22
God, please don’t be far away
This is one of David’s songs for God. The music leader can use the music called, “The deer in the early morning.”
1 My God, my God, why did you go away and leave me all by myself?
You are far away, and it feels like you will never save me.
I yell out to you, but it is like you don’t hear me.*
2 My God, I call out to you in the day time, but you don’t answer me.
And I call out in the night time too, but you don’t let me rest.
3 But God, you are properly good.
You are the big boss of the Israel mob,
and all the Israel mob praise you and say that you are great.
4 Our grand-fathers trusted you.
Yes, they trusted you, and you saved them from their trouble.
5 They called out to you, and you helped them.
They trusted you to help them, and you saved them.
6 But everybody hates me.
They shame me and say bad things about me.
They treat me like I am a worm, not a human being.
7 People see me, and they all make fun of me.
They laugh at me, and they shake their heads to shame me.*
8 They say, “That man trusts God, so why doesn’t God save him?
If God is really happy with him, why doesn’t God help him?”*
9-10 But you have cared for me all my life.
You were my God even when I was inside my mother.
You kept me safe when I was born,
and you made me feel safe in my mother’s arms.
11 But now trouble is near me,
and there is nobody to help me.
Please don’t be far away from me, God.
12 My enemies are all around me.
They are like a mob of big strong bulls, and I am in the middle.
13 My enemies want to attack me.
They are like lions that roar and kill other animals.
14 I am very weak, and I feel like I am dying.
I feel like my bones are not joined together any more.
I used to be strong and brave, but now I am frightened.
I don’t feel strong inside any more.
15 My mouth is really dry,
and my tongue is sticking to the top of my mouth.
It’s like God already put me in the grave.
16 There’s a mob of bad people all around me.
They are like wild dogs coming towards me,
and they hurt my hands and feet.
17 I am so thin that my bones are sticking out.
My enemies look at me and laugh.
18 They split up my clothes among each other,
and they gamble for my shirt.*
19 God, please don’t be far away from me.
You are the one that makes me strong, so please come quickly to help me.
20 Don’t let my enemies kill me with their long knives.
They are like wild dogs trying to kill me.
21 They are like hungry lions that want to eat me,
like wild cows that try to hurt me with their horns.
Please save me from all my enemies.
Yes, I prayed like that, and you listened to me.
22 God, I will tell my people all about you.
Every time we get together at your ceremony house, I will say, “God, you are really great.”*
23 Listen, all you people that respect God. You have to praise him.
All you Israel mob, you family of Jacob, you have to tell God that he is really great.
God is really powerful, so you have to respect him.
24 God doesn’t forget people that have trouble,
and he doesn’t leave them all alone.
I had trouble, and I called to God for help.
He listened and answered me.
25 Back when I had that trouble, I said,
“God will save me,
and then I promise to take an animal to God’s ceremony house.
I will give that animal to God to say thank you,
and I will have a special lunch there and eat some of that animal.”
You know, God saved me,
so I will keep that promise,
and I will praise him in front of all his people.
26 I will invite people to eat that lunch with me.
I will invite lots of people that have trouble,
and they will eat until they are full.
Some people trust God to help them,
and they will all praise him.
I pray that God looks after them for ever.
27-28 God is the boss of everybody,
and he has power over all the nations and tribes in the world.
People from all over the world will know about the things God does,
and they will turn to God and follow him.
And tribes from every country will show respect to God.
29 Even people that have lots of food and good things in this life,
they will show respect to God.
Everybody that’s dying and can’t keep themselves alive,
they will get down on their knees to show respect to God.
30 And our children will listen to God and work for him,
and they will tell their children about God too.
31 And later on, they will tell people that are not even born yet.
They will say, “God saved his people. Yes, he really helped us.”
* 22:1 Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34 * 22:7 Matthew 27:39; Mark 15:29; Luke 23:35 * 22:8 Matthew 27:43 * 22:18 Matthew 27:35; Mark 15:24; Luke 23:34; John 19:24 * 22:22 Hebrews 2:12