The Psalm of the Cross
(Matthew 27:32–56; Mark 15:21–41; Luke 23:26–43; John 19:16–30)

1For the one directing. According to “The Doe of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David.

1 My God, my God,

why have You forsaken me,†

far away from my salvation,

from the words of my roaring?

2O my God, I cry out by day,

and You do not answer,

and by night,

and there is no quiet for me.

3And You are holy,

sitting amid the praises of Israel.

4In You our fathers trusted;

they trusted, and You delivered them.

5To You they cried, and they were given escape;

in You they trusted, and they were not put to shame.

6And I am a worm, and not a man,

the scorn of men, and despised by the people.

7All seeing me mock at me;

they gape with the lip; they shake the head:

8“Roll to YHWH;†

let Him deliver him

and snatch him away,

if indeed He delights in him.†”

9Yet You brought me forth from the womb;

You made me trust upon the breasts of my mother.

10Upon You I was cast forth from the womb;

from the belly of my mother, You are my God.

11You should not be far from me,

for distress is near,

and because there is no one to help.

12Many strong bulls have surrounded me,

mighty ones of Bashan have encircled Me.

13They open against me their mouths,

a lion tearing and roaring.

14I am poured out like water,

and all of my bones are separated;

my heart has become like wax,

and has melted in the midst of my bowels.

15My strength† is dried up like a potsherd,

and my tongue clings to my jaws;

and in the dust of death You lay me.

16For dogs have surrounded me;

the swarm of the wicked has encircled me,

piercing my hands and my feet.†

17I can count all my bones;

they glare; they look at me.

18They divide out my garments for themselves,

and over my clothing they cast lots.†

19But You, O YHWH, do not be far away!

O my strength, may You hurry to help me.

20Snatch my soul from the sword,

my only one from the hand of the dog!

21Save me from the mouth of the lion,

and from the horns of the wild oxen answer me.

22I will declare Your name to my brothers;

in the midst of the assembly I will praise You.†

23Those fearing YHWH, praise Him!

All the seed of Jacob, honor Him!

And fear Him, all the seed of Israel!

24For He has not despised

and has not detested the affliction of the afflicted,

and He has not hidden His face from him,

and in his crying out to Him, He has heard.

25From You is my praise in the great assembly;

my vows I will complete in front of those who fear Him.

26The afflicted ones shall eat and be satisfied;

those seeking Him shall praise YHWH.

May your⁺ hearts live forever!

27They will remember and will turn to YHWH,

all the ends of the earth;

and before Your face they will bow down,

all the clans of the nations.

28For unto YHWH is the kingship,

and He rules over the nations.

29All the fat ones of the earth shall eat and bow low;

before His face will bow all those going down to the dust,

even the one unable able to keep alive his soul.

30A seed shall serve Him;

it will be recounted of the Lord to the generation.

31They shall come and declare His righteousness

to a people to be born,

that which He has done!

Footnotes:

1 Cited in Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34
8 Or He trusts in YHWH
8 Cited in Matthew 27:43
15 MT; or My mouth, a possible reading of the original Hebrew text
16 DSS, LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac; most MT like a lion at my hands and feet
18 Cited in John 19:24; see also Matthew 27:35, Mark 15:24, and Luke 23:34
22 LXX I will sing Your praises in the assembly; cited in Hebrews 2:12.