Mark 15
Worldwide English (New Testament)
15 As soon as it was morning, the chief priests, leaders, and the scribes talked together. They tied Jesus and took him before Pilate to be judged.
2 Pilate asked him, `Are you the King of the Jews?' Jesus answered, `Yes, I am.'
3 The chief priests brought many complaints against Jesus.
4 Then Pilate asked him, `Have you nothing to say? These people are bringing many complaints against you!'
5 But Jesus said nothing. Pilate was very much surprised about this.
6 At the feast Pilate used to let one prisoner free. He let the people choose the man they wanted to go free.
7 In the prison was a man named Barabbas. He had led some people who had been fighting in the city. He had killed a man.
8 The people started shouting. They asked Pilate to let one prisoner free, as he used to do.
9 Then Pilate asked, `Do you want me to let the King of the Jews go free?'
10 He knew that the chief priests did not like Jesus. He knew that was why they brought Jesus to him.
11 But the chief priests talked to the people. They told them to ask Pilate to let Barabbas go free.
12 Pilate asked them, `Then what shall I do with the man whom you call King of the Jews?'
13 They shouted back, `Nail him to a cross!'
14 Pilate then asked, `Why, what wrong thing has he done?' But they shouted even more, `Nail him to a cross!'
15 Pilate wanted to please the people, so he let Barabbas go free. He told the soldiers to beat Jesus and nail him to a cross.
16 The soldiers took Jesus to a room. They called all the soldiers together.
17 They put a red gown on Jesus. They made a big ring of thorns like a crown and put it on his head.
18 Then they began to speak to him as if he were a king. They shouted, `Greetings, King of the Jews!'
19 They hit him on the head with a stick and spat on him. They kneeled down before him as if to give him great respect.
20 When they had made fun of him, they took off the red gown and put his own clothes on him again. Then they took Jesus out of the city to nail him to a cross.
21 man was coming in from the farms. His name was Simon. He was born in the country of Cyrene. Alexander and Rufus were his sons. The soldiers caught Simon and made him carry Jesus' cross.
22 They took Jesus to Golgotha. That means the place of a head bone.
23 They wanted Jesus to drink wine mixed with something bitter. But Jesus would not drink it.
24 Then they nailed him to a cross. They gambled to see how they should divide Jesus' clothes.
25 It was nine o'clock in the morning when they nailed him on the cross.
26 They put the complaint they had against him above Jesus' head. It was, `The King of the Jews.'
27 They also nailed two bad men on crosses there. One was put on the right side of Jesus and one was put on the left side of Jesus.
28 The holy writings say, `He was counted as one of the bad people.' It came true.
29 The people who passed by said wrong things about him. They shook their heads and said, `Ha, ha! You are the man who said you could break 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 scribes also made fun of him. `He saved other people, but he cannot save himself!
32 If he is the Christ, the king of the people of Israel, he should come down from the cross now. We want to see it and believe!' The bad men who were also nailed to crosses said the same things to him.
33 About midday the whole land became dark and stayed dark for three hours.
34 About three o'clock, Jesus called out loud, `Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?' That means, `My God, my God, why have you left me alone?'
35 Some of the people standing there heard what Jesus said. They said, `Listen, he is calling for Elijah!'
36 One man ran to get something called a sponge. He made it wet with sour wine and put it on the end of a stick. With it he gave Jesus a drink. He said, `We will see if Elijah will come and take him down!'
37 Then Jesus called out loud. Then he died.
38 The big cloth that hung in the temple was torn into two pieces. It was torn from the top down to the bottom.
39 The captain who stood in front of Jesus saw that he died. He said, `Surely, this man was God's Son.'
40 Some women were watching from far away. Among these women were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of the younger James and Joses, and Salome.
41 When Jesus was in Galilee, they came with him and helped him. Some other women who had come to Jerusalem with Jesus were also watching.
