Luke 23:26–49

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.