Psalm 22
Lexham English Bible
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?
2 O my God, I call by day and you do not answer,
and by night but I have no rest.[b]
3 Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4 Our ancestors[c] trusted you;
they trusted and you delivered them.
5 They cried to you and were saved;
they trusted you and were not ashamed.
6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by humankind and despised by people.
7 All who see me mock me.
They open wide their lips;
they shake the head, saying:
8 “He trusts Yahweh.[d] Let him rescue him.
Let him deliver him because he delights in him.”
9 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
- Psalm 22:1 The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm; the English verse number is reduced by one
- Psalm 22:2 Or “I am not silent”
- Psalm 22:4 Or “fathers”
- Psalm 22:8 Literally “Commit to Yahweh”
- Psalm 22:14 Literally “in the midst of my intestines”
- 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.
- Psalm 22:18 Hebrew “lot”
- Psalm 22:20 Hebrew “dog”
- Psalm 22:26 Plural
- Psalm 22:29 Or “prosperous”; Literally “fat ones”
- Psalm 22:30 Hebrew “Descendant”
- Psalm 22:31 Or “righteousness”
Psalm 22
Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 22
From Suffering to Praise
For the choir director: according to “The Deer of the Dawn.” A psalm of David.
1 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)
2 My God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
by night, yet I have no rest.(D)
3 But you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.(E)
4 Our ancestors trusted in you;
they trusted, and you rescued them.(F)
5 They cried to you and were set free;
they trusted in you and were not disgraced.(G)
6 But I am a worm and not a man,(H)
scorned by mankind and despised by people.(I)
7 Everyone who sees me mocks me;
they sneer[a] and shake their heads:(J)
8 “He relies on[b] the Lord;
let him save him;
let the Lord[c] rescue him,
since he takes pleasure in him.”(K)
9 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)
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