^51 (A)And behold, ^(B)the ^[a]veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and ^(C)the earth shook and the rocks were split. ⁵² The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the ^[b]saints who had ^(D)fallen asleep were raised; ⁵³ and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered ^(E)the holy city and appeared to many. ^54 (F)Now the centurion, and those who were with him ^(G)keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw ^(H)the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was ^[c](I)the Son of God!”

^55 (J)Many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while ^[d](K)ministering to Him. ⁵⁶ Among them was ^(L)Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and ^(M)the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

Death Plot and Anointing

14 ^(A)Now ^(B)the Passover and Unleavened Bread were two days away; and the chief priests and the scribes ^(C)were seeking how to seize Him by stealth and kill Him; ² for they were saying, “Not during the festival, otherwise there might be a riot of the people.”

^3 (D)While He was in ^(E)Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very ^(F)costly perfume of pure ^[a]nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head. ⁴ But some were indignantly remarking to one another, “Why has this perfume been wasted? ⁵ For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred ^[b]denarii, and the money given to the poor.” And they were scolding her. ⁶ But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me. ⁷ For you always have ^(G)the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me. ⁸ She has done what she could; ^(H)she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial. ⁹ Truly I say to you, ^(I)wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”

^10 (J)Then Judas Iscariot, ^(K)who was one of the twelve, went off to the chief priests in order to ^[c]betray Him to them. ¹¹ They were glad when they heard this, and promised to give him money. And he began seeking how to betray Him at an opportune time.

The Last Passover

^12 (L)On the first day of ^(M)Unleavened Bread, when ^[d]the Passover lamb was being ^(N)sacrificed, His disciples *said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare for You to eat the Passover?” ¹³ And He *sent two of His disciples and *said to them, “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him; ¹⁴ and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is My ^(O)guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ ¹⁵ And he himself will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; prepare for us there.” ¹⁶ The disciples went out and came to the city, and found it just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.

^17 (P)When it was evening He *came with the twelve. ¹⁸ As they were reclining at the table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly I say to you that one of you will ^[e]betray Me—^[f]one who is eating with Me.” ¹⁹ They began to be grieved and to say to Him one by one, “Surely not I?” ²⁰ And He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, ^[g]one who dips with Me in the bowl. ²¹ For the Son of Man is to go just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man ^[h]by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good ^[i]for that man if he had not been born.”

The Lord’s Supper

^22 (Q)While they were eating, He took some bread, and ^[j]after a ^(R)blessing He broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is My body.” ²³ And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. ²⁴ And He said to them, “This is My ^(S)blood of the ^(T)covenant, which is poured out for many. ²⁵ Truly I say to you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

^26 (U)After singing a hymn, they went out to ^(V)the Mount of Olives.

^27 (W)And Jesus *said to them, “You will all ^[k]fall away, because it is written, ‘^(X)I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.’ ²⁸ But after I have been raised, ^(Y)I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” ²⁹ But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may ^[l]fall away, yet I will not.” ³⁰ And Jesus *said to him, “Truly I say to you, that ^[m](Z)this very night, before ^(AA)a rooster crows twice, you yourself will deny Me three times.” ³¹ But Peter kept saying insistently, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And they all were saying the same thing also.

Jesus in Gethsemane

^32 (AB)They *came to a place named Gethsemane; and He *said to His disciples, “Sit here until I have prayed.” ³³ And He *took with Him Peter and ^[n]James and John, and began to be very ^(AC)distressed and troubled. ³⁴ And He *said to them, “^(AD)My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch.” ³⁵ And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, ^(AE)the hour might ^[o]pass Him by. ³⁶ And He was saying, “^(AF)Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; ^(AG)yet not what I will, but what You will.” ³⁷ And He *came and *found them sleeping, and *said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? ^38 (AH)Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ³⁹ Again He went away and prayed, saying the same ^[p]words. ⁴⁰ And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him. ⁴¹ And He *came the third time, and *said to them, “^[q]Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough; ^(AI)the hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being ^[r]betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴² Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!”

