¹⁶ So Pilate handed Jesus over to them to be crucified.

Jesus Is Crucified^(A)

The soldiers took charge of Jesus. ¹⁷ Carrying his own cross, Jesus went out to a place called The Place of the Skull, which in the Hebrew [^CAramaic; see v. 13] language is called Golgotha. ¹⁸ There they crucified Jesus. They also crucified two other men, one on each side, with Jesus in the middle. ¹⁹ Pilate wrote a ·sign [title; notice; inscription] and ·put [fastened] it on the cross. It read: jesus ·of nazareth [^Lthe Nazarene], the king of the jews. ²⁰ The ·sign [title; notice; inscription] was written in Hebrew [^CAramaic; 19:13], in Latin, and in Greek [^Cthe languages spoken in Jerusalem at the time]. Many of the people read the sign, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city. ²¹ The ·leading [^Tchief] priests [^Lof the Jews] said to Pilate, “Don’t write, ‘The King of the Jews.’ But write, ‘This man ·said [claimed], “I am the King of the Jews.”’”

²² Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

²³ After the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, with each soldier getting one part [^Cit was a custom that the executioners would get the victim’s clothes]. They also took his ·long shirt [tunic; undergarment], which was ·all one piece of cloth [seamless], woven from top to bottom. ²⁴ So the soldiers said to each other, “We should not tear this into parts. Let’s throw lots [^Csimilar to dice] to see who will get it.” This happened so that this Scripture would come true:

So the soldiers did this.

²⁵ [^LNow] Standing near his cross were Jesus’ mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. [^CIt is unclear whether Mary the wife of Clopas is the same as Jesus’ mother’s sister or someone else.] ²⁶ When Jesus [^Ltherefore] saw his mother and the ·follower [disciple] he loved [^Cprobably John himself] standing nearby, he said to his mother, “·Dear woman [^LWoman; see 2:4], ·here is [^Tbehold] your son.” ²⁷ Then he said to the ·follower [disciple], “·Here is [^TBehold] your mother.” From that time on, the ·follower [disciple] took her to live in his home.

³¹ After they ·finished [had mocked him], the soldiers took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.

Jesus Is Crucified^(A)

³² ·As the soldiers were going out of the city with Jesus [^LAs they went out], they ·met [found; came across] a man from Cyrene [^Ca city in northern Africa, in present-day Libya], named Simon, and forced him to carry the cross for Jesus. ³³ They all came to the place called Golgotha, which means [^Cin Aramaic] the Place of the Skull. ³⁴ ·The soldiers [^LThey; ^Cthis could be the soldiers or the women of Jerusalem] gave Jesus wine mixed with gall to drink [^Cthe gall was either a sedative or further mockery, making the wine bitter; Ps. 69:21; Prov. 31:6]. He tasted the wine but refused to drink it. ³⁵ When the soldiers had crucified him, they threw lots [^Csimilar to dice] to ·decide who would get [^Ldivide up] his clothes^[a] [Ps. 22:18]. ³⁶ The soldiers sat there and ·continued watching [kept guard over] him. ³⁷ They put a sign above Jesus’ head with the charge against him. It said: this is jesus, the king of the jews.

⁵⁵ Many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee to ·help [provide support for; minister to] him were standing at a distance from the cross, watching. ⁵⁶ Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of James and John were ·there [among them].

²⁰ After they finished, the soldiers took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him out of the palace to be crucified.

Jesus Is Crucified^(A)

²¹ A man named Simon from Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus [^Cprobably two Christians known to Mark’s readers], was coming from the ·fields [countryside] to the city. The soldiers forced Simon to carry the cross for Jesus. ²² They led Jesus to the place called Golgotha, which means [^Cin Aramaic] the Place of the Skull. ²³ ·The soldiers [^L They; ^Cthis could be the soldiers or the women of Jerusalem] tried to give Jesus wine mixed with myrrh to drink [^Ca narcotic meant to dull the pain; Prov. 31:6; Ps. 69:21], but he refused. ²⁴ The soldiers crucified Jesus and divided his clothes among themselves, throwing lots [^Csimilar to dice] to decide what each soldier would get [Ps. 22:18].

²⁵ It was ·nine o’clock in the morning [^Lthe third hour] when they crucified Jesus. ²⁶ There was a sign with this charge against Jesus written on it: the king of the jews.

⁴⁰ Some women were standing at a distance from the cross, watching; among them were Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph. (James was her youngest son.) ⁴¹ These women had followed Jesus in Galilee and ·helped [cared for; supported] him. Many other women were also there who had come with Jesus to Jerusalem.

Jesus Is Crucified^(A)

²⁶ As they led Jesus away, Simon, a man from Cyrene [^Ca port city in North Africa (modern Libya)], was coming in from the ·fields [countryside; country; ^CSimon may be a Jewish pilgrim visiting Jerusalem for Passover or an immigrant living there]. They forced him to carry Jesus’ cross and to walk behind him.

²⁷ A large crowd of people was following Jesus, including some women who were ·sad [mourning] and ·crying [wailing; lamenting] for him. ²⁸ But Jesus turned and said to them, “·Women [^LDaughters] of Jerusalem, don’t ·cry [weep] for me. ·Cry [Weep] for yourselves and for your children. ²⁹ [^LFor look/^Tbehold] The ·time is [days are] coming when people will say, ‘Blessed are ·the women who cannot have children [^Lthe barren women and the wombs that never gave birth] and ·who have no babies to nurse [^Lthe breasts that have never nursed].’ ³⁰ Then people will say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ And they will say to the hills, ‘·Cover [Bury] us [Hos. 10:8]!’ ³¹ If they act like this now when ·life is good [^Lthe tree is green], what will happen when ·bad times come [^Lit is dry; ^Cprobably an allusion to the siege and destruction of Jerusalem in ad 70]?”

³² There were also two criminals led out with Jesus to be ·put to death [executed]. ³³ When they came to a place called the Skull, the soldiers crucified Jesus and the criminals—one on his right and the other on his left. ³⁴ Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, because they don’t know what they are doing.”^[a]

The soldiers threw lots [^Csimilar to dice] to decide who would get his clothes [Ps. 22:18].

⁴⁹ But those who ·were close friends of Jesus [^Lknew him], including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance and watched [^Lthese things].