Luke 23

New International Version

23 Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate.^(A) ²And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation.^(B) He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar^(C) and claims to be Messiah, a king.”^(D)

³So Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

⁴Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”^(E)

⁵But they insisted, “He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee^(F) and has come all the way here.”

⁶On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean.^(G) ⁷When he learned that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod,^(H) who was also in Jerusalem at that time.

⁸When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him.^(I) From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform a sign of some sort. ⁹He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer.^(J) ¹⁰The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. ¹¹Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe,^(K) they sent him back to Pilate. ¹²That day Herod and Pilate became friends^(L)—before this they had been enemies.

¹³Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, ¹⁴and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him.^(M) ¹⁵Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. ¹⁶Therefore, I will punish him^(N) and then release him.” ^[17]^[a]

¹⁸But the whole crowd shouted, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!”^(O) ¹⁹(Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)

²⁰Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. ²¹But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

²²For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.”^(P)

²³But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. ²⁴So Pilate decided to grant their demand. ²⁵He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.

The Crucifixion of Jesus^(Q)

²⁶As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene,^(R) who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.^(S) ²⁷A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed^(T) for him. ²⁸Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children.^(U) ²⁹For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’^(V) ³⁰Then

“‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!”
and to the hills, “Cover us!”’^[b]^(W)

³¹For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”^(X)

³²Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed.^(Y) ³³When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. ³⁴Jesus said, “Father,^(Z) forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”^[c]^(AA) And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.^(AB)

³⁵The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him.^(AC) They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”^(AD)

³⁶The soldiers also came up and mocked him.^(AE) They offered him wine vinegar^(AF) ³⁷and said, “If you are the king of the Jews,^(AG) save yourself.”

³⁸There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews.^(AH)

³⁹One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”^(AI)

⁴⁰But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? ⁴¹We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”^(AJ)

⁴²Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.^[d]”^(AK)

⁴³Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”^(AL)

The Death of Jesus^(AM)

⁴⁴It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon,^(AN) ⁴⁵for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple^(AO) was torn in two.^(AP) ⁴⁶Jesus called out with a loud voice,^(AQ) “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”^[e]^(AR) When he had said this, he breathed his last.^(AS)

⁴⁷The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God^(AT) and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” ⁴⁸When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts^(AU) and went away. ⁴⁹But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee,^(AV) stood at a distance,^(AW) watching these things.

The Burial of Jesus^(AX)

⁵⁰Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, ⁵¹who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God.^(AY) ⁵²Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. ⁵³Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. ⁵⁴It was Preparation Day,^(AZ) and the Sabbath was about to begin.

⁵⁵The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee^(BA) followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. ⁵⁶Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes.^(BB) But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.^(BC)

Footnotes

Luke 23:17 Some manuscripts include here words similar to Matt. 27:15 and Mark 15:6.
Luke 23:30 Hosea 10:8
Luke 23:34 Some early manuscripts do not have this sentence.
Luke 23:42 Some manuscripts come with your kingly power
Luke 23:46 Psalm 31:5

Psalm 83

New International Version

Psalm 83^[a]

A song. A psalm of Asaph.

¹O God, do not remain silent;^(A)
    do not turn a deaf ear,
    do not stand aloof, O God.
²See how your enemies growl,^(B)
    how your foes rear their heads.^(C)
³With cunning they conspire^(D) against your people;
    they plot against those you cherish.^(E)
⁴“Come,” they say, “let us destroy^(F) them as a nation,^(G)
    so that Israel’s name is remembered^(H) no more.”

⁵With one mind they plot together;^(I)
    they form an alliance against you—
⁶the tents of Edom^(J) and the Ishmaelites,
    of Moab^(K) and the Hagrites,^(L)
⁷Byblos,^(M) Ammon^(N) and Amalek,^(O)
    Philistia,^(P) with the people of Tyre.^(Q)
⁸Even Assyria^(R) has joined them
    to reinforce Lot’s descendants.^[b]^(S)

⁹Do to them as you did to Midian,^(T)
    as you did to Sisera^(U) and Jabin^(V) at the river Kishon,^(W)
¹⁰who perished at Endor^(X)
    and became like dung^(Y) on the ground.
¹¹Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,^(Z)
    all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,^(AA)
¹²who said, “Let us take possession^(AB)
    of the pasturelands of God.”