Betrayal and Arrest

^43 (AJ)Immediately while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, *came up ^[s]accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs, who were from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. ⁴⁴ Now he who was betraying Him had given them a signal, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him and lead Him away ^[t]under guard.” ⁴⁵ After coming, Judas immediately went to Him, saying, “^(AK)Rabbi!” and kissed Him. ⁴⁶ They laid hands on Him and seized Him. ⁴⁷ But one of those who stood by drew his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and ^[u]cut off his ear. ⁴⁸ And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me, as you would against a robber? ⁴⁹ Every day I was with you ^(AL)in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me; but this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures.” ⁵⁰ And they all left Him and fled.

⁵¹ A young man was following Him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body; and they *seized him. ⁵² But he ^[v]pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped naked.

Jesus before His Accusers

^53 (AM)They led Jesus away to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes *gathered together. ⁵⁴ Peter had followed Him at a distance, ^(AN)right into ^(AO)the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the ^[w]officers and ^(AP)warming himself at the ^[x]fire. ⁵⁵ Now the chief priests and the whole ^[y](AQ)Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and they were not finding any. ⁵⁶ For many were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimony was not consistent. ⁵⁷ Some stood up and began to give false testimony against Him, saying, ⁵⁸ “We heard Him say, ‘^(AR)I will destroy this ^[z]temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.’” ⁵⁹ Not even in this respect was their testimony consistent. ⁶⁰ The high priest stood up and came forward and questioned Jesus, saying, “Do You not answer? ^[aa]What is it that these men are testifying against You?” ^61 (AS)But He kept silent and did not answer. ^(AT)Again the high priest was questioning Him, and ^[ab]saying to Him, “Are You ^[ac]the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” ⁶² And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see ^(AU)the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and ^(AV)coming with the clouds of heaven.” ^63 (AW)Tearing his clothes, the high priest *said, “What further need do we have of witnesses? ⁶⁴ You have heard the ^(AX)blasphemy; how does it seem to you?” And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death. ⁶⁵ Some began to ^(AY)spit at Him, and ^[ad](AZ)to blindfold Him, and to beat Him with their fists, and to say to Him, “^(BA)Prophesy!” And the officers ^[ae]received Him with ^[af]slaps in the face.

Peter’s Denials

^66 (BB)As Peter was below in ^(BC)the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest *came, ⁶⁷ and seeing Peter ^(BD)warming himself, she looked at him and *said, “You also were with Jesus the ^(BE)Nazarene.” ⁶⁸ But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are talking about.” And he ^(BF)went out onto the ^[ag]porch.^{[ah] 69} The servant-girl saw him, and began once more to say to the bystanders, “This is one of them!” ⁷⁰ But again ^(BG)he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders were again saying to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, ^(BH)for you are a Galilean too.” ⁷¹ But he began to ^[ai]curse and swear, “I do not know this man you are talking about!” ⁷² Immediately a rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had made the remark to him, “Before ^(BI)a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” ^[aj]And he began to weep.

Jesus before Pilate

15 ^(BJ)Early in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole ^[ak](BK)Council, immediately held a consultation; and binding Jesus, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate. ^2 (BL)Pilate questioned Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He *answered him, “It is as you say.” ³ The chief priests began to accuse Him ^[al]harshly. ⁴ Then Pilate questioned Him again, saying, “Do You not answer? See how many charges they bring against You!” ⁵ But Jesus ^(BM)made no further answer; so Pilate was amazed.

^6 (BN)Now at the feast he used to release for them any one prisoner whom they requested. ⁷ The man named Barabbas had been imprisoned with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the insurrection. ⁸ The crowd went up and began asking him 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 ^(BO)to ask him to release Barabbas for them instead. ¹² Answering again, Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?” ¹³ They shouted ^[am]back, “Crucify Him!” ¹⁴ But Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify Him!” ¹⁵ Wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them, and after having Jesus ^(BP)scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.

Jesus Is Mocked

^16 (BQ)The soldiers took Him away into ^(BR)the ^[an]palace (that is, the Praetorium), and they *called together the whole Roman ^[ao](BS)cohort. ¹⁷ They *dressed Him up in purple, and after twisting a crown of thorns, they put it on Him; ¹⁸ and they began to acclaim Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” ¹⁹ They kept beating His head with a ^[ap]reed, and spitting on Him, and kneeling and bowing before Him. ²⁰ After they had mocked Him, they took the purple robe off Him and put His own garments on Him. And they *led Him out to crucify Him.

