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Psalm 20

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

In times of trouble, may the Lord answer your cry.
    May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm.
May he send you help from his sanctuary
    and strengthen you from Jerusalem.[a]
May he remember all your gifts
    and look favorably on your burnt offerings. Interlude

May he grant your heart’s desires
    and make all your plans succeed.
May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory
    and raise a victory banner in the name of our God.
May the Lord answer all your prayers.

Now I know that the Lord rescues his anointed king.
    He will answer him from his holy heaven
    and rescue him by his great power.
Some nations boast of their chariots and horses,
    but we boast in the name of the Lord our God.
Those nations will fall down and collapse,
    but we will rise up and stand firm.

Give victory to our king, O Lord!
    Answer our cry for help.

Psalm 21

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

How the king rejoices in your strength, O Lord!
    He shouts with joy because you give him victory.
For you have given him his heart’s desire;
    you have withheld nothing he requested. Interlude

You welcomed him back with success and prosperity.
    You placed a crown of finest gold on his head.
He asked you to preserve his life,
    and you granted his request.
    The days of his life stretch on forever.
Your victory brings him great honor,
    and you have clothed him with splendor and majesty.
You have endowed him with eternal blessings
    and given him the joy of your presence.
For the king trusts in the Lord.
    The unfailing love of the Most High will keep him from stumbling.

You will capture all your enemies.
    Your strong right hand will seize all who hate you.
You will throw them in a flaming furnace
    when you appear.
The Lord will consume them in his anger;
    fire will devour them.
10 You will wipe their children from the face of the earth;
    they will never have descendants.
11 Although they plot against you,
    their evil schemes will never succeed.
12 For they will turn and run
    when they see your arrows aimed at them.
13 Rise up, O Lord, in all your power.
    With music and singing we celebrate your mighty acts.

Psalm 22

For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Doe of the Dawn.”

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
    Why are you so far away when I groan for help?
Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer.
    Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief.

Yet you are holy,
    enthroned on the praises of Israel.
Our ancestors trusted in you,
    and you rescued them.
They cried out to you and were saved.
    They trusted in you and were never disgraced.

But I am a worm and not a man.
    I am scorned and despised by all!
Everyone who sees me mocks me.
    They sneer and shake their heads, saying,
“Is this the one who relies on the Lord?
    Then let the Lord save him!
If the Lord loves him so much,
    let the Lord rescue him!”

Yet you brought me safely from my mother’s womb
    and led me to trust you at my mother’s breast.
10 I was thrust into your arms at my birth.
    You have been my God from the moment I was born.

11 Do not stay so far from me,
    for trouble is near,
    and no one else can help me.
12 My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls;
    fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in!
13 Like lions they open their jaws against me,
    roaring and tearing into their prey.
14 My life is poured out like water,
    and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart is like wax,
    melting within me.
15 My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay.
    My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.
    You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead.
16 My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs;
    an evil gang closes in on me.
    They have pierced[b] my hands and feet.
17 I can count all my bones.
    My enemies stare at me and gloat.
18 They divide my garments among themselves
    and throw dice[c] for my clothing.

19 O Lord, do not stay far away!
    You are my strength; come quickly to my aid!
20 Save me from the sword;
    spare my precious life from these dogs.
21 Snatch me from the lion’s jaws
    and from the horns of these wild oxen.

22 I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.[d]
    I will praise you among your assembled people.
23 Praise the Lord, all you who fear him!
    Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob!
    Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy.
    He has not turned his back on them,
    but has listened to their cries for help.

25 I will praise you in the great assembly.
    I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied.
    All who seek the Lord will praise him.
    Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy.
27 The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him.
    All the families of the nations will bow down before him.
28 For royal power belongs to the Lord.
    He rules all the nations.

29 Let the rich of the earth feast and worship.
    Bow before him, all who are mortal,
    all whose lives will end as dust.
30 Our children will also serve him.
    Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord.
31 His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born.
    They will hear about everything he has done.

Footnotes

  1. 20:2 Hebrew Zion.
  2. 22:16 As in some Hebrew manuscripts and Greek and Syriac versions; most Hebrew manuscripts read They are like a lion at.
  3. 22:18 Hebrew cast lots.
  4. 22:22 Hebrew my brothers.

Psalm 20[a]

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;(A)
    may the name of the God of Jacob(B) protect you.(C)
May he send you help(D) from the sanctuary(E)
    and grant you support(F) from Zion.(G)
May he remember(H) all your sacrifices
    and accept your burnt offerings.[b](I)
May he give you the desire of your heart(J)
    and make all your plans succeed.(K)
May we shout for joy(L) over your victory
    and lift up our banners(M) in the name of our God.

May the Lord grant all your requests.(N)

Now this I know:
    The Lord gives victory to his anointed.(O)
He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary
    with the victorious power of his right hand.(P)
Some trust in chariots(Q) and some in horses,(R)
    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.(S)
They are brought to their knees and fall,(T)
    but we rise up(U) and stand firm.(V)
Lord, give victory to the king!
    Answer us(W) when we call!

