Jesus Faces Pilate

15 As^(A) soon as it was morning, having held a meeting with the elders,^(B) scribes,^(C) and the whole Sanhedrin, the chief priests^(D) tied Jesus up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.^(E)

² So Pilate asked him, “Are you the king^(F) of the Jews?”^(G)

He answered him, “You say so.”

³ And the chief priests accused him of many things. ⁴ Pilate^(H) questioned him again, “Aren’t you going to answer? Look how many things they are accusing you of!” ⁵ But Jesus still did not answer, and so Pilate was amazed.

Jesus or Barabbas

⁶ At^(I) the festival^(J) Pilate^(K) used to release for the people a prisoner whom they requested. ⁷ There was one named Barabbas, who was in prison with rebels who had committed murder^(L) during the rebellion.^{(M) 8} The crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do for them as was his custom. ⁹ Pilate answered them, “Do you want me to release the king^(N) of the Jews^(O) for you?” ¹⁰ For he knew it was because of envy^(P) that the chief priests had handed him over. ¹¹ But the chief priests stirred up the crowd so that he would release Barabbas to them instead. ¹² Pilate asked them again, “Then what do you want me to do with the one you call the king of the Jews?”

¹³ Again they shouted, “Crucify him!”

¹⁴ Pilate said to them, “Why? What has he done wrong?”

But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him!”

¹⁵ Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them; and after having Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified.

Mocked by the Military

¹⁶ The^(Q) soldiers led him away into the palace (that is, the governor’s residence^(R)) and called the whole company together. ¹⁷ They dressed him in a purple^(S) robe, twisted together a crown^(T) of thorns, and put it on him. ¹⁸ And they began to salute him, “Hail,^(U) king^(V) of the Jews!” ¹⁹ They were hitting him on the head with a stick and spitting on him. Getting down on their knees,^(W) they were paying him homage. ²⁰ After they had mocked^(X) him, they stripped him of the purple robe and put his clothes on him.

Crucified Between Two Criminals

They led him out to crucify him. ²¹ They^(Y) forced a man coming in from the country, who was passing by, to carry Jesus’s cross.^(Z) He was Simon of Cyrene,^(AA) the father of Alexander and Rufus.^(AB)

²² They^(AC) brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of the Skull^(AD)). ²³ They tried to give him wine^(AE) mixed with myrrh,^(AF) but he did not take it.

²⁴ Then they crucified him and divided his clothes, casting lots^(AG) for them to decide what each would get. ²⁵ Now it was nine in the morning^[a] when they crucified him. ²⁶ The inscription of the charge written against him was: The King^(AH) of the Jews.^{(AI) 27} They^(AJ) crucified two criminals^[b](AK) with him, one on his right and one on his left.^[c]

²⁹ Those^(AL) who passed by were yelling insults^(AM) at^[d] him, shaking their heads,^(AN) and saying, “Ha! The one who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,^{(AO) 30} save yourself by coming down from the cross!”^{(AP) 31} In the same way, the chief priests with the scribes^(AQ) were mocking him among themselves and saying, “He saved others, but he cannot save himself! ³² Let the Messiah,^(AR) the King^(AS) of Israel,^(AT) come down now from the cross,^(AU) so that we may see and believe.”^(AV) Even those who were crucified with him taunted him.

The Death of Jesus

³³ When^(AW) it was noon,^[e] darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.^{[f](AX) 34} And at three Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lemá sabachtháni?” which is translated, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”^[g](AY)

³⁵ When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “See, he’s calling for Elijah.”

³⁶ Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, fixed it on a stick, offered him a drink,^(AZ) and said, “Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down.”

³⁷ Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed his last. ³⁸ Then the curtain^(BA) of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. ³⁹ When the centurion, who was standing opposite him, saw the way he^[h] breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” ^[i](BB)

⁴⁰ There^(BC) were also women watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene,^(BD) Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. ⁴¹ In Galilee^(BE) these women followed him and took care of him. Many other women had come up with him to Jerusalem.^(BF)

The Burial of Jesus

⁴² When^(BG) it was already evening, because it was the day of preparation (that is, the day before the Sabbath), ⁴³ Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Sanhedrin who was himself looking forward^(BH) to the kingdom of God,^(BI) came and boldly went to Pilate^(BJ) and asked for Jesus’s body.^{(BK) 44} Pilate was surprised that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had already died. ⁴⁵ When he found out from the centurion, he gave the corpse to Joseph. ⁴⁶ After he bought some linen cloth, Joseph took him down and wrapped him in the linen. Then he laid him in a tomb^(BL) cut out of the rock and rolled a stone^(BM) against the entrance to the tomb. ⁴⁷ Mary Magdalene^(BN) and Mary the mother of Joses were watching where he was laid.