1
<To the chief music-maker on Aijeleth-hash-shahar.
A Psalm.
Of David.>

My God, my God, why are you turned away from me?
why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my crying?
2
O my God, I make my cry in the day, and you give no answer;
and in the night, and have no rest.
3
But you are holy, O you who are seated among the praises of Israel.
4
Our fathers had faith in you: they had faith and you were their saviour.
5
They sent up their cry to you and were made free: they put their faith in you and were not put to shame.
6
But I am a worm and not a man;
cursed by men, and looked down on by the people.
7
I am laughed at by all those who see me: pushing out their lips and shaking their heads they say,
8
He put his faith in the Lord;
let the Lord be his saviour now: let the Lord be his saviour, because he had delight in him.
9
But it was you who took care of me from the day of my birth: you gave me faith even from my mother's breasts.
10
I was in your hands even before my birth;
you are my God from the time when I was in my mother's body.
11
Be not far from me, for trouble is near;
there is no one to give help.
12
A great herd of oxen is round me: I am shut in by the strong oxen of Bashan.
13
I saw their mouths wide open, like lions crying after food.
14
I am flowing away like water, and all my bones are out of place: my heart is like wax, it has become soft in my body.
15
My throat is dry like a broken vessel;
my tongue is fixed to the roof of my mouth, and the dust of death is on my lips.
16
Dogs have come round me: I am shut in by the band of evil-doers;
they made wounds in my hands and feet.
17
I am able to see all my bones;
their looks are fixed on me:
18
They make a division of my robes among them, by the decision of chance they take my clothing.
19
Do not be far from me, O Lord: O my strength, come quickly to my help.
20
Make my soul safe from the sword, my life from the power of the dog.
21
Be my saviour from the lion's mouth;
let me go free from the horns of the cruel oxen.
22
I will give the knowledge of your name to my brothers: I will give you praise among the people.
23
You who have fear of the Lord, give him praise;
all you seed of Jacob, give him glory;
go in fear of him, all you seed of Israel.
24
For he has not been unmoved by the pain of him who is troubled;
or kept his face covered from him;
but he has given an answer to his cry.
25
My praise will be of you in the great meeting: I will make my offerings before his worshippers.
26
The poor will have a feast of good things: those who make search for the Lord will give him praise: your heart will have life for ever.
27
All the ends of the earth will keep it in mind and be turned to the Lord: all the families of the nations will give him worship.
28
For the kingdom is the Lord's;
he is the ruler among the nations.
29
All the fat ones of the earth will give him worship;
all those who go down to the dust will make themselves low before him, even he who has not enough for the life of his soul.
30
A seed will be his servant;
the doings of the Lord will be made clear to the generation which comes after.
31
They will come and make his righteousness clear to a people of the future because he has done this.