Psalm
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Psalm 22

A Cry of Anguish and a Song of Praise.

For the choir director; upon [a]Aijeleth Hashshahar. A Psalm of David.

1My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
[b]Far from my deliverance are the words of my [c]groaning.
2 O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer;
And by night, but [d]I have no rest.
3 Yet You are holy,
O You who [e]are enthroned upon the praises of Israel.
4 In You our fathers trusted;
They trusted and You delivered them.
5 To You they cried out and were delivered;
In You they trusted and were not [f]disappointed.

6 But I am a worm and not a man,
A reproach of men and despised by the people.
7 All who see me [g]sneer at me;
They [h]separate with the lip, they wag the head, saying,
8 “[i]Commit yourself to the Lord; let Him deliver him;
Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.”

9 Yet You are He who brought me forth from the womb;
You made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts.
10 Upon You I was cast from [j]birth;
You have been my God from my mother’s womb.

11 Be not far from me, for [k]trouble is near;
For there is none to help.
12 Many bulls have surrounded me;
Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.
13 They open wide their mouth at me,
As a ravening and a roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water,
And all my bones are out of joint;
My heart is like wax;
It is melted within [l]me.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
And my tongue cleaves to my jaws;
And You lay me [m]in the dust of death.
16 For dogs have surrounded me;
[n]A band of evildoers has encompassed me;
[o]They pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I can count all my bones.
They look, they stare at me;
18 They divide my garments among them,
And for my clothing they cast lots.

19 But You, O Lord, be not far off;
O You my help, hasten to my assistance.
20 Deliver my [p]soul from the sword,
My only life from the [q]power of the dog.
21 Save me from the lion’s mouth;
From the horns of the wild oxen You answer me.

22 I will tell of Your name to my brethren;
In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.
23 You who fear the Lord, praise Him;
All you [r]descendants of Jacob, glorify Him,
And stand in awe of Him, all you [s]descendants of Israel.
24 For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;
Nor has He hidden His face from him;
But when he cried to Him for help, He heard.

25 From You comes my praise in the great assembly;
I shall pay my vows before those who fear Him.
26 The [t]afflicted will eat and be satisfied;
Those who seek Him will praise the Lord.
Let your heart live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord,
And all the families of the nations will worship before [u]You.
28 For the kingdom is the Lord’s
And He rules over the nations.
29 All the [v]prosperous of the earth will eat and worship,
All those who go down to the dust will bow before Him,
Even he who [w]cannot keep his soul alive.
30 [x]Posterity will serve Him;
It will be told of the Lord to the coming generation.
31 They will come and will declare His righteousness
To a people who will be born, that He has performed it.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 22:1 Lit the hind of the morning
  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 Or mock me
  8. Psalm 22:7 I.e. make mouths at me
  9. Psalm 22:8 Lit Roll; another reading is He committed himself
  10. Psalm 22:10 Lit a womb
  11. Psalm 22:11 Or distress
  12. Psalm 22:14 Lit my inward parts
  13. Psalm 22:15 Lit to
  14. Psalm 22:16 Or An assembly
  15. Psalm 22:16 Another reading is Like a lion, my...
  16. Psalm 22:20 Or life
  17. Psalm 22:20 Lit paw
  18. Psalm 22:23 Lit seed
  19. Psalm 22:23 Lit seed
  20. Psalm 22:26 Or poor
  21. Psalm 22:27 Some versions read Him
  22. Psalm 22:29 Lit fat ones
  23. Psalm 22:29 Or did not
  24. Psalm 22:30 Lit A seed
Psalm 22