembly
because of you;(AK)
I will fulfill my vows
before those who fear you.[i](AL)
26 The humble will eat and be satisfied;(AM)
those who seek the Lord will praise him.
May your hearts live forever!(AN)

27 All the ends of the earth will remember
and turn to the Lord.
All the families of the nations
will bow down before you,(AO)
28 for kingship belongs to the Lord;
he rules the nations.(AP)
29 All who prosper on earth will eat and bow down;
all those who go down to the dust
will kneel before him—
even the one who cannot preserve his life.(AQ)
30 Their descendants will serve him;
the next generation will be told about the Lord.(AR)
31 They will come and declare his righteousness;
to a people yet to be born
they will declare what he has done.(AS)

Footnotes

  1. 22:7 Lit separate with the lip
  2. 22:8 Or Rely on
  3. 22:8 Lit let him
  4. 22:10 Lit was cast on you from the womb
  5. 22:16 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr; other Hb mss read me; like a lion
  6. 22:17 Lit they
  7. 22:20 Lit my only one
  8. 22:21 Or oxen you rescued me
  9. 22:25 Lit him

22 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.

But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.

They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.

But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.

But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.

10 I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.

11 Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.

12 Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.

13 They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a 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 in the midst of my bowels.

15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.

16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.

17 I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.

18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.

19 But be not thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to help me.

20 Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.

21 Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.

22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.

23 Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.

24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.

25 My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.

26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.

27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.

28 For the kingdom is the Lord's: and he is the governor among the nations.

29 All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.

30 A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.

31 They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

22 To the Overseer, on `The Hind of the Morning.' -- A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me? Far from my salvation, The words of my roaring?

My God, I call by day, and Thou answerest not, And by night, and there is no silence to me.

And Thou [art] holy, Sitting -- the Praise of Israel.

In Thee did our fathers trust -- they trusted, And Thou dost deliver them.

Unto Thee they cried, and were delivered, In Thee they trusted, and were not ashamed.

And I [am] a worm, and no man, A reproach of man, and despised of the people.

All beholding me do mock at me, They make free with the lip -- shake the head,

`Roll unto Jehovah, He doth deliver him, He doth deliver him, for he delighted in him.'

For thou [art] He bringing me forth from the womb, Causing me to trust, On the breasts of my mother.

10 On Thee I have been cast from the womb, From the belly of my mother Thou [art] my God.

11 Be not far from me, For adversity is near, for there is no helper.

12 Many bulls have surrounded me, Mighty ones of Bashan have compassed me,

13 They have opened against me their mouth, A lion tearing and roaring.

14 As waters I have been poured out, And separated themselves have all my bones, My heart hath been like wax, It is melted in the midst of my bowels.

15 Dried up as an earthen vessel is my power, And my tongue is cleaving to my jaws.

16 And to the dust of death thou appointest me, For surrounded me have dogs, A company of evil doers have compassed me, Piercing my hands and my feet.

17 I count all my bones -- they look expectingly, They look upon me,

18 They apportion my garments to themselves, And for my clothing they cause a lot to fall.

19 And Thou, O Jehovah, be not far off, O my strength, to help me haste.

20 Deliver from the sword my soul, From the paw of a dog mine only one.

21 Save me from the mouth of a lion: -- And -- from the horns of the high places Thou hast answered me!

22 I declare Thy name to my brethren, In the midst of the assembly I praise Thee.

23 Ye who fear Jehovah, praise ye Him, All the seed of Jacob, honour ye Him, And be afraid of Him, all ye seed of Israel.

24 For He hath not despised, nor abominated, The affliction of the afflicted, Nor hath He hidden His face from him, And in his crying unto Him He heareth.

25 Of Thee my praise [is] in the great assembly. My vows I complete before His fearers.

26 The humble do eat and are satisfied, Praise Jehovah do those seeking Him, Your heart doth live for ever.

27 Remember and return unto Jehovah, Do all ends of the earth, And before Thee bow themselves, Do all families of the nations,

28 For to Jehovah [is] the kingdom, And He is ruling among nations.

29 And the fat ones of earth have eaten, And they bow themselves, Before Him bow do all going down to dust, And he [who] hath not revived his soul.

30 A seed doth serve Him, It is declared of the Lord to the generation.

31 They come and declare His righteousness, To a people that is borne, that He hath made!