< Mark 15 >
1 Early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the scribes, and all the Sanhedrin, after consulting together, bound Jesus, carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate.
2 Pilate, asking him, said, You are the king of the Jews? He answered, You say right.
3 Now the chief priests accused him of many things.
4 Again Pilate asked him, saying, Do you answer nothing? Observe how many crimes they arraign you for.
5 But Jesus answered no more, insomuch that Pilate was astonished.
6 Now, at the festival, he always released to them any one prisoner, whom they desired.
7 And there was one Barabbas, that had been imprisoned with his seditious associates, who in their sedition had committed murder.
8 And, with clamor, the multitude demanded of Pilate, what he used to grant them.
9 He answered them, saying, Shall I release to you the king of the Jews?
10 (For he knew that through envy, the chief priests had delivered him up.)
11 But the chief priests incited the multitude to insist on the release of Barabbas, in preference to Jesus.
12 Pilate again interposed, saying, What then would you have me do with him whom you call king of the Jews?
13 They cried, Crucify him.
14 Pilate asked them, Why? What evil has he done? But they cried the more vehemently, Crucify him.
15 Then Pilate, desirous to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and having caused Jesus to be scourged, delivered him up to be crucified.
16 And the soldiers brought him into the hall called pretorium, where, having convened all the band,
17 they arrayed him in purple, and crowned him with a wreath of thorns,
18 and saluted him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!
19 Then they struck him on the head with a reed, and spit upon him, and paid him homage on their knees.
20 And when they had mocked him, the stripped him of the purple, and dressed him in his own clothes, and took him away to be crucified.
21 And they constrained one Simon, a Cyrenian, who passed by, in coming from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry the cross.
22 And they brought him to Golgotha, (that is to say, The Place of Skulls, )
23 where they gave him wine to drink, mingled with myrrh, which he would not receive.
24 When they had nailed him to the cross, they parted his garments, dividing by lot what every man should take.
25 Now it was the third hour, when they nailed him to the cross.
26 And the inscription, bearing the cause of his death, was in these words, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
27 They likewise crucified two robbers with him, one at his right hand, and the other at his left.
28 And the scripture was fulfilled, which says, "He was ranked with malefactors."
29 Meanwhile, they who passed by reviled him, shaking their heads, and saying, Ah! you who could demolish the temple, and rebuild it in three days!
30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!
31 The chief priests likewise, with the scribes, deriding him, said among themselves, He saved others; can not he save himself?
32 Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe! Even those who were crucified with him reproached him.
33 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth, darkness covered all the land.
34 At the ninth hour, Jesus cried aloud saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabacthani! which signifies, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me!
35 Some who were present, hearing this, said, Hark! he calls Elijah.
36 One at the same time ran, and dipped a sponge in vinegar, and having fastened it to a stick, presented it to him to drink, saying, Let alone, we shall see whether Elijah will come to take him down.
37 And Jesus sending forth a cry expired.
38 Then was the vail of the temple rent in two, from top to bottom.
39 And the centurion who stood opposite observing that he expired with so loud a cry, said, Surely, this man was a son of a god.
40 There were women also looking on at a distance, amongst whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger, and of Joses and Salome,
41 (these had followed him, and served him, when he was in Galilee, ) and several others, who came with him to Jerusalem.
42 When it was evening, (because it was the preparation, that is, the eve of the Sabbath, )
43 Joseph of Arimathea, an honorable senator, who himself also expected the Reign of God, taking courage, repaired to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus.
44 Pilate, amazed that he was so soon dead, sent for the centurion, and asked him whether Jesus had been dead any time.
45 And being informed by the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph;
46 who having bought linen, and taking Jesus down, wrapped him in the linen; and laid him in a tomb, hewn out of the rock.
47 Now Mary the Magdalene, and Mary the mother of Joses, saw where he was laid.
