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Jesus before Pilate

^1 (C1)Early in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole ^(F1)(C2)Council, immediately held a consultation; and binding Jesus, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate.^2 (C1)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 ^(F1)harshly.⁴ Then Pilate questioned Him again, saying, "Do You not answer? See how many charges they bring against You!"⁵ But Jesus ^(C1)made no further answer; so Pilate was amazed.

^6 (C1)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 ^(C1)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 ^(F1)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 ^(C1)scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.

Jesus Is Mocked

^16 (C1)The soldiers took Him away into ^(C2)the ^(F1)palace (that is, the Praetorium), and they ^(*)called together the whole Roman ^(F2)(C3)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 ^(F1)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 (C1)They ^(*)pressed into service a passer-by coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and ^(C2)Rufus), to bear His cross.

The Crucifixion

^22 (C1)Then they ^(*)brought Him to the place ^(C2)Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull.²³ They tried to give Him ^(C1)wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it.²⁴ And they ^(*)crucified Him, and ^(*)(C1)divided up His garments among themselves, casting ^(F1)lots for them to decide ^(F2)what each man should take.²⁵ It was the ^(F1)(C1)third hour ^(F2)when they crucified Him.²⁶ The inscription of the charge against Him ^(F1)read, "^(C1)THE KING OF THE JEWS."

²⁷ They ^(*)crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left.²⁸ [^(F1)And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And He was numbered with transgressors."]²⁹ Those passing by were ^(F1)hurling abuse at Him, ^(C1)wagging their heads, and saying, "Ha! You who are going to ^(C2)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, "^(C1)He saved others; ^(F1)He cannot save Himself.³² "Let this Christ, ^(C1)the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!" ^(C2)Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.

^33 (C1)When the ^(F1)(C2)sixth hour came, darkness ^(F2)fell over the whole land until the ^(F3)(C2)ninth hour.³⁴ At the ^(C1)ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "^(C2)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, "^(F1)Let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down."^37 (C1)And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last.^38 (C1)And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.^39 (C1)When the centurion, who was standing ^(F1)right in front of Him, saw ^(F2)the way He breathed His last, he said, "Truly this man was ^(F3)the Son of God!"

^40 (C1)There were also some women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of ^(F1)James ^(C2)the ^(F2)Less and Joses, and ^(C3)Salome.⁴¹ When He was in Galilee, they used to follow Him and ^(F1)(C1)minister to Him; and there were many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.

Jesus Is Buried

^42 (C1)When evening had already come, because it was ^(C2)the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath,⁴³ Joseph of Arimathea came, a ^(C1)prominent member of the Council, who himself was ^(C2)waiting for the kingdom of God; and he ^(C3)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 ^(C1)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 (C1)Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were looking on to see where He was laid.