Handed Over to the Romans

15 Right at daybreak, the ruling kohanim held a meeting to consult with the elders and Torah scholars and the whole Sanhedrin. They tied up Yeshua, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate. ² Pilate interrogated Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

Yeshua answers him, “As you say.”

³ The ruling kohanim began to accuse Him of many things. ⁴ Again, Pilate asked Him, “Aren’t you going to answer? Look how many charges they’re bringing against You!” ⁵ But Yeshua did not answer, so Pilate was amazed.

⁶ Now during the feast, he used to release to them one prisoner, anyone they were asking for. ⁷ Now a man named Bar-Abba^[a] had been in jail with the rebels who had committed murder during the rebellion. ⁸ The crowd came up and began to request what he was accustomed to do for them. ⁹ But Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” ¹⁰ For he knew that out of envy the ruling kohanim had handed Him over. ¹¹ But the ruling kohanim stirred up the crowd, so he would release Bar-Abba to them instead.

¹² Then answering again, Pilate said to them, “So what do you want me to do with the One you call the King of the Jews?”

¹³ They shouted back, “Execute Him!”

¹⁴ Pilate responded, “Why? What evil has He done?”

But they shouted all the more, “Execute Him!”

¹⁵ Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Bar-Abba for them. And after he had Yeshua scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.

¹⁶ The soldiers took Him away, into the palace, the governor’s mansion called the Praetorium. And they call together the cohort^[b] of soldiers. ¹⁷ They dress Him up in purple. After braiding a crown of thorns, they put it on Him. ¹⁸ And they began to salute Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” ¹⁹ Over and over, they kept hitting Him on the head with a staff and spitting on Him; and kneeling down, they worshiped Him. ²⁰ When they finished mocking Him, they stripped the purple off Him and put His own clothes back on Him. And they led Him out to crucify Him.

Crucified as King of the Jews

²¹ Now Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was coming in from the countryside. The soldiers force this passerby to carry Yeshua’s cross-beam. ^{[c] 22} They bring Yeshua to the place called Golgotha (which is translated, Place of a Skull). ²³ They were offering Him wine mixed with myrrh, but He didn’t take it. ²⁴ Then they crucify Him and divide up His clothing among themselves, casting lots for them^[d] to see who should take what.

²⁵ Now it was the third hour^[e] when they nailed Him on the stake. ²⁶ And the inscription of the charge against Him was written above: “THE KING OF THE JEWS.” ²⁷ And with Him they execute two outlaws, one on His right and one on His left. (²⁸ )^[f]

²⁹ Those passing by were jeering at Him, shaking their heads and saying, “Ha! You who are going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days, ³⁰ save Yourself by coming down from the stake!”

³¹ Likewise the ruling kohanim, along with the Torah scholars, were also mocking Him among themselves. “He saved others,” they were saying, “but He can’t save Himself? ³² Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down now from the stake, so we may see and believe!” Even those executed with Him were ridiculing Him.

Death and Burial

³³ When the sixth hour had come, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour. ^{[g] 34} At the ninth hour Yeshua cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?”^[h] which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You abandoned Me?”^[i]

³⁵ When some of the bystanders heard it, they began saying, “Look, He’s calling for Elijah.” ³⁶ Then someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine. He put it on a stick and was offering it to Yeshua to drink, saying, “Wait, let’s see if Elijah comes to take Him down.” ³⁷ But letting out a loud cry, Yeshua breathed His last.

³⁸ Then the curtain^[j] of the Temple was split in two, from top to bottom. ³⁹ When the centurion, who was standing in front of Him, saw the way Yeshua breathed His last, he said, “This Man really was the Son of God!”

⁴⁰ There were also women watching from a distance. Among them were Miriam from Magdala, Miriam the mother of Jacob the younger and of Joses,^[k] and Salome. ⁴¹ They would follow Him and serve Him when He was in the Galilee. Many other women who had gone up together with Him to Jerusalem were there also.

⁴² Now evening had already come. Since it was the Day of Preparation, that is, the day before Shabbat, ⁴³ Joseph of Arimathea, a respected council member who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Yeshua’s body.

⁴⁴ Pilate was surprised that He was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him whether Yeshua had been dead for long. ⁴⁵ When Pilate learned this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. ⁴⁶ Joseph bought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen, and laid Him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. ⁴⁷ Miriam from Magdala and Miriam the mother of Joses were watching where Yeshua’s body was placed.