Psalm 22
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 22
Plea for Deliverance from Suffering and Hostility
To the leader: according to The Deer of the Dawn. A Psalm of David.
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?(A)
2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer;
and by night but find no rest.(B)
3 Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.(C)
4 In you our ancestors trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
5 To you they cried and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.(D)
6 But I am a worm and not human,
scorned by others and despised by the people.(E)
7 All who see me mock me;
they sneer at me; they shake their heads;(F)
8 “Commit your cause to the Lord; let him deliver—
let him rescue the one in whom he delights!”(G)
9 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
- 22.15 Cn: Heb strength
- 22.16 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 22.20 Heb my only one
- 22.21 Heb answered
- 22.22 Or kindred
- 22.24 Heb him
- 22.24 Heb he
- 22.26 Or afflicted
- 22.27 Gk Syr Jerome: Heb you
- 22.29 Cn: Heb They have eaten and
- 22.29 Cn: Heb all the fat ones
- 22.29 Compare Gk Syr Vg: Heb and he who cannot keep himself alive
- 22.31 Compare Gk: Heb it will be told about the Lord to the generation,
they will come and
Psalm 22
International Standard Version
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?
2 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]
3 You are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4 Our ancestors trusted in you;
they trusted and you delivered them.
5 They cried out to you and escaped;
they trusted in you and were not put to shame.
6 But as for me,
I am only a worm and not a man,
scorned by mankind and despised by people.
7 Everyone who sees me mocks me;
they gape at me with open mouths
and shake their heads at me.
8 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.”
9 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
- Psalm 22:1 Lit. According to
- Psalm 22:2 Lit. but there is no silence for me
- Psalm 22:8 The Heb. lacks They say
- Psalm 22:8 Lit. he
- Psalm 22:15 Lit. to my jaws
- Psalm 22:16 So LXX Syr DSS 5/6 HevPS XHev/Se4; MT reads Like a lion
- Psalm 22:16 So MT; LXX lacks my
- Psalm 22:22 The Heb. lacks saying
- Psalm 22:25 Lit. him
- Psalm 22:26 Lit. your heart
- Psalm 22:29 Lit. dust
- Psalm 22:30 The Heb. lacks our
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