Psalm 22

English Standard Version

Why Have You Forsaken Me?

To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David.

22 ^(A)My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so ^(B)far from saving me, from the words of my ^(C)groaning?
²O my God, I cry by ^(D)day, but you do not answer,
and by night, but I find no rest.

³Yet you are ^(E)holy,
    ^(F)enthroned on ^(G)the praises^[a] of Israel.
⁴In you our fathers trusted;
    they trusted, and you delivered them.
⁵To you they ^(H)cried and were rescued;
    in you they ^(I)trusted and were not put to shame.

⁶But I am ^(J)a worm and not a man,
    ^(K)scorned by mankind and ^(L)despised by the people.
⁷All who see me ^(M)mock me;
    they make mouths at me; they ^(N)wag their heads;
⁸^(O)“He trusts in the Lord; let him ^(P)deliver him;
    let him rescue him, for he ^(Q)delights in him!”

⁹Yet you are he who ^(R)took me from the womb;
    you made me trust you at my mother's breasts.
¹⁰On you was I cast from my birth,
    and from ^(S)my mother's womb you have been my God.
¹¹Be not ^(T)far from me,
    for trouble is near,
    and there is ^(U)none to help.

¹²Many bulls encompass me;
^(V)strong bulls of ^(W)Bashan surround me;
¹³they ^(X)open wide their mouths at me,
like a ravening and roaring lion.

¹⁴I am ^(Y)poured out like water,
    and all my bones are ^(Z)out of joint;
my ^(AA)heart is like ^(AB)wax;
    it is melted within my breast;
¹⁵my strength is ^(AC)dried up like a potsherd,
    and my ^(AD)tongue sticks to my jaws;
    you lay me in the dust of death.

¹⁶For ^(AE)dogs encompass me;
a company of evildoers ^(AF)encircles me;
they have ^(AG)pierced my hands and feet^[b]—
¹⁷I can count all my bones—
they ^(AH)stare and gloat over me;
¹⁸^(AI)they divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.

¹⁹But you, O Lord, ^(AJ)do not be far off!
    O you my help, ^(AK)come quickly to my aid!
²⁰Deliver my soul from the sword,
    my precious life from the power of ^(AL)the dog!
²¹    Save me from ^(AM)the mouth of the lion!
You have rescued^[c] me from the horns of ^(AN)the wild oxen!

²²^(AO)I will tell of your name to my ^(AP)brothers;
    in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
²³You who ^(AQ)fear the Lord, praise him!
    All you offspring of Jacob, ^(AR)glorify him,
    and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
²⁴For he has not despised or abhorred
    the affliction of ^(AS)the afflicted,
and he has not ^(AT)hidden his face from him,
    but has heard, when he ^(AU)cried to him.

²⁵From you comes my praise in the great ^(AV)congregation;
    my ^(AW)vows I will ^(AX)perform before those who fear him.
²⁶^(AY)The afflicted^[d] shall ^(AZ)eat and be satisfied;
    those who seek him shall praise the Lord!
    May your hearts ^(BA)live forever!

²⁷All ^(BB)the ends of the earth shall remember
    and turn to the Lord,
and all ^(BC)the families of the nations
    shall worship before you.
²⁸For ^(BD)kingship belongs to the Lord,
    and he rules over the nations.

²⁹All ^(BE)the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;
    before him shall ^(BF)bow all who go down to the dust,
    even the one who could not ^(BG)keep himself alive.
³⁰Posterity shall serve him;
    it shall be told of the Lord to the coming ^(BH)generation;
³¹they shall ^(BI)come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet ^(BJ)unborn,
    that he has done it.

Footnotes

Psalm 22:3 Or dwelling in the praises
Psalm 22:16 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts like a lion [they are at] my hands and feet
Psalm 22:21 Hebrew answered
Psalm 22:26 Or The meek