Psalm, 22

To the director; set to “The Doe of the Dawn.”^*1 A melody of David.

¹ My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you far from saving me, Far from my cries of anguish?

² My God, I keep calling by day, and you do not answer; And by night there is no silence on my part.

³ But you are holy, Surrounded by^*1 the praises of Israel.

⁴ In you our fathers put their trust; They trusted, and you kept rescuing them.

⁵ To you they cried out, and they were saved; They trusted in you, and they were not disappointed.^*1

⁶ But I am a worm and not a man, Scorned by^*1 men and despised by the people.

⁷ All those seeing me mock me; They sneer and shake their heads in derision:

⁸ “He entrusted himself to Jehovah. Let Him rescue him! Let Him save him, for he is so dear to Him!”

⁹ You were the One who brought me out of the womb, The One who made me feel secure on my mother’s breasts.

¹⁰ I have been entrusted to your care^*1 from birth; From my mother’s womb, you have been my God.

¹¹ Do not stay far off from me, for trouble is near And I have no other helper.

¹² Many young bulls surround me; Powerful bulls of Baʹshan encircle me.

¹³ They open their mouth wide against me, Like a roaring lion that tears its prey to pieces.

¹⁴ I am poured out like water; All my bones are out of joint. My heart has become like wax; It melts deep within me.

¹⁵ My strength has dried up like a piece of pottery; My tongue sticks to my gums; You are bringing me down to the dust of death.

¹⁶ For dogs surround me; They close in on me like a pack of evildoers, Like a lion they are at my hands and feet.

¹⁷ I can count all my bones. They look on and stare at me.

¹⁸ They divide my garments among themselves, And they cast lots for my clothing.

¹⁹ But you, O Jehovah, do not remain far away. You are my strength; hurry to help me.

²⁰ Save me^*1 from the sword, My precious life^*2 from the paws^*3 of dogs;

²¹ Save me from the mouth of the lion and the horns of wild bulls; Answer and save me.

²² I will declare your name to my brothers; In the midst of the congregation I will praise you.

²³ You who fear Jehovah, praise him! All you offspring^*1 of Jacob, glorify him! Stand in awe of him, all you offspring^*2 of Israel.

²⁴ For he has not despised nor loathed the suffering of the oppressed one; He has not hidden his face from him. When he cried to him for help, he heard.

²⁵ I will praise you in the large congregation; I will pay my vows before those who fear him.

²⁶ The meek will eat and be satisfied; Those seeking Jehovah will praise him. May you enjoy life^*1 forever.

²⁷ All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to Jehovah. All the families of the nations will bow down before you.

²⁸ For the kingship belongs to Jehovah; He rules over the nations.

²⁹ All the prosperous ones^*1 of the earth will eat and will bow down; All those going down to the dust will kneel before him; None of them can preserve their lives.^*2

³⁰ Their descendants^*1 will serve him; The generation to come will be told about Jehovah.

³¹ They will come and tell of his righteousness. They will tell the people yet to be born what he has done.