Psalms 22

1 To the chief music-maker on Aijeleth-hash-shahar. A Psalm. Of David. My God, my God, why are you turned away from me? why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my crying?

[For the Chief Musician; set to "The Doe of the Morning." A Psalm by David.] My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?

2 O my God, I make my cry in the day, and you give no answer; and in the night, and have no rest.

My God, I cry in the daytime, but you do not answer; in the night season, and am not silent.

3 But you are holy, O you who are seated among the praises of Israel.

But you are holy, you who inhabit the praises of Israel.

4 Our fathers had faith in you: they had faith and you were their saviour.

Our fathers trusted in you. They trusted, and you delivered them.

5 They sent up their cry to you and were made free: they put their faith in you and were not put to shame.

They cried to you, and escaped. They trusted in you, and were not put to shame.

6 But I am a worm and not a man; cursed by men, and looked down on by the people.

But I am a worm, and no man; scorned by people and despised by the people.

7 I am laughed at by all those who see me: pushing out their lips and shaking their heads they say,

All those who see me mock me. They insult me with their lips. They shake their heads, saying,

8 He put his faith in the Lord; let the Lord be his saviour now: let the Lord be his saviour, because he had delight in him.

"He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him. Let him rescue him, since he delights in him."

9 But it was you who took care of me from the day of my birth: you gave me faith even from my mother's breasts.

But you brought me out of the womb. You made me trust at my mother's breasts.

10 I was in your hands even before my birth; you are my God from the time when I was in my mother's body.

I was thrown on you from my mother's womb. You are my God since my mother bore me.

11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near; there is no one to give help.

Do not be far from me, for trouble is near. For there is none to help.

12 A great herd of oxen is round me: I am shut in by the strong oxen of Bashan.

Many bulls have surrounded me. Mighty ones of Bashan have encircled me.

13 I saw their mouths wide open, like lions crying after food.

They open their mouths wide against me, like a lion tearing prey and roaring.

14 I am flowing away like water, and all my bones are out of place: my heart is like wax, it has become soft in my body.

I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax; it is melted within me.

15 My throat is dry like a broken vessel; my tongue is fixed to the roof of my mouth, and the dust of death is on my lips.

My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; and you have brought me into the dust of death.

16 Dogs have come round me: I am shut in by the band of evil-doers; they made wounds in my hands and feet.

For many dogs have surrounded me. A company of evildoers have enclosed me. They have pierced my hands and my feet.

17 I am able to see all my bones; their looks are fixed on me:

I can count all of my bones. They look and stare at me.

18 They make a division of my robes among them, by the decision of chance they take my clothing.

They divide my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast a lot.

19 Do not be far from me, O Lord: O my strength, come quickly to my help.

But do not be far off, LORD. You are my help: hurry to help me.

20 Make my soul safe from the sword, my life from the power of the dog.

Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog.

21 Be my saviour from the lion's mouth; let me go free from the horns of the cruel oxen.

Save me from the lion's mouth. Yes, from the horns of the wild oxen, you have answered me.

22 I will give the knowledge of your name to my brothers: I will give you praise among the people.

I will declare your name to my brothers. In the midst of the assembly I will praise you.

23 You who have fear of the Lord, give him praise; all you seed of Jacob, give him glory; go in fear of him, all you seed of Israel.

You who fear the LORD, praise him. All you descendants of Jacob, glorify him. Revere him, all you descendants of Israel.

24 For he has not been unmoved by the pain of him who is troubled; or kept his face covered from him; but he has given an answer to his cry.

For he has not despised or detested the affliction of the afflicted, nor has he hidden his face from him; but when he cried to him, he heard.

25 My praise will be of you in the great meeting: I will make my offerings before his worshippers.

Of you comes my praise in the great assembly. I will pay my vows before those who fear him.

26 The poor will have a feast of good things: those who make search for the Lord will give him praise: your heart will have life for ever.

The humble shall eat and be satisfied. They shall praise the LORD who seek after him. Let your hearts live forever.

27 All the ends of the earth will keep it in mind and be turned to the Lord: all the families of the nations will give him worship.

Every part of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.

28 For the kingdom is the Lord's; he is the ruler among the nations.

For the kingdom is the LORD's, and he is the ruler over the nations.

29 All the fat ones of the earth will give him worship; all those who go down to the dust will make themselves low before him, even he who has not enough for the life of his soul.

All the prosperous of the earth shall eat and worship. All those who go down to the dust shall bow before him; and my soul shall live for him.

30 A seed will be his servant; the doings of the Lord will be made clear to the generation which comes after.

Posterity shall serve him. Future generations shall be told about the LORD.

31 They will come and make his righteousness clear to a people of the future because he has done this.

They shall come and shall declare his righteousness to a people that shall be born, for he has done it.