Psalm 22:1–32:11

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

You seem far from saving me,

far away from my groans.

²My God, I call to you during the day,

but you do not answer.

I call at night;

I am not silent.

³You sit as the Holy One.

The praises of Israel are your throne.

⁴Our ancestors trusted you;

they trusted, and you saved them.

⁵They called to you for help

and were rescued.

They trusted you

and were not disappointed.

⁶But I am like a worm instead of a man.

People make fun of me and hate me.

⁷Those who look at me laugh.

They stick out their tongues and shake their heads.

⁸They say, “Turn to the Lord for help.

Maybe he will save you.

If he likes you,

maybe he will rescue you.”

⁹You had my mother give birth to me.

You made me trust you

while I was just a baby.

¹⁰I have leaned on you since the day I was born;

you have been my God since my mother gave me birth.

¹¹So don’t be far away from me.

Now trouble is near,

and there is no one to help.

¹²People have surrounded me like angry bulls.

Like the strong bulls of Bashan, they are on every side.

¹³Like hungry, roaring lions

they open their mouths at me.

¹⁴My strength is gone,

like water poured out onto the ground,

and my bones are out of joint.

My heart is like wax;

it has melted inside me.

¹⁵My strength has dried up like a clay pot,

and my tongue sticks to the top of my mouth.

You laid me in the dust of death.

¹⁶Evil people have surrounded me;

like dogs they have trapped me.

They have bitten my arms and legs.

¹⁷I can count all my bones;

people look and stare at me.

¹⁸They divided my clothes among them,

and they threw lots for my clothing.

¹⁹But, Lord, don’t be far away.

You are my strength; hurry to help me.

²⁰Save me from the sword;

save my life from the dogs.

²¹Rescue me from the lion’s mouth;

save me from the horns of the bulls.

²²Then I will tell my brothers and sisters about you;

I will praise you in the public meeting.

²³Praise the Lord, all you who respect him.

All you descendants of Jacob, honor him;

fear him, all you Israelites.

²⁴He does not ignore those in trouble.

He doesn’t hide from them

but listens when they call out to him.

²⁵Lord, I praise you in the great meeting of your people;

these worshipers will see me do what I promised.

²⁶Poor people will eat until they are full;

those who look to the Lord will praise him.

May your hearts live forever!

²⁷People everywhere will remember

and will turn to the Lord.

All the families of the nations

will worship him

²⁸because the Lord is King,

and he rules the nations.

²⁹All the powerful people on earth will eat and worship.

Everyone will bow down to him,

all who will one day die.

³⁰The people in the future will serve him;

they will always be told about the Lord.

³¹They will tell that he does what is right.

People who are not yet born

will hear what God has done.

The Lord the Shepherd

A psalm of David.

23The Lord is my shepherd;

I have everything I need.

²He lets me rest in green pastures.

He leads me to calm water.

³He gives me new strength.

He leads me on paths that are right

for the good of his name.

⁴Even if I walk through a very dark valley,

I will not be afraid,

because you are with me.

Your rod and your shepherd’s staff comfort me.

⁵You prepare a meal for me

in front of my enemies.

You pour oil of blessing on my head; ⁿ

you fill my cup to overflowing.

⁶Surely your goodness and love will be with me

all my life,

and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.

A Welcome for God into the Temple

A psalm of David.

24The earth belongs to the Lord, and everything in it—

the world and all its people.

²He built it on the waters

and set it on the rivers.

³Who may go up on the mountain of the Lord?

Who may stand in his holy Temple?

⁴Only those with clean hands and pure hearts,

who have not worshiped idols,

who have not made promises in the name of a false god.

⁵They will receive a blessing from the Lord;

the God who saves them will declare them right.

⁶They try to follow God;

they look to the God of Jacob for help.

Selah

⁷Open up, you gates.

Open wide, you aged doors

and the glorious King will come in.

⁸Who is this glorious King?

The Lord, strong and mighty.

The Lord, the powerful warrior.

⁹Open up, you gates.

Open wide, you aged doors

and the glorious King will come in.

¹⁰Who is this glorious King?

The Lord All-Powerful—

he is the glorious King.

Selah

A Prayer for God to Guide

Of David.

25Lord, I give myself to you;

²my God, I trust you.

Do not let me be disgraced;

do not let my enemies laugh at me.

³No one who trusts you will be disgraced,

but those who sin without excuse will be disgraced.

⁴Lord, tell me your ways.

Show me how to live.

⁵Guide me in your truth,

and teach me, my God, my Savior.

I trust you all day long.

⁶Lord, remember your mercy and love

that you have shown since long ago.

⁷Do not remember the sins

and wrong things I did when I was young.

But remember to love me always

because you are good, Lord.

⁸The Lord is good and right;

he points sinners to the right way.

⁹He shows those who are humble how to do right,

and he teaches them his ways.

¹⁰All the Lord’s ways are loving and true

for those who follow the demands of his agreement.

¹¹For the sake of your name, Lord,

forgive my many sins.

¹²Are there those who respect the Lord?

