Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho

“I shall repeat the whole Psalm, in order that you may hear His reverence to the Father, and how He refers all things to Him, and prays to be delivered by Him from this death; at the same time declaring in the Psalm who they are that rise up against Him, and showing that He has truly become man capable of suffering. It is as follows: ‘O God, my God, attend to me: why hast Thou forsaken me? The words of my transgressions are far from my salvation. O my God, I will cry to Thee in the day-time, and Thou wilt not hear; and in the night-season, and it is not for want of understanding in me. But Thou, the Praise of Israel, inhabitest the holy place. Our fathers trusted in Thee; they trusted, and Thou didst deliver them. They cried unto Thee, and were delivered: they trusted in Thee, and were not confounded. But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laughed me to scorn; they spake with the lips, they shook the head: He trusted on the Lord: let Him deliver him, let Him save him, since he desires Him. For Thou art He that took me out of the womb; my hope from the breasts of my mother: I was cast upon Thee from the womb. Thou art my God from my mother’s belly: be not far from me, for trouble is near; for there is none to help. Many calves have compassed me; fat bulls have beset me round. They opened their mouth upon me, as a ravening and roaring lion. All my bones are poured out and dispersed like water. My heart has become like wax melting in the midst of my belly. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue has cleaved to my throat; and Thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For many dogs have surrounded me; the assembly of the wicked have beset me round. They pierced my hands and my feet, they did tell all my bones. They did look and stare upon me; they parted my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. But do not Thou remove Thine assistance from me, O Lord: give heed to help me; deliver my soul from the sword, and my377 Probably should be “Thy.” only-begotten from the hand of the dog. Save me from the lion’s mouth, and my humility from the horns of the unicorns. I will declare Thy name to my brethren; in the midst of the Church will I praise Thee. Ye that fear the Lord, praise Him: all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify Him. Let all the seed of Israel fear Him.’ ”

[98] Καὶ τὸν πάντα δὲ ψαλμὸν εἴποιμι ἄν, ὅπως καὶ τὸ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα εὐσεβὲς αὐτοῦ ἀκούσητε, καὶ ὡς εἰς ἐκεῖνον πάντα ἀναφέρει, ὡς αὐτὸς δι' ἐκείνου καὶ σωθῆναι ἀπὸ τοῦ θανάτου τούτου αἰτῶν, ἅμα τε δηλῶν ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ ὁποῖοι ἦσαν οἱ ἐπισυνιστάμενοι κατ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀποδεικνύων ὅτι ἀληθῶς γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος ἀντιληπτικὸς παθῶν. ἔστι δὲ οὗτος: Ὁ θεός, ὁ θεός μου, πρόσχες μοι. ἵνα τί ἐγκατέλιπές με; μακρὰν ἀπὸ τῆς σωτηρίας μου οἱ λόγοι τῶν παραπτωμάτων μου. ὁ θεός μου, κεκράξομαι ἡμέρας πρὸς σὲ καὶ οὐκ εἰσακούσῃ, καὶ νυκτὸς καὶ οὐκ εἰς ἄνοιαν ἐμοί. σὺ δὲ ἐν ἁγίῳ κατοικεῖς, ὁ ἔπαινος τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. ἐπὶ σοὶ ἤλπισαν οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν, ἤλπισαν καὶ ἐρύσω αὐτούς: πρὸς σὲ ἐκέκραξαν καὶ ἐσώθησαν, ἐπὶ σοὶ ἤλπισαν καὶ οὐ κατῃσχύνθησαν. ἐγὼ δέ εἰμι σκώληξ καὶ οὐκ ἄνθρωπος, ὄνειδος ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἐξουθένημα λαοῦ. πάντες οἱ θεωροῦντές με ἐξεμυκτήρισάν με, καὶ ἐλάλησαν χείλεσιν, ἐκίνησαν κεφαλήν: Ἤλπισεν ἐπὶ κύριον, ῥυσάσθω αὐτόν, σωσάτω αὐτόν, ὅτι θέλει αὐτόν. ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ ἐκσπάσας με ἐκ γαστρός, ἡ ἐλπίς μου ἀπὸ μασθῶν τῆς μητρός μου: ἐπὶ σὲ ἐπερρίφην ἐκ μήτρας, ἀπὸ γαστρὸς μητρός μου θεός μου εἶ σύ. μὴ ἀποστῇς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι θλίψις ἐγγύς, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ βοηθῶν μοι. περιεκύκλωσάν με μόσχοι πολλοί, ταῦροι πίονες περιέσχον με: ἤνοιξαν ἐπ' ἐμὲ τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν ὡς λέων ἁρπάζων καὶ ὠρυόμενος: ὡσεὶ ὕδωρ ἐξεχύθη καὶ διεσκορπίσθη πάντα τὰ ὀστᾶ μου. ἐγενήθη ἡ καρδία μου ὡσεὶ κηρὸς τηκόμενος ἐν μέσῳ τῆς κοιλίας μου: ἐξηράνθη ὡς ὄστρακον ἡ ἰσχύς μου, καὶ ἡ γλῶσσά μου κεκόλληται τῷ λάρυγγί μου, καὶ εἰς χοῦν θανάτου κατήγαγές με: ὅτι ἐκύκλωσάν με κύνες πολλοί, συναγωγὴ πονηρευομένων περιέσχον με. ὤρυξαν χεῖράς μου καὶ πόδας μου, ἐξηρίθμησαν πάντα τὰ ὀστᾶ μου: αὐτοὶ δὲ κατενόησαν καὶ ἐπεῖδόν με. διεμερίσαντο τὰ ἱμάτιά μου ἑαυτοῖς, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ἱματισμόν μου ἔβαλον κλῆρον. σὺ δέ, κύριε, μὴ μακρύνῃς τὴν βοήθειάν σου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ: εἰς τὴν ἀντίληψίν μου πρόσχες. ῥῦσαι ἀπὸ ῥομφαίας τὴν ψυχήν μου καὶ ἐκ χειρὸς κυνὸς τὴν μονογενῆ μου: σῶσόν με ἐκ στόματος λέοντος καὶ ἀπὸ κεράτων μονοκερώτων τὴν ταπείνωσίν μου. διηγήσομαι τὸ ὄνομά σου τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου, ἐν μέσῳ ἐκκλησίας ὑμνήσω σε. οἱ φοβούμενοι τὸν κύριον αἰνέσατε αὐτόν, ἅπαν τὸ σπέρμα Ἰακὼβ δοξάσατε αὐτόν, φοβηθήτωσαν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἅπαν τὸ σπέρμα Ἰσραήλ.