Psalm 22

From Suffering to Praise

For the choir director: according to “The Deer of the Dawn.” A psalm of David.

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?(A)
Why are you so far from my deliverance(B)
and from my words of groaning?(C)
My God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
by night, yet I have no rest.(D)
But you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.(E)
Our ancestors trusted in you;
they trusted, and you rescued them.(F)
They cried to you and were set free;
they trusted in you and were not disgraced.(G)

But I am a worm and not a man,(H)
scorned by mankind and despised by people.(I)
Everyone who sees me mocks me;
they sneer[a] and shake their heads:(J)
“He relies on[b] the Lord;
let him save him;
let the Lord[c] rescue him,
since he takes pleasure in him.”(K)

It was you who brought me out of the womb,
making me secure at my mother’s breast.(L)
10 I was given over to you at birth;[d]
you have been my God from my mother’s womb.(M)

11 Don’t be far from me, because distress is near
and there’s no one to help.(N)

12 Many bulls surround me;
strong ones of Bashan encircle me.(O)
13 They open their mouths against me—
lions, mauling and roaring.(P)
14 I am poured out like water,(Q)
and all my bones are disjointed;(R)
my heart is like wax,
melting within me.(S)
15 My 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)
16 For dogs have surrounded me;(W)
a gang of evildoers has closed in on me;
they pierced[e] my hands and my feet.(X)
17 I can count all my bones;
people[f] look and stare at me.(Y)
18 They divided my garments among themselves,
and they cast lots for my clothing.(Z)

19 But you, Lord, don’t be far away.(AA)
My strength, come quickly to help me.(AB)
20 Rescue my life from the sword,(AC)
my only life[g] from the power of these dogs.
21 Save me from the lion’s mouth,(AD)
from the horns of wild oxen.
You answered me![h]
22 I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters;
I will praise you in the assembly.(AE)
23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!(AF)
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
All you descendants of Israel, revere him!(AG)
24 For he has not despised or abhorred
the torment of the oppressed.(AH)
He did not hide his face from him(AI)
but listened when he cried to him for help.(AJ)

25 I will give praise in the great assembly
because of you;(AK)
I will fulfill my vows
before those who fear you.[i](AL)
26 The humble will eat and be satisfied;(AM)
those who seek the Lord will praise him.
May your hearts live forever!(AN)

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,(AO)
28 for kingship belongs to the Lord;
he rules the nations.(AP)
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.(AQ)
30 Their descendants will serve him;
the next generation will be told about the Lord.(AR)
31 They will come and declare his righteousness;
to a people yet to be born
they will declare what he has done.(AS)

Footnotes

  1. 22:7 Lit separate with the lip
  2. 22:8 Or Rely on
  3. 22:8 Lit let him
  4. 22:10 Lit was cast on you from the womb
  5. 22:16 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr; other Hb mss read me; like a lion
  6. 22:17 Lit they
  7. 22:20 Lit my only one
  8. 22:21 Or oxen you rescued me
  9. 22:25 Lit him

Psalm 22[a]

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Doe of the Morning.” A psalm of David.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?(A)
    Why are you so far(B) from saving me,
    so far from my cries of anguish?(C)
My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,(D)
    by night,(E) but I find no rest.[b]

Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;(F)
    you are the one Israel praises.[c](G)
In you our ancestors put their trust;
    they trusted and you delivered them.(H)
To you they cried out(I) and were saved;
    in you they trusted(J) and were not put to shame.(K)

But I am a worm(L) and not a man,
    scorned by everyone,(M) despised(N) by the people.
All who see me mock me;(O)
    they hurl insults,(P) shaking their heads.(Q)
“He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
    “let the Lord rescue him.(R)
Let him deliver him,(S)
    since he delights(T) in him.”

Yet you brought me out of the womb;(U)
    you made me trust(V) in you, even at my mother’s breast.
10 From birth(W) I was cast on you;
    from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

11 Do not be far from me,(X)
    for trouble is near(Y)
    and there is no one to help.(Z)

12 Many bulls(AA) surround me;(AB)
    strong bulls of Bashan(AC) encircle me.
13 Roaring lions(AD) that tear their prey(AE)
    open their mouths wide(AF) against me.
14 I am poured out like water,
    and all my bones are out of joint.(AG)
My heart has turned to wax;(AH)
    it has melted(AI) within me.
15 My mouth[d] is dried up like a potsherd,(AJ)
    and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;(AK)
    you lay me in the dust(AL) of death.

