Mark 15

Jesus Delivered to Pilate

1 Early in the morning, the chief priests, elders, scribes, and the whole Sanhedrin devised a plan. They bound Jesus, led [Him] away, and handed [Him] over to Pilate. 2 So Pilate questioned Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” “You have said so,” [Jesus] replied. 3 And the chief priests began to accuse Him of many things. 4 Then Pilate questioned Him again, “vvv Do You not answer? Look how many charges they are bringing against You!” 5 But to Pilate’s amazement, Jesus made no further reply.

The Crowd Chooses Barabbas

6 Now {it was Pilate’s custom} at [the] feast to release to [the people] a prisoner of their choosing. 7 And [a man] named Barabbas was imprisoned with the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection. 8 [So] the crowd went up [and] began asking [Pilate] to keep his custom. 9 “Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” Pilate asked. 10 For he knew [it was] out of envy that the chief priests had handed [Jesus] over. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas to them instead.

Pilate Delivers up Jesus

12 [So] Pilate asked them again, “What then do you want me to do with the [One] you call the King of the Jews?” 13 And they shouted back, “Crucify Him!” 14 “Why?” asked Pilate. “What evil has He done?” But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify Him!” 15 And wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. But {he had} Jesus flogged, [and] handed Him over to be crucified.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

16 Then the soldiers led [Jesus] away into the palace (that is, [the] Praetorium ) and called the whole company {together} . 17 They dressed Him in a purple robe, twisted together a crown of thorns, [and] set [it] on His [head] . 18 And they began to salute Him: “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 They kept striking His head with a staff and spitting on Him. And they knelt down [and] bowed before Him. 20 After they had mocked Him, they removed the purple [robe] and put His own clothes [back] on Him. Then they led Him out to crucify Him.

The Crucifixion

21 [Now] Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and [the soldiers] forced [him] to carry the cross of [Jesus] . 22 They brought [Jesus] to a place [called] Golgotha, which means [The] Place of the Skull. 23 There they offered Him wine mixed with myrrh, but He did not take [it] . 24 And they crucified Him. They also divided His garments by casting lots to decide what [each of them] would take. 25 It was [the] third hour when they crucified Him. 26 And the charge inscribed against Him read: The King of the Jews. 27 [Along] with [Jesus] , they crucified two robbers, one on [His] right and one on His left. ▼

▼BYZ and TR include 28 So the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “And He was numbered with the transgressors.”; See Isaiah 53:12

29 And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild [it] in three days, 30 come down from the cross [and] save Yourself!” 31 In the same way, the chief priests and scribes mocked [Him] among themselves, saying, “He saved others, [but] He cannot save Himself! 32 {Let} the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” And even those who were crucified with Him berated Him.

The Death of Jesus

33 From [the] sixth hour until [the] ninth hour darkness came over all the land. 34 At the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” ▼

▼Psalm 22:1

35 When some of those standing nearby heard [this] , they said, “Behold, He is calling Elijah.” 36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with vinegar. He put [it] on a reed [and] offered it to [Jesus] to drink. “Wait!” he said. “Let us see if Elijah comes to take Him down.” 37 But Jesus let out a loud cry [and] breathed His last. 38 And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 When the centurion standing there in front of [Jesus] saw [how] He had breathed His last, ▼

▼BYZ and TR having cried out, He had breathed His last

he said, “Truly this man was [the] Son of God!” 40 And there were also women watching from a distance. Among them [were] Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. 41 [These women] had followed [Jesus] and ministered to Him while He was in Galilee, and [there were] many other [women] who had come up to Jerusalem with Him.

The Burial of Jesus

42 Now it was already evening. Since it was Preparation Day (that is, [the day] before the Sabbath ) , 43 Joseph of Arimathea, [a] prominent Council member who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God, boldly went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate was surprised [to hear] that [Jesus] was already dead, so he summoned the centurion to ask if [this was so] . 45 When [Pilate] had confirmed [it] with the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. 46 [Joseph] bought a linen cloth, took down [the body of Jesus] , wrapped [it] in the cloth, and laid [it] in a tomb that had been cut out of [the] rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the [mother] of Joseph ▼

▼Or Joses

saw where [His body] was laid.