Luke 23:26-43

Contemporary English Version

Jesus Is Nailed to a Cross

(Matthew 27.31-44; Mark 15.21-32; John 19.17-27)

²⁶As Jesus was being led away, some soldiers grabbed hold of a man named Simon who was from Cyrene. He was coming in from the fields, but they put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.

²⁷A large crowd was following Jesus, and in the crowd a lot of women were crying and weeping for him. ²⁸Jesus turned to the women and said:

Women of Jerusalem, don't cry for me! Cry for yourselves and for your children. ²⁹Someday people will say, “Women who never had children are really fortunate!” ³⁰^(A) At that time everyone will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” They will say to the hills, “Hide us!” ³¹If this can happen when the wood is green, what do you think will happen when it is dry?^[a]

³²Two criminals were led out to be put to death with Jesus. ³³When the soldiers came to the place called “The Skull,”^[b] they nailed Jesus to a cross. They also nailed the two criminals to crosses, one on each side of Jesus.

^34-35^(B) Jesus said, “Father, forgive these people! They don't know what they're doing.”^[c]

While the crowd stood there watching Jesus, the soldiers gambled for his clothes. The leaders insulted him by saying, “He saved others. Now he should save himself, if he really is God's chosen Messiah!”

³⁶^(C) The soldiers made fun of Jesus and brought him some wine. ³⁷They said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself!”

³⁸Above him was a sign that said, “This is the King of the Jews.”

³⁹One of the criminals hanging there also insulted Jesus by saying, “Aren't you the Messiah? Save yourself and save us!”

⁴⁰But the other criminal told the first one off, “Don't you fear God? Aren't you getting the same punishment as this man? ⁴¹We got what was coming to us, but he didn't do anything wrong.” ⁴²Then he said to Jesus, “Remember me when you come into power!”

⁴³Jesus replied, “I promise that today you will be with me in paradise.”^[d]

Read full chapter

Footnotes

23.31 If this can happen when the wood is green, what do you think will happen when it is dry: This saying probably means, “If this can happen to an innocent person, what do you think will happen to one who is guilty?”
23.33 “The Skull”: The place was probably given this name because it was near a large rock in the shape of a human skull.
23.34,35 Jesus said, “Father, forgive these people! They don't know what they're doing”: These words are not in some manuscripts.
23.43 paradise: In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, this word is used for the Garden of Eden. In New Testament times it was sometimes used for the place where God's people are happy and at rest, as they wait for the final judgment.