Luke 23

¹Then the entire assembly stood up and led him before Pilate. ²They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man subverting our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to Caesar, and claiming that he himself is the Anointed King.”

³Pilate questioned him, asking, “Are you the King of the Jews?” He answered him, “You say so.”

⁴Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no legal ground for a charge against this man.”

⁵But they grew more insistent, saying, “He stirs up the people by teaching throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee all the way to this place!”

⁶When Pilate heard this, he asked if the man was a Galilean. ⁷Upon confirming that he fell under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem during those days. ⁸When Herod saw Jesus, he was extremely pleased; for a long time he had wanted to see him because of what he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign performed by him. ⁹He questioned him at great length, but Jesus gave him no answer at all. ¹⁰Meanwhile, the chief priests and the scribes stood there, vehemently accusing him. ¹¹After Herod and his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him, Herod dressed him in a resplendent robe and sent him back to Pilate. ¹²That very day, Herod and Pilate became friends with one another; previously, they had been in a state of enmity.

¹³Pilate then summoned the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, ¹⁴and said to them, “You brought this man to me as one who was misleading the people. Look, I have cross-examined him in your presence and have found no legal ground in this man for the charges you bring against him. ¹⁵Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. As you can see, he has done nothing deserving of death. ¹⁶Therefore, I will have him disciplined and then release him.”

¹⁸But they all cried out together, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!” ¹⁹(Barabbas had been thrown into prison because of an insurrection that had broken out in the city, and for murder.)

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

²²For the third time he said to them, “Why? What evil has he done? I have found in him no legal ground for death. Therefore, I will have him disciplined and then release him.” ²³But they were urgent, demanding with loud voices that he be crucified, and their voices prevailed. ²⁴So Pilate issued the verdict that their demand be granted. ²⁵He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder—the one they were asking for—but he handed Jesus over to their will.

²⁶As they led him away, they seized a man named Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the countryside, and they placed the cross on him to carry it behind Jesus. ²⁷A large number of the people followed him, including women who were beating their breasts and wailing for him. ²⁸But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me. Instead, weep for yourselves and for your children. ²⁹For look, days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never gave birth, and the breasts that never nursed.’ ³⁰Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’ ³¹For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

³²Two others, who were criminals, were also led away to be executed with him. ³³When they came to the place called “The Skull,” they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right and one on his left. ³⁴And Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Then they cast lots to divide his clothes among themselves.

³⁵The people stood by, watching. Even the rulers were sneering, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if this is the Anointed of God, the Chosen One!” ³⁶The soldiers also mocked him, coming up to offer him sour wine ³⁷and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” ³⁸There was also an inscription over him: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

³⁹One of the criminals hanging there began to revile him, saying, “Are you not the Anointed? Save yourself and us!”

⁴⁰But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence? ⁴¹We are here justly, for we are getting back what our actions deserved. But this man has done nothing out of place.” ⁴²Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

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

⁴⁴It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, ⁴⁵because the sun’s light failed. The curtain of the sanctuary was torn down the middle. ⁴⁶Then Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last.

⁴⁷When the centurion saw what had happened, he began to glorify God, saying, “Truly this man was just.” ⁴⁸And all the crowds that had gathered for this spectacle, when they saw what had happened, returned home beating their breasts. ⁴⁹All his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

⁵⁰Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and just man ⁵¹(he had not consented to their plan or their action). He was from the Jewish town of Arimathea, and he was waiting for the kingdom of God. ⁵²This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. ⁵³Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen shroud, and placed him in a rock-hewn tomb where no one had yet been laid. ⁵⁴It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was just beginning. ⁵⁵The women who had come with him from Galilee followed closely; they saw the tomb and how his body was laid. ⁵⁶Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.