Psalms 22

My God, why have you forsaken me

For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Doe of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my words of groaning?a ²I cry out by day, O my God, but You do not answer, and by night, but I have no rest.b ³Yet You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.c

⁴In You our fathers trusted; they trusted and You delivered them. ⁵They cried out to You and were set free; they trusted in You and were not disappointed. ⁶But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.d

⁷All who see me mock me; they sneer and shake their heads:e ⁸“He trusts in the LORD, let the LORD deliver him; let the LORD rescue him, since He delights in him.”f ⁹Yet You brought me forth from the womb; You made me secure at my mother’s breast.g

¹⁰From birth I was cast upon You; from my mother’s womb You have been my God.h ¹¹Be not far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.i ¹²Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.j

¹³They open their jaws against me like lions that roar and maul. ¹⁴I am poured out like water, and all my bones are disjointed. My heart is like wax; it melts away within me.k ¹⁵My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You lay me in the dust of death.l

¹⁶For dogs surround me; a band of evil men encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet.m ¹⁷I can count all my bones; they stare and gloat over me.n ¹⁸They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.o

¹⁹But You, O LORD, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me. ²⁰Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of wild dogs.p ²¹Save me from the mouth of the lion; at the horns of the wild oxen You have answered me!

²²I will proclaim Your name to my brothers; I will praise You in the assembly.q ²³You who fear the LORD, praise Him! All descendants of Jacob, honor Him! All offspring of Israel, revere Him! ²⁴For He has not despised or detested the torment of the afflicted. He has not hidden His face from him, but has attended to his cry for help.r

²⁵My praise for You resounds in the great assembly; I will fulfill my vows before those who fear You. ²⁶The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the LORD will praise Him. May your hearts live forever!s ²⁷All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him.t

²⁸For dominion belongs to the LORD and He rules over the nations. ²⁹All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before Him— even those unable to preserve their lives. ³⁰Posterity will serve Him; they will declare the Lord to a new generation.

³¹They will come and proclaim His righteousness to a people yet unborn— all that He has done.u