Luke 23
New Matthew Bible
Jesus is brought before Pilate and Herod. The women make lamentation for him. He prays for his enemies, forgives the thief upon his right hand, and dies on the cross and is buried.
23 And the whole number of them arose, and led Jesus to Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, We have found his fellow upsetting the people, and forbidding to pay tribute to Caesar, saying that he is Christ, a king. 3 And Pilate questioned him, saying, Are you the king of the Jews? He answered him and said, It is as you say.
4 Then Pilate said to the high priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man. 5 But they were all the more fierce, saying, He stirs up the people, teaching throughout Judea, beginning at Galilee, and even to this place.
6 When Pilate heard mention of Galilee, he asked whether the man was from Galilee. 7 And as soon as he knew he was of Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also at Jerusalem in those days.
8 And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad. He had desired to see him for a long time, because he had heard many things about him, and trusted to see some miracle done by him. 9 Then he questioned him concerning many things, but Jesus answered him not one word. 10 The high priests and scribes stood forth and accused him vehemently. 11 And Herod with his men of war derided him and mocked him, and arrayed him in white, and sent him again to Pilate.
12 And that same day, Pilate and Herod were brought together as friends. For before, they were at variance.
13 And Pilate called together the high priests, the rulers, and the people, 14 and said to them, You have brought this man to me as one who incited uprising among the people. But I have examined him before you, and have found no fault in this man concerning those things that you accuse him of. 15 No, nor did Herod; for I sent you to him, and lo, nothing worthy of death was determined against him. 16 I will therefore chastise him and let him go. 17 (For custom constrained Pilate to release one prisoner to them at that feast.)
18 And all the people cried out at once, saying, Away with him, and release Barabbas to us! 19 (who for insurrection made in the city and for murder had been cast into prison).
20 Pilate spoke again to them, wanting to let Jesus go free. 21 But they shouted, saying, Crucify him! Crucify him!
22 He said to them the third time, What evil has he done? I find no cause of death in him. I will therefore chastise him and release him.
23 But they called with loud voices for him to be crucified.
And the voice of the people and of the high priests prevailed, 24 and Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required, 25 and released to them the one who for insurrection and murder had been cast into prison, whom they desired, and delivered Jesus to do with him what they would. 26 And as they led him away, they caught one Simon of Cyrene coming out of the field, and on him they laid the cross, to bear it after Jesus.
27 And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which women bewailed and lamented him. 28 But Jesus turned back to them and said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For behold, the days will come when men will say, Happy are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the paps that never gave suck. 30 Then will they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us! and to the hills, Cover us! 31 For if they do this to a green tree, what shall be done to the dry?
32 And there were two evil-doers led with him to be slain. 33 And when they came to the place that is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the evil-doers also, one on the right hand and the other on the left. 34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
And they divided up his garments and cast lots for them. 35 And the people stood and looked on. And the leaders mocked him with them, saying, He helped other men; let him help himself, if he is Christ, the chosen of God. 36 The soldiers also mocked him, and came and gave him vinegar, 37 and said, If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself. 38 And a superscription was written over him in Greek, in Latin, and Hebrew: this is the king of the jews.
39 And one of the evil-doers who hung there railed on him, saying, If you are the Christ, save yourself and us. 40 But the other answered and rebuked him, saying, Do you not fear God, seeing that you are under the same sentence? 41 We are rightly punished, for we receive according to our deeds, but this man has done nothing amiss. 42 And he said to Jesus, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. 43 And Jesus said to him, Truly I say to you, today you shall be with me in Paradise.
44 And it was about the sixth hour. And there came a darkness over all the land until the ninth hour, 45 and the sun was darkened. And the veil of the temple did tear, right through the middle. 46 And Jesus cried with a great voice and said, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. And when he had thus spoken, he gave up the spirit.
47 When the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, Surely this was a just man. 48 And all the people who came together to that sight, beholding the things that were done, smote their breasts and returned home. 49 And all those who knew him, and the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood afar off beholding these things.
50 And there was a man named Joseph, a member of the council, and he was a good man and just. 51 He had not consented to their counsel and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, and he was also waiting for the kingdom of God. 52 He went to Pilate and requested the body of Jesus, 53 and took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid it in a tomb hewn out in stone, in which no man had ever before been laid. 54 And that day was the day of preparation; and the Sabbath drew on.
55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed after, and saw the sepulchre and how his body was laid. 56 And they returned and prepared spices and oyntments, but rested on the Sabbath day according to the commandment.
Luke 23
Christian Standard Bible
Jesus Faces Pilate
23 Then(A) their whole assembly rose up and brought him before Pilate. 2 They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation, opposing payment of taxes(B) to Caesar, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king.”
3 So Pilate asked him,(C) “Are you the king of the Jews?” (D)
He answered him, “You say so.”[a]
4 Pilate then told the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no grounds(E) for charging this man.”
5 But they kept insisting, “He stirs up the people,(F) teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee(G) where he started even to here.”
Jesus Faces Herod Antipas
6 When Pilate(H) heard this,[b] he asked if the man was a Galilean. 7 Finding that he was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod,(I) who was also in Jerusalem during those days. 8 Herod was very glad to see Jesus; for a long time he had wanted to see him because he had heard about him and was hoping to see some miracle[c] performed by him. 9 So he kept asking him questions, but Jesus did not answer him.(J) 10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. 11 Then Herod, with his soldiers, treated him with contempt, mocked(K) him, dressed him in bright clothing,(L) and sent him back to Pilate. 12 That very day Herod and Pilate became friends.[d](M) Previously, they had been enemies.
Jesus or Barabbas
13 Pilate called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people,(N) 14 and said to them, “You have brought me this man as one who misleads the people.(O) But in fact, after examining him in your presence, I have found no grounds(P) to charge this man with those things you accuse him of. 15 Neither has Herod, because he sent him back to us. Clearly, he has done nothing to deserve death. 16 Therefore, I will have him whipped[e](Q) and then release him.”[f]
18 Then(R) they all cried out together, “Take this man away!(S) Release Barabbas to us!” 19 (He had been thrown into prison for a rebellion that had taken place in the city, and for murder.)
20 Wanting to release Jesus,(T) Pilate addressed them again, 21 but they kept shouting, “Crucify! Crucify him!”
22 A third time he said to them, “Why? What has this man done wrong?(U) I have found in him no grounds(V) for the death penalty. Therefore, I will have him whipped and then release him.”
23 But they kept up the pressure, demanding with loud voices that he be crucified, and their voices[g] won out. 24 So(W) Pilate decided to grant their demand(X) 25 and released the one they were asking for, who had been thrown into prison for rebellion and murder. But he handed Jesus over to their will.(Y)
The Way to the Cross
26 As(Z) they led him away, they seized Simon, a Cyrenian,(AA) who was coming in from the country, and laid the cross(AB) on him to carry behind Jesus. 27 A large crowd of people followed him, including women who were mourning and lamenting him.(AC) 28 But turning to them, Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem,(AD) do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and your children. 29 Look, the days are coming(AE) when they will say, ‘Blessed are the women without children, the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed!’(AF) 30 Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’ [h](AG) 31 For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”(AH)
Crucified Between Two Criminals
32 Two others—criminals(AI)—were also led away to be executed with him. 33 When(AJ) they arrived at the place called The Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. 34 Then Jesus said, “Father,(AK) forgive(AL) them, because they do not know what they are doing.”[i](AM) And they divided his clothes and cast lots.(AN)
35 The(AO) people stood watching, and even the leaders were scoffing:(AP) “He saved others; let him save himself if this is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One!” (AQ) 36 The soldiers also mocked him. They came offering him sour wine(AR) 37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews,(AS) save yourself!”
38 An inscription was above him:[j] This Is the King of the Jews.
39 Then(AT) one of the criminals hanging there began to yell insults at[k] him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
40 But the other answered, rebuking him: “Don’t you even fear God,(AU) since you are undergoing the same punishment? 41 We are punished justly, because we’re getting back what we deserve for the things we did, but this man has done nothing wrong.”(AV) 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me[l](AW) when you come into your kingdom.”(AX)
43 And he said to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”(AY)
The Death of Jesus
44 It(AZ) was now about noon,[m] and darkness came over the whole land[n] until three,[o] 45 because the sun’s light failed.[p] The curtain(BA) of the sanctuary was split down the middle. 46 And Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit.”[q](BB) Saying this, he breathed his last.
47 When the centurion saw what happened, he began to glorify(BC) God, saying, “This man really was righteous!” [r] 48 All the crowds that had gathered for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, went home, striking their chests.(BD) 49 But(BE) all who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance,(BF) watching these things.
The Burial of Jesus
50 There(BG) was a good and righteous man named Joseph, a member of the Sanhedrin, 51 who had not agreed with their plan(BH) and action. He was from Arimathea, a Judean town, and was looking forward to the kingdom of God.(BI) 52 He approached Pilate and asked for Jesus’s body. 53 Taking it down, he wrapped it in fine linen and placed it in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had ever been placed.[s](BJ) 54 It was the preparation day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.[t] 55 The women(BK) who had come with him from Galilee followed along and observed the tomb and how his body was placed. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes.(BL) And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.(BM)
Footnotes
- 23:3 Or “That is true.”
- 23:6 Other mss read heard “Galilee”
- 23:8 Or sign
- 23:12 Lit friends with one another
- 23:16 Gk paideuo; to discipline or “teach a lesson”
- 23:16 Some mss include v. 17: For according to the festival he had to release someone to them.
- 23:23 Other mss add and those of the chief priests
- 23:30 Hs 10:8
- 23:34 Other mss omit Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.”
- 23:38 Other mss add written in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew letters
- 23:39 Or began to blaspheme
- 23:42 Other mss add Lord
- 23:44 Lit about the sixth hour
- 23:44 Or whole earth
- 23:44 Lit the ninth hour
- 23:45 Other mss read three, and the sun was darkened
- 23:46 Ps 31:5
- 23:47 Or innocent
- 23:53 Or interred, or laid
- 23:54 Lit was dawning
Copyright © 2016 by Ruth Magnusson (Davis). Includes emendations to February 2022. All rights reserved.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.