Psalm 20–22

Psalm 20

DELIVERANCE IN BATTLE

For the choir director. A psalm of David.

¹May the Lord answer you in a day of trouble;^ad

may the name of Jacob’s God protect you.^ae

²May he send you help from the sanctuary

and sustain you from Zion.^af

³May he remember all your offerings

and accept your burnt offering.^ag

Selah

⁴May he give you what your heart desires^ah

and fulfill your whole purpose.^ai

⁵Let us shout for joy at your victory^aj

and lift the banner in the name of our God.^ak

May the Lord fulfill all your requests.^al

⁶Now I know that the Lord gives victory to his anointed;^a

he will answer him from his holy heaven

with mighty victories from his right hand.^b

⁷Some take pride in chariots, and others in horses,

but we take pride in the name of the Lord our God.^c

⁸They collapse and fall,

but we rise and stand firm.^d

⁹Lord, give victory to the king!^e

May he^A answer us on the day that we call.

Psalm 21

THE KING’S VICTORY

For the choir director. A psalm of David.

¹Lord, the king finds joy in your strength.

How greatly he rejoices in your victory!^f

²You have given him his heart’s desire^g

and have not denied the request of his lips.^h

Selah

³For you meet him with rich blessings;

you place a crown of pure gold on his head.ⁱ

⁴He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—

length of days forever and ever.^j

⁵His glory is great through your victory;

you confer majesty and splendor on him.^k

⁶You give him blessings forever;^l

you cheer him with joy in your presence.^m

⁷For the king relies on the Lord;

through the faithful love of the Most High

he is not shaken.ⁿ

⁸Your hand will capture all your enemies;

your right hand will seize those who hate you.^o

⁹You will make them burn

like a fiery furnace when you appear;

the Lord will engulf them in his wrath,

and fire will devour them.^p

¹⁰You will wipe their progeny from the earth

and their offspring from the human race.^Bq

¹¹Though they intend to harm^C you

and devise a wicked plan, they will not prevail.^r

¹²Instead, you will put them to flight

when you ready your bowstrings to shoot at them.^s

¹³Be exalted, Lord, in your strength;

we will sing and praise your might.^t

Psalm 22

FROM SUFFERING TO PRAISE

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

¹My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?^u

Why are you so far from my deliverance^v

and from my words of groaning?^w

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

by night, yet I have no rest.^x

³But you are holy,

enthroned on the praises of Israel.^y

⁴Our ancestors trusted in you;

they trusted, and you rescued them.^z

⁵They cried to you and were set free;

they trusted in you and were not disgraced.^aa

⁶But I am a worm and not a man,^ab

scorned by mankind and despised by people.^ac

⁷Everyone who sees me mocks me;

they sneer^A and shake their heads:^ad

⁸“He relies on^B the Lord;

let him save him;

let the Lord^C rescue him,

since he takes pleasure in him.”^ae

⁹It was you who brought me out of the womb,

making me secure at my mother’s breast.^af

¹⁰I was given over to you at birth;^D

you have been my God from my mother’s womb.^ag

¹¹Don’t be far from me, because distress is near

and there’s no one to help.^ah

¹²Many bulls surround me;

strong ones of Bashan encircle me.^a

¹³They open their mouths against me—

lions, mauling and roaring.^b

¹⁴I am poured out like water,^c

and all my bones are disjointed;^d

my heart is like wax,

melting within me.^e

¹⁵My strength is dried up like baked clay;^f

my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.^g

You put me into the dust of death.^h

¹⁶For dogs have surrounded me;ⁱ

a gang of evildoers has closed in on me;

they pierced^E my hands and my feet.^j

¹⁷I can count all my bones;

people^F look and stare at me.^k

¹⁸They divided my garments among themselves,

and they cast lots for my clothing.^l

¹⁹But you, Lord, don’t be far away.^m

My strength, come quickly to help me.ⁿ

²⁰Rescue my life from the sword,^o

my only life^A from the power of these dogs.

²¹Save me from the lion’s mouth,^p

from the horns of wild oxen.

You answered me!^B

²²I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters;

I will praise you in the assembly.^q

²³You who fear the Lord, praise him!^r

All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!

All you descendants of Israel, revere him!^s

²⁴For he has not despised or abhorred

the torment of the oppressed.^t

He did not hide his face from him^u

but listened when he cried to him for help.^v

²⁵I will give praise in the great assembly

because of you;^w

I will fulfill my vows

before those who fear you.^Cx

²⁶The humble will eat and be satisfied;^y

those who seek the Lord will praise him.

May your hearts live forever!^z

²⁷All the ends of the earth will remember

and turn to the Lord.

All the families of the nations

will bow down before you,^aa

²⁸for kingship belongs to the Lord;

he rules the nations.^ab

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.^ac

³⁰Their descendants will serve him;

the next generation will be told about the Lord.^ad

³¹They will come and declare his righteousness;

to a people yet to be born

they will declare what he has done.^ae