Psalms 22

1 To the Chief Musician. On "the Hind of the Dawn." A Melody of David. My GOD, my GOD, why hast thou forsaken me? Far from saving me, The words of my loud lamentation?

My God, my God, why have you abandoned/deserted me? Why do you stay so far from me, and why do you not hear/help me [RHQ]? Why do you not hear me when I am groaning?

2 My God! I keep crying—By day, and thou dost not answer, and, By night, and there is no rest for me.

My God, every day I call to you during the daytime and during the night, but you do not answer me, so I am not able to sleep.

3 But, thou, art holy, Who inhabitest the praises of Israel.

But you are holy. You sit on your throne as king, and [we the people of] Israel praise you [PRS].

4 In thee, trusted our fathers, They trusted, and thou didst deliver them;

Our ancestors trusted in you. [Because] they trusted in you, you rescued them.

5 Unto thee, made they outcry, and escaped, In thee, they trusted, and had not turned pale.

When they cried out to you, you saved them. They trusted in you, and (they were not disappointed/you [saved them] as you said that you would).

6 But, I, am a worm and no one, a reproach of men, and despised of a people;

But [you have not rescued me] [People despise me and consider that I am not a man]; [they think that] I am [as worthless as] a worm! Everyone [HYP] scorns me and despises me.

7 All that see me, laugh at me, —They open wide the mouth, They shake the head: —

Everyone who sees me [HYP] makes fun of me. They sneer at me and [insult me by] shaking their heads [at me as though I were an evil man]. They say,

8 He should trust in Yahweh—let him deliver him, —Let him rescue him, seeing he delighteth in him.

“He trusts in Yahweh, so Yahweh should save him! [He says that] Yahweh is very pleased with him; if that is so, Yahweh should rescue him!”

9 For, thou, art he that severed me from the womb, he that caused me to trust, upon the breasts of my mother;

[Why do] you [not] protect me [now as you did] when I was born? I was safe even when I was (nursing/drinking milk from my mother’s breasts).

10 Upon thee, was I cast from the time I was born, From the womb of my mother, my GOD, hast thou been.

[It was as though] you adopted me right when I was born. You have (been my God/taken care of me) ever since I was born.

11 Be not far from me, for, distress, is near, For there is none to help.

So, (do not stay far from/stay close to) [LIT] me now because [enemies who will cause me much] trouble are near me, and there is no one [else] who can help me.

12 Many bulls have surrounded me, Strong oxen of Bashan, have enclosed me;

[My enemies] surround me [like] a herd/group of wild bulls. [Fierce people, like those] strong bulls that graze [on the hills] in Bashan [area], encircle me.

13 They have opened wide against me their mouth, A lion rending and roaring.

[They are like] roaring lions that are attacking the animals that they want to kill [MET] [and eat]; they rush toward me [to kill] me; they [are like lions that] have their mouths open, [ready to tear their victims to pieces] [MET].

14 Like water, am I poured out, and, put out of joint, are all my bones, —My heart, hath become, like wax, it is melted in the midst of my body;

I am completely exhausted [MET], and all my bones are out of their joints/places. I [no longer expect that God will save me]; [that expectation is gone completely], like wax that has melted away.

15 Dried as a potsherd, is my strength, And, my tongue, is made to cleave to my gums, And, in the dust of death, wilt thou lay me.

My strength is [all dried up] [MET] like a broken piece of a clay jar that has dried [in the sun]. [I am so thirsty that] my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. O God, [I think that you are about to let] me die and become dirt!

16 For dogs have surrounded me, —An assembly of evil doers, have encircled me, They have pierced my hands and my feet,

My enemies [MET] surround me like a pack/group of wild dogs. A group of evil men has encircled me, [ready to attack me]. They have [already] smashed my hands and my feet.

17 I may tell all my bones, They, look for—they behold me!

[I am so weak and thin that] my bones can be seen and counted. My enemies stare at me and (gloat/are happy) about [what has happened to] me.

18 They part my garments among them, and, for my vestment, they cast lots.

They looked at the clothes that I [was wearing] and gambled to determine which piece each of them would get.

19 But, thou, O Yahweh, be not far off, O my help! to aid me, make haste;

O Yahweh, do not stay far away from me! You who are my [source of] strength, come quickly and help me!

20 Rescue, from the sword, my life, from the power of the dog, my solitary self:

Rescue me from [those who want to kill me with] their swords. Save me from those who are [like wild/fierce] dogs [MET].

21 Save me from the mouth of the lion, —Yea, from the horns of wild beasts, hast thou delivered me.

Snatch me away from [my enemies who are] like lions whose jaws [are already open, ready to chew me up] Grab me away from [those men who are like] wild oxen [that attack other animals with] their horns [MET]!

22 I will declare thy Name unto my brethren, —In the midst of the convocation, will I praise thee.

[But you have saved me, so] I will declare to my fellow [Israelis] how great you [MTY] are. I will praise you among the group of your people gathered [to worship you].

23 Ye that revere Yahweh, praise him, All ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him, And, stand in awe of him, all ye seed of Israel.

You people who have an awesome respect for Yahweh, praise him! All you who are descended from Jacob, honor Yahweh! All you Israeli people, revere him!

24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the humbling of the patient one, neither hath he hid his face from him, but, when he cried for help unto him, he heard.

He does not despise or ignore those who are suffering; he does not hide (his face/himself) from them. He has listened to them when they cried out to him for help.

25 Of thee, is my praise in the great convocation, My vows, will I pay, before them who revere him.

Yahweh, in the great gathering [of your people], I will praise you for what you have done. In the presence of those who revere you, I will offer [the sacrifices] that I promised.

26 The patient wronged-ones shall eat and be satisfied, They shall praise Yahweh, who are seekers of him, Let your heart live for aye.

The poor people [whom I have invited to the meal] will eat as much as they want. All who come worship Yahweh will praise him. I pray that [God will enable] you all to live a long and happy life!

27 All the ends of the earth, will remember and turn to Yahweh, Yea all the families of the nations, will bow themselves down before thee,

I pray that [people in all nations, even] in the remote areas, will think about Yahweh and turn to him, and that people from all the clans in the world will bow down before him.

28 For, to Yahweh, belongeth the kingdom, And One to Rule over the nations.

Because Yahweh is the king! He rules all the nations.

29 All the great ones of the earth, shall eat and bow down, Before him shall kneel, all that go down to the dust, Even he who had not kept alive, his own soul!

I desire that all the rich people on the earth will bow before him. Some day they will die, but I want them to prostrate themselves on the ground in his presence [before they die].

30 My seed, shall serve him, It shall be recounted, of the Lord, to a generation that shall come:

People (in the future generations/who have not been born yet) will also serve Yahweh. Our descendants will be told about what Yahweh [has done].

31 That his righteousness may be declared to a people to be born, That he wrought with effect!

People who are not yet born, [who will live in future years], will be told how Yahweh rescued his people. People will tell them, “Yahweh did it!”