16 Dogs(AM) surround me,
    a pack of villains encircles me;
    they pierce[e](AN) my hands and my feet.
17 All my bones are on display;
    people stare(AO) and gloat over me.(AP)
18 They divide my clothes among them
    and cast lots(AQ) for my garment.(AR)

19 But you, Lord, do not be far from me.(AS)
    You are my strength;(AT) come quickly(AU) to help me.(AV)
20 Deliver me from the sword,(AW)
    my precious life(AX) from the power of the dogs.(AY)
21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;(AZ)
    save me from the horns of the wild oxen.(BA)

22 I will declare your name to my people;
    in the assembly(BB) I will praise you.(BC)
23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!(BD)
    All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!(BE)
    Revere him,(BF) all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not despised(BG) or scorned
    the suffering of the afflicted one;(BH)
he has not hidden his face(BI) from him
    but has listened to his cry for help.(BJ)

25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;(BK)
    before those who fear you[f] I will fulfill my vows.(BL)
26 The poor will eat(BM) and be satisfied;
    those who seek the Lord will praise him—(BN)
    may your hearts live forever!

27 All the ends of the earth(BO)
    will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
    will bow down before him,(BP)
28 for dominion belongs to the Lord(BQ)
    and he rules over the nations.

29 All the rich(BR) of the earth will feast and worship;(BS)
    all who go down to the dust(BT) will kneel before him—
    those who cannot keep themselves alive.(BU)
30 Posterity(BV) will serve him;
    future generations(BW) will be told about the Lord.
31 They will proclaim his righteousness,(BX)
    declaring to a people yet unborn:(BY)
    He has done it!(BZ)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 22:1 In Hebrew texts 22:1-31 is numbered 22:2-32.
  2. Psalm 22:2 Or night, and am not silent
  3. Psalm 22:3 Or Yet you are holy, / enthroned on the praises of Israel
  4. Psalm 22:15 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text strength
  5. Psalm 22:16 Dead Sea Scrolls and some manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Septuagint and Syriac; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text me, / like a lion
  6. Psalm 22:25 Hebrew him

The Servant’s Suffering and Exaltation

13 See, my servant[a](A) will be successful;[b]
he will be raised and lifted up and greatly exalted.(B)
14 Just as many were appalled at you[c]
his appearance was so disfigured
that he did not look like a man,
and his form did not resemble a human being—
15 so he will sprinkle many nations.[d](C)
Kings will shut their mouths because of him,
for they will see what had not been told them,
and they will understand what they had not heard.(D)

53 Who has believed what we have heard?[e]
And to whom has the arm of the Lord(E) been revealed?(F)
He grew up before him like a young plant(G)
and like a root out of dry ground.
He didn’t have an impressive form
or majesty that we should look at him,
no appearance that we should desire him.(H)
He was despised and rejected by men,(I)
a man of suffering who knew what sickness was.(J)
He was like someone people turned away from;[f]
he was despised, and we didn’t value him.

Yet he himself bore our sicknesses,
and he carried our pains;(K)
but we in turn regarded him stricken,
struck down by God,(L) and afflicted.
But he was pierced because of our rebellion,(M)
crushed because of our iniquities;(N)
punishment(O) for our peace was on him,
and we are healed by his wounds.(P)
We all went astray like sheep;(Q)
we all have turned to our own way;
and the Lord has punished him
for[g] the iniquity(R) of us all.(S)

He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth.
Like a lamb led to the slaughter
and like a sheep silent before her shearers,
he did not open his mouth.(T)
He was taken away because of oppression and judgment,
and who considered his fate?[h]
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
he was struck because of my people’s rebellion.
He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
but he was with a rich man at his death,(U)
because he had done no violence
and had not spoken deceitfully.(V)

10 Yet the Lord was pleased(W) to crush him severely.[i](X)
When[j] you make him a guilt offering,(Y)
he will see his seed, he will prolong his days,
and by his hand, the Lord’s pleasure will be accomplished.(Z)
11 After his anguish,
he will see light[k] and be satisfied.
By his knowledge,
my righteous(AA) servant(AB) will justify many,(AC)
and he will carry their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him[l] the many as a portion,
and he will receive[m] the mighty as spoil,
because he willingly submitted to death,(AD)
and was counted among the rebels;(AE)
yet he bore the sin of many(AF)
and interceded for the rebels.(AG)

