A modern English translation drawn directly from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. Translated word-for-word where possible, by a committee with scholarly oversight.
Uses the same source texts as the ESV, NASB, and most academic Bibles, including the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia and the Nestle-Aland critical edition.
Psalm 22
Psalm 22 is the twenty-second psalm. The 31-verse psalm is a lament that opens with one of the most quoted lines in the Bible, and Christian readers have always heard it as a prophetic description of the crucifixion. The psalm is attributed to David.
The psalm opens with the famous cry: "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my words of groaning? I cry out by day, O my God, but You do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest."
The psalmist then describes his suffering in vivid detail. He says he is a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people. All who see him mock him. They hurl insults, shaking their heads: "He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD deliver him; let the LORD rescue him, since He delights in him."
The psalmist remembers that God brought him out of the womb and was his God from his mother's breast. He calls on God not to be far from him, because trouble is near and there is no one to help.
The imagery intensifies. Many bulls surround him; strong bulls of Bashan encircle him. Roaring lions tear at their prey and open their mouths against him. He is poured out like water and all his bones are out of joint. His heart has turned to wax; it has melted within him. His strength is dried up like a potsherd and his tongue sticks to the roof of his mouth. Dogs surround him and a band of evil men encircles him. "They have pierced My hands and feet." He can count all his bones. They divide his garments among themselves and cast lots for his clothing.
The psalm then turns. He cries out for deliverance. The tone shifts to praise. He will declare God's name to his brothers; in the assembly he will praise him. All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD. All the families of the nations will bow down before him, because dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations. Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord.
Verse 1. For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Doe of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my words of groaning?
Verse 2. I cry out by day, O my God, but You do not answer, and by night, but I have no rest.
Verse 3. Yet You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.
Verse 4. In You our fathers trusted; they trusted and You delivered them.
Verse 5. They cried out to You and were set free; they trusted in You and were not disappointed.
Verse 6. But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.
Verse 7. All who see me mock me; they sneer and shake their heads:
Verse 8. “He trusts in the LORD, let the LORD deliver him; let the LORD rescue him, since He delights in him.”
Verse 9. Yet You brought me forth from the womb; You made me secure at my mother’s breast.
Verse 10. From birth I was cast upon You; from my mother’s womb You have been my God.
Verse 11. Be not far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.
Verse 12. Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
Verse 13. They open their jaws against me like lions that roar and maul.
Verse 14. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are disjointed. My heart is like wax; it melts away within me.
Verse 15. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You lay me in the dust of death.
Verse 16. For dogs surround me; a band of evil men encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet.
Verse 17. I can count all my bones; they stare and gloat over me.
Verse 18. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.
Verse 19. But You, O LORD, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
Verse 20. Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of wild dogs.
Verse 21. Save me from the mouth of the lion; at the horns of the wild oxen You have answered me!
Verse 22. I will proclaim Your name to my brothers; I will praise You in the assembly.
Verse 23. You who fear the LORD, praise Him! All descendants of Jacob, honor Him! All offspring of Israel, revere Him!
Verse 24. For He has not despised or detested the torment of the afflicted. He has not hidden His face from him, but has attended to his cry for help.
Verse 25. My praise for You resounds in the great assembly; I will fulfill my vows before those who fear You.
Verse 26. The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the LORD will praise Him. May your hearts live forever!
Verse 27. All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him.
Verse 28. For dominion belongs to the LORD and He rules over the nations.
Verse 29. All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before Him—even those unable to preserve their lives.
Verse 30. Posterity will serve Him; they will declare the Lord to a new generation.
Verse 31. They will come and proclaim His righteousness to a people yet unborn—all that He has done.
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