Luke 23
¹ The whole company of them rose up and brought him before Pilate.
² They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man perverting the nation, forbidding paying taxes to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.”
³ Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” He answered him, “So you say.”
⁴ Pilate said to the chief priests and the multitudes, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”
⁵ But they insisted, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee even to this place.”
⁶ But when Pilate heard Galilee mentioned, he asked if the man was a Galilean.
⁷ When he found out that he was in Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem during those days.
⁸ Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad, for he had wanted to see him for a long time, because he had heard many things about him. He hoped to see some miracle done by him.
⁹ He questioned him with many words, but he gave no answers.
¹⁰ The chief priests and the scribes stood, vehemently accusing him.
¹¹ Herod with his soldiers humiliated him and mocked him. Dressing him in luxurious clothing, they sent him back to Pilate.
¹² Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before that they were enemies with each other.
¹³ Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people,
¹⁴ and said to them, “You brought this man to me as one that perverts the people, and behold, having examined him before you, I found no basis for a charge against this man concerning those things of which you accuse him.
¹⁵ Neither has Herod, for I sent you to him, and see, nothing worthy of death has been done by him.
¹⁶ I will therefore chastise him and release him.”
¹⁷ Now he had to release one prisoner to them at the feast.1
¹⁸ But they all cried out together, saying, “Away with this man! Release to us Barabbas!”—
¹⁹ one who was thrown into prison for a certain revolt in the city, and for murder.
²⁰ Then Pilate spoke to them again, wanting to release Jesus,
²¹ but they shouted, saying, “Crucify! Crucify him!”
²² He said to them the third time, “Why? What evil has this man done? I have found no capital crime in him. I will therefore chastise him and release him.”
²³ But they were urgent with loud voices, asking that he might be crucified. Their voices and the voices of the chief priests prevailed.
²⁴ Pilate decreed that what they asked for should be done.
²⁵ He released him who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus up to their will.
²⁶ When they led him away, they grabbed one Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, and laid the cross on him to carry it after Jesus.
²⁷ A great multitude of the people followed him, including women who also mourned and lamented him.
²⁸ But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.
²⁹ For behold, the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’
³⁰ Then they will begin to tell the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and tell the hills, ‘Cover us.’2
³¹ For if they do these things in the green tree, what will be done in the dry?”
³² There were also others, two criminals, led with him to be put to death.
³³ When they came to the place that is called “The Skull”, they crucified him there with the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.
³⁴ Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” Dividing his garments among them, they cast lots.
³⁵ The people stood watching. The rulers with them also scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others. Let him save himself, if this is the Christ of God, his chosen one!”
³⁶ The soldiers also mocked him, coming to him and offering him vinegar,
³⁷ and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”
³⁸ An inscription was also written over him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
³⁹ One of the criminals who was hanged insulted him, saying, “If you are the Christ, save yourself and us!”
⁴⁰ But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Don’t you even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?
⁴¹ And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.”
⁴² He said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”
⁴³ Jesus said to him, “Assuredly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
⁴⁴ It was now about the sixth hour,3 and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour.4
⁴⁵ The sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.
⁴⁶ Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” Having said this, he breathed his last.
⁴⁷ When the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, “Certainly this was a righteous man.”
⁴⁸ All the multitudes that came together to see this, when they saw the things that were done, returned home beating their chests.
⁴⁹ All his acquaintances and the women who followed with him from Galilee stood at a distance, watching these things.
⁵⁰ Behold, there was a man named Joseph, who was a member of the council, a good and righteous man
⁵¹ (he had not consented to their counsel and deed), from Arimathaea, a city of the Jews, who was also waiting for God’s Kingdom.
⁵² This man went to Pilate, and asked for Jesus’ body.
⁵³ He took it down and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb that was cut in stone, where no one had ever been laid.
⁵⁴ It was the day of the Preparation, and the Sabbath was drawing near.
⁵⁵ The women who had come with him out of Galilee followed after, and saw the tomb and how his body was laid.
⁵⁶ They returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.