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Mark 15:21-39
Contemporary English Version
Mark 15:21-39
Contemporary English Version
21 (A) Simon from Cyrene happened to be coming in from a farm, and they forced him to carry Jesus' cross. Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus.
Jesus Is Nailed to a Cross
(Matthew 27.31-44; Luke 23.27-43; John 19.17-27)
22 The soldiers took Jesus to Golgotha, which means “Place of a Skull.”[a] 23 There they gave him some wine mixed with a drug to ease the pain, but he refused to drink it.
24 (B) They nailed Jesus to a cross and gambled to see who would get his clothes. 25 It was about nine o'clock in the morning when they nailed him to the cross. 26 On it was a sign that told why he was nailed there. It read, “This is the King of the Jews.” 27-28 (C) The soldiers also nailed two criminals on crosses, one to the right of Jesus and the other to his left.[b]
29 (D) People who passed by said terrible things about Jesus. They shook their heads and shouted, “Ha! So you're the one who claimed you could tear down the temple and build it again in three days. 30 Save yourself and come down from the cross!”
31 The chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses also made fun of Jesus. They said to each other, “He saved others, but he can't save himself. 32 If he is the Messiah, the king of Israel, let him come down from the cross! Then we will see and believe.” The two criminals also said cruel things to Jesus.
The Death of Jesus
(Matthew 27.45-56; Luke 23.44-49; John 19.28-30)
33 About noon the sky turned dark and stayed that way until around three o'clock. 34 (E) Then about that time Jesus shouted, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?”[c] which means, “My God, my God, why have you deserted me?”
35 Some of the people standing there heard Jesus and said, “He is calling for Elijah.”[d] 36 (F) One of them ran and grabbed a sponge. After he had soaked it in wine, he put it on a stick and held it up to Jesus. He said, “Let's wait and see if Elijah will come[e] and take him down!” 37 Jesus shouted and then died.
38 (G) At once the curtain in the temple[f] tore in two from top to bottom.
39 A Roman army officer was standing in front of Jesus. When the officer saw how Jesus died, he said, “This man really was the Son of God!”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 15.22 Place of a Skull: The place was probably given this name because it was near a large rock in the shape of a human skull.
- 15.27-28 left: Some manuscripts add, “So the Scriptures came true which say, ‘He was accused of being a criminal.’ ”
- 15.34 Eloi … sabachthani: These words are in Aramaic, a language spoken in Palestine during the time of Jesus.
- 15.35 Elijah: The name “Elijah” sounds something like “Eloi,” which means “my God.”
- 15.36 see if Elijah will come: See the note at 6.15.
- 15.38 curtain in the temple: There were two curtains in the temple. One was at the entrance, and the other separated the holy place from the most holy place that the Jewish people thought of as God's home on earth. The second curtain is probably the one which is meant.
Mark 15:21-39
New International Version
Mark 15:21-39
New International Version
The Crucifixion of Jesus(A)
21 A certain man from Cyrene,(B) Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus,(C) was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.(D) 22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh,(E) but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots(F) to see what each would get.
25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews.(G)
27 They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. [28] [a] 29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads(H) and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days,(I) 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!” 31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him(J) among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! 32 Let this Messiah,(K) this king of Israel,(L) come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
The Death of Jesus(M)
33 At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.(N) 34 And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).[b](O)
35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”
36 Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar,(P) put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.
37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.(Q)
38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.(R) 39 And when the centurion,(S) who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died,[c] he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”(T)
Footnotes
- Mark 15:28 Some manuscripts include here words similar to Luke 22:37.
- Mark 15:34 Psalm 22:1
- Mark 15:39 Some manuscripts saw that he died with such a cry
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