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Psalm 22
New American Bible (Revised Edition)

Psalm 22[a]

The Prayer of an Innocent Person

1 For the leader; according to “The deer of the dawn.”[b] A psalm of David.

I

2 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
    Why so far from my call for help,
    from my cries of anguish?(A)
3 My God, I call by day, but you do not answer;
    by night, but I have no relief.(B)
4 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
    you are the glory of Israel.(C)
5 In you our fathers trusted;
    they trusted and you rescued them.
6 To you they cried out and they escaped;
    in you they trusted and were not disappointed.(D)
7 [c]But I am a worm, not a man,
    scorned by men, despised by the people.(E)
8 All who see me mock me;
    they curl their lips and jeer;
    they shake their heads at me:(F)
9 “He relied on the Lord—let him deliver him;
    if he loves him, let him rescue him.”(G)
10 For you drew me forth from the womb,
    made me safe at my mother’s breasts.
11 Upon you I was thrust from the womb;
    since my mother bore me you are my God.(H)
12 Do not stay far from me,
    for trouble is near,
    and there is no one to help.(I)

II

13 Many bulls[d] surround me;
    fierce bulls of Bashan encircle me.
14 They open their mouths against me,
    lions that rend and roar.(J)
15 Like water my life drains away;
    all my bones are disjointed.
My heart has become like wax,
    it melts away within me.
16 As dry as a potsherd is my throat;
    my tongue cleaves to my palate;
    you lay me in the dust of death.[e]
17 Dogs surround me;
    a pack of evildoers closes in on me.
They have pierced my hands and my feet
18     I can count all my bones.(K)
They stare at me and gloat;
19     they divide my garments among them;
    for my clothing they cast lots.(L)
20 But you, Lord, do not stay far off;
    my strength, come quickly to help me.
21 Deliver my soul from the sword,
    my life from the grip of the dog.
22 Save me from the lion’s mouth,
    my poor life from the horns of wild bulls.(M)

III

23 Then I will proclaim your name to my brethren;
    in the assembly I will praise you:[f](N)
24 “You who fear the Lord, give praise!
    All descendants of Jacob, give honor;
    show reverence, all descendants of Israel!
25 For he has not spurned or disdained
    the misery of this poor wretch,
Did not turn away[g] from me,
    but heard me when I cried out.
26 I will offer praise in the great assembly;
    my vows I will fulfill before those who fear him.
27 The poor[h] will eat their fill;
    those who seek the Lord will offer praise.
    May your hearts enjoy life forever!”(O)

IV

28 All the ends of the earth
    will remember and turn to the Lord;
All the families of nations
    will bow low before him.(P)
29 For kingship belongs to the Lord,
    the ruler over the nations.(Q)
30 [i]All who sleep in the earth
    will bow low before God;
All who have gone down into the dust
    will kneel in homage.
31 And I will live for the Lord;
    my descendants will serve you.
32 The generation to come will be told of the Lord,
    that they may proclaim to a people yet unborn
    the deliverance you have brought.(R)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 22 A lament unusual in structure and in intensity of feeling. The psalmist’s present distress is contrasted with God’s past mercy in Ps 22:2–12. In Ps 22:13–22 enemies surround the psalmist. The last third is an invitation to praise God (Ps 22:23–27), becoming a universal chorus of praise (Ps 22:28–31). The Psalm is important in the New Testament. Its opening words occur on the lips of the crucified Jesus (Mk 15:34; Mt 27:46), and several other verses are quoted, or at least alluded to, in the accounts of Jesus’ passion (Mt 27:35, 43; Jn 19:24).
  2. 22:1 The deer of the dawn: apparently the title of the melody.
  3. 22:7 I am a worm, not a man: the psalmist’s sense of isolation and dehumanization, an important motif of Ps 22, is vividly portrayed here.
  4. 22:13–14 Bulls: the enemies of the psalmist are also portrayed in less-than-human form, as wild animals (cf. Ps 22:17, 21–22). Bashan: a grazing land northeast of the Sea of Galilee, famed for its cattle, cf. Dt 32:14; Ez 39:18; Am 4:1.
  5. 22:16 The dust of death: the netherworld, the domain of the dead.
  6. 22:23 In the assembly I will praise you: the person who offered a thanksgiving sacrifice in the Temple recounted to the other worshipers the favor received from God and invited them to share in the sacrificial banquet. The final section (Ps 22:24–32) may be a summary or a citation of the psalmist’s poem of praise.
  7. 22:25 Turn away: lit., “hides his face from me,” an important metaphor for God withdrawing from someone, e.g., Mi 3:4; Is 8:17; Ps 27:9; 69:18; 88:15.
  8. 22:27 The poor: originally the poor, who were dependent on God; the term (‘anawim) came to include the religious sense of “humble, pious, devout.”
  9. 22:30 Hebrew unclear. The translation assumes that all on earth (Ps 22:27–28) and under the earth (Ps 22:29) will worship God.
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Psalm 22
New International Version

Psalm 22[a]

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

1 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)
2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,(D)
    by night,(E) but I find no rest.[b]

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

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

9 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
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New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

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