1 E arly in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole Council, immediately held a consultation; and binding Jesus, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate.

2 P ilate questioned Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him, “ It is as you say.”

3 T he chief priests began to accuse Him harshly.

4 T hen Pilate questioned Him again, saying, “Do You not answer? See how many charges they bring against You!”

5 B ut Jesus made no further answer; so Pilate was amazed.

6 N ow at the feast he used to release for them any one prisoner whom they requested.

7 T he man named Barabbas had been imprisoned with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the insurrection.

8 T he crowd went up and began asking him to do as he had been accustomed to do for them.

9 P ilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?”

10 F or he was aware that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy.

11 B ut the chief priests stirred up the crowd to ask him to release Barabbas for them instead.

12 A nswering again, Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?”

13 T hey shouted back, “Crucify Him!”

14 B ut Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify Him!”

15 W ishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them, and after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified. Jesus Is Mocked

16 T he soldiers took Him away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium), and they called together the whole Roman cohort.

17 T hey dressed Him up in purple, and after twisting a crown of thorns, they put it on Him;

18 a nd they began to acclaim Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

19 T hey kept beating His head with a reed, and spitting on Him, and kneeling and bowing before Him.

20 A fter 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 T hey pressed into service a passer-by coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus), to bear His cross. The Crucifixion

22 T hen they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull.

23 T hey tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it.

24 A nd they crucified Him, and divided up His garments among themselves, casting lots for them to decide what each man should take.

25 I t was the third hour when they crucified Him.

26 T he inscription of the charge against Him read, “ THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

27 T hey crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left.

28 ' > And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with transgressors.”]

29 T hose passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,

30 s ave Yourself, and come down from the cross!”

31 I n the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves and saying, “ He saved others; He cannot save Himself.

32 L et this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.

33 W hen the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour.

34 A t the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “ Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani ?” which is translated, “ My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me ?”

35 W hen some of the bystanders heard it, they began saying, “Behold, He is calling for Elijah.”

36 S omeone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink, saying, “ Let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down.”

37 A nd Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last.

38 A nd the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

39 W hen the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

40 T here were also some women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Less and Joses, and Salome.

41 W hen He was in Galilee, they used to follow Him and minister to Him; and there were many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem. Jesus Is Buried

42 W hen evening had already come, because it was the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath,

43 J oseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus.

44 P ilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead.

45 A nd ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.

46 J oseph 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 M ary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were looking on to see where He was laid.