42 It was now evening of the day before the Sabbath.
43 Joseph of Arimathaea was a member of the court. He was a good man. He also was looking for the kingdom of God. He was not afraid, but went to Pilate and asked him for Jesus' body.
44 Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was dead already. He called the captain and asked him if Jesus was dead.
45 The captain told him that he was. Then Pilate let Joseph take the body.
46 Joseph went to buy some cloth. Then he took Jesus down and wrapped him in the cloth. He laid him in a grave that had been cut in a rock. Then he rolled a very big stone to close the grave.
47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where they laid Jesus.
Mark 15
Evangelical Heritage Version
Jesus’ Trial in Pilate’s Court
15 As soon as it was morning, the chief priests, along with the elders, the experts in the law, and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. 2 Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
He answered him, “It is as you say.”
3 The chief priests accused him of many things. 4 Pilate questioned him again, “Are you not going to answer anything? See how many charges they are bringing against you!”
5 But Jesus still did not answer anything, so Pilate was amazed.
Barabbas or Jesus?
6 At each Festival, Pilate used to release to the people one prisoner whom they requested. 7 There was one named Barabbas, who was imprisoned with the rebels and had committed murder in the rebellion. 8 The crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do for them what he usually did.
9 Pilate replied, “Do you want me to release the King of the Jews to you?” 10 In fact, he knew that it was because of envy that the chief priests had handed him over.
11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas to them instead.
12 Again, Pilate replied to them, “Then what do you want me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?”
13 “Crucify him!” they shouted back.
14 But Pilate said to them, “Why? What has he done wrong?”
But they shouted even louder, “Crucify him!”
15 Since he wanted to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. After he had Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified.
Soldiers Mock Jesus
16 The soldiers led him away inside the palace, which is the Praetorium, and called together the whole cohort[a] of soldiers. 17 They put a purple robe on him, twisted together a crown of thorns, and put it on him. 18 The soldiers began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 They kept hitting him on the head with a reed and spitting on him. They also kneeled down to pay homage to him.
The Crucifixion
20 When they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothing on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
21 A certain man, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus), was passing by on his way in from the country. They forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. 22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha, which means, “The place of a skull.” 23 They tried to give him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 They crucified him. And they divided his garments, casting lots for them to decide what each of them would take.
25 Now it was the third hour[b] when they crucified him. 26 The superscription stating the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” 27 They also crucified two criminals with him, one on his right and one on his left.[c]
29 Those who passed by ridiculed him, shaking their heads and saying, “Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself! Come down from the cross!”
31 In the same way, the chief priests along with the experts in the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said. “He cannot save himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross so that we may see and believe!”
Those who were crucified with him also insulted him.
Jesus’ Death
33 When it was the sixth hour,[d] darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour.[e] 34 At the ninth hour Jesus shouted with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”[f]
35 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah!”
36 Someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. They said, “Leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down.”
37 Jesus cried out with a loud voice and breathed his last. 38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 When the centurion who stood facing him saw how he cried out and breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
40 There were also women watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41 When he was in Galilee, they followed him and served him. Many other women also came up with him to Jerusalem.
Jesus’ Burial
42 It was already evening, and since it was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath), 43 Joseph from Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, boldly went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate was surprised that he was already dead. He summoned the centurion and asked him if Jesus had been dead for a long time. 45 When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he granted the body to Joseph. 46 Joseph bought a linen cloth, took him down, and wrapped him in the linen cloth. He laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of rock, and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were watching where the body was laid.
Footnotes
- Mark 15:16 A Roman cohort was about six hundred soldiers.
- Mark 15:25 9 am
- Mark 15:27 Some witnesses to the text include verse 28: The Scripture was fulfilled, which says, “He was numbered with transgressors.” See Luke 22:37, where its inclusion is certain.
- Mark 15:33 Noon
- Mark 15:33 3 pm
- Mark 15:34 Psalm 22:1
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