Mark 15
Good News Translation
Jesus before Pilate(A)
15 Early in the morning the chief priests met hurriedly with the elders, the teachers of the Law, and the whole Council, and made their plans. They put Jesus in chains, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. 2 Pilate questioned him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
Jesus answered, “So you say.”
3 The chief priests were accusing Jesus of many things, 4 so Pilate questioned him again, “Aren't you going to answer? Listen to all their accusations!”
5 Again Jesus refused to say a word, and Pilate was amazed.
Jesus Is Sentenced to Death(B)
6 At every Passover Festival Pilate was in the habit of setting free any one prisoner the people asked for. 7 At that time a man named Barabbas was in prison with the rebels who had committed murder in the riot. 8 When the crowd gathered and began to ask Pilate for the usual favor, 9 he asked them, “Do you want me to set free for you the king of the Jews?” 10 He knew very well that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him because they were jealous.
11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to ask, instead, that Pilate set Barabbas free for them. 12 Pilate spoke again to the crowd, “What, then, do you want me to do with the one you call the king of the Jews?”
13 They shouted back, “Crucify him!”
14 “But what crime has he committed?” Pilate asked.
They shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”
15 Pilate wanted to please the crowd, so he set Barabbas free for them. Then he had Jesus whipped and handed him over to be crucified.
The Soldiers Make Fun of Jesus(C)
16 The soldiers took Jesus inside to the courtyard of the governor's palace and called together the rest of the company. 17 They put a purple robe on Jesus, made a crown out of thorny branches, and put it on his head. 18 Then they began to salute him: “Long live the King of the Jews!” 19 They beat him over the head with a stick, spat on him, fell on their knees, and bowed down to him. 20 When they had finished making fun of him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
Jesus Is Crucified(D)
21 (E)On the way they met a man named Simon, who was coming into the city from the country, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus' cross. (Simon was from Cyrene and was the father of Alexander and Rufus.) 22 They took Jesus to a place called Golgotha, which means “The Place of the Skull.” 23 There they tried to give him wine mixed with a drug called myrrh, but Jesus would not drink it. 24 (F)Then they crucified him and divided his clothes among themselves, throwing dice to see who would get which piece of clothing. 25 It was nine o'clock in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The notice of the accusation against him said: “The King of the Jews.” 27 They also crucified two bandits with Jesus, one on his right and the other on his left. 28 [a]
29 (G)People passing by shook their heads and hurled insults at Jesus: “Aha! You were going to tear down the Temple and build it back up in three days! 30 Now come down from the cross and save yourself!”
31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the Law made fun of Jesus, saying to one another, “He saved others, but he cannot save himself! 32 Let us see the Messiah, the king of Israel, come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him!”
And the two who were crucified with Jesus insulted him also.
The Death of Jesus(H)
33 At noon the whole country was covered with darkness, which lasted for three hours. 34 (I)At three o'clock Jesus cried out with a loud shout, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why did you abandon me?”
35 Some of the people there heard him and said, “Listen, he is calling for Elijah!” 36 (J)One of them ran up with a sponge, soaked it in cheap wine, and put it on the end of a stick. Then he held it up to Jesus' lips and said, “Wait! Let us see if Elijah is coming to bring him down from the cross!”
37 With a loud cry Jesus died.
38 (K)The curtain hanging in the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 The army officer who was standing there in front of the cross saw how Jesus had died.[b] “This man was really the Son of God!” he said.
40 (L)Some women were there, looking on from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of the younger James and of Joseph, and Salome. 41 They had followed Jesus while he was in Galilee and had helped him. Many other women who had come to Jerusalem with him were there also.
The Burial of Jesus(M)
42-43 It was toward evening when Joseph of Arimathea arrived. He was a respected member of the Council, who was waiting for the coming of the Kingdom of God. It was Preparation day (that is, the day before the Sabbath), so Joseph went boldly into the presence of Pilate and asked him for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead. He called the army officer and asked him if Jesus had been dead a long time. 45 After hearing the officer's report, Pilate told Joseph he could have the body. 46 Joseph bought a linen sheet, took the body down, wrapped it in the sheet, and placed it in a tomb which had been dug out of solid rock. Then he rolled a large stone across the entrance to the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph were watching and saw where the body of Jesus was placed.
