Psalm 20–22

A Prayer for Victory^e

20 May the Lord answer you when you are in trouble!

May the God of Jacob protect you!

²May he send you help from his Temple

and give you aid from Mount Zion.

³May he accept all your offerings

and be pleased with all your sacrifices.

⁴May he give you what you desire

and make all your plans succeed.

⁵Then we will shout for joy over your victory

and celebrate your triumph by praising our God.

May the Lord answer all your requests.

⁶Now I know that the Lord gives victory to his chosen king;

he answers him from his holy heaven

and by his power gives him great victories.

⁷Some trust in their war chariots

and others in their horses,

but we trust in the power of the Lord our God.

⁸Such people will stumble and fall,

but we will rise and stand firm.

⁹Give victory to the king, O Lord;

answer^f us when we call.

Praise for Victory^g

21 The king is glad, O Lord, because you gave him strength;

he rejoices because you made him victorious.

²You have given him his heart’s desire;

you have answered his request.

³You came to him with great blessings

and set a crown of gold on his head.

⁴He asked for life, and you gave it,

a long and lasting life.

⁵His glory is great because of your help;

you have given him fame and majesty.

⁶Your blessings are with him for ever

and your presence fills him with joy.

⁷The king trusts in the Lord Almighty;

and because of the Lord’s constant love

he will always be secure.

⁸The king will capture all his enemies;

he will capture everyone who hates him.

⁹He will destroy them like a blazing fire

when he appears.

The Lord will devour them in his anger,

and fire will consume them.

¹⁰None of their descendants will survive;

the king will kill them all.

¹¹They make their plans, and plot against him,

but they will not succeed.

¹²He will shoot his arrows at them

and make them turn and run.

¹³We praise you, Lord, for your great strength!

We will sing and praise your power.

A Cry of Anguish and a Song of Praise^h

22^* My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

I have cried desperately for help,

but still it does not come.

²During the day I call to you, my God,

but you do not answer;

I call at night,

but get no rest.

³But you are enthroned as the Holy One,

the one whom Israel praises.

⁴Our ancestors put their trust in you;

they trusted you, and you saved them.

⁵They called to you and escaped from danger;

they trusted you and were not disappointed.

⁶But I am no longer a human being; I am a worm,

despised and scorned by everyone!

^7*All who see me jeer at me;

they stick out their tongues and shake their heads.

^8*“You relied on the Lord,” they say.

“Why doesn’t he save you?

If the Lord likes you,

why doesn’t he help you?”

⁹It was you who brought me safely through birth,

and when I was a baby, you kept me safe.

¹⁰I have relied on you since the day I was born,

and you have always been my God.

¹¹Do not stay away from me!

Trouble is near,

and there is no one to help.

¹²Many enemies surround me like bulls;

they are all round me,

like fierce bulls from the land of Bashan.

¹³They open their mouths like lions,

roaring and tearing at me.

¹⁴My strength is gone,

gone like water spilt on the ground.

All my bones are out of joint;

my heart is like melted wax.

¹⁵My throatⁱ is as dry as dust,

and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.

You have left me for dead in the dust.

¹⁶An evil gang is round me;

like a pack of dogs they close in on me;

they tear at^j my hands and feet.

¹⁷All my bones can be seen.

My enemies look at me and stare.

^18*They gamble for my clothes

and divide them among themselves.

¹⁹O Lord, don’t stay away from me!

Come quickly to my rescue!

²⁰Save me from the sword;

save my life from these dogs.

²¹Rescue me from these lions;

I am helpless^k before these wild bulls.

^22*I will tell my people what you have done;

I will praise you in their assembly:

²³“Praise him, you servants of the Lord!

Honour him, you descendants of Jacob!

Worship him, you people of Israel!

²⁴He does not neglect the poor or ignore their suffering;

he does not turn away from them,

but answers when they call for help.”

²⁵In the full assembly I will praise you for what you have done;

in the presence of those who worship you

I will offer the sacrifices I promised.

²⁶The poor will eat as much as they want;

those who come to the Lord will praise him.

May they prosper for ever!

²⁷All nations will remember the Lord.

From every part of the world they will turn to him;

all races will worship him.

²⁸The Lord is king,

and he rules the nations.

²⁹All proud people will bow down to him;^l

all mortals will bow down before him.

³⁰Future generations will serve him;

they will speak of the Lord to the coming generation.

³¹People not yet born will be told:

“The Lord saved his people.”