¹³Make them like tumbleweed, my God,
    like chaff^(AC) before the wind.
¹⁴As fire consumes the forest
    or a flame sets the mountains ablaze,^(AD)
¹⁵so pursue them with your tempest^(AE)
    and terrify them with your storm.^(AF)
¹⁶Cover their faces with shame,^(AG) Lord,
    so that they will seek your name.

¹⁷May they ever be ashamed and dismayed;^(AH)
may they perish in disgrace.^(AI)
¹⁸Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord^(AJ)—
that you alone are the Most High^(AK) over all the earth.^(AL)

Footnotes

Psalm 83:1 In Hebrew texts 83:1-18 is numbered 83:2-19.
Psalm 83:8 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.

Ezra 3-5

New International Version

Rebuilding the Altar

3 When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns,^(A) the people assembled^(B) together as one in Jerusalem. ²Then Joshua^(C) son of Jozadak^(D) and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel^(E) and his associates began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses^(F) the man of God. ³Despite their fear^(G) of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening sacrifices.^(H) ⁴Then in accordance with what is written, they celebrated the Festival of Tabernacles^(I) with the required number of burnt offerings prescribed for each day. ⁵After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings, the New Moon^(J) sacrifices and the sacrifices for all the appointed sacred festivals of the Lord,^(K) as well as those brought as freewill offerings to the Lord. ⁶On the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, though the foundation of the Lord’s temple had not yet been laid.

Rebuilding the Temple

⁷Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters,^(L) and gave food and drink and olive oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so that they would bring cedar logs^(M) by sea from Lebanon^(N) to Joppa, as authorized by Cyrus^(O) king of Persia.

⁸In the second month^(P) of the second year after their arrival at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel^(Q) son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak and the rest of the people (the priests and the Levites and all who had returned from the captivity to Jerusalem) began the work. They appointed Levites twenty^(R) years old and older to supervise the building of the house of the Lord. ⁹Joshua^(S) and his sons and brothers and Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Hodaviah^[a]) and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers—all Levites—joined together in supervising those working on the house of God.

¹⁰When the builders laid^(T) the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets,^(U) and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise^(V) the Lord, as prescribed by David^(W) king of Israel.^(X) ¹¹With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord:

“He is good;
his love toward Israel endures forever.”^(Y)

And all the people gave a great shout^(Z) of praise to the Lord, because the foundation^(AA) of the house of the Lord was laid. ¹²But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple,^(AB) wept^(AC) aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. ¹³No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy^(AD) from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.

Opposition to the Rebuilding

4 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building^(AE) a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel, ²they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said, “Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon^(AF) king of Assyria, who brought us here.”^(AG)

³But Zerubbabel, Joshua and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel answered, “You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.”^(AH)

⁴Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building.^[b]^(AI) ⁵They bribed officials to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Later Opposition Under Xerxes and Artaxerxes

⁶At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes,^[c]^(AJ) they lodged an accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.^(AK)

⁷And in the days of Artaxerxes^(AL) king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. The letter was written in Aramaic script and in the Aramaic^(AM) language.^[d]^[e]

⁸Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows:

⁹Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary, together with the rest of their associates^(AN)—the judges, officials and administrators over the people from Persia, Uruk^(AO) and Babylon, the Elamites of Susa,^(AP) ¹⁰and the other people whom the great and honorable Ashurbanipal^(AQ) deported and settled in the city of Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates.^(AR)

¹¹(This is a copy of the letter they sent him.)

