Mark 15

Jesus Brought Before Pilate

15:1 Early in the morning, after forming a plan, the chief priests with the elders and the experts in the law¹ and the whole Sanhedrin tied Jesus up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.² 15:2 So³ Pilate asked him, “Are you the king⁴ of the Jews?” He replied,⁵ “You say so.”⁶ 15:3 Then⁷ the chief priests began to accuse him repeatedly. 15:4 So Pilate asked him again,⁸ “Have you nothing to say? See how many charges they are bringing against you!” 15:5 But Jesus made no further reply, so that Pilate was amazed.

Jesus and Barabbas

15:6 During the feast it was customary to release one prisoner to the people,⁹ whomever they requested. 15:7 A man named Barabbas was imprisoned with rebels who had committed murder during an insurrection. 15:8 Then the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to release a prisoner for them, as was his custom.¹⁰ 15:9 So Pilate asked them,¹¹ “Do you want me to release the king of the Jews for you?” 15:10 (For he knew that the chief priests had handed him over because of envy.)¹² 15:11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release¹³ Barabbas instead. 15:12 So Pilate spoke to them again,¹⁴ “Then what do you want me to do¹⁵ with the one you call king of the Jews?” 15:13 They shouted back, “Crucify¹⁶ him!” 15:14 Pilate asked them, “Why? What has he done wrong?” But they shouted more insistently, “Crucify him!” 15:15 Because he wanted to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them. Then,¹⁷ after he had Jesus flogged,¹⁸ he handed him over¹⁹ to be crucified.

Jesus is Mocked

15:16 So²⁰ the soldiers led him into the palace (that is, the governor’s residence)²¹ and called together the whole cohort.²² 15:17 They put a purple cloak²³ on him and after braiding²⁴ a crown of thorns,²⁵ they put it on him. 15:18 They began to salute him: “Hail, king of the Jews!”²⁶ 15:19 Again and again²⁷ they struck him on the head with a staff²⁸ and spit on him. Then they knelt down and paid homage to him. 15:20 When they had finished mocking²⁹ him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes back on him. Then³⁰ they led him away to crucify him.³¹

The Crucifixion

15:21 The soldiers³² forced³³ a passerby to carry his cross,³⁴ Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country³⁵ (he was the father of Alexander and Rufus). 15:22 They brought Jesus³⁶ to a place called Golgotha³⁷ (which is translated, “Place of the Skull”).³⁸ 15:23 They offered him wine mixed with myrrh,³⁹ but he did not take it. 15:24 Then⁴⁰ they crucified⁴¹ him and divided his clothes, throwing dice⁴² for them, to decide what each would take. 15:25 It was nine o’clock in the morning⁴³ when they crucified him. 15:26 The inscription⁴⁴ of the charge against him read, “The king of the Jews.” 15:27 And they crucified two outlaws with him, one on his right and one on his left.⁴⁵ 15:29 Those who passed by defamed him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who can destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 15:30 save yourself and come down from the cross!”⁴⁶ 15:31 In the same way even the chief priests – together with the experts in the law⁴⁷ – were mocking him among themselves:⁴⁸ “He saved others, but he cannot save himself! 15:32 Let the Christ,⁴⁹ the king of Israel, come down from the cross now, that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with him also spoke abusively to him.⁵⁰

Jesus’ Death

15:33 Now⁵¹ when it was noon,⁵² darkness came over the whole land⁵³ until three in the afternoon.⁵⁴ 15:34 Around three o’clock⁵⁵ Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”⁵⁶ 15:35 When some of the bystanders heard it they said, “Listen, he is calling for Elijah!”⁵⁷ 15:36 Then someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine,⁵⁸ put it on a stick,⁵⁹ and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Leave him alone! Let’s see if Elijah will come to take him down!” 15:37 But Jesus cried out with a loud voice and breathed his last. 15:38 And the temple curtain⁶⁰ was torn in two, from top to bottom. 15:39 Now when the centurion,⁶¹ who stood in front of him, saw how he died,⁶² he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!” 15:40 There were also women, watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses,⁶³ and Salome. 15:41 When he was in Galilee, they had followed him and given him support.⁶⁴ Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem⁶⁵ were there too.

Jesus’ Burial

15:42 Now⁶⁶ when evening had already come, since it was the day of preparation (that is, the day before the Sabbath),⁶⁷ 15:43 Joseph of Arimathea, a highly regarded member of the council,⁶⁸ who was himself looking forward to⁶⁹ the kingdom of God,⁷⁰ went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.⁷¹ 15:44 Pilate was surprised that he was already dead. He⁷² called the centurion and asked him if he had been dead for some time. 15:45 When Pilate⁷³ was informed by the centurion,⁷⁴ he gave the body to Joseph. 15:46 After Joseph⁷⁵ bought a linen cloth⁷⁶ and took down the body, he wrapped it in the linen and placed it in a tomb cut out of the rock.⁷⁷ Then⁷⁸ he rolled a stone across the entrance⁷⁹ of the tomb. 15:47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where the body⁸⁰ was placed.

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