路加福音 23
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
在彼拉多面前受審
23 於是，眾人動身把耶穌押到彼拉多那裡， 2 指控祂說：「這人蠱惑民心，禁止百姓向凱撒納稅，又說自己是基督，是君王。」
3 彼拉多問耶穌：「你是猶太人的王嗎？」
耶穌回答說：「如你所言。」
4 彼拉多轉過身來，對祭司長和百姓宣佈：「我查不出這人有什麼罪。」 5 但他們堅持說：「這個人從加利利開始一直到這裡，在猶太地區四處傳道，煽動民心。」
6 彼拉多聽後，問道：「祂是加利利人嗎？」 7 他得知耶穌來自分封王希律的轄區後，便把耶穌送交希律，希律剛巧在耶路撒冷。
在希律面前受辱
8 希律見到耶穌，十分高興，因為他聽過耶穌的事，早就想見祂，希望看祂行神蹟。 9 他問了耶穌許多問題，耶穌卻一言不發。 10 祭司長和律法教師站在那裡極力地指控耶穌。
11 希律和他的衛兵嘲弄侮辱耶穌，給祂穿上華麗的袍子，把祂押回彼拉多那裡。 12 希律和彼拉多向來互相敵視，但在那一天竟化敵為友。
無辜被判死罪
13 彼拉多召來祭司長、官長和百姓， 14 對他們說：「你們帶這個人來，指控祂煽動百姓造反，我當著你們的面審問了祂，卻查不出祂有任何你們指控祂的罪。 15 希律也查不出祂有什麼罪，所以把祂送回來了。可見，這人並沒有犯什麼該死的罪。 16 因此，我要懲戒祂，然後釋放祂。」 17 每逢逾越節，總督總是按慣例給他們釋放一個囚犯。[a]
18 這時，眾人齊聲呼喊：「殺掉祂！釋放巴拉巴！」 19 巴拉巴是因在城裡叛亂殺人而被下在監裡的。
20 彼拉多想釋放耶穌，便勸解他們。 21 但他們一直喊：「把祂釘在十字架上！把祂釘在十字架上！」
22 彼拉多第三次問百姓：「為什麼？祂犯了什麼罪？我找不出該處死祂的罪證。因此，我要懲戒祂，然後釋放祂。」
23 眾人卻繼續大聲喊叫，執意要求把耶穌釘在十字架上。最後，他們的聲勢佔了上風。 24 於是，彼拉多依照他們的要求， 25 釋放了叛亂殺人的囚犯巴拉巴，並把耶穌交給他們任意處置。
釘十字架
26 他們帶耶穌出去的時候，抓住從鄉下來的古利奈人西門，讓他背著十字架跟在耶穌後面。
27 有一大群人跟在耶穌後面，其中有不少婦女為耶穌傷心痛哭。 28 耶穌轉過身來，對她們說：「耶路撒冷的女兒啊，不要為我哭，為你們自己和你們的兒女哭吧！ 29 因為日子快到了，人們將說，『不曾生育、不曾懷孕、不曾哺乳的女子有福了！』 30 到時候，人們會向大山說，『倒在我們身上吧！』又會對小山說，『遮蓋我們吧！』 31 樹木青蔥的時候，他們尚且做這些事，樹木枯乾的時候，又會怎樣呢？[b]」
32 當時有兩個罪犯和耶穌一同被押去受刑。 33 他們到了一個叫「髑髏」的地方，便把耶穌釘在十字架上，又將兩個罪犯分別釘在祂左右兩邊。
34 耶穌禱告說：「父啊，赦免他們！因為他們不知道自己在做什麼。」士兵抽籤分了耶穌的衣裳。
35 百姓站著觀看，官長嘲笑耶穌說：「祂救了別人，如果祂是上帝所選立的基督，讓祂救自己吧！」
36 士兵們也戲弄祂，拿了些酸酒上前給祂喝， 37 又說：「如果你是猶太人的王，救救自己呀！」
38 耶穌上方有一塊牌子，上面寫著：「這是猶太人的王」。
39 跟耶穌同釘十字架的一個罪犯也譏笑耶穌，說：「你不是基督嗎？救你自己和我們呀！」
40 另一個罪犯卻責備他說：「你同樣是受刑的，難道不怕上帝嗎？ 41 我們是罪有應得，但這個人沒有犯過罪。」 42 他隨即懇求耶穌：「耶穌啊，當你來執掌王權的時候，請你記得我。」
43 耶穌對他說：「我實在告訴你，今天你要和我一起在樂園裡了。」
耶穌之死
44 那時大約是正午，黑暗籠罩著整個大地，一直到下午三點， 45 太陽黯然無光。忽然掛在聖殿裡的幔子從中間裂成兩半。 46 耶穌大聲喊著說：「父啊，我將我的靈魂交在你手中。」說完，就斷氣了。
47 百夫長見此情形，便讚美上帝，說：「這人的確是個義人。」
48 圍觀的人見狀，無不捶胸頓足黯然離去。 49 耶穌熟識的人和從加利利跟著祂來的婦女們都站在遠處觀看。
耶穌的安葬
50 有一位名叫約瑟的公會議員心地善良、為人正直， 51 住在猶太地區的亞利馬太城，一直在等候上帝國的降臨。他並不苟同公會的決定。 52 他去求見彼拉多，要求領取耶穌的遺體。 53 他把耶穌的遺體從十字架上取下來，用細麻布裹好，然後安放在一個從岩壁上鑿出的新墓穴裡。 54 當天是預備日，安息日快到了。
55 和耶穌一起從加利利來的婦女跟在約瑟後面，看到了耶穌的墳墓，並且看到祂的遺體被安放好之後， 56 便回家去預備香料和膏油。安息日到了，她們按律法的規定休息了一天。
Luke 23
EasyEnglish Bible
Pilate asks Jesus questions
23 All the people at the meeting stood up to leave. They took Jesus to stand in front of Pilate.[a] 2 Then they all started to tell Pilate that Jesus had done bad things. They said, ‘We found this man when he was telling our people wrong things. He said that we must not pay taxes to the Roman government. He also said that he himself is the Messiah, that is, a king.’
3 Pilate asked Jesus, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ Jesus replied, ‘You have said it.’
4 Pilate then said to the leaders of the priests and to all the crowd of people, ‘I cannot find any reason to say that this man is guilty.’ 5 But they continued to speak strongly to him. They said, ‘He makes the people angry and ready to fight against the government. He has taught these bad things everywhere in Judea. He started in Galilee and now he has come to Jerusalem.’
6 When Pilate heard this, he asked if Jesus came from Galilee. 7 He discovered that he was from the country where Herod ruled. So Pilate sent Jesus to stand in front of Herod. Herod was also in Jerusalem at that time.[b]