^21 (BT)They *pressed into service a passer-by coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and ^(BU)Rufus), to bear His cross.

The Crucifixion

^22 (BV)Then they *brought Him to the place ^(BW)Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. ²³ They tried to give Him ^(BX)wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it. ²⁴ And they *crucified Him, and *^(BY)divided up His garments among themselves, casting ^[aq]lots for them to decide ^[ar]what each man should take. ²⁵ It was the ^[as](BZ)third hour ^[at]when they crucified Him. ²⁶ The inscription of the charge against Him ^[au]read, “^(CA)THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

²⁷ They *crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left. ²⁸ [^[av]And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with transgressors.”] ²⁹ Those passing by were ^[aw]hurling abuse at Him, ^(CB)wagging their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who are going to ^(CC)destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, ³⁰ save Yourself, and come down from the cross!” ³¹ In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves and saying, “^(CD)He saved others; ^[ax]He cannot save Himself. ³² Let this Christ, ^(CE)the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” ^(CF)Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.

^33 (CG)When the ^[ay](CH)sixth hour came, darkness ^[az]fell over the whole land until the ^[ba](CI)ninth hour. ³⁴ At the ^(CJ)ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “^(CK)Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” ³⁵ When some of the bystanders heard it, they began saying, “Behold, He is calling for Elijah.” ³⁶ Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink, saying, “^[bb]Let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down.” ^37 (CL)And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last. ^38 (CM)And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. ^39 (CN)When the centurion, who was standing ^[bc]right in front of Him, saw ^[bd]the way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was ^[be]the Son of God!”

^40 (CO)There were also some women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of ^[bf]James ^(CP)the ^[bg]Less and Joses, and ^(CQ)Salome. ⁴¹ When He was in Galilee, they used to follow Him and ^[bh](CR)minister to Him; and there were many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.

Jesus Is Buried

^42 (CS)When evening had already come, because it was ^(CT)the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, ⁴³ Joseph of Arimathea came, a ^(CU)prominent member of the Council, who himself was ^(CV)waiting for the kingdom of God; and he ^(CW)gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. ⁴⁴ 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 ascertaining this from ^(CX)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 hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. ^47 (CY)Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were looking on to see where He was laid.

Preparing the Passover

22 ^(A)Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the ^(B)Passover, was approaching. ² The chief priests and the scribes ^(C)were seeking how they might put Him to death; for they were afraid of the people.

^3 (D)And ^(E)Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, ^[a]belonging to the number of the twelve. ⁴ And he went away and discussed with the chief priests and ^(F)officers how he might betray Him to them. ⁵ They were glad and agreed to give him money. ⁶ So he consented, and began seeking a good opportunity to betray Him to them ^[b]apart from the crowd.

^7 (G)Then came the first day of Unleavened Bread on which ^(H)the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. ⁸ And Jesus sent ^(I)Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, so that we may eat it.” ⁹ They said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare it?” ¹⁰ And He said to them, “When you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house that he enters. ¹¹ And you shall say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ ¹² And he will show you a large, furnished upper room; prepare it there.” ¹³ And they left and found everything just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.

The Lord’s Supper

^14 (J)When the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and ^(K)the apostles with Him. ¹⁵ And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; ¹⁶ for I say to you, I shall never again eat it ^(L)until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” ^17 (M)And when He had taken a cup and ^(N)given thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves; ¹⁸ for ^(O)I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.” ¹⁹ And when He had taken some bread and ^(P)given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” ²⁰ And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is ^(Q)poured out for you is the ^(R)new covenant in My blood. ^21 (S)But behold, the hand of the one betraying Me is with ^[c]Mine on the table. ²² For indeed, the Son of Man is going ^(T)as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!” ²³ And they began to discuss among themselves which one of them it might be who was going to do this thing.

Who Is Greatest

²⁴ And there arose also ^(U)a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest. ^25 (V)And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ ²⁶ But it is not this way with you, ^(W)but the one who is the greatest among you must become like ^(X)the youngest, and the leader like the servant. ²⁷ For ^(Y)who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But ^(Z)I am among you as the one who serves.

