Psalm 22:12–21

¹²Many bulls encompass me;
strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
¹³they open wide their mouths at me,
like a ravening and roaring lion.

¹⁴I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within my breast;
¹⁵my strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.

¹⁶For dogs encompass me;
a company of evildoers encircles me;
they have pierced my hands and feet—
¹⁷I can count all my bones—
they stare and gloat over me;
¹⁸they divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.

¹⁹But you, O Lord, do not be far off!
O you my help, come quickly to my aid!
²⁰Deliver my soul from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dog!
²¹Save me from the mouth of the lion!
You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!

Old Testament Reading Proverbs 25:1–22

¹These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied.

²It is the glory of God to conceal things,
but the glory of kings is to search things out.
³As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth,
so the heart of kings is unsearchable.
⁴Take away the dross from the silver,
and the smith has material for a vessel;
⁵take away the wicked from the presence of the king,
and his throne will be established in righteousness.
⁶Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence
or stand in the place of the great,
⁷for it is better to be told, “Come up here,”
than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.
What your eyes have seen
⁸do not hastily bring into court,
for what will you do in the end,
when your neighbor puts you to shame?
⁹Argue your case with your neighbor himself,
and do not reveal another’s secret,
¹⁰lest he who hears you bring shame upon you,
and your ill repute have no end.
¹¹A word fitly spoken
is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.
¹²Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold
is a wise reprover to a listening ear.
¹³Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest
is a faithful messenger to those who send him;
he refreshes the soul of his masters.
¹⁴Like clouds and wind without rain
is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give.
¹⁵With patience a ruler may be persuaded,
and a soft tongue will break a bone.
¹⁶If you have found honey, eat only enough for you,
lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.
¹⁷Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor’s house,
lest he have his fill of you and hate you.
¹⁸A man who bears false witness against his neighbor
is like a war club, or a sword, or a sharp arrow.
¹⁹Trusting in a treacherous man in time of trouble
is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips.
²⁰Whoever sings songs to a heavy heart
is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day,
and like vinegar on soda.
²¹If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,
and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,
²²for you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the Lord will reward you.

New Testament Reading John 19:23–42

²³When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, ²⁴so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says,

“They divided my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.”

So the soldiers did these things, ²⁵but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” ²⁷Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

²⁸After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” ²⁹A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. ³⁰When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

³¹Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. ³²So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. ³³But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ³⁴But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. ³⁵He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe. ³⁶For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” ³⁷And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.”

³⁸After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. ³⁹Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. ⁴⁰So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. ⁴¹Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. ⁴²So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.