1 The whole assembly rose and brought Jesus before Pilate. 2 They began to bring accusations against him, saying, “This fellow we caught misleading our people and forbidding payment of taxes to the Emperor and claiming himself to be the Messiah—a king!”

3 Pilate, then, asked Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews?”

“The words have come from your own mouth,” Jesus replied.4 Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find nothing in this man to warrant punishment.”

5 Yet they refused to budge, saying, “He stirs up the people by teaching all over Judea. He began in Galilee and is now here!”

6 Pilate, on hearing this, asked, “Is this man a Galilean?” 7 When he learned that Jesus was, in fact, from the area governed by Herod, he sent him over to Herod, who also happened to be in Jerusalem at that time.

8 Herod, when he saw Jesus, was more than thrilled. He had been wanting to see Jesus, you see, for quite some time, because he had heard a lot about him and was hoping to see him perform some kind of sign. 9 He questioned Jesus at considerable length, but Jesus made no reply. 10 Meanwhile, the chief priests and the Torah-experts were standing there bringing accusations against him with intense emotion and conviction. 11 After Herod, along with his soldiers, had treated Jesus with contempt and mocked him, he had Jesus dressed in some elegant clothing and sent him back to Pilate. 12 (Herod and Pilate became friends that very day with one another. Prior to this, you see, their relationship had been quite hostile.)

13 Pilate, then, called together the chief priests and the other leaders and the people and 14 said to them, “ᵖYou brought this man before me on a charge of misleading the people. Listen! I, upon examining him in ᵖyour very presence, have found nothing in this man to warrant the accusations ᵖyou are bringing against him. 15 And neither has Herod, as evidenced by the fact that he sent him back here to us. Come now, he has done nothing to deserve death. 16 After I have had him flogged, therefore, I will release him.”+

18 “Away with this man!” they all shouted out together. “Release to us Barabbas!” 19 (Barabbas was a man who had been thrown into prison for this: His involvement in a certain insurrection that had taken place in the city, and for murder.)

20 Again Pilate addressed them, wanting to release Jesus. 21 But they kept shouting, “Crucify! Crucify him!”

22 Pilate spoke to them yet a third time. “Why?” he asked. “What crime has this man committed? I have found nothing in him to warrant the death penalty! After I have had him flogged, therefore, I will release him.”

23 But they were insistent, demanding with loud shouts that Jesus be crucified; and their shouts began to win the day. 24 Pilate, then, decided to grant their demand. 25 He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they were asking. Jesus, however, he handed over to be executed in accordance with their wishes.

26 As the soldiers led Jesus away, they grabbed hold of a certain Simon from Cyrene, who was coming in from the countryside, and placed the cross on his back and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27 A large crowd made up of the people was following along with Jesus, including some women who were beating their chests in grief and wailing for him. 28 Turning to them, Jesus said, “Women of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me. No, yourselves, and your children, are the ones for whom ᵖyou must weep. 29 For the time is surely coming when people will say, ‘Blessed are the women who couldn’t conceive and the wombs that never carried children and the breasts that never nursed.’ 30 At that time people will begin to ‘say to the mountains, “Please protect us!”, and to the hills, “please hide us!” ’+ 31 For if they do such things even when the tree is green, then what about when it is dry? What will happen?”

32 Two other men, both criminals, were also being led away to be put to death with Jesus. 33 When they reached the place called “The Skull,” there they crucified Jesus, along with the two criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus kept saying, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t realize what they’re doing.”+ Then, to divide up his garments among themselves, the soldiers cast lots. 35 The people were standing there watching. And the leaders were sneering at him, too, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if this fellow really is the Messiah of God, the Chosen One!” 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up to him and offering him this: Sour wine. 37 “If you are the King of the Jews,” they said, “save yourself!” 38 There was also an inscription above his head, which read: “This is the King of the Jews.”

39 One of the criminals hanging there kept hurling insults at Jesus, saying, “You are the Messiah, aren’t you? Well then, save yourself, and us, too!”

40 The other criminal rebuked him, however, saying, “Have ˢyou no fear of God? ˢYou are, after all, condemned to death just as he is! 41 We ourselves have been condemned justly; indeed, we are getting back what we rightly deserve for the things we did. This man, however, has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, please remember me when ˢyou come with your Kingdom.”

43 Jesus said to him, “Amen, I solemnly tell ˢyou this: Today you will be in Paradise with me.”

44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land and lasted until three in the afternoon, 45 because the sun stopped shining. Also, the curtain hanging in front of the Holy of Holies in the sanctuary was torn down the middle. 46 Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “ ‘It is into ˢyour hands,’ Father, ‘that I entrust my spirit’+!” And after saying this, he breathed his last.

47 When the Roman officer saw what happened, he began to glorify God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!” 48 As for all the crowds that had gathered to witness this spectacle, when they saw the things that had taken place, they began to trickle their way back home striking their chests in sorrow.

49 Meanwhile, all those who knew Jesus personally were standing at a distance, including the women who had accompanied him from Galilee, looking on with concern as these things took place.

50 Now there was a man named Joseph, who was a member of the Sanhedrin, a good and righteous man 51 (this man had not consented to the council’s decision and course of action), from the town of Arimathea in Judea, who was waiting expectantly for the Kingdom of God. 52 This man went to Pilate and asked if he could have care of Jesus’ body. 53 When he had taken the body down, he wrapped it in a linen shroud and placed it in a tomb that had been cut into some bedrock, which had never been used. 54 It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.

55 Now the women who had come from Galilee with Jesus, having followed Joseph, took note of the tomb and how Jesus’ body was placed in it. 56 Then they returned and prepared some fragrant spices and perfumed oils.