²⁸ “You are those who have stood by Me in My ^(AA)trials; ²⁹ and just as My Father has granted Me a ^(AB)kingdom, I grant you ³⁰ that you may ^(AC)eat and drink at My table in My ^(AD)kingdom, and ^(AE)you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

³¹ “Simon, Simon, behold, ^(AF)Satan has ^[d]demanded permission to ^(AG)sift you like wheat; ³² but I ^(AH)have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, ^(AI)strengthen your brothers.” ^33 (AJ)But he said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!” ³⁴ And He said, “I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.”

³⁵ And He said to them, “^(AK)When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?” They said, “No, nothing.” ³⁶ And He said to them, “But now, ^[e]whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and ^[f]whoever has no sword is to sell his ^[g]coat and buy one. ³⁷ For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me, ‘^(AL)And He was numbered with transgressors’; for ^(AM)that which refers to Me has its ^[h]fulfillment.” ³⁸ They said, “Lord, look, here are two ^(AN)swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.”

The Garden of Gethsemane

^39 (AO)And He came out and proceeded ^(AP)as was His custom to ^(AQ)the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. ^40 (AR)When He arrived at the place, He said to them, “^(AS)Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” ⁴¹ And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He ^(AT)knelt down and began to pray, ⁴² saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this ^(AU)cup from Me; ^(AV)yet not My will, but Yours be done.” ^43 [i]Now an ^(AW)angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. ⁴⁴ And ^(AX)being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground. ⁴⁵ When He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow, ⁴⁶ and said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and ^(AY)pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

Jesus Betrayed by Judas

^47 (AZ)While He was still speaking, behold, a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was preceding them; and he approached Jesus to kiss Him. ⁴⁸ But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” ⁴⁹ When those who were around Him saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the ^(BA)sword?” ⁵⁰ And one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. ⁵¹ But Jesus answered and said, “^[j]Stop! No more of this.” And He touched his ear and healed him. ⁵² Then Jesus said to the chief priests and ^(BB)officers of the temple and elders who had come against Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs ^(BC)as you would against a robber? ⁵³ While I was with you daily in the temple, you did not lay hands on Me; but ^[k]this hour and the power of darkness are yours.”

Jesus’ Arrest

^54 (BD)Having arrested Him, they led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but ^(BE)Peter was following at a distance. ^55 (BF)After they had kindled a fire in the middle of ^(BG)the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter was sitting among them. ⁵⁶ And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, “This man was with Him too.” ⁵⁷ But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.” ⁵⁸ A little later, ^(BH)another saw him and said, “You are one of them too!” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” ⁵⁹ After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, “Certainly this man also was with Him, ^(BI)for he is a Galilean too.” ⁶⁰ But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. ^61 (BJ)The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “^(BK)Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” ⁶² And he went out and wept bitterly.

^63 (BL)Now the men who were holding ^[l]Jesus in custody were mocking Him and beating Him, ⁶⁴ and they blindfolded Him and were asking Him, saying, “^(BM)Prophesy, who is the one who hit You?” ⁶⁵ And they were saying many other things against Him, ^(BN)blaspheming.

Jesus before the Sanhedrin

^66 (BO)When it was day, ^(BP)the ^[m]Council of elders of the people assembled, both chief priests and scribes, and they led Him away to their ^(BQ)council chamber, saying, ⁶⁷ “^(BR)If You are the ^[n]Christ, tell us.” But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe; ⁶⁸ and if I ask a question, you will not answer. ^69 (BS)But from now on ^(BT)the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” ⁷⁰ And they all said, “Are You ^(BU)the Son of God, then?” And He said to them, “^[o](BV)Yes, I am.” ⁷¹ Then they said, “What further need do we have of testimony? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth.”

Jesus before Pilate

23 Then the whole body of them got up and ^(BW)brought Him before Pilate. ^2 (BX)And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this man ^(BY)misleading our nation and ^(BZ)forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is ^[p]Christ, a King.” ³ So Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him and said, “^(CA)It is as you say.” ⁴ Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “^(CB)I find no guilt in this man.” ⁵ But they kept on insisting, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching all over Judea, ^(CC)starting from Galilee even as far as this place.”

⁶ When Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. ⁷ And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to ^(CD)Herod, who himself also was in Jerusalem ^[q]at that time.

