Psalm 22

From Suffering to Praise

For the choir director: according to “The Deer of the Dawn.” A psalm of David.

¹My 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

²My God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,

by night, yet I have no rest. ^d

³But you are holy,

enthroned on the praises of Israel. ^e

⁴Our ancestors trusted in you;

they trusted, and you rescued them. ^f

⁵They cried to you and were set free;

they trusted in you and were not disgraced. ^g

⁶But I am a worm and not a man, ^h

scorned by mankind and despised by people. ⁱ

⁷Everyone who sees me mocks me;

they sneer ^j and shake their heads: ^k

⁸“He relies on ^l the Lord;

let him save him;

let the Lord^m rescue him,

since he takes pleasure in him.” ⁿ

⁹It was you who brought me out of the womb,

making me secure at my mother’s breast. ^o

¹⁰I was given over to you at birth; ^p

you have been my God from my mother’s womb. ^q

¹¹Don’t be far from me, because distress is near

and there’s no one to help. ^r

¹²Many bulls surround me;

strong ones of Bashan encircle me. ^s

¹³They open their mouths against me —

lions, mauling and roaring. ^t

¹⁴I am poured out like water, ^u

and all my bones are disjointed; ^v

my heart is like wax,

melting within me. ^w

¹⁵My strength is dried up like baked clay; ^x

my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. ^y

You put me into the dust of death. ^z

¹⁶For dogs have surrounded me; ^aa

a gang of evildoers has closed in on me;

they pierced ^ab my hands and my feet. ^ac

¹⁷I can count all my bones;

people ^ad look and stare at me. ^ae

¹⁸They divided my garments among themselves,

and they cast lots for my clothing. ^af

¹⁹But you, Lord, don’t be far away. ^ag

My strength, come quickly to help me. ^ah

²⁰Rescue my life from the sword, ^ai

my only life ^aj from the power of these dogs.

²¹Save me from the lion’s mouth, ^ak

from the horns of wild oxen.

You answered me! ^al

²²I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters;

I will praise you in the assembly. ^am

²³You who fear the Lord, praise him! ^an

All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!

All you descendants of Israel, revere him! ^ao

²⁴For he has not despised or abhorred

the torment of the oppressed. ^ap

He did not hide his face from him ^aq

but listened when he cried to him for help. ^ar

²⁵I will give praise in the great assembly

because of you; ^as

I will fulfill my vows

before those who fear you. ^at,^au

²⁶The humble will eat and be satisfied; ^av

those who seek the Lord will praise him.

May your hearts live forever! ^aw

²⁷All the ends of the earth will remember

and turn to the Lord.

All the families of the nations

will bow down before you, ^ax

²⁸for kingship belongs to the Lord;

he rules the nations. ^ay

²⁹All 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. ^az

³⁰Their descendants will serve him;

the next generation will be told about the Lord. ^ba

³¹They will come and declare his righteousness;

to a people yet to be born

they will declare what he has done. ^bb