Herod asks Jesus questions
8 Herod was very happy to see Jesus. He had heard about him and he had wanted to meet him for a long time. He wanted to see Jesus do something to show God's power. 9 He asked Jesus many questions, but Jesus did not answer any of them. 10 The leaders of the priests and the teachers of God's Law stood there. They were shouting out that Jesus had done many bad things. 11 Then Herod and his soldiers started to laugh at Jesus. They were saying things to make him feel bad. They put a beautiful coat on him. Then they sent him back to Pilate. 12 That same day, Herod and Pilate became friends. Until then, they had not liked each other.
Pilate and the Jewish leaders argue about Jesus
13 Pilate then told the leaders of the priests, the leaders of the Jews and the people to come back to him. 14 He said to them, ‘You brought this man to me. You said that he was causing the people to fight against their rulers. Listen! I have asked him some questions in front of you. But I have not found that he has done anything wrong. 15 Herod also did not find that he had done anything wrong. That is why he has sent him back to me. You can see this. He has not done anything bad that means he ought to die. 16 So I will just punish him. I will command a soldier to hit him with whips. Then I will let him go.’
17 [Pilate usually let one person go free out of the prison at Passover time.][c]
18 But the crowd all shouted together, ‘Take this man away and kill him! We want Barabbas to go free.’
19 Barabbas had fought against the Roman rulers in Jerusalem. He had also killed somebody. That is why the rulers had put him in prison. 20 But Pilate still wanted to let Jesus go. So he spoke to the crowd again. 21 But they continued to shout. They were shouting, ‘Kill him on a cross, kill him on a cross.’[d]
22 Pilate asked them the same question for the third time. ‘Why should I kill him? What wrong things has he done? You want me to say that he should die. But I have not found anything wrong that would cause me to say that. So I will punish him. I will command my soldiers to hit him with a whip. Then I will let him go.’
23 But they continued to shout at Pilate, ‘Kill him on a cross.’ They continued to shout very much. So, in the end, 24 Pilate did what they wanted. 25 They had asked Pilate to let Barabbas go free out of the prison. He was the man that had caused the Jewish people to fight against the Roman rulers. He had also killed somebody. He was the man that Pilate let go free. As for Jesus, Pilate commanded the soldiers to take him away. He let the people do to him what they wanted.
They kill Jesus on a cross
26 So the soldiers took Jesus away, to go to the place where they would kill him. On the way, they took hold of a man called Simon. This man was from the town of Cyrene. He was coming in from outside the city. The soldiers took the cross that Jesus was carrying on his shoulders. They made Simon carry it instead as he walked behind Jesus.
