Beginning

Jesus Before Pilate^(A)

15 Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law^(B) and the whole Sanhedrin,^(C) made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.^(D)

² “Are you the king of the Jews?”^(E) asked Pilate.

“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

³ The chief priests accused him of many things. ⁴ So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.”

⁵ But Jesus still made no reply,^(F) and Pilate was amazed.

⁶ Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. ⁷ A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. ⁸ The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.

⁹ “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?”^(G) asked Pilate, ¹⁰ knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. ¹¹ But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas^(H) instead.

¹² “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them.

¹³ “Crucify him!” they shouted.

¹⁴ “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

¹⁵ Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged,^(I) and handed him over to be crucified.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus^(J)

¹⁶ The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace^(K) (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. ¹⁷ They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. ¹⁸ And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!”^{(L) 19} Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. ²⁰ And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out^(M) to crucify him.

The Crucifixion of Jesus^(N)

²¹ A certain man from Cyrene,^(O) Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus,^(P) was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.^{(Q) 22} They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). ²³ Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh,^(R) but he did not take it. ²⁴ And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots^(S) to see what each would get.

²⁵ It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. ²⁶ The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews.^(T)

²⁷ They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. ^{[28] [a] 29} Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads^(U) and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days,^{(V) 30} come down from the cross and save yourself!” ³¹ In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him^(W) among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! ³² Let this Messiah,^(X) this king of Israel,^(Y) come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

The Death of Jesus^(Z)

³³ At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.^{(AA) 34} And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).^[b](AB)

³⁵ When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”

³⁶ Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar,^(AC) put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.

³⁷ With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.^(AD)

³⁸ The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.^{(AE) 39} And when the centurion,^(AF) who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died,^[c] he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”^(AG)

⁴⁰ Some women were watching from a distance.^(AH) Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph,^[d] and Salome.^{(AI) 41} In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.^(AJ)

The Burial of Jesus^(AK)

⁴² It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath).^(AL) So as evening approached, ⁴³ Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council,^(AM) who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God,^(AN) went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. ⁴⁴ Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. ⁴⁵ When he learned from the centurion^(AO) that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. ⁴⁶ So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.^{(AP) 47} Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph^(AQ) saw where he was laid.

Jesus Has Risen^(AR)

16 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices^(AS) so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. ² Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb ³ and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”^(AT)

⁴ But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. ⁵ As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe^(AU) sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

⁶ “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene,^(AV) who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. ⁷ But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him,^(AW) just as he told you.’”^(AX)

⁸ Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.^[e]

[The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have verses 9–20.]

⁹ When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene,^(AY) out of whom he had driven seven demons. ¹⁰ She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. ¹¹ When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.^(AZ)

¹² Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country.^{(BA) 13} These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.

¹⁴ Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.^(BB)

¹⁵ He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.^{(BC) 16} Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.^{(BD) 17} And these signs^(BE) will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons;^(BF) they will speak in new tongues;^{(BG) 18} they will pick up snakes^(BH) with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on^(BI) sick people, and they will get well.”

¹⁹ After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven^(BJ) and he sat at the right hand of God.^{(BK) 20} Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs^(BL) that accompanied it.