Footnotes
- Mark 15:28 Some manuscripts add verse 28: In this way the scripture came true which says, “He shared the fate of criminals” (see Lk 22.37).
- Mark 15:39 had died; some manuscripts have had cried out and died.
Mark 15
New American Standard Bible
Jesus before Pilate
15 (A)Early in the morning the chief priests with the elders, scribes, and the entire [a](B)Council immediately held a consultation; and they bound Jesus and led Him away, and turned Him over to Pilate. 2 (C)Pilate questioned Him: “So You are the King of the Jews?” And He answered him, “It is as you say.” 3 And the chief priests started accusing Him [b]of many things. 4 But Pilate questioned Him again, saying, “Do You offer nothing in answer? See how many charges they are bringing against You!” 5 But Jesus (D)said nothing further in answer, so Pilate was amazed.
6 (E)Now at the Passover Feast he used to release for them any one prisoner whom they requested. 7 And the one named Barabbas had been imprisoned with the rebels who had committed murder in the revolt. 8 And the crowd went up and began asking Pilate to do as he had been accustomed to do for them. 9 Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” 10 For he was aware that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd (F)to ask him to release Barabbas for them instead. 12 And responding again, Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?” 13 They shouted [c]back, “Crucify Him!” 14 But Pilate said to them, “Why, what [d]evil has He done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify Him!” 15 Intent on satisfying the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them, and after having Jesus (G)flogged, he handed Him over to be crucified.
Jesus Is Mocked
16 (H)Now the soldiers took Him away into (I)the [e]palace (that is, the Praetorium), and they *called together the whole Roman [f](J)cohort. 17 And they *dressed Him in [g]purple, and after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on Him; 18 and they began saluting Him: “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 And they repeatedly beat His head with a [h]reed and spit on Him, and kneeling, they bowed down before Him. 20 And after they had mocked Him, they took the [i]purple cloak off Him and put His own garments on Him. And they *led Him out to crucify Him.
21 (K)And they *compelled a passer-by coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and (L)Rufus), to carry His cross.
The Crucifixion
22 (M)Then they *brought Him to the place (N)Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. 23 And they tried to give Him (O)wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it. 24 And they *crucified Him, and *(P)divided up His garments among themselves, casting [j]lots for them to decide [k]what each man would take. 25 Now it was the [l](Q)third hour [m]when they crucified Him. 26 The inscription of the charge against Him [n]read, “(R)THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
27 And they *crucified two [o]rebels with Him, one on His right and one on His left.[p] 29 Those passing by were [q]hurling abuse at Him, (S)shaking their heads and saying, “Ha! You who are going to (T)destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save Yourself by coming down from the cross!” 31 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves and saying, “(U)He saved others; [r]He cannot save Himself! 32 Let this Christ, (V)the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” (W)Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.
33 (X)When the [s](Y)sixth hour came, darkness [t]fell over the whole land until the [u](Z)ninth hour. 34 At the [v](AA)ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “(AB)Eloi, Eloi, lema sabaktanei?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 35 And when some of the bystanders heard Him, they began saying, “Look! He is calling for Elijah!” 36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink, saying, “[w]Let us see if Elijah comes to take Him down.” 37 (AC)But Jesus let out a loud cry, and [x]died. 38 (AD)And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 (AE)And when the centurion, who was standing [y]right in front of Him, saw that He [z]died in this way, he said, “Truly this man was [aa]the Son of God!”
40 (AF)Now there were also some women watching from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of [ab]James (AG)the [ac]Less and Joses, and (AH)Salome. 41 When He was in Galilee, they used to follow Him and (AI)serve Him; and there were many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.
Jesus Is Buried
42 (AJ)When evening had already come, since it was (AK)the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea came, a (AL)prominent member of the Council, who was himself also (AM)waiting for the kingdom of God; and he (AN)gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Now Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead. 45 And after learning this from (AO)the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. 46 Joseph bought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb which had been cut out in the rock; and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 (AP)Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were watching to see where He was laid.
Footnotes
- Mark 15:1 Or Sanhedrin
- Mark 15:3 Or harshly
- Mark 15:13 Or again
- Mark 15:14 Or crime has He committed
- Mark 15:16 Or court
- Mark 15:16 Normally 600 men (the number varied)
- Mark 15:17 Prob. a term for a Roman soldier’s red cloak (cf. Matt 27:28)
- Mark 15:19 Or staff (made of a reed)
- Mark 15:20 See note v 17
- Mark 15:24 Lit a lot upon
- Mark 15:24 Lit who would take what
- Mark 15:25 I.e., 9 a.m.