Jesus before Herod

⁸ Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for ^(CE)he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some ^[r]sign performed by Him. ⁹ And he questioned Him ^[s]at some length; but ^(CF)He answered him nothing. ¹⁰ And the chief priests and the scribes were standing there, accusing Him vehemently. ¹¹ And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, ^(CG)dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate. ¹² Now ^(CH)Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been enemies with each other.

Pilate Seeks Jesus’ Release

¹³ Pilate summoned the chief priests and the ^(CI)rulers and the people, ¹⁴ and said to them, “You brought this man to me as one who ^(CJ)incites the people to rebellion, and behold, having examined Him before you, I ^(CK)have found no guilt in this man regarding the charges which you make against Him. ¹⁵ No, nor has ^(CL)Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and behold, nothing deserving death has been done by Him. ¹⁶ Therefore I will ^(CM)punish Him and release Him.” ¹⁷ [^[t]Now he was obliged to release to them at the feast one prisoner.]

¹⁸ But they cried out all together, saying, “^(CN)Away with this man, and release for us Barabbas!” ¹⁹ (He was one who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection made in the city, and for murder.) ²⁰ Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again, ²¹ but they kept on calling out, saying, “Crucify, crucify Him!” ²² And he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has this man done? I have found in Him no guilt demanding death; therefore I will ^(CO)punish Him and release Him.” ²³ But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail. ²⁴ And Pilate pronounced sentence that their demand be granted. ²⁵ And he released the man they were asking for who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, but he delivered Jesus to their will.

Simon Bears the Cross

^26 (CP)When they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of ^(CQ)Cyrene, coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.

²⁷ And following Him was a large crowd of the people, and of women who were ^[u](CR)mourning and lamenting Him. ²⁸ But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. ²⁹ For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘^(CS)Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ ³⁰ Then they will begin to ^(CT)say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ ³¹ For if they do these things ^[v]when the tree is green, what will happen ^[w]when it is dry?”

^32 (CU)Two others also, who were criminals, were being led away to be put to death with Him.

The Crucifixion

^33 (CV)When they came to the place called ^[x]The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. ^34 [y]But Jesus was saying, “^(CW)Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” ^(CX)And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves. ³⁵ And the people stood by, looking on. And even the ^(CY)rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; ^(CZ)let Him save Himself if this is the ^[z]Christ of God, His Chosen One.” ³⁶ The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, ^(DA)offering Him sour wine, ³⁷ and saying, “^(DB)If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!” ³⁸ Now there was also an inscription above Him, “^(DC)THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

^39 (DD)One of the criminals who were hanged there was ^[aa]hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the ^[ab]Christ? ^(DE)Save Yourself and us!” ⁴⁰ But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹ And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving ^[ac]what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come ^[ad]in Your kingdom!” ⁴³ And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in ^(DF)Paradise.”

^44 (DG)It was now about ^[ae](DH)the sixth hour, and darkness ^[af]fell over the whole land until ^[ag]the ninth hour, ^45 [ah]because the sun was obscured; and ^(DI)the veil of the temple was torn ^[ai]in two. ⁴⁶ And Jesus, ^(DJ)crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, ^(DK)into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last. ^47 (DL)Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began ^(DM)praising God, saying, “Certainly this man was ^[aj]innocent.” ⁴⁸ And all the crowds who came together for this spectacle, when they observed what had happened, began to return, ^[ak](DN)beating their breasts. ^49 (DO)And all His acquaintances and ^(DP)the women who accompanied Him from Galilee were standing at a distance, seeing these things.

Jesus Is Buried

^50 (DQ)And a man named Joseph, who was a ^(DR)member of the Council, a good and righteous man ⁵¹ (he had not consented to their plan and action), a man from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who was ^(DS)waiting for the kingdom of God; ⁵² this man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. ⁵³ And he took it down and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had ever lain. ⁵⁴ It was ^(DT)the ^[al]preparation day, and the Sabbath was about to ^[am]begin. ⁵⁵ Now ^(DU)the women who had come with Him out of Galilee followed, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid. ⁵⁶ Then they returned and ^(DV)prepared spices and perfumes.