To King Artaxerxes,

From your servants in Trans-Euphrates:

¹²The king should know that the people who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem and are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are restoring the walls and repairing the foundations.^(AS)

¹³Furthermore, the king should know that if this city is built and its walls are restored, no more taxes, tribute or duty^(AT) will be paid, and eventually the royal revenues will suffer.^[f] ¹⁴Now since we are under obligation to the palace and it is not proper for us to see the king dishonored, we are sending this message to inform the king, ¹⁵so that a search may be made in the archives^(AU) of your predecessors. In these records you will find that this city is a rebellious city, troublesome to kings and provinces, a place with a long history of sedition. That is why this city was destroyed.^(AV) ¹⁶We inform the king that if this city is built and its walls are restored, you will be left with nothing in Trans-Euphrates.

¹⁷The king sent this reply:

To Rehum the commanding officer, Shimshai the secretary and the rest of their associates living in Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates:^(AW)

Greetings.

¹⁸The letter you sent us has been read and translated in my presence. ¹⁹I issued an order and a search was made, and it was found that this city has a long history of revolt^(AX) against kings and has been a place of rebellion and sedition. ²⁰Jerusalem has had powerful kings ruling over the whole of Trans-Euphrates,^(AY) and taxes, tribute and duty were paid to them. ²¹Now issue an order to these men to stop work, so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order. ²²Be careful not to neglect this matter. Why let this threat grow, to the detriment of the royal interests?^(AZ)

²³As soon as the copy of the letter of King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum and Shimshai the secretary and their associates,^(BA) they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and compelled them by force to stop.

²⁴Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius^(BB) king of Persia.

Tattenai’s Letter to Darius

5 Now Haggai^(BC) the prophet and Zechariah^(BD) the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied^(BE) to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. ²Then Zerubbabel^(BF) son of Shealtiel and Joshua^(BG) son of Jozadak set to work^(BH) to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.

³At that time Tattenai,^(BI) governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai^(BJ) and their associates went to them and asked, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and to finish it?”^(BK) ⁴They^[g] also asked, “What are the names of those who are constructing this building?” ⁵But the eye of their God^(BL) was watching over the elders of the Jews, and they were not stopped until a report could go to Darius and his written reply be received.

⁶This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates, the officials of Trans-Euphrates, sent to King Darius. ⁷The report they sent him read as follows:

To King Darius:

Cordial greetings.

⁸The king should know that we went to the district of Judah, to the temple of the great God. The people are building it with large stones and placing the timbers in the walls. The work^(BM) is being carried on with diligence and is making rapid progress under their direction.

⁹We questioned the elders and asked them, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and to finish it?”^(BN) ¹⁰We also asked them their names, so that we could write down the names of their leaders for your information.

¹¹This is the answer they gave us:

“We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple^(BO) that was built many years ago, one that a great king of Israel built and finished. ¹²But because our ancestors angered^(BP) the God of heaven, he gave them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar the Chaldean, king of Babylon, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon.^(BQ)

¹³“However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree^(BR) to rebuild this house of God. ¹⁴He even removed from the temple^[h] of Babylon the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to the temple^[i] in Babylon.^(BS) Then King Cyrus gave them to a man named Sheshbazzar,^(BT) whom he had appointed governor, ¹⁵and he told him, ‘Take these articles and go and deposit them in the temple in Jerusalem. And rebuild the house of God on its site.’

¹⁶“So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God^(BU) in Jerusalem. From that day to the present it has been under construction but is not yet finished.”

¹⁷Now if it pleases the king, let a search be made in the royal archives^(BV) of Babylon to see if King Cyrus did in fact issue a decree to rebuild this house of God in Jerusalem. Then let the king send us his decision in this matter.

Footnotes

Ezra 3:9 Hebrew Yehudah, a variant of Hodaviah
Ezra 4:4 Or and troubled them as they built
Ezra 4:6 Hebrew Ahasuerus
Ezra 4:7 Or written in Aramaic and translated
Ezra 4:7 The text of 4:8–6:18 is in Aramaic.
Ezra 4:13 The meaning of the Aramaic for this clause is uncertain.
Ezra 5:4 See Septuagint; Aramaic We.
Ezra 5:14 Or palace
Ezra 5:14 Or palace

New International Version (NIV)