- Mark 15:25 Lit and
- Mark 15:26 Lit had been inscribed
- Mark 15:27 Or robbers
- Mark 15:27 Late mss add the following as v 28: And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was counted with wrongdoers.”
- Mark 15:29 Or blaspheming Him
- Mark 15:31 Or can He not save Himself?
- Mark 15:33 I.e., noon
- Mark 15:33 Lit occurred
- Mark 15:33 I.e., 3 p.m.
- Mark 15:34 I.e., 3 p.m.
- Mark 15:36 Lit Allow that we see; or Hold off, let us see
- Mark 15:37 Lit expired
- Mark 15:39 Or opposite Him
- Mark 15:39 Lit expired
- Mark 15:39 Or a son of God; or a son of a god
- Mark 15:40 Or Jacob
- Mark 15:40 Lit little (either in stature or age)
Mark 15
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
15 And straightway in the morning, the chief priests holding a consultation with the ancients and the scribes and the whole council, binding Jesus, led him away, and delivered him to Pilate.
2 And Pilate asked him: Art thou the king of the Jews? But he answering, saith to him: Thou sayest it.
3 And the chief priests accused him in many things.
4 And Pilate again asked him, saying: Answerest thou nothing? behold in how many things they accuse thee.
5 But Jesus still answered nothing; so that Pilate wondered.
6 Now on the festival day he was wont to release unto them one of the prisoners, whomsoever they demanded.
7 And there was one called Barabbas, who was put in prison with some seditious men, who in the sedition had committed murder.
8 And when the multitude was come up, they began to desire that he would do, as he had ever done unto them.
9 And Pilate answered them, and said: Will you that I release to you the king of the Jews?
10 For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him up out of envy.
11 But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas to them.
12 And Pilate again answering, saith to them: What will you then that I do to the king of the Jews?
13 But they again cried out: Crucify him.
14 And Pilate saith to them: Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more: Crucify him.
15 And so Pilate being willing to satisfy the people, released to them Barabbas, and delivered up Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.
16 And the soldiers led him away into the court of the palace, and they called together the whole band:
17 And they clothe him with purple, and platting a crown of thorns, they put it upon him.
18 And they began to salute him: Hail, king of the Jews.
19 And they struck his head with a reed: and they did spit on him. And bowing their knees, they adored him.
20 And after they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own garments on him, and they led him out to crucify him.
21 And they forced one Simon a Cyrenian who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and of Rufus, to take up his cross.
22 And they bring him into the place called Golgotha, which being interpreted is, The place of Calvary.
23 And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh; but he took it not.
24 And crucifying him, they divided his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take.
25 And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.
26 And the inscription of his cause was written over: THE KING OF THE JEWS.
27 And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left.
28 And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith: And with the wicked he was reputed.
29 And they that passed by blasphemed him, wagging their heads, and saying: Vah, thou that destroyest the temple of God, and in three days buildest it up again;
30 Save thyself, coming down from the cross.
31 In like manner also the chief priests mocking, said with the scribes one to another: He saved others; himself he cannot save.
32 Let Christ the king of Israel come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.
33 And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole earth until the ninth hour.
34 And at the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying: Eloi, Eloi, lamma sabacthani? Which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
35 And some of the standers by hearing, said: Behold he calleth Elias.
36 And one running and filling a sponge with vinegar, and putting it upon a reed, gave him to drink, saying: Stay, let us see if Elias come to take him down.
37 And Jesus having cried out with a loud voice, gave up the ghost.
38 And the veil of the temple was rent in two, from the top to the bottom.
39 And the centurion who stood over against him, seeing that crying out in this manner he had given up the ghost, said: Indeed this man was the son of God.
40 And there were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalen, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joseph, and Salome:
41 Who also when he was in Galilee followed him, and ministered to him, and many other women that came up with him to Jerusalem.
42 And when evening was now come, (because it was the Parasceve, that is, the day before the sabbath,)
43 Joseph of Arimathea, a noble counsellor, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, came and went in boldly to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus.
44 But Pilate wondered that he should be already dead. And sending for the centurion, he asked him if he were already dead.
