Why Have You Forsaken Me?

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

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

Yet you are (E)holy,
    (F)enthroned on (G)the praises[a] of Israel.
In you our fathers trusted;
    they trusted, and you delivered them.
To you they (H)cried and were rescued;
    in you they (I)trusted and were not put to shame.

But I am (J)a worm and not a man,
    (K)scorned by mankind and (L)despised by the people.
All who see me (M)mock me;
    they make mouths at me; they (N)wag their heads;
(O)“He trusts in the Lord; let him (P)deliver him;
    let him rescue him, for he (Q)delights in him!”

Yet you are he who (R)took me from the womb;
    you made me trust you at my mother's breasts.
10 On you was I cast from my birth,
    and from (S)my mother's womb you have been my God.
11 Be not (T)far from me,
    for trouble is near,
    and there is (U)none to help.

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

14 I am (Y)poured out like water,
    and all my bones are (Z)out of joint;
my (AA)heart is like (AB)wax;
    it is melted within my breast;
15 my strength is (AC)dried up like a potsherd,
    and my (AD)tongue sticks to my jaws;
    you lay me in the dust of death.

16 For (AE)dogs encompass me;
    a company of evildoers (AF)encircles me;
they have (AG)pierced my hands and feet[b]
17 I can count all my bones—
they (AH)stare and gloat over me;
18 (AI)they divide my garments among them,
    and for my clothing they cast lots.

19 But you, O Lord, (AJ)do not be far off!
    O you my help, (AK)come quickly to my aid!
20 Deliver my soul from the sword,
    my precious life from the power of (AL)the dog!
21     Save me from (AM)the mouth of the lion!
You have rescued[c] me from the horns of (AN)the wild oxen!

22 (AO)I will tell of your name to my (AP)brothers;
    in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
23 You who (AQ)fear the Lord, praise him!
    All you offspring of Jacob, (AR)glorify him,
    and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or abhorred
    the affliction of (AS)the afflicted,
and he has not (AT)hidden his face from him,
    but has heard, when he (AU)cried to him.

25 From you comes my praise in the great (AV)congregation;
    my (AW)vows I will (AX)perform before those who fear him.
26 (AY)The afflicted[d] shall (AZ)eat and be satisfied;
    those who seek him shall praise the Lord!
    May your hearts (BA)live forever!

27 All (BB)the ends of the earth shall remember
    and turn to the Lord,
and all (BC)the families of the nations
    shall worship before you.
28 For (BD)kingship belongs to the Lord,
    and he rules over the nations.

29 All (BE)the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;
    before him shall (BF)bow all who go down to the dust,
    even the one who could not (BG)keep himself alive.
30 Posterity shall serve him;
    it shall be told of the Lord to the coming (BH)generation;
31 they shall (BI)come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet (BJ)unborn,
    that he has done it.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 22:3 Or dwelling in the praises
  2. Psalm 22:16 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts like a lion [they are at] my hands and feet
  3. Psalm 22:21 Hebrew answered
  4. Psalm 22:26 Or The meek

To the Director: To the tune of[a] “Doe of the Dawn”.

A Davidic Psalm.

God Delivers His Suffering Servant

22 My God! My God!
    Why have you abandoned me?
Why are you so far from delivering me—
    from my groaning words?
My God, I cry out to you throughout the day,
    but you do not answer;
and throughout the night,
    but I have no rest.[b]

You are holy,
    enthroned on the praises of Israel.
Our ancestors trusted in you;
    they trusted and you delivered them.
They cried out to you and escaped;
    they trusted in you and were not put to shame.

But as for me,
    I am only a worm and not a man,
        scorned by mankind and despised by people.
Everyone who sees me mocks me;
    they gape at me with open mouths
        and shake their heads at me.
They say,[c] “Commit yourself to the Lord;
    perhaps the Lord[d] will deliver him,
perhaps he will cause him to escape,
    since he delights in him.”

Yet, you are the one who took me from the womb,
    and kept me safe on my mother’s breasts.
10 I was dependent on you from birth;
    from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
11 Do not be so distant from me,
    for trouble is at hand;
        indeed, there is no deliverer.

12 Many bulls have surrounded me;
    the vicious bulls of Bashan have encircled me.
13 Their mouths are opened wide toward me,
    like roaring and attacking lions.

14 I am poured out like water;
    all my bones are out of joint.
        My heart is like wax, melting within me.
15 My strength is dried up like broken pottery;
    my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth,[e]
        and you have brought me down to the dust of death.

16 For dogs have surrounded me;
    a gang of those who practice evil has encircled me.
        They gouged[f] my hands and my[g] feet.
17 I can count all my bones.
    They look at me;
        they stare at me.
18 They divide my clothing among themselves;
    they cast lots for my clothing!

19 But as for you, Lord, do not be far away from me;
    My Strength, come quickly to help me.
20 Deliver me from the sword;
    my precious life from the power of the dog.
21 Deliver me from the mouth of the lion,
    from the horns of the wild oxen.

You have answered me.

22 I will declare your name to my brothers;
    in the midst of the congregation, I will praise you, saying,[h]
23 “All who fear the Lord, praise him!
    All the seed of Jacob, glorify him!
All the seed of Israel, fear him!
24 For he does not despise nor detest the afflicted person;
he does not hide his face from him,
    but he hears him when he cries out to him.”

25 My praise in the great congregation is because of you;
    I will pay my vows before those who fear you.[i]
26 The afflicted will eat and be satisfied;
    those who seek the Lord will praise him,
        “May you[j] live forever!”

27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord;
    all the families of the nations will bow in submission to the Lord.
28 Indeed, the kingdom belongs to the Lord;
    he rules over the nations.
29 All the prosperous people will eat and bow down in submission.
    All those who are about to go down to the grave[k]
        will bow down in submission,
    along with the one who can no longer keep himself alive.
30 Our[l] descendants will serve him,
    and that generation will be told about the Lord.
31 They will come and declare his righteousness
    to a people yet to be born;
        indeed, he has accomplished it!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 22:1 Lit. According to
  2. Psalm 22:2 Lit. but there is no silence for me
  3. Psalm 22:8 The Heb. lacks They say
  4. Psalm 22:8 Lit. he
  5. Psalm 22:15 Lit. to my jaws
  6. Psalm 22:16 So LXX Syr DSS 5/6 HevPS XHev/Se4; MT reads Like a lion
  7. Psalm 22:16 So MT; LXX lacks my
  8. Psalm 22:22 The Heb. lacks saying
  9. Psalm 22:25 Lit. him
  10. Psalm 22:26 Lit. your heart
  11. Psalm 22:29 Lit. dust
  12. Psalm 22:30 The Heb. lacks our