Luke 23:1 - John 3:21

New King James Version

Jesus Handed Over to Pontius Pilate^(A)

23 Then ^(B)the whole multitude of them arose and led Him to ^(C)Pilate. ² And they began to ^(D)accuse Him, saying, “We found this fellow ^(E)perverting ^[a]the nation, and ^(F)forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying ^(G)that He Himself is Christ, a King.”

^3 (H)Then Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

He answered him and said, “It is as you say.”

⁴ So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, ^(I)“I find no fault in this Man.”

⁵ But they were the more fierce, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from ^(J)Galilee to this place.”

Jesus Faces Herod

⁶ When Pilate heard ^[b]of Galilee, he asked if the Man were a Galilean. ⁷ And as soon as he knew that He belonged to ^(K)Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time. ⁸ Now when Herod saw Jesus, ^(L)he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because ^(M)he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. ⁹ Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him ^(N)nothing. ¹⁰ And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him. ^11 (O)Then Herod, with his ^[c]men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate. ¹² That very day ^(P)Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with each other.

Taking the Place of Barabbas^(Q)

^13 (R)Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, ¹⁴ said to them, ^(S)“You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed, ^(T)having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; ¹⁵ no, neither did Herod, for ^[d]I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him. ^16 (U)I will therefore chastise Him and release Him” ^17 (V)(for^[e] it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast).

¹⁸ And ^(W)they all cried out at once, saying, “Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas”— ¹⁹ who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder.

²⁰ Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them. ²¹ But they shouted, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”

²² Then he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go.”

²³ But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified. And the voices of these men ^[f]and of the chief priests prevailed. ²⁴ So ^(X)Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested. ^25 (Y)And he released ^[g]to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison; but he delivered Jesus to their will.

The King on a Cross^(Z)

^26 (AA)Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.

²⁷ And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him. ²⁸ But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. ^29 (AB)For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’ ³⁰ Then they will begin ^(AC)‘to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” ’ ^31 (AD)For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?”

^32 (AE)There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. ³³ And ^(AF)when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. ^34 [h]Then Jesus said, “Father, ^(AG)forgive them, for ^(AH)they do not know what they do.”

And ^(AI)they divided His garments and cast lots. ³⁵ And ^(AJ)the people stood looking on. But even the ^(AK)rulers with them sneered, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.”

³⁶ The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him ^(AL)sour wine, ³⁷ and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.”

^38 (AM)And an inscription also was ^[i]written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:

THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

^39 (AN)Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, ^[j]“If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”

⁴⁰ But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? ⁴¹ And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done ^(AO)nothing wrong.” ⁴² Then he said ^[k]to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

⁴³ And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in ^(AP)Paradise.”

Jesus Dies on the Cross^(AQ)

^44 (AR)Now it ^[l]was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. ⁴⁵ Then the sun was ^[m]darkened, and ^(AS)the veil of the temple was torn in ^[n]two. ⁴⁶ And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ^(AT)‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ ” ^(AU)Having said this, He breathed His last.

^47 (AV)So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, “Certainly this was a righteous Man!”

⁴⁸ And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done, beat their breasts and returned. ^49 (AW)But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

Jesus Buried in Joseph’s Tomb^(AX)

^50 (AY)Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man. ⁵¹ He had not consented to their decision and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, ^(AZ)who^[o] himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God. ⁵² This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. ^53 (BA)Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before. ⁵⁴ That day was ^(BB)the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near.

⁵⁵ And the women ^(BC)who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and ^(BD)they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. ⁵⁶ Then they returned and ^(BE)prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath ^(BF)according to the commandment.

He Is Risen^(BG)

24 Now ^(BH)on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, ^[p]and certain other women with them, came to the tomb ^(BI)bringing the spices which they had prepared. ^2 (BJ)But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. ^3 (BK)Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ And it happened, as they were ^[q]greatly perplexed about this, that ^(BL)behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. ⁵ Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here, but is risen! ^(BM)Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, ⁷ saying, ‘The Son of Man must be ^(BN)delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ”

⁸ And ^(BO)they remembered His words. ^9 (BP)Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. ¹⁰ It was Mary Magdalene, ^(BQ)Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. ^11 (BR)And their words seemed to them like ^[r]idle tales, and they did not believe them. ^12 (BS)But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths ^[s]lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.