Footnotes

  1. 52:13 Tg adds the Messiah
  2. 52:13 Or will act wisely
  3. 52:14 Some Hb mss, Syr, Tg read him
  4. 52:15 LXX reads so many nations will marvel at him
  5. 53:1 Or believed our report
  6. 53:3 Lit And like a hiding of faces from him
  7. 53:6 Or has placed on him; lit with
  8. 53:8 Or and as for his generation, who considered him?
  9. 53:10 Or him; he made him sick.
  10. 53:10 Or If
  11. 53:11 DSS, LXX; MT omits light
  12. 53:12 Or him with
  13. 53:12 Or receive with

The Suffering and Glory of the Servant

13 See, my servant(A) will act wisely[a];
    he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.(B)
14 Just as there were many who were appalled(C) at him[b]
    his appearance was so disfigured(D) beyond that of any human being
    and his form marred beyond human likeness(E)
15 so he will sprinkle(F) many nations,[c]
    and kings(G) will shut their mouths(H) because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
    and what they have not heard, they will understand.(I)

53 Who has believed our message(J)
    and to whom has the arm(K) of the Lord been revealed?(L)
He grew up before him like a tender shoot,(M)
    and like a root(N) out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance(O) that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by mankind,
    a man of suffering,(P) and familiar with pain.(Q)
Like one from whom people hide(R) their faces
    he was despised,(S) and we held him in low esteem.

Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,(T)
yet we considered him punished by God,(U)
    stricken by him, and afflicted.(V)
But he was pierced(W) for our transgressions,(X)
    he was crushed(Y) for our iniquities;
the punishment(Z) that brought us peace(AA) was on him,
    and by his wounds(AB) we are healed.(AC)
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,(AD)
    each of us has turned to our own way;(AE)
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity(AF) of us all.

He was oppressed(AG) and afflicted,
    yet he did not open his mouth;(AH)
he was led like a lamb(AI) to the slaughter,(AJ)
    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
By oppression[d] and judgment(AK) he was taken away.
    Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;(AL)
    for the transgression(AM) of my people he was punished.[e]
He was assigned a grave with the wicked,(AN)
    and with the rich(AO) in his death,
though he had done no violence,(AP)
    nor was any deceit in his mouth.(AQ)

10 Yet it was the Lord’s will(AR) to crush(AS) him and cause him to suffer,(AT)
    and though the Lord makes[f] his life an offering for sin,(AU)
he will see his offspring(AV) and prolong his days,
    and the will of the Lord will prosper(AW) in his hand.
11 After he has suffered,(AX)
    he will see the light(AY) of life[g] and be satisfied[h];
by his knowledge[i] my righteous servant(AZ) will justify(BA) many,
    and he will bear their iniquities.(BB)
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,[j](BC)
    and he will divide the spoils(BD) with the strong,[k]
because he poured out his life unto death,(BE)
    and was numbered with the transgressors.(BF)
For he bore(BG) the sin of many,(BH)
    and made intercession(BI) for the transgressors.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 52:13 Or will prosper
  2. Isaiah 52:14 Hebrew you
  3. Isaiah 52:15 Or so will many nations be amazed at him (see also Septuagint)
  4. Isaiah 53:8 Or From arrest
  5. Isaiah 53:8 Or generation considered / that he was cut off from the land of the living, / that he was punished for the transgression of my people?
  6. Isaiah 53:10 Hebrew though you make
  7. Isaiah 53:11 Dead Sea Scrolls (see also Septuagint); Masoretic Text does not have the light of life.
  8. Isaiah 53:11 Or (with Masoretic Text) 11 He will see the fruit of his suffering / and will be satisfied
  9. Isaiah 53:11 Or by knowledge of him
  10. Isaiah 53:12 Or many
  11. Isaiah 53:12 Or numerous

22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

Read full chapter

22 All this took place to fulfill(A) what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Read full chapter

24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him,(A) but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him if he had not been born.”

Read full chapter

24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him.(A) But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”

Read full chapter