Psalm of the Cross
(Matthew 27:45-56; Mark 15:33-41; Luke 23:44-49; John 19:28-30)
1{To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David.} My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
2O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.
3But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
4Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
5They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.
6But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
7All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
8He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
9But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.
10I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.
11Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.
12Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
13They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
14I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
15My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
16For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
17I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
18They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
19But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.
20Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.
21Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.
22I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.
23Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
24For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.
25My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.
26The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.
27All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
28For the kingdom is the LORD'S: and he is the governor among the nations.
29All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.
30A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
31They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.
King James Bible
Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.
The Psalm of the Cross
(Matthew 27:32–56; Mark 15:21–41; Luke 23:26–43; John 19:16–30)
1 For the Chief Musician; set to “The Doe of the Morning.” A Psalm by David. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?
2 My God, I cry in the daytime, but you don’t answer; in the night season, and am not silent.
3 But you are holy, you who inhabit the praises of Israel.
4 Our fathers trusted in you. They trusted, and you delivered them.
5 They cried to you, and were delivered. They trusted in you, and were not disappointed.
6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people.
7 All those who see me mock me. They insult me with their lips. They shake their heads, saying,
8 “He trusts in Yahweh; let him deliver him. Let him rescue him, since he delights in him.”
9 But you brought me out of the womb. You made me trust at my mother’s breasts.
10 I was thrown on you from my mother’s womb. You are my God since my mother bore me.
11 Don’t be far from me, for trouble is near. For there is none to help.
12 Many bulls have surrounded me. Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.
13 They open their mouths wide against me, lions tearing prey and roaring.
14 I am poured out like water. All my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax; it is melted within me.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have brought me into the dust of death.
16 For dogs have surrounded me. A company of evildoers have enclosed me. They have pierced my hands and feet.
17 I can count all of my bones. They look and stare at me.
18 They divide my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing.
19 But don’t be far off, Yahweh. You are my help: hurry to help me.
20 Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog.
21 Save me from the lion’s mouth! Yes, from the horns of the wild oxen, you have answered me.
22 I will declare your name to my brothers. In the midst of the assembly, I will praise you.
23 You who fear Yahweh, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify him! Stand in awe of him, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, Neither has he hidden his face from him; but when he cried to him, he heard.
25 Of you comes my praise in the great assembly. I will pay my vows before those who fear him.
26 The humble shall eat and be satisfied. They shall praise Yahweh who seek after him. Let your hearts live forever.
27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to Yahweh. All the relatives of the nations shall worship before you.
28 For the kingdom is Yahweh’s. He is the ruler over the nations.
29 All the rich ones of the earth shall eat and worship. All those who go down to the dust shall bow before him, even he who can’t keep his soul alive.
30 Posterity shall serve him. Future generations shall be told about the Lord.
31 They shall come and shall declare his righteousness to a people that shall be born, for he has done it.
The Psalm of the Cross
(Matthew 27:32–56; Mark 15:21–41; Luke 23:26–43; John 19:16–30)
For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Doe of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David.
1My God, my God,
why have You forsaken me? a
Why are You so far from saving me,
so far from my words of groaning?
2 I cry out by day, O my God,
but You do not answer,
and by night,
but I have no rest.
3 Yet You are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4 In You our fathers trusted;
they trusted and You delivered them.
5 They cried out to You and were set free;
they trusted in You and were not disappointed.
6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
they sneer and shake their heads:
8 “He trusts in the LORD,
let the LORD deliver him;
let the LORD rescue him,
since He delights in him.” b
9 Yet You brought me forth from the womb;
You made me secure at my mother’s breast.
10 From birth I was cast upon You;
from my mother’s womb You have been my God.
11 Be not far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.
12 Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
13 They open their jaws against me
like lions that roar and maul.
14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are disjointed.
My heart is like wax;
it melts away within me.
15 My strength c is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.
You lay me in the dust of death.
16 For dogs surround me;
a band of evil men encircles me;
they have pierced my hands and feet. d
17 I can count all my bones;
they stare and gloat over me.
18 They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing. e
19 But You, O LORD, be not far off;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
20 Deliver my soul from the sword,
my precious life from the power of wild dogs.
