Mark 15:22-37

Contemporary English Version

Jesus Is Nailed to a Cross

(Matthew 27.31-44; Luke 23.27-43; John 19.17-27)

²² The soldiers took Jesus to Golgotha, which means “Place of a Skull.”^{[a] 23} There they gave him some wine mixed with a drug to ease the pain, but he refused to drink it.

^24 (A) They nailed Jesus to a cross and gambled to see who would get his clothes. ²⁵ It was about nine o'clock in the morning when they nailed him to the cross. ²⁶ On it was a sign that told why he was nailed there. It read, “This is the King of the Jews.” ^27-28 (B) The soldiers also nailed two criminals on crosses, one to the right of Jesus and the other to his left.^[b]

^29 (C) People who passed by said terrible things about Jesus. They shook their heads and shouted, “Ha! So you're the one who claimed you could tear down the temple and build it again in three days. ³⁰ Save yourself and come down from the cross!”

³¹ The chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses also made fun of Jesus. They said to each other, “He saved others, but he can't save himself. ³² If he is the Messiah, the king of Israel, let him come down from the cross! Then we will see and believe.” The two criminals also said cruel things to Jesus.

The Death of Jesus

(Matthew 27.45-56; Luke 23.44-49; John 19.28-30)

³³ About noon the sky turned dark and stayed that way until around three o'clock. ^34 (D) Then about that time Jesus shouted, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?”^[c] which means, “My God, my God, why have you deserted me?”

³⁵ Some of the people standing there heard Jesus and said, “He is calling for Elijah.”^{[d] 36 (E)} One of them ran and grabbed a sponge. After he had soaked it in wine, he put it on a stick and held it up to Jesus. He said, “Let's wait and see if Elijah will come^[e] and take him down!” ³⁷ Jesus shouted and then died.