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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

Suffering and Waiting for Deliverance

For the music director; according to The Doe of the Dawn. A psalm of David.[a]

22 My God, my God why have you forsaken me?
Why are you far from helping me, far from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I call by day and you do not answer,
and by night but I have no rest.[b]
Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
Our ancestors[c] trusted you;
they trusted and you delivered them.
They cried to you and were saved;
they trusted you and were not ashamed.
But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by humankind and despised by people.
All who see me mock me.
They open wide their lips;
they shake the head, saying:
He trusts Yahweh.[d] Let him rescue him.
Let him deliver him because he delights in him.”
Yet you took me from the belly;
you made me trust while on my mother’s breasts.
10 On you I was cast from the womb.
From my mother’s belly you have been my God.
11 Do not be far from me
because trouble is near;
because there is no helper.
12 Many bulls have encircled me;
mighty bulls of Bashan have surrounded me.
13 They open their mouth against me
like a lion tearing and roaring.
14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart is like wax;
it is melted within me.[e]
15 My strength is dry like a potsherd,
and my tongue is sticking to my jaws;
and you have placed me in the dust of death.
16 Because dogs have surrounded me;
a gang of evildoers has encircled me.
Like the lion[f] they are at my hands and my feet.
17 I can count all my bones;
they gaze, they look at me.
18 They divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.[g]
19 But you, O Yahweh, do not remain distant.
O my help, hasten to help me.
20 Rescue my life from the sword,
my only life from the power of the dogs.[h]
21 Save me from the mouth of the lion,
and from the horns of the wild oxen answer me.
22 I will tell your name to my brothers;
inside the assembly I will praise you.
23 You who revere Yahweh, praise him!
Glorify him, all you seed of Jacob,
and be in awe of him, all you seed of Israel,
24 because he has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted,
and has not hid his face from him;
but he listened to him when he cried for help.
25 From you is my praise.
In the great assembly,
I will pay my vows before those who revere him.
26 The afflicted will eat and will be satisfied.
Those who seek him will praise Yahweh.
May your[i] heart live forever.
27 All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to Yahweh.
All the families of the nations
will worship before you.
28 Because the kingship belongs to Yahweh,
and he rules over the nations.
29 All the healthy ones[j] of the earth will eat and worship.
Before him all of those descending into the dust will kneel,
even he who cannot keep his soul alive.
30 Descendants[k] will serve him.
Regarding the Lord, it will be told to the next generation.
31 They will come and tell his saving[l] deeds
to a people yet to be born, that he has done it.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 22:1 The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm; the English verse number is reduced by one
  2. Psalm 22:2 Or “I am not silent”
  3. Psalm 22:4 Or “fathers”
  4. Psalm 22:8 Literally “Commit to Yahweh”
  5. Psalm 22:14 Literally “in the midst of my intestines”
  6. Psalm 22:16 Or “they gouge out” or “they bind.” Not the same word for “lion” found in vv. 14(13), 22(21). The Hebrew text presents such problems that any interpretation must be lightly held.
  7. Psalm 22:18 Hebrew “lot”
  8. Psalm 22:20 Hebrew “dog”
  9. Psalm 22:26 Plural
  10. Psalm 22:29 Or “prosperous”; Literally “fat ones”
  11. Psalm 22:30 Hebrew “Descendant”
  12. Psalm 22:31 Or “righteousness”