He will point them to the best way.

¹³They will enjoy a good life,

and their children will inherit the land.

¹⁴The Lord tells his secrets to those who respect him;

he tells them about his agreement.

¹⁵My eyes are always looking to the Lord for help.

He will keep me from any traps.

¹⁶Turn to me and have mercy on me,

because I am lonely and hurting.

¹⁷My troubles have grown larger;

free me from my problems.

¹⁸Look at my suffering and troubles,

and take away all my sins.

¹⁹Look at how many enemies I have!

See how much they hate me!

²⁰Protect me and save me.

I trust you, so do not let me be disgraced.

²¹My hope is in you,

so may goodness and honesty guard me.

²²God, save Israel from all their troubles!

The Prayer of an Innocent Believer

Of David.

26Lord, defend me because I have lived an innocent life.

I have trusted the Lord and never doubted.

²Lord, try me and test me;

look closely into my heart and mind.

³I see your love,

and I live by your truth.

⁴I do not spend time with liars,

nor do I make friends with those who hide their sin.

⁵I hate the company of evil people,

and I won’t sit with the wicked.

⁶I wash my hands to show I am innocent,

and I come to your altar, Lord.

⁷I raise my voice in praise

and tell of all the miracles you have done.

⁸Lord, I love the Temple where you live,

where your glory is.

⁹Do not kill me with those sinners

or take my life with those murderers.

¹⁰Evil is in their hands,

and they do wrong for money.

¹¹But I have lived an innocent life,

so save me and have mercy on me.

¹²I stand in a safe place.

Lord, I praise you in the great meeting.

A Song of Trust in God

Of David.

27The Lord is my light and the one who saves me.

So why should I fear anyone?

The Lord protects my life.

So why should I be afraid?

²Evil people may try to destroy my body.

My enemies and those who hate me attack me,

but they are overwhelmed and defeated.

³If an army surrounds me,

I will not be afraid.

If war breaks out,

I will trust the Lord.

⁴I ask only one thing from the Lord.

This is what I want:

Let me live in the Lord’s house

all my life.

Let me see the Lord’s beauty

and look with my own eyes at his Temple.

⁵During danger he will keep me safe in his shelter.

He will hide me in his Holy Tent,

or he will keep me safe on a high mountain.

⁶My head is higher than my enemies around me.

I will offer joyful sacrifices in his Holy Tent.

I will sing and praise the Lord.

⁷Lord, hear me when I call;

have mercy and answer me.

⁸My heart said of you, “Go, worship him.”

So I come to worship you, Lord.

⁹Do not turn away from me.

Do not turn your servant away in anger;

you have helped me.

Do not push me away or leave me alone,

God, my Savior.

¹⁰If my father and mother leave me,

the Lord will take me in.

¹¹Lord, teach me your ways,

and guide me to do what is right

because I have enemies.

¹²Do not hand me over to my enemies,

because they tell lies about me

and say they will hurt me.

¹³I truly believe

I will live to see the Lord’s goodness.

¹⁴Wait for the Lord’s help.

Be strong and brave,

and wait for the Lord’s help.

A Prayer in Troubled Times

Of David.

28Lord, my Rock, I call out to you for help.

Do not be deaf to me.

If you are silent,

I will be like those in the grave.

²Hear the sound of my prayer,

when I cry out to you for help.

I raise my hands

toward your Most Holy Place.

³Don’t drag me away with the wicked,

with those who do evil.

They say “Peace” to their neighbors,

but evil is in their hearts.

⁴Pay them back for what they have done,

for their evil deeds.

Pay them back for what they have done;

give them their reward.

⁵They don’t understand what the Lord has done

or what he has made.

So he will knock them down

and not lift them up.

⁶Praise the Lord,

because he heard my prayer for help.

⁷The Lord is my strength and shield.

I trust him, and he helps me.

I am very happy,

and I praise him with my song.

⁸The Lord is powerful;

he gives victory to his chosen one.

⁹Save your people

and bless those who are your own.

Be their shepherd and carry them forever.

God in the Thunderstorm

A psalm of David.

29Praise the Lord, you angels;

praise the Lord’s glory and power.

²Praise the Lord for the glory of his name;

worship the Lord because he is holy.

³The Lord’s voice is heard over the sea.

The glorious God thunders;

the Lord thunders over the ocean.

⁴The Lord’s voice is powerful;

the Lord’s voice is majestic.

⁵The Lord’s voice breaks the trees;

the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.

⁶He makes the land of Lebanon dance like a calf

and Mount Hermon jump like a baby bull.

⁷The Lord’s voice makes the lightning flash.

⁸The Lord’s voice shakes the desert;

the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.

⁹The Lord’s voice shakes the oaks

and strips the leaves off the trees.

In his Temple everyone says, “Glory to God!”

¹⁰The Lord controls the flood.

The Lord will be King forever.

¹¹The Lord gives strength to his people;

the Lord blesses his people with peace.

Thanksgiving for Escaping Death

A psalm of David. A song for giving the…