Psa 22 | HCSB | STEP | For the choir director : according to “The Deer of the Dawn .” A Davidic psalm . My God , my God , why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from my deliverance and from my words of groaning ?

Psalms 22

From Suffering to Praise

1 For the choir director: according to “The Deer of the Dawn.” ^{▼▼Perhaps a musical term} A Davidic psalm.

My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? ^b
Why are You so far from my deliverance ^c
and from my words of groaning? ^{▼▼Or My words of groaning are so far from delivering me
,} ^e
2 My God, I cry by day, but You do not answer,
by night, yet I have no rest. ^f
3 But You are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel. ^g
4 Our fathers trusted in You;
they trusted, and You rescued them. ^h
5 They cried to You and were set free;
they trusted in You and were not disgraced. ⁱ

6 But I am a worm and not a man, ^j
scorned by men and despised by people. ^k
7 Everyone who sees me mocks me;
they sneer ^{▼▼Lit separate with the lip} and shake their heads: ^m
8 “He relies on ^{▼▼Or Rely on} the Lord;
let Him rescue him;
let the Lord ^{▼▼Lit let Him} deliver him,
since He takes pleasure in him.” ^p

9 You took me from the womb,
making me secure while at my mother’s breast. ^q
10 I was given over to You at birth; ^{▼▼Lit was cast on You from the womb}
You have been my God from my mother’s womb. ^s

11 Do not be far from me, because distress is near
and there is no one to help. ^t

12 Many bulls surround me;
strong ones of Bashan encircle me. ^u
13 They open their mouths against me –
lions, mauling and roaring. ^v
14 I am poured out like water, ^w
and all my bones are disjointed; ^x
my heart is like wax,
melting within me. ^y
15 My strength is dried up like baked clay; ^z
my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. ^aa
You put me into the dust of death. ^ab
16 For dogs have surrounded me; ^ac
a gang of evildoers has closed in on me;
they pierced ^{▼▼Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr; other Hb mss read me; like a lion} my hands and my feet. ^ae
17 I can count all my bones;
people ^{▼▼Lit they} look and stare at me. ^ag
18 They divided my garments among themselves,
and they cast lots for my clothing. ^ah

19 But You, Lord, don’t be far away. ^ai
My strength, come quickly to help me. ^aj
20 Deliver my life from the sword, ^ak
my only life ^{▼▼Lit my only one} from the power of these dogs.
21 Save me from the mouth of the lion! ^am
You have rescued ^{▼▼Lit answered} me
from the horns of the wild oxen.

22 I will proclaim Your name to my brothers;
I will praise You in the congregation. ^ao
23 You who ^{▼▼fear(s) God or the Lord/ the fear of the Lord: No single English word conveys every aspect of the word fear in this phrase. The meaning includes worshipful submission, reverential awe, and obedient respect to the covenant-keeping God of Israel.}fear ^{▼▼Yahweh/Yah: Or The Lord; the personal name of God in Hebrew; "Yah" is the shortened form of the name.}Yahweh, praise Him! ^ar
All you descendants of Jacob, honor Him!
All you descendants of Israel, revere Him! ^as
24 For He has not despised or detested
the torment of the afflicted. ^at
He did not hide His face from him ^au
but listened when he cried to Him for help. ^av

25 I will give praise ^{▼▼Lit my praise} in the great congregation
because of You; ^ax
I will fulfill my vows
before those who fear You. ^{▼▼Lit Him
,} ^az
26 The humble ^{▼▼Or poor, or afflicted} will eat and be satisfied; ^bb
those who seek the Lord will praise Him.
May your hearts live forever! ^bc

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, ^bd
28 for kingship belongs to the Lord;
He rules over the nations. ^be
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. ^bf
30 Their descendants will serve Him;
the next generation will be told about the Lord. ^bg
31 They will come and tell a people yet to be born
about His righteousness –
what He has done. ^bh