The Road to Emmaus^(BT)

^13 (BU)Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was ^[t]seven miles from Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And they talked together of all these things which had happened. ¹⁵ So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that ^(BV)Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. ¹⁶ But ^(BW)their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.

¹⁷ And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you ^[u]walk and are sad?”

¹⁸ Then the one ^(BX)whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?”

¹⁹ And He said to them, “What things?”

So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, ^(BY)who was a Prophet ^(BZ)mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ^20 (CA)and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. ²¹ But we were hoping ^(CB)that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. ²² Yes, and ^(CC)certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. ²³ When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. ²⁴ And ^(CD)certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.”

²⁵ Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! ^26 (CE)Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His ^(CF)glory?” ²⁷ And beginning at ^(CG)Moses and ^(CH)all the Prophets, He ^[v]expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

The Disciples’ Eyes Opened

²⁸ Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and ^(CI)He ^[w]indicated that He would have gone farther. ²⁹ But ^(CJ)they constrained Him, saying, ^(CK)“Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them.

³⁰ Now it came to pass, as ^(CL)He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.

³² And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” ³³ So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, ³⁴ saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and ^(CM)has appeared to Simon!” ³⁵ And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was ^[x]known to them in the breaking of bread.

Jesus Appears to His Disciples^(CN)

^36 (CO)Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” ³⁷ But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen ^(CP)a spirit. ³⁸ And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹ Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. ^(CQ)Handle Me and see, for a ^(CR)spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”

^40 [y]When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. ⁴¹ But while they still did not believe ^(CS)for joy, and marveled, He said to them, ^(CT)“Have you any food here?” ⁴² So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish ^[z]and some honeycomb. ^43 (CU)And He took it and ate in their presence.

The Scriptures Opened

⁴⁴ Then He said to them, ^(CV)“These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” ⁴⁵ And ^(CW)He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.

⁴⁶ Then He said to them, ^(CX)“Thus it is written, ^[aa]and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, ⁴⁷ and that repentance and ^(CY)remission of sins should be preached in His name ^(CZ)to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ And ^(DA)you are witnesses of these things. ^49 (DB)Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city ^[ab]of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”

The Ascension^(DC)

⁵⁰ And He led them out ^(DD)as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. ^51 (DE)Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. ^52 (DF)And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, ⁵³ and were continually ^(DG)in the temple ^[ac]praising and blessing God. ^[ad]Amen.

The Eternal Word^(DH)

1 In the beginning ^(DI)was the Word, and the ^(DJ)Word was ^(DK)with God, and the Word was ^(DL)God. ^2 (DM)He was in the beginning with God. ^3 (DN)All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. ^4 (DO)In Him was life, and ^(DP)the life was the light of men. ⁵ And ^(DQ)the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not ^[ae]comprehend it.

John’s Witness: The True Light

⁶ There was a ^(DR)man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ This man came for a ^(DS)witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might ^(DT)believe. ⁸ He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that ^(DU)Light. ^9 (DV)That^[af] was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and ^(DW)the world did not know Him. ^11 (DX)He came to His ^[ag]own, and His ^[ah]own did not receive Him. ¹² But ^(DY)as many as received Him, to them He gave the ^[ai]right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: ^13 (DZ)who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

The Word Becomes Flesh

^14 (EA)And the Word ^(EB)became ^(EC)flesh and dwelt among us, and ^(ED)we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, ^(EE)full of grace and truth.

^15 (EF)John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ^(EG)‘He who comes after me ^[aj]is preferred before me, ^(EH)for He was before me.’ ”

^16 [ak]And of His ^(EI)fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. ¹⁷ For ^(EJ)the law was given through Moses, but ^(EK)grace and ^(EL)truth came through Jesus Christ. ^18 (EM)No one has seen God at any time. ^(EN)The only begotten ^[al]Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

A Voice in the Wilderness^(EO)

¹⁹ Now this is ^(EP)the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”

^20 (EQ)He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”

²¹ And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?”

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you ^(ER)the Prophet?”

And he answered, “No.”

²² Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”

²³ He said: ^(ES)“I am

as the prophet Isaiah said.”

²⁴ Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. ²⁵ And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

²⁶ John answered them, saying, ^(EU)“I baptize with water, ^(EV)but there stands One among you whom you do not know. ^27 (EW)It is He who, coming after me, ^[am]is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.”

²⁸ These things were done ^(EX)in ^[an]Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

The Lamb of God^(EY)

²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! ^(EZ)The Lamb of God ^(FA)who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who ^[ao]is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ³¹ I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, ^(FB)therefore I came baptizing with water.”

^32 (FC)And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. ³³ I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, ^(FD)this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ And I have seen and testified that this is the ^(FE)Son of God.”

The First Disciples

³⁵ Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. ³⁶ And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, ^(FF)“Behold the Lamb of God!”

³⁷ The two disciples heard him speak, and they ^(FG)followed Jesus. ³⁸ Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?”

They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?”

³⁹ He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).

⁴⁰ One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was ^(FH)Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. ⁴¹ He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the ^[ap]Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). ⁴² And he brought him to Jesus.

Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of ^[aq]Jonah. ^(FI)You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, ^[ar]A Stone).

Philip and Nathanael

⁴³ The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found ^(FJ)Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” ⁴⁴ Now ^(FK)Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. ⁴⁵ Philip found ^(FL)Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom ^(FM)Moses in the law, and also the ^(FN)prophets, wrote—Jesus ^(FO)of Nazareth, the ^(FP)son of Joseph.”

⁴⁶ And Nathanael said to him, ^(FQ)“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

⁴⁷ Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, ^(FR)an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”

⁴⁸ Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?”

Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

⁴⁹ Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, ^(FS)You are the Son of God! You are ^(FT)the King of Israel!”

⁵⁰ Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” ⁵¹ And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, ^(FU)hereafter^[as] you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

Water Turned to Wine

2 On the third day there was a ^(FV)wedding in ^(FW)Cana of Galilee, and the ^(FX)mother of Jesus was there. ² Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. ³ And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”

⁴ Jesus said to her, ^(FY)“Woman, ^(FZ)what does your concern have to do with Me? ^(GA)My hour has not yet come.”

⁵ His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”

⁶ Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, ^(GB)according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. ⁷ Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. ⁸ And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. ⁹ When the master of the feast had tasted ^(GC)the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. ¹⁰ And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”

¹¹ This ^(GD)beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, ^(GE)and ^[at]manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

¹² After this He went down to ^(GF)Capernaum, He, His mother, ^(GG)His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.

Jesus Cleanses the Temple^(GH)

^13 (GI)Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ^14 (GJ)And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers ^[au]doing business. ¹⁵ When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. ¹⁶ And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make ^(GK)My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” ¹⁷ Then His disciples remembered that it was written, ^(GL)“Zeal for Your house ^[av]has eaten Me up.”

¹⁸ So the Jews answered and said to Him, ^(GM)“What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?”

¹⁹ Jesus answered and said to them, ^(GN)“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

²⁰ Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?”

²¹ But He was speaking ^(GO)of the temple of His body. ²² Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, ^(GP)His disciples remembered that He had said this ^[aw]to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

The Discerner of Hearts

²³ Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the ^(GQ)signs which He did. ²⁴ But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He ^(GR)knew all men, ²⁵ and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for ^(GS)He knew what was in man.

The New Birth

3 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ^2 (GT)This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for ^(GU)no one can do these signs that You do unless ^(GV)God is with him.”

³ Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, ^(GW)unless one is born ^[ax]again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

⁴ Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

⁵ Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, ^(GX)unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is ^(GY)flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ ^8 (GZ)The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

⁹ Nicodemus answered and said to Him, ^(HA)“How can these things be?”

¹⁰ Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? ^11 (HB)Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and ^(HC)you do not receive Our witness. ¹² If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? ^13 (HD)No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man ^[ay]who is in heaven. ^14 (HE)And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so ^(HF)must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever ^(HG)believes in Him should ^[az]not perish but ^(HH)have eternal life. ^16 (HI)For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten ^(HJ)Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ^17 (HK)For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

^18 (HL)“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. ¹⁹ And this is the condemnation, ^(HM)that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ For ^(HN)everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. ²¹ But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been ^(HO)done in God.”