Psalm 22

Plea for Deliverance from Suffering and Hostility

To the leader: according to The Deer of the Dawn. A Psalm of David.

²⁵ It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. ²⁶ The inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” ²⁷ And with him they crucified two rebels, one on his right and one on his left.^{[a] 29} Those who passed by derided^[b] him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days,^{(A) 30} save yourself, and come down from the cross!” ³¹ In the same way the chief priests, along with the scribes, were also mocking him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself.^{(B) 32} Let the Messiah,^[c] the King of Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also taunted him.^(C)

The Death of Jesus

³³ When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land^[d] until three in the afternoon. ³⁴ At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”^{[e](D) 35} When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “Listen, he is calling for Elijah.” ³⁶ And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.”^{(E) 37} Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. ³⁸ And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.^{(F) 39} Now when the centurion who stood facing him saw that in this way he^[f] breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”^[g](G)