Psalm 21[c]

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

The king rejoices in your strength, Lord.(X)
    How great is his joy in the victories you give!(Y)

You have granted him his heart’s desire(Z)
    and have not withheld the request of his lips.[d]
You came to greet him with rich blessings
    and placed a crown of pure gold(AA) on his head.(AB)
He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—
    length of days, for ever and ever.(AC)
Through the victories(AD) you gave, his glory is great;
    you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.(AE)
Surely you have granted him unending blessings
    and made him glad with the joy(AF) of your presence.(AG)
For the king trusts in the Lord;(AH)
    through the unfailing love(AI) of the Most High(AJ)
    he will not be shaken.(AK)

Your hand will lay hold(AL) on all your enemies;
    your right hand will seize your foes.
When you appear for battle,
    you will burn them up as in a blazing furnace.
The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath,
    and his fire will consume them.(AM)
10 You will destroy their descendants from the earth,
    their posterity from mankind.(AN)
11 Though they plot evil(AO) against you
    and devise wicked schemes,(AP) they cannot succeed.
12 You will make them turn their backs(AQ)
    when you aim at them with drawn bow.

13 Be exalted(AR) in your strength, Lord;(AS)
    we will sing and praise your might.

Psalm 22[e]

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Doe of the Morning.” A psalm of David.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?(AT)
    Why are you so far(AU) from saving me,
    so far from my cries of anguish?(AV)
My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,(AW)
    by night,(AX) but I find no rest.[f]

Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;(AY)
    you are the one Israel praises.[g](AZ)
In you our ancestors put their trust;
    they trusted and you delivered them.(BA)
To you they cried out(BB) and were saved;
    in you they trusted(BC) and were not put to shame.(BD)

But I am a worm(BE) and not a man,
    scorned by everyone,(BF) despised(BG) by the people.
All who see me mock me;(BH)
    they hurl insults,(BI) shaking their heads.(BJ)
“He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
    “let the Lord rescue him.(BK)
Let him deliver him,(BL)
    since he delights(BM) in him.”

Yet you brought me out of the womb;(BN)
    you made me trust(BO) in you, even at my mother’s breast.
10 From birth(BP) I was cast on you;
    from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

11 Do not be far from me,(BQ)
    for trouble is near(BR)
    and there is no one to help.(BS)

12 Many bulls(BT) surround me;(BU)
    strong bulls of Bashan(BV) encircle me.
13 Roaring lions(BW) that tear their prey(BX)
    open their mouths wide(BY) against me.
14 I am poured out like water,
    and all my bones are out of joint.(BZ)
My heart has turned to wax;(CA)
    it has melted(CB) within me.
15 My mouth[h] is dried up like a potsherd,(CC)
    and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;(CD)
    you lay me in the dust(CE) of death.

16 Dogs(CF) surround me,
    a pack of villains encircles me;
    they pierce[i](CG) my hands and my feet.
17 All my bones are on display;
    people stare(CH) and gloat over me.(CI)
18 They divide my clothes among them
    and cast lots(CJ) for my garment.(CK)

19 But you, Lord, do not be far from me.(CL)
    You are my strength;(CM) come quickly(CN) to help me.(CO)
20 Deliver me from the sword,(CP)
    my precious life(CQ) from the power of the dogs.(CR)
21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;(CS)
    save me from the horns of the wild oxen.(CT)

22 I will declare your name to my people;
    in the assembly(CU) I will praise you.(CV)
23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!(CW)
    All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!(CX)
    Revere him,(CY) all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not despised(CZ) or scorned
    the suffering of the afflicted one;(DA)
he has not hidden his face(DB) from him
    but has listened to his cry for help.(DC)

25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;(DD)
    before those who fear you[j] I will fulfill my vows.(DE)
26 The poor will eat(DF) and be satisfied;
    those who seek the Lord will praise him—(DG)
    may your hearts live forever!

27 All the ends of the earth(DH)
    will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
    will bow down before him,(DI)
28 for dominion belongs to the Lord(DJ)
    and he rules over the nations.

29 All the rich(DK) of the earth will feast and worship;(DL)
    all who go down to the dust(DM) will kneel before him—
    those who cannot keep themselves alive.(DN)
30 Posterity(DO) will serve him;
    future generations(DP) will be told about the Lord.
31 They will proclaim his righteousness,(DQ)
    declaring to a people yet unborn:(DR)
    He has done it!(DS)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 20:1 In Hebrew texts 20:1-9 is numbered 20:2-10.
  2. Psalm 20:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
  3. Psalm 21:1 In Hebrew texts 21:1-13 is numbered 21:2-14.
  4. Psalm 21:2 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
  5. Psalm 22:1 In Hebrew texts 22:1-31 is numbered 22:2-32.
  6. Psalm 22:2 Or night, and am not silent
  7. Psalm 22:3 Or Yet you are holy, / enthroned on the praises of Israel
  8. Psalm 22:15 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text strength
  9. Psalm 22:16 Dead Sea Scrolls and some manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Septuagint and Syriac; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text me, / like a lion
  10. Psalm 22:25 Hebrew him