45 And when he had understood it by the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.
46 And Joseph buying fine linen, and taking him down, wrapped him up in the fine linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewed out of a rock. And he rolled a stone to the door of the sepulchre.
47 And Mary Magdalen, and Mary the mother of Joseph, beheld where he was laid.
Mark 15
The Message
Standing Before Pilate
15 At dawn’s first light, the high priests, with the religious leaders and scholars, arranged a conference with the entire Jewish Council. After tying Jesus securely, they took him out and presented him to Pilate.
2-3 Pilate asked him, “Are you the ‘King of the Jews’?”
He answered, “If you say so.” The high priests let loose a barrage of accusations.
4-5 Pilate asked again, “Aren’t you going to answer anything? That’s quite a list of accusations.” Still, he said nothing. Pilate was impressed, really impressed.
6-10 It was a custom at the Feast to release a prisoner, anyone the people asked for. There was one prisoner called Barabbas, locked up with the insurrectionists who had committed murder during the uprising against Rome. As the crowd came up and began to present its petition for him to release a prisoner, Pilate anticipated them: “Do you want me to release the King of the Jews to you?” Pilate knew by this time that it was through sheer spite that the high priests had turned Jesus over to him.
11-12 But the high priests by then had worked up the crowd to ask for the release of Barabbas. Pilate came back, “So what do I do with this man you call King of the Jews?”
13 They yelled, “Nail him to a cross!”
14 Pilate objected, “But for what crime?”
But they yelled all the louder, “Nail him to a cross!”
15 Pilate gave the crowd what it wanted, set Barabbas free and turned Jesus over for whipping and crucifixion.
16-20 The soldiers took Jesus into the palace (called Praetorium) and called together the entire brigade. They dressed him up in purple and put a crown plaited from a thornbush on his head. Then they began their mockery: “Bravo, King of the Jews!” They banged on his head with a club, spit on him, and knelt down in mock worship. After they had had their fun, they took off the purple cape and put his own clothes back on him. Then they marched out to nail him to the cross.
The Crucifixion
21 There was a man walking by, coming from work, Simon from Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus. They made him carry Jesus’ cross.
22-24 The soldiers brought Jesus to Golgotha, meaning “Skull Hill.” They offered him a mild painkiller (wine mixed with myrrh), but he wouldn’t take it. And they nailed him to the cross. They divided up his clothes and threw dice to see who would get them.
25-30 They nailed him up at nine o’clock in the morning. The charge against him—the king of the jews—was scrawled across a sign. Along with him, they crucified two criminals, one to his right, the other to his left. People passing along the road jeered, shaking their heads in mock lament: “You bragged that you could tear down the Temple and then rebuild it in three days—so show us your stuff! Save yourself! If you’re really God’s Son, come down from that cross!”
31-32 The high priests, along with the religion scholars, were right there mixing it up with the rest of them, having a great time poking fun at him: “He saved others—but he can’t save himself! Messiah, is he? King of Israel? Then let him climb down from that cross. We’ll all become believers then!” Even the men crucified alongside him joined in the mockery.
33-34 At noon the sky became extremely dark. The darkness lasted three hours. At three o’clock, Jesus groaned out of the depths, crying loudly, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
35-36 Some of the bystanders who heard him said, “Listen, he’s calling for Elijah.” Someone ran off, soaked a sponge in sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down.”
37-39 But Jesus, with a loud cry, gave his last breath. At that moment the Temple curtain ripped right down the middle. When the Roman captain standing guard in front of him saw that he had quit breathing, he said, “This has to be the Son of God!”
Taken to a Tomb
40-41 There were women watching from a distance, among them Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of the younger James and Joses, and Salome. When Jesus was in Galilee, these women followed and served him, and had come up with him to Jerusalem.
42-45 Late in the afternoon, since it was the Day of Preparation (that is, Sabbath eve), Joseph of Arimathea, a highly respected member of the Jewish Council, came. He was one who lived expectantly, on the lookout for the kingdom of God. Working up his courage, he went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate questioned whether he could be dead that soon and called for the captain to verify that he was really dead. Assured by the captain, he gave Joseph the corpse.
46-47 Having already purchased a linen shroud, Joseph took him down, wrapped him in the shroud, placed him in a tomb that had been cut into the rock, and rolled a large stone across the opening. Mary Magdalene and Mary, mother of Joses, watched the burial.
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Public Domain (Why are modern Bible translations copyrighted?)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson