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Pilate asks Jesus questions

15 Very early the next morning, all the Jewish leaders met together. The leaders of the priests met with the leaders, the teachers of God's Law, and the other important Jews. They decided what they would do. They tied Jesus' hands and feet and they took him to Pilate's house. They put him under Pilate's authority. [ a ]

2 Pilate asked Jesus, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’

Jesus replied, ‘You have said it.’

3 Then the leaders of the priests told Pilate that Jesus had done many bad things. 4 So Pilate asked him again, ‘What is your answer? You should say something! Listen! They are saying that you have done many bad things.’

5 But Jesus still did not reply to what the men were saying against him. Pilate was very surprised about that.

6 During the Passover festival each year, Pilate let one person go free out of the prison. The people had to ask him for the person that they wanted. 7 A man called Barabbas was in the prison at that time. He and some other men had fought against the Roman rulers. And they had killed someone when they were fighting. 8 The crowd came to Pilate. They asked him to do what he usually did at this time.

9 Pilate asked the people, ‘Do you want me to let the king of the Jews go free?’ 10 Pilate knew why the leaders of the priests had brought Jesus to him. They were jealous because people liked Jesus so much. 11 But the leaders of the priests talked strongly to the people. They said, ‘Ask Pilate to let Barabbas go free instead of Jesus.’

12 Pilate asked the crowd again, ‘So what should I do to Jesus? He is the man that you call “the king of the Jews”.’

13 The people shouted back to Pilate: ‘Kill him on a cross!’

14 ‘Why should I kill him?’ Pilate asked. ‘What bad things has he done?’

But the people shouted even louder, ‘Kill him on a cross!’

15 Pilate decided to do what the crowd wanted. [ b ] So he let Barabbas go free. He said to his soldiers, ‘Hit Jesus many times with a whip. [ c ] Then take him and fix him on a cross to die.’

16 So the soldiers took Jesus to the yard at the ruler's house. They told all the soldiers in their group to come there. 17 Then they put a dark red coat on Jesus. They used some branches with thorns to make a crown for him. [ d ] They put it on his head.

18 Then the soldiers began to laugh at Jesus. They said, ‘Hello, King of the Jews, you are great!’ 19 They took a stick and they hit him on the head with it many times. They spat on him. Then they went down on their knees in front of him. They told him how great he was. 20 When they had stopped laughing at him, they took the dark red coat off him. They put his own clothes back on him. Then they took him away to the place where they would kill him on a cross.

The soldiers put Jesus on a cross

21 When the soldiers were taking Jesus out to that place, a man called Simon was there. He was coming in from outside the city. He was from the city of Cyrene, and he was the father of Alexander and Rufus. The soldiers told Simon that he must carry Jesus' cross. 22 The soldiers took Jesus to a place that is called Golgotha. (Golgotha means ‘the place of a skull’.) [ e ]

23 They tried to give Jesus some wine to drink. They had mixed some medicine called myrrh into the wine. But Jesus would not drink it. 24 Then the soldiers fixed Jesus onto the cross. They took his clothes for themselves. They played a game to decide which soldier would receive each of his clothes.

25 It was about nine o'clock in the morning when the soldiers fixed Jesus to the cross. 26 They put a notice there to show the reason why they were killing him. It said, ‘The King of the Jews’. 27 They also put two robbers on crosses near to Jesus. One robber was on Jesus' right side. The other robber was on his left side. 28 [The Bible says that this would happen. [ f ] It says, ‘People thought of him as someone who did not obey God's Law.’] [ g ]

29 The people who walked near there insulted Jesus. They laughed at him and they said, ‘Oh! You said that you would destroy the temple. And you said that in three days you would build it again. 30 If you can really do that, save yourself. Come down from the cross!’

31 The leaders of the priests and the teachers of God's Law laughed at him. They said to each other, ‘This man saved other people, did he? But he cannot save his own life! 32 If he is the Messiah, the king of Israel, he should come down from the cross now. Then we would see it and we would believe in him.’ The two men who were on the crosses next to Jesus also insulted him.

Jesus dies

33 At midday, the whole country became dark for three hours. 34 At three o'clock in the afternoon, Jesus shouted loudly, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ That means, ‘My God, my God, why have you left me alone?’

35 Some people who were standing near there heard him. They said to each other, ‘Look! He is shouting to Elijah.’

36 One man ran to get a piece of cloth. He poured cheap wine on it, and he put it on the end of a stick. Then he lifted it up to Jesus so that he could drink the wine from it. The man said, ‘Wait! Now we will see if Elijah comes to take him down from the cross.’

37 Then Jesus shouted loudly, and after that he died.

38 And the curtain inside the temple completely tore into two parts from the top down to the bottom. [ h ]

39 The captain of the soldiers was standing there in front of Jesus. [ i ] He saw how Jesus died. ‘It must be true!’ he said. ‘This man really was the Son of God.’

40 Some women were also there. They were watching these events from a long way away. Mary from Magdala was one of the women. Mary the mother of the younger James and Joses was also there. Salome was there too. 41 These women had travelled with Jesus when he was in Galilee and they had helped him. Many other women were also there near the cross. They had come to Jerusalem with Jesus.

Joseph buries Jesus' dead body

42 It was Friday and the Jews were preparing for their day of rest on the Sabbath. 43 That evening, a man called Joseph went to see Pilate. Joseph was from a town called Arimathea. He was a good man and he was one of the group of important Jewish leaders. He was waiting for the time when God would start to rule his people in his kingdom. Joseph bravely asked Pilate for the dead body of Jesus to bury it. 44 Pilate was surprised that Jesus had already died. He asked the captain of the soldiers to come to him. He asked him if Jesus had already died. 45 The captain told Pilate that Jesus was already dead. So then Pilate let Joseph go and take Jesus' dead body. 46 Joseph bought a piece of linen cloth. He took Jesus' body down from the cross and he put the cloth around it. Then he put the body in a large hole in a rock. People had made that hole to put dead bodies in. After this, Joseph rolled a big stone across the front of the hole to shut it.

47 Mary from Magdala and Mary the mother of Joses were watching. They saw where Joseph had put Jesus' dead body.

Footnotes

  1. 15:1 Pilate ruled Jerusalem on behalf of the Roman government.
  2. 15:15 Pilate was afraid that the crowd would start to fight. So he did what they had asked him to do. He wanted them to be happy.
  3. 15:15 People with authority used a whip to punish someone who had done something wrong. It had long narrow pieces of leather. And there were pieces of metal on the ends of them.
  4. 15:17 A crown is usually a special hat that a king wears. But this crown had sharp bits and it was painful for Jesus to wear it. The dark red coat was also like the coat that a king wore. The soldiers did not believe that Jesus was really a king.
  5. 15:22 The skull is the bone inside the head. Golgotha was the place where the Roman soldiers killed robbers.
  6. 15:28 See Isaiah 53:12 .
  7. 15:28 Verse 28 is not in many old copies of Mark's book.
  8. 15:38 The curtain was in front of the special room inside the temple. God caused it to tear from the top down. The curtain was too thick for a man to tear it.
  9. 15:39 The captain was an important soldier. He had authority over 100 other soldiers.

Governor Pilate Questions Jesus ( A )

15 Very early in the morning, the leading priests, the older Jewish leaders, the teachers of the law, and the whole high council decided what to do with Jesus. They tied him, led him away, and handed him over to Governor Pilate.

2 Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

Jesus answered, “Yes, that is right.”

3 The leading priests accused Jesus of many things. 4 So Pilate asked Jesus another question. He said, “You can see that these people are accusing you of many things. Why don’t you answer?”

5 But Jesus still did not answer, and this really surprised Pilate.

Pilate Tries but Fails to Free Jesus ( B )

6 Every year at the Passover time the governor would free one prisoner—whichever one the people wanted. 7 There was a man in prison at that time named Barabbas. He and the rebels with him had been put in prison for committing murder during a riot.

8 The people came to Pilate and asked him to free a prisoner as he always did. 9 Pilate asked them, “Do you want me to free the king of the Jews?” 10 Pilate knew that the leading priests had handed Jesus over to him because they were jealous of him. 11 But the leading priests persuaded the people to ask Pilate to free Barabbas, not Jesus.

12 Pilate asked the people again, “So what should I do with this man you call the king of the Jews?”

13 The people shouted, “Kill him on a cross!”

14 Pilate asked, “Why? What wrong has he done?”

But the people shouted louder and louder, “Kill him on a cross!”

15 Pilate wanted to please the people, so he set Barabbas free for them. And he told the soldiers to beat Jesus with whips. Then he handed him over to the soldiers to be killed on a cross.

16 Pilate’s soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s palace (called the Praetorium). They called all the other soldiers together. 17 They put a purple robe on Jesus, made a crown from thorny branches, and put it on his head. 18 Then they began shouting, “Welcome, king of the Jews!” 19 They kept on beating his head with a stick and spitting on him. Then they bowed down on their knees and pretended to honor him as a king. 20 After they finished making fun of him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him out of the palace to be killed on a cross.

Jesus Is Nailed to a Cross ( C )

21 There was a man from Cyrene named Simon walking into the city from the fields. He was the father of Alexander and Rufus. The soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. 22 They led Jesus to the place called Golgotha. (Golgotha means “The Place of the Skull.”) 23 There they gave him some wine mixed with myrrh, but he refused to drink it. 24 The soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross. Then they divided his clothes among themselves, throwing dice to see who would get what.

25 It was nine o’clock in the morning when they nailed Jesus to the cross. 26 There was a sign with the charge against him written on it. It said, “ the king of the jews .” 27 They also nailed two criminals to crosses beside Jesus—one on the right and the other on the left. 28 [ a ]

29 People walked by and said bad things to Jesus. They shook their heads and said, “You said you could destroy the Temple and build it again in three days. 30 So save yourself! Come down from that cross!”

31 The leading priests and the teachers of the law were also there. They made fun of Jesus the same as the other people did. They said to each other, “He saved others, but he can’t save himself! 32 If he is really the Messiah, the king of Israel, he should come down from the cross now. When we see this, then we will believe in him.” The criminals on the crosses beside Jesus also said bad things to him.

Jesus Dies ( D )

33 At noon the whole country became dark. This darkness continued until three o’clock. 34 At three o’clock Jesus cried out loudly, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani.” This means “My God, my God, why have you left me alone?” [ b ]

35 Some of the people standing there heard this. They said, “Listen! He is calling Elijah.” [ c ]

36 One man there ran and got a sponge. He filled the sponge with sour wine and tied it to a stick. Then he used the stick to give the sponge to Jesus to get a drink from it. The man said, “We should wait now and see if Elijah will come to take him down from the cross.”

37 Then Jesus cried out loudly and died.

38 When Jesus died, the curtain in the Temple was torn into two pieces. The tear started at the top and tore all the way to the bottom. 39 The army officer who was standing there in front of the cross saw what happened when Jesus died. The officer said, “This man really was the Son of God!”

40 Some women were standing away from the cross, watching. Among these women were Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary the mother of James and Joses. (James was her youngest son.) 41 These were the women who had followed Jesus in Galilee and cared for him. Many other women who had come with Jesus to Jerusalem were also there.

Jesus Is Buried ( E )

42 This day was called Preparation day. (That means the day before the Sabbath day.) It was becoming dark. 43 A man named Joseph from Arimathea was brave enough to go to Pilate and ask for Jesus’ body. Joseph was an important member of the high council. He was one of the people who wanted God’s kingdom to come.

44 Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead. So he called for the army officer in charge and asked him if Jesus was already dead. 45 When Pilate heard it from the officer, he told Joseph he could have the body.

46 Joseph bought some linen cloth. He took the body from the cross, wrapped it in the linen, and put the body in a tomb that was dug in a wall of rock. Then he closed the tomb by rolling a large stone to cover the entrance. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw the place where Jesus was put.

Footnotes

  1. Mark 15:28 Some Greek copies add verse 28: “And this showed the full meaning of the Scripture that says, ‘They put him with criminals.’”
  2. Mark 15:34 Quote from Ps. 22:1 .
  3. Mark 15:35 He is calling Elijah The word for “My God” ( Eli in Hebrew or Eloi in Aramaic) sounded to the people like the name of Elijah, a famous man who spoke for God about 850 B.C.

15 And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate.

2 And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto them, Thou sayest it.

3 And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing.

4 And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee.

5 But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled.

6 Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired.

7 And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection.

8 And the multitude crying aloud began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them.

9 But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews?

10 For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.

11 But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them.

12 And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews?

13 And they cried out again, Crucify him.

14 Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him.

15 And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.

16 And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band.

17 And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head,

18 And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews!

19 And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him.

20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him.

21 And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.

22 And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.

23 And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not.

24 And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take.

25 And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.

26 And the superscription of his accusation was written over, The King Of The Jews .

27 And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left.

28 And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.

29 And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,

30 Save thyself, and come down from the cross.

31 Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save.

32 Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.

33 And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

35 And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias.

36 And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down.

37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.

38 And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.

39 And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.

40 There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;

41 (Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem.

42 And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,

43 Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.

44 And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead.

45 And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.

46 And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.

47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid.

Jesus before Pilate

15 ( A ) Early in the morning the chief priests with the elders, scribes, and the entire [ a ] ( B ) Council immediately held a consultation; and they bound Jesus and led Him away, and turned Him over to Pilate. 2 ( C ) Pilate questioned Him: “ So You are the King of the Jews?” And He answered him, “ It is as you say.” 3 And the chief priests started accusing Him [ b ] of many things. 4 But Pilate questioned Him again, saying, “Do You offer nothing in answer? See how many charges they are bringing against You!” 5 But Jesus ( D ) said nothing further in answer, so Pilate was amazed.

6 ( E ) Now at the Passover Feast he used to release for them any one prisoner whom they requested. 7 And the one named Barabbas had been imprisoned with the rebels who had committed murder in the revolt. 8 And the crowd went up and began asking Pilate 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 ( F ) to ask him to release Barabbas for them instead. 12 And responding again, Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?” 13 They shouted [ c ] back, “Crucify Him!” 14 But Pilate said to them, “Why, what [ d ] evil has He done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify Him!” 15 Intent on satisfying the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them, and after having Jesus ( G ) flogged, he handed Him over to be crucified.

Jesus Is Mocked

16 ( H ) Now the soldiers took Him away into ( I ) the [ e ] palace (that is, the Praetorium), and they *called together the whole Roman [ f ] ( J ) cohort. 17 And they *dressed Him in [ g ] purple, and after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on Him; 18 and they began saluting Him: “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 And they repeatedly beat His head with a [ h ] reed and spit on Him, and kneeling, they bowed down before Him. 20 And after they had mocked Him, they took the [ i ] purple cloak off Him and put His own garments on Him. And they *led Him out to crucify Him.

21 ( K ) And they *compelled a passer-by coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and ( L ) Rufus), to carry His cross.

The Crucifixion

22 ( M ) Then they *brought Him to the place ( N ) Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. 23 And they tried to give Him ( O ) wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it . 24 And they *crucified Him, and * ( P ) divided up His garments among themselves, casting [ j ] lots for them to decide [ k ] what each man would take. 25 Now it was the [ l ] ( Q ) third hour [ m ] when they crucified Him. 26 The inscription of the charge against Him [ n ] read, “ ( R ) THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

27 And they *crucified two [ o ] rebels with Him, one on His right and one on His left. [ p ] 29 Those passing by were [ q ] hurling abuse at Him, ( S ) shaking their heads and saying, “Ha! You who are going to ( T ) destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save Yourself by coming down from the cross!” 31 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves and saying, “ ( U ) He saved others; [ r ] He cannot save Himself! 32 Let this Christ, ( V ) the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” ( W ) Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.

33 ( X ) When the [ s ] ( Y ) sixth hour came, darkness [ t ] fell over the whole land until the [ u ] ( Z ) ninth hour. 34 At the [ v ] ( AA ) ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “ ( AB ) Eloi, Eloi, lema sabaktanei ?” which is translated, “ My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me ?” 35 And when some of the bystanders heard Him , they began saying, “Look! He is calling for Elijah!” 36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink, saying, “ [ w ] Let us see if Elijah comes to take Him down.” 37 ( AC ) But Jesus let out a loud cry, and [ x ] died. 38 ( AD ) And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 ( AE ) And when the centurion, who was standing [ y ] right in front of Him, saw that He [ z ] died in this way, he said, “Truly this man was [ aa ] the Son of God!”

40 ( AF ) Now there were also some women watching from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of [ ab ] James ( AG ) the [ ac ] Less and Joses, and ( AH ) Salome. 41 When He was in Galilee, they used to follow Him and ( AI ) serve Him; and there were many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.

Jesus Is Buried

42 ( AJ ) When evening had already come, since it was ( AK ) the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea came, a ( AL ) prominent member of the Council, who was himself also ( AM ) waiting for the kingdom of God; and he ( AN ) gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Now 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 after learning this from ( AO ) 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 cut out in the rock; and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 ( AP ) Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were watching to see where He was laid.

Footnotes

  1. Mark 15:1 Or Sanhedrin
  2. Mark 15:3 Or harshly
  3. Mark 15:13 Or again
  4. Mark 15:14 Or crime has He committed
  5. Mark 15:16 Or court
  6. Mark 15:16 Normally 600 men (the number varied)
  7. Mark 15:17 Prob. a term for a Roman soldier’s red cloak (cf. Matt 27:28)
  8. Mark 15:19 Or staff (made of a reed)
  9. Mark 15:20 See note v 17
  10. Mark 15:24 Lit a lot upon
  11. Mark 15:24 Lit who would take what
  12. Mark 15:25 I.e., 9 a.m.
  13. Mark 15:25 Lit and
  14. Mark 15:26 Lit had been inscribed
  15. Mark 15:27 Or robbers
  16. Mark 15:27 Late mss add the following as v 28: And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was counted with wrongdoers.”
  17. Mark 15:29 Or blaspheming Him
  18. Mark 15:31 Or can He not save Himself ?
  19. Mark 15:33 I.e., noon
  20. Mark 15:33 Lit occurred
  21. Mark 15:33 I.e., 3 p.m.
  22. Mark 15:34 I.e., 3 p.m.
  23. Mark 15:36 Lit Allow that we see ; or Hold off, let us see
  24. Mark 15:37 Lit expired
  25. Mark 15:39 Or opposite Him
  26. Mark 15:39 Lit expired
  27. Mark 15:39 Or a son of God ; or a son of a god
  28. Mark 15:40 Or Jacob
  29. Mark 15:40 Lit little (either in stature or age)

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.

Footnotes

  1. Mark 15:28 Some manuscripts include here words similar to Luke 22:37.
  2. Mark 15:34 Psalm 22:1
  3. Mark 15:39 Some manuscripts saw that he died with such a cry
  4. Mark 15:40 Greek Joses, a variant of Joseph ; also in verse 47
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