And ^(DW)on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

Judas Betrays Jesus

18 When Jesus had spoken these words, ^(A)He went forth with His disciples over ^(B)the ^[a]ravine of the Kidron, where there was ^(C)a garden, in which He entered ^[b]with His disciples. ² Now Judas also, who was ^[c]betraying Him, knew the place, for Jesus had ^(D)often met there with His disciples. ^3 (E)Judas then, having received ^(F)the Roman ^[d]cohort and ^(G)officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, *came there with lanterns and ^(H)torches and weapons. ⁴ So Jesus, ^(I)knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and *said to them, “^(J)Whom do you seek?” ⁵ They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He *said to them, “I am He.” And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. ⁶ So when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. ⁷ Therefore He again asked them, “^(K)Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” ⁸ Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way,” ⁹ to fulfill the word which He spoke, “^(L)Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one.” ¹⁰ Simon Peter then, ^(M)having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave’s name was Malchus. ¹¹ So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; ^(N)the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?”

Jesus before the Priests

^12 (O)So ^(P)the Roman ^[e]cohort and the ^[f]commander and the ^(Q)officers of the Jews, arrested Jesus and bound Him, ¹³ and led Him to ^(R)Annas first; for he was father-in-law of ^(S)Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. ¹⁴ Now Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that ^(T)it was expedient for one man to die on behalf of the people.

^15 (U)Simon Peter was following Jesus, and so was another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and entered with Jesus into ^(V)the court of the high priest, ^16 (W)but Peter was standing at the door outside. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in. ^17 (X)Then the slave-girl who kept the door *said to Peter, “^(Y)You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He *said, “I am not.” ¹⁸ Now the slaves and the ^(Z)officers were standing there, having made ^(AA)a charcoal fire, for it was cold and they were ^(AB)warming themselves; and Peter was also with them, standing and warming himself.

^19 (AC)The high priest then questioned Jesus about His disciples, and about His teaching. ²⁰ Jesus answered him, “I ^(AD)have spoken openly to the world; I always ^(AE)taught in ^[g]synagogues and ^(AF)in the temple, where all the Jews come together; and I spoke nothing in secret. ²¹ Why do you question Me? Question those who have heard what I spoke to them; they know what I said.” ²² When He had said this, one of the ^(AG)officers standing nearby ^(AH)struck Jesus, saying, “Is that the way You answer the high priest?” ^23 (AI)Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify of the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike Me?” ^24 (AJ)So Annas sent Him bound to ^(AK)Caiaphas the high priest.

Peter’s Denial of Jesus

^25 (AL)Now ^(AM)Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “^(AN)You are not also one of His disciples, are you?” He denied it, and said, “I am not.” ²⁶ One of the slaves of the high priest, being a relative of the one ^(AO)whose ear Peter cut off, *said, “Did I not see you in ^(AP)the garden with Him?” ²⁷ Peter then denied it again, and immediately ^(AQ)a rooster crowed.

Jesus before Pilate

^28 (AR)Then they *led Jesus from ^(AS)Caiaphas into ^(AT)the ^[h]Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into ^(AU)the ^[i]Praetorium so that ^(AV)they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover. ^29 (AW)Therefore Pilate went out to them and *said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?” ³⁰ They answered and said to him, “If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you.” ³¹ So Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law.” The Jews said to him, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death,” ³² to fulfill ^(AX)the word of Jesus which He spoke, signifying by what kind of death He was about to die.

³³ Therefore Pilate ^(AY)entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “^(AZ)Are You the King of the Jews?” ³⁴ Jesus answered, “Are you saying this ^[j]on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?” ³⁵ Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?” ³⁶ Jesus answered, “^(BA)My kingdom ^[k]is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not ^[l]of this realm.” ³⁷ Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “^(BB)You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, ^(BC)to testify to the truth. ^(BD)Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” ³⁸ Pilate *said to Him, “What is truth?”

And when he had said this, he ^(BE)went out again to the Jews and *said to them, “^(BF)I find no guilt in Him. ^39 (BG)But you have a custom that I release someone ^[m]for you at the Passover; do you wish then that I release ^[n]for you the King of the Jews?” ⁴⁰ So they cried out again, saying, “^(BH)Not this Man, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a robber.

