Lucas 23

¹ And the assembly broke up, and conducted Jesus to Pilate:

² and they accused him, saying, We found this man perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Cesar, calling himself Messiah the King.

³ Then Pilate, asking him, said, You are the King of the Jews? He answered, You say right.

⁴ Pilate said to the chief priests and the multitude, I find nothing criminal in this man.

⁵ But they became more vehement, adding, He raised sedition among the people, by the doctrine which he spread through all Judea, from Galilee, where he began, to this place.

⁶ When Pilate heard them mention Galilee, he asked, whether the man were a Galilean.

⁷ And finding that he belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also then at Jerusalem.

⁸ And Herod was very glad to see Jesus: it was what he had long desired; having heard much of him, and hoping to see him perform some miracle.

⁹ He, therefore, asked him many questions, but Jesus returned him no answer.

¹⁰ Yet the chief priests and the scribes, who were present, accused him with eagerness.

¹¹ But Herod and his military train despised him: and having, in derision, arrayed him in a splendid robe, remanded him to Pilate.

¹² On that day, Pilate and Herod became friends; for, before, they had been at enmity.

¹³ Pilate, having convened the chief priests, the magistrates and the people,

¹⁴ said to them, You have brought this man before me, as one who excites the people to revolt; yet, having examined him in your presence, I have not found him guilt of any of those crimes of which you accuse him.

¹⁵ Neither has Herod; for I referred you to him. Be assured, then, that he has done nothing to deserve death.

¹⁶ I will therefore chastise him, and release him.

¹⁷ For it was necessary that he should release one to them at the festival.

¹⁸ Then all cried out together, Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas.

¹⁹ Now Barabbas had been imprisoned for raising sedition in the city, and for murder.

²⁰ Pilate, willing to release Jesus, again, expostulated.

²¹ But they cried, saying, Crucify! crucify him!

²² A third time he repeated, Why? What evil has this man done? I do not find him guilty of any capital crime; I will therefore chastise him, and release him.

²³ But they persisted, demanding, with much clamor, that he might be crucified. At last, their clamors, and those of the chief priests, prevailed:

²⁴ and Pilate pronounced sentence, that it should be as they desired.

²⁵ Accordingly, he released a man who had been imprisoned for sedition and murder; whom they required; and gave up Jesus to their will.

²⁶ As they led him away, they laid hold of one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming from the country, and laid the cross on him, that he might bear it after Jesus.

²⁷ And a great multitude followed him, amongst whom were many women, who lamented and bewailed him.

²⁸ But Jesus, turning to them, said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children:

²⁹ for the days are coming, in which they shall say, Happy the barren, the wombs which never bare, and the breasts which never gave suck!

³⁰ Then they shall cry to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us:

³¹ for if it fare thus with the green tree, how shall it fare with the dry?

³² And two malefactors were also led with him to execution.

³³ When they came to the place called Calvary, they there nailed him to a cross, and the malefactors also; one at his right hand, the other at his left.

³⁴ And Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And they parted his garments by lot.

³⁵ While the people stood gazing, even their rulers joined them in ridiculing him, and saying, This man saved others; let him save himself, if he be the Messiah, the elect of God.

³⁶ The soldiers likewise mocked him, coming and offering him vinegar,

³⁷ and saying, If you be the King of the Jews, save yourself.

³⁸ There was also an inscription over his head in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

³⁹ Now, one of the malefactors who suffered with him, reviled him, saying, If you be the Messiah, save yourself and us.

⁴⁰ The other, rebuking him, answered, Have you no fear of God, you who are undergoing the same punishment?

⁴¹ And we, indeed, justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man has done nothing amiss.

⁴² And he said to Jesus, Remember me, Lord, when thou comest to thy kingdom.

⁴³ Jesus answered, Indeed, I say to you, Today you shall be with me in paradise.

⁴⁴ And, about the sixth hour, there was darkness over all the land, which lasted till the ninth.

⁴⁵ The sun was darkened, and the vail of the temple was rent in the midst.

⁴⁶ And Jesus said with a loud voice, Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit; and having thus said, he expired.

⁴⁷ Then, the centurion, observing what had happened, gave glory to God; saying, Assuredly, this was a righteous man.

⁴⁸ Nay, all the people who were present at this spectacle, and saw what had passed, returned, beating their breasts.

⁴⁹ And all his acquaintance, and the women who had followed him from Galilee, standing at a distance, beheld these things.

⁵⁰ Now, there was a senator, named Joseph, a good and just man,

⁵¹ from Arimathea, a city of Judea, who had not concurred in the resolutions and proceedings of the rest; and who himself, also expected the Reign of God.

⁵² This man went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus.

⁵³ And having taken it down, he wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb cut in stone, in which no man had ever been deposited.

⁵⁴ Now that day was the preparation, and the Sabbath approached.

⁵⁵ And the women, who had accompanied Jesus from Galilee, followed Joseph, and observed the tomb, and how the body was laid.

⁵⁶ When they returned, they provided spices and ointments, and then rested the Sabbath, according to the commandment.