Luke 23

JESUS FACES PILATE

23Then^h their whole assembly rose up and brought him before Pilate. ²They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation, opposing payment of taxesⁱ to Caesar, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king.”

³So Pilate asked him,^j “Are you the king of the Jews?”^k

He answered him, “You say so.”^C

⁴Pilate then told the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no grounds^l for charging this man.”

⁵But they kept insisting, “He stirs up the people,^m teaching throughout all Judea, from Galileeⁿ where he started even to here.”

JESUS FACES HEROD ANTIPAS

⁶When Pilate^o heard this,^D he asked if the man was a Galilean. ⁷Finding that he was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod,^p who was also in Jerusalem during those days. ⁸Herod was very glad to see Jesus; for a long time he had wanted to see him because he had heard about him and was hoping to see some miracle^A performed by him. ⁹So he kept asking him questions, but Jesus did not answer him.^{q 10}The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. ¹¹Then Herod, with his soldiers, treated him with contempt, mocked^r him, dressed him in bright clothing,^s and sent him back to Pilate. ¹²That very day Herod and Pilate became friends.^Bt Previously, they had been enemies.

JESUS OR BARABBAS

¹³Pilate called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people,^{u 14}and said to them, “You have brought me this man as one who misleads the people.^v But in fact, after examining him in your presence, I have found no grounds^w to charge this man with those things you accuse him of. ¹⁵Neither has Herod, because he sent him back to us. Clearly, he has done nothing to deserve death. ¹⁶Therefore, I will have him whipped^Cx and then release him.”

¹⁸Then^y they all cried out together, “Take this man away!^z Release Barabbas to us!” ¹⁹(He had been thrown into prison for a rebellion that had taken place in the city, and for murder.)

²⁰Wanting to release Jesus,^aa Pilate addressed them again, ²¹but they kept shouting, “Crucify! Crucify him!”

²²A third time he said to them, “Why? What has this man done wrong?^ab I have found in him no grounds^ac for the death penalty. Therefore, I will have him whipped and then release him.”

²³But they kept up the pressure, demanding with loud voices that he be crucified, and their voices^E won out. ²⁴So^ad Pilate decided to grant their demand^{ae 25}and released the one they were asking for, who had been thrown into prison for rebellion and murder. But he handed Jesus over to their will.^af

THE WAY TO THE CROSS

²⁶As^ag they led him away, they seized Simon, a Cyrenian,^ah who was coming in from the country, and laid the cross^ai on him to carry behind Jesus. ²⁷A large crowd of people followed him, including women who were mourning and lamenting him.^{aj 28}But turning to them, Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem,^ak do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and your children. ²⁹Look, the days are coming^al when they will say, ‘Blessed are the women without children, the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed!’^{am 30}Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’^{Fan 31}For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”^ao

CRUCIFIED BETWEEN TWO CRIMINALS

³²Two others—criminals^ap—were also led away to be executed with him. ³³When^aq they arrived at the place called The Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. ³⁴Then Jesus said, “Father,^a forgive^b them, because they do not know what they are doing.”^Ac And they divided his clothes and cast lots.^d

³⁵The^e people stood watching, and even the leaders were scoffing:^f “He saved others; let him save himself if this is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One!”^{g 36}The soldiers also mocked him. They came offering him sour wine^{h 37}and said, “If you are the king of the Jews,ⁱ save yourself!”

³⁸An inscription was above him:^B This Is the King of the Jews.

³⁹Then^j one of the criminals hanging there began to yell insults at^C him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

⁴⁰But the other answered, rebuking him: “Don’t you even fear God,^k since you are undergoing the same punishment? ⁴¹We are punished justly, because we’re getting back what we deserve for the things we did, but this man has done nothing wrong.”^{l 42}Then he said, “Jesus, remember me^Dm when you come into your kingdom.”ⁿ

⁴³And he said to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”^o

THE DEATH OF JESUS

⁴⁴It^p was now about noon,^E and darkness came over the whole land^F until three,^{G 45}because the sun’s light failed.^H The curtain^q of the sanctuary was split down the middle. ⁴⁶And Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit.”^Ir Saying this, he breathed his last.

⁴⁷When the centurion saw what happened, he began to glorify^s God, saying, “This man really was righteous!”^{J 48}All the crowds that had gathered for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, went home, striking their chests.^{t 49}But^u all who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance,^v watching these things.

THE BURIAL OF JESUS

⁵⁰There^w was a good and righteous man named Joseph, a member of the Sanhedrin, ⁵¹who had not agreed with their plan^x and action. He was from Arimathea, a Judean town, and was looking forward to the kingdom of God.^{y 52}He approached Pilate and asked for Jesus’s body. ⁵³Taking it down, he wrapped it in fine linen and placed it in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had ever been placed.^{Kz 54}It was the preparation day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.^{L 55}The women^aa who had come with him from Galilee followed along and observed the tomb and how his body was placed. ⁵⁶Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes.^ab And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.^ac