The Crown of Thorns

19 Pilate then took Jesus and ^[o](BI)scourged Him. ^2 (BJ)And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe on Him; ³ and they began to come up to Him and say, “^(BK)Hail, King of the Jews!” and to ^(BL)give Him slaps in the face. ⁴ Pilate ^(BM)came out again and *said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that ^(BN)I find no guilt in Him.” ⁵ Jesus then came out, ^(BO)wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate *said to them, “Behold, the Man!” ⁶ So when the chief priests and the ^(BP)officers saw Him, they cried out saying, “Crucify, crucify!” Pilate *said to them, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for ^(BQ)I find no guilt in Him.” ⁷ The Jews answered him, “^(BR)We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He ^(BS)made Himself out to be the Son of God.”

⁸ Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid; ⁹ and he ^(BT)entered into the ^[p]Praetorium again and *said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But ^(BU)Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰ So Pilate *said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?” ¹¹ Jesus answered, “^(BV)You would have no authority ^[q]over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason ^(BW)he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” ¹² As a result of this Pilate ^[r]made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, “^(BX)If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king ^[s]opposes Caesar.”

¹³ Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and ^(BY)sat down on the judgment seat at a place called ^[t]The Pavement, but ^(BZ)in ^[u]Hebrew, Gabbatha. ¹⁴ Now it was ^(CA)the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the ^[v](CB)sixth hour. And he *said to the Jews, “Behold, ^(CC)your King!” ¹⁵ So they cried out, “^(CD)Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” Pilate *said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”

The Crucifixion

¹⁶ So he then ^(CE)handed Him over to them to be crucified.

^17 (CF)They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, ^[w](CG)bearing His own cross, to the place called ^(CH)the Place of a Skull, which is called ^(CI)in ^[x]Hebrew, Golgotha. ¹⁸ There they crucified Him, and with Him ^(CJ)two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between. ¹⁹ Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written, “^(CK)JESUS THE NAZARENE, ^(CL)THE KING OF THE JEWS.” ²⁰ Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written ^(CM)in ^[y]Hebrew, Latin and in Greek. ²¹ So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘^(CN)The King of the Jews’; but that He said, ‘I am ^(CO)King of the Jews.’” ²² Pilate answered, “^(CP)What I have written I have written.”

²³ Then ^(CQ)the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made ^(CR)four parts, a part to every soldier and also the ^[z]tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven ^[aa]in one piece. ²⁴ So they said to one another, “^(CS)Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be”; ^(CT)this was to fulfill the Scripture: “They ^(CU)divided My outer garments among them, and for My clothing they cast ^[ab]lots.” ²⁵ Therefore the soldiers did these things.

^(CV)But standing by the cross of Jesus were ^(CW)His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and ^(CX)Mary Magdalene. ²⁶ When Jesus then saw His mother, and ^(CY)the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He *said to His mother, “^(CZ)Woman, behold, your son!” ²⁷ Then He *said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into ^(DA)his own household.

²⁸ After this, Jesus, ^(DB)knowing that all things had already been accomplished, ^(DC)to fulfill the Scripture, *said, “^(DD)I am thirsty.” ²⁹ A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so ^(DE)they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. ³⁰ Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “^(DF)It is finished!” And He bowed His head and ^(DG)gave up His spirit.

Care of the Body of Jesus

³¹ Then the Jews, because it was ^(DH)the day of preparation, so that ^(DI)the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (^[ac]for that Sabbath was a ^(DJ)high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. ³² So the soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first man and of the other who was ^(DK)crucified with Him; ³³ but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. ³⁴ But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately ^(DL)blood and water came out. ³⁵ And he who has seen has ^(DM)testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe. ³⁶ For these things came to pass ^(DN)to fulfill the Scripture, “^(DO)Not a bone of Him shall be ^[ad]broken.” ³⁷ And again another Scripture says, “^(DP)They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”

^38 (DQ)After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a ^(DR)secret one for ^(DS)fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body. ^39 (DT)Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, ^(DU)bringing a ^[ae]mixture of ^(DV)myrrh and aloes, about a ^(DW)hundred ^[af]pounds weight. ⁴⁰ So they took the body of Jesus and ^(DX)bound it in ^(DY)linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. ⁴¹ Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a ^(DZ)new tomb ^(EA)in which no one had yet been laid. ⁴² Therefore because of the Jewish day of ^(EB)preparation, since the tomb was ^(EC)nearby, they laid Jesus there.