Mark 15
Christian Standard Bible
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.
Footnotes
- 15:25 Lit was the third hour
- 15:27 Or revolutionaries
- 15:27 Some mss include v. 28: So the Scripture was fulfilled that says: And he was counted among criminals.
- 15:29 Or passed by blasphemed
- 15:33 Lit the sixth hour
- 15:33 Lit the ninth hour, also in v. 34
- 15:34 Ps 22:1
- 15:39 Other mss read saw that he cried out like this and
- 15:39 Or a son of God
Mark 15
International Children’s Bible
Pilate Questions Jesus
15 Very early in the morning, the leading priests, the Jewish elders, the teachers of the law, and all the Jewish council decided what to do with Jesus. They tied him, led him away, and turned him over to Pilate, the governor.
2 Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
Jesus answered, “Yes, I am.”
3 The leading priests accused Jesus of many things. 4 So Pilate asked Jesus another question. He said, “You can see that these people are accusing you of many things. Why don’t you answer?”
5 But Jesus still said nothing. Pilate was very surprised at this.
Pilate Tries to Free Jesus
6 Every year at the Passover time the governor would free one person from prison. He would free any person the people wanted him to free. 7 At that time, there was a man named Barabbas in prison. He was a rebel and had committed murder during a riot. 8 The crowd came to Pilate and asked him to free a prisoner as he always did.
9 Pilate asked them, “Do you want me to free the king of the Jews?” 10 Pilate knew that the leading priests had given Jesus to him because they were jealous of Jesus. 11 And the leading priests had persuaded the people to ask Pilate to free Barabbas, not Jesus.
12 Pilate asked the crowd again, “So what should I do with this man you call the king of the Jews?”
13 They shouted, “Kill him on a cross!”
14 Pilate asked, “Why? What wrong has he done?”
But they shouted louder and louder, “Kill him on a cross!”
15 Pilate wanted to please the crowd. So he freed Barabbas for them. And Pilate told the soldiers to beat Jesus with whips. Then he gave Jesus to the soldiers to be killed on a cross.
16 Pilate’s soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s palace (called the Praetorium). They called all the other soldiers together. 17 They put a purple robe on Jesus. Then they used thorny branches to make a crown. They put it on his head. 18 Then they called out to him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 The soldiers beat Jesus on the head many times with a stick. They also spit on him. Then they made fun of him by bowing on their knees and worshiping him. 20 After they finished making fun of him, the soldiers took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led Jesus out of the palace to be killed on a cross.
Jesus Is Killed on a Cross
21 There was a man from Cyrene coming from the fields to the city. The man was Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus. The soldiers forced Simon to carry the cross for Jesus. 22 They led Jesus to the place called Golgotha. (Golgotha means the Place of the Skull.) 23 At Golgotha the soldiers tried to give Jesus wine to drink. This wine was mixed with myrrh. But he refused to drink it. 24 The soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross. Then they divided his clothes among themselves. They threw lots to decide which clothes each soldier would get.
25 It was nine o’clock in the morning when they nailed Jesus to the cross. 26 There was a sign with the charge against Jesus written on it. The sign read: “THE KING OF THE JEWS.” 27 They also put two robbers on crosses beside Jesus, one on the right, and the other on the left. 28 [And the Scripture came true that says, “They put him with criminals.”][a] 29 People walked by and insulted Jesus. They shook their heads, saying, “You said you could destroy the Temple and build it again in three days. 30 So save yourself! Come down from that cross!”
31 The leading priests and the teachers of the law were also there. They made fun of Jesus just as the other people did. They said among themselves, “He saved other people, but he can’t save himself. 32 If he is really the Christ, the king of Israel, then let him come down from the cross now. We will see this, and then we will believe in him.” The robbers who were being killed on the crosses beside Jesus also insulted him.
Jesus Dies
33 At noon the whole country became dark. This darkness lasted for three hours. 34 At three o’clock Jesus cried in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani.” This means, “My God, my God, why have you left me alone?”
35 Some of the people standing there heard this. They said, “Listen! He is calling Elijah.”
36 One man there ran and got a sponge. He filled the sponge with vinegar and tied it to a stick. Then he used the stick to give the sponge to Jesus to drink from it. The man said, “We should wait now and see if Elijah will come to take him down from the cross.”
37 Then Jesus cried in a loud voice and died.
38 When Jesus died, the curtain in the Temple[b] split into two pieces. The tear started at the top and tore all the way to the bottom. 39 The army officer that was standing there before the cross saw what happened when Jesus died.[c] The officer said, “This man really was the Son of God!”
40 Some women were standing at a distance from the cross, watching. Some of these women were Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph. (James was her youngest son.) 41 These were the women who followed Jesus in Galilee and cared for him. Many other women were also there who had come with Jesus to Jerusalem.
Jesus Is Buried
42 This was Preparation Day. (That means the day before the Sabbath day.) It was becoming dark. 43 A man named Joseph from Arimathea was brave enough to go to Pilate and ask for Jesus’ body. Joseph was an important member of the Jewish council. He was one of the people who wanted the kingdom of God to come. 44 Pilate wondered if Jesus was already dead. Pilate called the army officer who guarded Jesus and asked him if Jesus had already died. 45 The officer told Pilate that he was dead. So Pilate told Joseph he could have the body. 46 Joseph bought some linen cloth, took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in the linen. He put the body in a tomb that was cut in a wall of rock. Then he closed the tomb by rolling a very large stone to cover the entrance. 47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw the place where Jesus was laid.
Footnotes
- 15:28 And . . . criminals. Some Greek copies do not contain the bracketed text which quotes from Isaiah 53:12.
- 15:38 curtain in the Temple A curtain divided the Most Holy Place from the other part of the Temple. That was the special building in Jerusalem where God commanded the Jews to worship him.
- 15:39 when Jesus died Some Greek copies read “when Jesus cried out and died.”
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
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