27 A very large crowd of people were following Jesus. There were many women among them. They were crying with loud voices. They were weeping and crying because they were very sad. 28 So Jesus turned round and he said to them, ‘You women that live in Jerusalem, do not weep for me. Instead, cry for yourselves and for your children. 29 Listen! Days will come when people will say, “It is better for those women that could not have babies. Those women that never had babies to feed are the happy ones!” 30 People will begin to say, “It would be better if we were dead.” They will ask the mountains to fall on top of them. They will ask the hills to cover them up. 31 There is much trouble and pain now. But much worse things will happen! Now the fire burns slowly. But soon it will be like a fire that quickly burns dry wood!’[e]
32 The soldiers also took two other men out of the prison. These men had done bad things. The soldiers would kill them and Jesus together. 33 They took them to the place that is called ‘The Skull’. There they fixed Jesus to a cross to die. They also fixed the two bad men to crosses. One of these men was on the right side of Jesus. The other was on his left side.
34 Jesus said, ‘Father, these people do not know what they are doing. So please forgive them.’
The soldiers then picked up Jesus' clothes for themselves. They played a game to decide who would receive each piece of his clothes. 35 The people stood there and they were watching. The Jewish leaders were laughing at Jesus. They said, ‘He saved other people, did he? Then he should save his own life! Then we will know that he is really the Messiah, the man that God has chosen.’
36 The soldiers also laughed at him. They came up to him and they offered him cheap wine to drink. 37 They said, ‘If you are really the King of the Jews, save your own life.’
38 There was also a notice fixed at the top of the cross. It said, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’
39 One of the bad men on a cross at the side of Jesus started to insult him. He shouted, ‘You say that you are the Messiah, don't you? Then save your own life and save our lives too!’
40 But the bad man on the other cross told him that he should be quiet. He said, ‘You should be more afraid of God. We will die here, as well as him. 41 We two men have done very bad things. So it is right that we should die. But this man has not done anything wrong.’ 42 Then the man said to Jesus, ‘Remember me, Jesus, when you start to rule in your kingdom.’ 43 Jesus replied, ‘I promise you, today you will be with me in paradise.’
Jesus dies
44 It was now about midday. The whole country became dark for three hours. 45 The sun did not give any light. Then the curtain inside the temple tore into two parts. 46 Then Jesus shouted loudly, ‘Father, I give my spirit to you.’ After he shouted this, he died.
47 There was a captain of the soldiers there. When he saw what had happened, he praised God. He said. ‘I am sure that this man had not done anything wrong.’
48 A very big crowd had come together to watch the men die. They saw what had happened. Then they began to go home. They were very sad, and they were hitting their own bodies with their hands. 49 The friends of Jesus were there. The women that had come with him from Galilee were also there. They were all standing a long way away. They also saw what happened to him.
Joseph buries Jesus
50 A man called Joseph was also there. He was one of a special group of important Jewish leaders.[f] He was a good man that wanted to do right things. 51 He was from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He had not agreed with the other leaders that Jesus should die. He was waiting for God to begin to rule his people in his kingdom.
52 So Joseph went to see Pilate. He asked Pilate for the dead body of Jesus. Pilate agreed to this. 53 Joseph then went to the place where Jesus died. He took the dead body down from the cross. He put a piece of linen cloth around the body. Then he put the body into a large hole in the rock. People had made that hole to put dead bodies in, but it was the first time that anyone had used it.[g]
54 This all happened on the day before the Jewish day of rest. It was nearly time for the Jewish day of rest to begin.[h]
Jesus becomes alive again
55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph. They saw the place where the hole in the rock was. They also saw Joseph put Jesus' body into the empty hole. 56 Then they returned to the house where they were staying in Jerusalem. They prepared spices and oil that had a beautiful smell. On the Jewish day of rest they obeyed God's Law and they did not work.
Footnotes
- 23:1 Pontius Pilate ruled over this part of the land that the Romans ruled. He ruled over Jerusalem.
- 23:7 Herod was a king and he ruled over the whole of Galilee. It was Herod that had killed John the Baptist.
- 23:17 Verse 17 is not in many copies of Luke.
- 23:21 Roman rulers fixed bad people to a big cross made from wood, to kill them.
- 23:31 Again, Jesus is telling the people that enemies will soon destroy Jerusalem. Jesus is like a tree that is alive. He has not done anything wrong. But still the Romans will kill him on a cross. The bad people in Jerusalem are like dry wood. They have done many wrong things. The Romans will do worse things to them.
- 23:50 This was the same group that asked Jesus questions. They had wanted Pilate to kill Jesus.
- 23:53 At that time, they put dead bodies in a hole in a rock. Then the family and friends closed the front with a big stone.
- 23:54 For the Jews, the end of a day was when the sun went down, at about six o'clock in the evening. Then the next day began.
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