21 Save me from the mouth of the lion;
at the horns of the wild oxen You have answered me!
22 I will proclaim Your name to my brothers;
I will praise You in the assembly. f
23 You who fear the LORD, praise Him!
All descendants of Jacob, honor Him!
All offspring of Israel, revere Him!
24 For He has not despised or detested
the torment of the afflicted.
He has not hidden His face from him,
but has attended to his cry for help.
25 My praise for You resounds in the great assembly;
I will fulfill my vows before those who fear You.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek the LORD will praise Him.
May your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD.
All the families of the nations
will bow down before Him.
28 For dominion belongs to the LORD
and He rules over the nations.
29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before Him—
even those unable to preserve their lives.
30 Posterity will serve Him;
they will declare the Lord to a new generation.
31 They will come and proclaim His righteousness
to a people yet unborn—
all that He has done.
Footnotes:
1 a Cited in Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34
8 b Cited in Matthew 27:43
15 c MT; or My mouth , a possible reading of the original Hebrew text
16 d DSS, LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac; most MT like a lion at my hands and feet
18 e Cited in John 19:24; see also Matthew 27:35, Mark 15:24, and Luke 23:34
22 f LXX I will sing Your praises in the assembly ; cited in Hebrews 2:12.
Psalm of the Cross
(Matthew 27:45-56; Mark 15:33-41; Luke 23:44-49; John 19:28-30)
1To the Overseer, on 'The Hind of the Morning.' -- A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me? Far from my salvation, The words of my roaring?
2My God, I call by day, and Thou answerest not, And by night, and there is no silence to me.
3And Thou art holy, Sitting -- the Praise of Israel.
4In Thee did our fathers trust -- they trusted, And Thou dost deliver them.
5Unto Thee they cried, and were delivered, In Thee they trusted, and were not ashamed.
6And I am a worm, and no man, A reproach of man, and despised of the people.
7All beholding me do mock at me, They make free with the lip -- shake the head,
8'Roll unto Jehovah, He doth deliver him, He doth deliver him, for he delighted in him.'
9For thou art He bringing me forth from the womb, Causing me to trust, On the breasts of my mother.
10On Thee I have been cast from the womb, From the belly of my mother Thou art my God.
11Be not far from me, For adversity is near, for there is no helper.
12Many bulls have surrounded me, Mighty ones of Bashan have compassed me,
13They have opened against me their mouth, A lion tearing and roaring.
14As waters I have been poured out, And separated themselves have all my bones, My heart hath been like wax, It is melted in the midst of my bowels.
15Dried up as an earthen vessel is my power, And my tongue is cleaving to my jaws.
16And to the dust of death thou appointest me, For surrounded me have dogs, A company of evil doers have compassed me, Piercing my hands and my feet.
17I count all my bones -- they look expectingly, They look upon me,
18They apportion my garments to themselves, And for my clothing they cause a lot to fall.
19And Thou, O Jehovah, be not far off, O my strength, to help me haste.
20Deliver from the sword my soul, From the paw of a dog mine only one.
21Save me from the mouth of a lion: -- And -- from the horns of the high places Thou hast answered me!
22I declare Thy name to my brethren, In the midst of the assembly I praise Thee.
23Ye who fear Jehovah, praise ye Him, All the seed of Jacob, honour ye Him, And be afraid of Him, all ye seed of Israel.
24For He hath not despised, nor abominated, The affliction of the afflicted, Nor hath He hidden His face from him, And in his crying unto Him He heareth.
25Of Thee my praise is in the great assembly. My vows I complete before His fearers.
26The humble do eat and are satisfied, Praise Jehovah do those seeking Him, Your heart doth live for ever.
27Remember and return unto Jehovah, Do all ends of the earth, And before Thee bow themselves, Do all families of the nations,
28For to Jehovah is the kingdom, And He is ruling among nations.
29And the fat ones of earth have eaten, And they bow themselves, Before Him bow do all going down to dust, And he who hath not revived his soul.
30A seed doth serve Him, It is declared of the Lord to the generation.
31They come and declare His righteousness, To a people that is borne, that He hath made!
