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For the Chief Musician; set to “The Doe of the Morning.” A Psalm by David.

22 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
    Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?
My God, I cry in the daytime, but you don’t answer;
    in the night season, and am not silent.
But you are holy,
    you who inhabit the praises of Israel.
Our fathers trusted in you.
    They trusted, and you delivered them.
They cried to you, and were delivered.
    They trusted in you, and were not disappointed.
But I am a worm, and no man;
    a reproach of men, and despised by the people.
All those who see me mock me.
    They insult me with their lips. They shake their heads, saying,
    “He trusts in Yahweh.
    Let him deliver him.
    Let him rescue him, since he delights in him.”
But you brought me out of the womb.
    You made me trust while at my mother’s breasts.
10 I was thrown on you from my mother’s womb.
    You are my God since my mother bore me.
11 Don’t be far from me, for trouble is near.
    For there is no one to help.
12 Many bulls have surrounded me.
    Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.
13 They open their mouths wide against me,
    lions tearing prey and roaring.
14 I am poured out like water.
    All my bones are out of joint.
My heart is like wax.
    It is melted within me.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd.
    My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.
You have brought me into the dust of death.
16 For dogs have surrounded me.
    A company of evildoers have enclosed me.
    They have pierced my hands and feet.[a]
17 I can count all of my bones.
They look and stare at me.
18 They divide my garments among them.
    They cast lots for my clothing.

19 But don’t be far off, Yahweh.
    You are my help. Hurry to help me!
20 Deliver my soul from the sword,
    my precious life from the power of the dog.
21 Save me from the lion’s mouth!
    Yes, you have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen.

22 I will declare your name to my brothers.
    Among the assembly, I will praise you.
23 You who fear Yahweh, praise him!
    All you descendants of Jacob, glorify him!
    Stand in awe of him, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted,
    Neither has he hidden his face from him;
    but when he cried to him, he heard.

25 My praise of you comes in the great assembly.
    I will pay my vows before those who fear him.
26 The humble shall eat and be satisfied.
    They shall praise Yahweh who seek after him.
    Let your hearts live forever.
27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to Yahweh.
    All the relatives of the nations shall worship before you.
28 For the kingdom is Yahweh’s.
    He is the ruler over the nations.
29 All the rich ones of the earth shall eat and worship.
    All those who go down to the dust shall bow before him,
    even he who can’t keep his soul alive.
30 Posterity shall serve him.
    Future generations shall be told about the Lord.
31 They shall come and shall declare his righteousness to a people that shall be born,
    for he has done it.

Footnotes

  1. 22:16 So Dead Sea Scrolls. Masoretic Text reads, “Like a lion, they pin my hands and feet.”

Psalm 22

For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Doe of the Dawn.”

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
    Why are you so far away when I groan for help?
Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer.
    Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief.

Yet you are holy,
    enthroned on the praises of Israel.
Our ancestors trusted in you,
    and you rescued them.
They cried out to you and were saved.
    They trusted in you and were never disgraced.

But I am a worm and not a man.
    I am scorned and despised by all!
Everyone who sees me mocks me.
    They sneer and shake their heads, saying,
“Is this the one who relies on the Lord?
    Then let the Lord save him!
If the Lord loves him so much,
    let the Lord rescue him!”

Yet you brought me safely from my mother’s womb
    and led me to trust you at my mother’s breast.
10 I was thrust into your arms at my birth.
    You have been my God from the moment I was born.

11 Do not stay so far from me,
    for trouble is near,
    and no one else can help me.
12 My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls;
    fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in!
13 Like lions they open their jaws against me,
    roaring and tearing into their prey.
14 My life is poured out like water,
    and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart is like wax,
    melting within me.
15 My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay.
    My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.
    You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead.
16 My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs;
    an evil gang closes in on me.
    They have pierced[a] my hands and feet.
17 I can count all my bones.
    My enemies stare at me and gloat.
18 They divide my garments among themselves
    and throw dice[b] for my clothing.

19 O Lord, do not stay far away!
    You are my strength; come quickly to my aid!
20 Save me from the sword;
    spare my precious life from these dogs.
21 Snatch me from the lion’s jaws
    and from the horns of these wild oxen.

22 I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.[c]
    I will praise you among your assembled people.
23 Praise the Lord, all you who fear him!
    Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob!
    Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy.
    He has not turned his back on them,
    but has listened to their cries for help.

25 I will praise you in the great assembly.
    I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied.
    All who seek the Lord will praise him.
    Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy.
27 The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him.
    All the families of the nations will bow down before him.
28 For royal power belongs to the Lord.
    He rules all the nations.

29 Let the rich of the earth feast and worship.
    Bow before him, all who are mortal,
    all whose lives will end as dust.
30 Our children will also serve him.
    Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord.
31 His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born.
    They will hear about everything he has done.

Footnotes

  1. 22:16 As in some Hebrew manuscripts and Greek and Syriac versions; most Hebrew manuscripts read They are like a lion at.
  2. 22:18 Hebrew cast lots.
  3. 22:22 Hebrew my brothers.