From Suffering to Praise

For the choir director: according to “The Deer of the Dawn.”a A Davidic psalm.

1My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?b

Why are You so far from my deliverancec

and from my words of groaning?d, e

2My God, I cry by day, but You do not answer,

by night, yet I have no rest.f

3But You are holy,

enthroned on the praises of Israel.g

4Our fathers trusted in You;

they trusted, and You rescued them.h

5They cried to You and were set free;

they trusted in You and were not disgraced.i

6But I am a worm and not a man,j

scorned by men and despised by people.k

7Everyone who sees me mocks me;

they sneerl and shake their heads:m

8“He relies onn the LORD;

let Him rescue him;

let the LORDo deliver him,

since He takes pleasure in him.”p

9You took me from the womb,

making me secure while at my mother’s breast.q

10I was given over to You at birth;r

You have been my God from my mother’s womb.s

11Do not be far from me, because distress is near

and there is no one to help.t

12Many bulls surround me;

strong ones of Bashan encircle me.u

13They open their mouths against me —

lions, mauling and roaring.v

14I am poured out like water,w

and all my bones are disjointed;x

my heart is like wax,

melting within me.y

15My strength is dried up like baked clay;z

my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.aa

You put me into the dust of death.ab

16For dogs have surrounded me;ac

a gang of evildoers has closed in on me;

they piercedad my hands and my feet.ae

17I can count all my bones;

peopleaf look and stare at me.ag

18They divided my garments among themselves,

and they cast lots for my clothing.ah

19But You, LORD, don’t be far away.ai

My strength, come quickly to help me.aj

20Deliver my life from the sword,ak

my only lifeal from the power of these dogs.

21Save me from the mouth of the lion!am

You have rescuedan me

from the horns of the wild oxen.

22I will proclaim Your name to my brothers;

I will praise You in the congregation.ao

23You who •fear •Yahweh, praise Him!ap

All you descendants of Jacob, honor Him!

All you descendants of Israel, revere Him!aq

24For He has not despised or detested

the torment of the afflicted.ar

He did not hide His face from himas

but listened when he cried to Him for help.at

25I will give praiseau in the great congregation

because of You;av

I will fulfill my vows

before those who fear You.aw, ax

26The humbleay will eat and be satisfied;az

those who seek the LORD will praise Him.

May your hearts live forever!ba

27All the ends of the earth will remember

and turn to the LORD.

All the families of the nations

will bow down before You,bb

28for kingship belongs to the LORD;

He rules over the nations.bc

29All who prosper on earth will eat and bow down;

all those who go down to the dust

will kneel before Him —

even the one who cannot preserve his life.bd

30Their descendants will serve Him;

the next generation will be told about the Lord.be

31They will come and tell a people yet to be born

about His righteousness —

what He has done.bf