Psalm 22 Holman Christian Standard Bible

Psalm 22

From Suffering to Praise

For the choir director: according to “The Deer of the Dawn.”^[a] A Davidic psalm.

¹My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?^(A)
Why are You so far from my deliverance^(B)
and from my words of groaning?^[b]^(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 fathers 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 men and despised by people.^(I)
⁷Everyone who sees me mocks me;
they sneer^[c] and shake their heads:^(J)
⁸“He relies on^[d] the Lord;
let Him rescue him;
let the Lord^[e] deliver him,
since He takes pleasure in him.”^(K)

⁹You took me from the womb,
making me secure while at my mother’s breast.^(L)
¹⁰I was given over to You at birth;^[f]
You have been my God from my mother’s womb.^(M)

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

¹²Many bulls surround me;
strong ones of Bashan encircle me.^(O)
¹³They open their mouths against me—
lions, mauling and roaring.^(P)
¹⁴I am poured out like water,^(Q)
and all my bones are disjointed;^(R)
my heart is like wax,
melting within me.^(S)
¹⁵My strength is dried up like baked clay;^(T)
my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.^(U)
You put me into the dust of death.^(V)
¹⁶For dogs have surrounded me;^(W)
a gang of evildoers has closed in on me;
they pierced^[g] my hands and my feet.^(X)
¹⁷I can count all my bones;
people^[h] look and stare at me.^(Y)
¹⁸They divided my garments among themselves,
and they cast lots for my clothing.^(Z)

¹⁹But You, Lord, don’t be far away.^(AA)
My strength, come quickly to help me.^(AB)
²⁰Deliver my life from the sword,^(AC)
my only life^[i] from the power of these dogs.
²¹Save me from the mouth of the lion!^(AD)
You have rescued^[j] me
from the horns of the wild oxen.

²²I will proclaim Your name to my brothers;
I will praise You in the congregation.^(AE)
²³You who fear Yahweh, praise Him!^(AF)
All you descendants of Jacob, honor Him!
All you descendants of Israel, revere Him!^(AG)
²⁴For He has not despised or detested
the torment of the afflicted.^(AH)
He did not hide His face from him^(AI)
but listened when he cried to Him for help.^(AJ)

²⁵I will give praise^[k] in the great congregation
because of You;^(AK)
I will fulfill my vows
before those who fear You.^[l]^(AL)
²⁶The humble^[m] will eat and be satisfied;^(AM)
those who seek the Lord will praise Him.
May your hearts live forever!^(AN)

²⁷All the ends of the earth will remember
and turn to the Lord.
All the families of the nations
will bow down before You,^(AO)
²⁸for kingship belongs to the Lord;
He rules over the nations.^(AP)
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.^(AQ)
³⁰Their descendants will serve Him;
the next generation will be told about the Lord.^(AR)
³¹They will come and tell a people yet to be born
about His righteousness—
what He has done.^(AS)