Category: Mark

The Triumphal Entry

1 When they were nearing Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of His disciples,

2 saying to them,“Go into thevillage in front of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find a[donkey’s]colt tied, which has never been ridden by anyone; untie it and bring it here.

3 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it’; and immediately he will send it here.”

4 So they went away [to the village] and found a colt tied outside at a gate in the street, and they untied it.

5 Some of the people who were standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?”

6 They replied to them just as Jesus had directed, and they allowed them to go.

7 They brought the colt to Jesus and put their coats on it, and He sat on it.

8 And many [of the people] spread their coats on the road [as an act of tribute and homage before a new king], and others [scattered a layer of] leafy branches which they had cut from the fields [honoring Him as Messiah].

9 Those who went in front and those who were following [Him] were shouting [in joy and praise],

“Hosanna (Save, I pray)!

Blessed(praised, glorified)isHe who comes in the name of theLord!

10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!

Hosanna in the highest [heaven]!”

11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple [enclosure]; and after looking around at everything, He left for Bethany with the twelve [disciples], because it was already late [in the day].

12 On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He was hungry.

13 Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if He would find anything on it. But He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.

14 He said to it,“No one will ever eat fruit from you again!”And His disciples were listening [to what He said].

Jesus Drives Moneychangers from the Temple

15 Then they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple [grounds] and began driving out [with force] the people who wereselling and buying [animals for sacrifice] in the temple area, and overturned the tables of the moneychangers [who made a profit exchanging foreign money for temple coinage] and the seats of those who were selling doves;

16 and He would not permit anyone to carrymerchandiseorhousehold wares through the temple [grounds, using the temple area irreverently as a shortcut].

17 Hebeganto teach and say to them,“Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it arobbers’ den.”

18 The chief priests and the scribes heard this andbegansearching for a way to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, since the entire crowd was struck with astonishment at His teaching.

19 When evening came, Jesus and His disciples would leave the city.

20 In the morning, as they were passing by, the disciples saw that the fig tree had withered away from the roots up.

21 And remembering, Peter said to Him, “Rabbi (Master), look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered!”

22 Jesus replied,“Have faith in God[constantly].

23 I assure youandmost solemnly say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea!’ anddoes not doubt in his heart[in God’s unlimited power],but believes that what he says is going to take place, it will be done for him[in accordance with God’s will].

24 For this reason I am telling you, whatever things you ask for in prayer[in accordance with God’s will],believe[with confident trust]that you have received them, and they will begivento you.

25 Whenever youstand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him[drop the issue, let it go],so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressionsandwrongdoings[against Him and others].

26 [But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions.”]

Jesus’ Authority Questioned

27 They came again to Jerusalem. And as Jesus was walking in the [courts and porches of the] temple, thechief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him,

28 andbegansaying to Him, “By what authority are You doing these things, or who gave You this authority to do these things?”

29 Jesus said to them,“I will ask you one question, and you answer Me, and then I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

30 Was the baptism of John[the Baptist]from heaven[that is, ordained by God]or from men? Answer Me.”

31 Theybegandiscussing it with each other, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’

32 Butshall we say, ‘From men?’ ” —they were afraid [to answer because] of the crowd, for everyone considered John to have been a real prophet.

33 So they replied to Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them,“Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Parable of the Vineyard Owner

1 Jesus began to speak to them [the chief priests, scribes and elders who were questioning Him] in parables:“A manplanted a vineyard and put awall around it,and dug a pit for the wine press and built a tower; and he rented it out to tenant farmers and left the country.

2 When theharvestseason came he sent aservant to the tenants, in order to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard.

3 They took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

4 Again he sent them another servant, and they[threw stones and]wounded him in the head, and treated him disgracefully.

5 And he sent another, and that one they killed; then many others—some they beat and some they killed.

6 He still had one man leftto send,a beloved son; he sent him last of all to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

7 But those tenants said to each other, ‘Thismanis the heir! Come on, let us kill him[and destroy the evidence],and his inheritance will be ours!’

8 So they took him and killed him, and threw his body outside the vineyard.

9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants, and will give the vineyard to others.

10 Have you not even read this Scripture:

‘The stone which the builders regarded as unworthyandrejected,

This[very stone]has become the chiefCornerstone

11 This came about from theLord,

And it is marvelousandwonderful in our eyes’?”

12 And they were looking for a way to seize Him, but they were afraid of the crowd; for they knew that He spoke this parable in reference to [and as a charge against] them. And so they left Him and went away.

Jesus Answers the Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes

13 Then they sent some of thePharisees and Herodians to Jesus in order to trap Him intomakinga statement [that they could use against Him].

14 They came and said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and have no personal bias toward anyone; for You are not influenced by outward appearancesorsocial status, but in truth You teach the way of God. Is it lawful [according to Jewish law and tradition] to pay thepoll-tax to [Tiberius] Caesar, or not?

15 Should we pay [the tax] or should we not pay?” But knowing their hypocrisy, He asked them,“Why are you testing Me? Bring Me acoin (denarius) to look at.”

16 So they brought one. Then He asked them,“Whose image and inscription is this?”They said to Him, “Caesar’s.”

17 Jesus said to them,“Pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”And they were greatly amazed at Him.

18 Some Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection) came to Him, andbeganquestioning Him, saying,

19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us [a law] thatif a man’s brother diesand leaves a wifebut leaves no child,his brother is tomarry the widow and raise up children for his brother.

20 There were seven brothers; the first [one] took a wife, and died leaving no children.

21 The second brother married her, and died leaving no children; and the third likewise;

22 and so all seven [married her and died, and] left no children. Last of all the woman died also.

23 In the resurrection, whose wife will she be? For all seven [brothers] were married to her.”

24 Jesus said to them,“Is this not why you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures[that teach the resurrection]nor the power of God[who is able to raise the dead]?

25 For when they rise from the dead, they do not marry nor are they given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

26 But concerning the raising of the dead, have you not read in the book of Moses, in thepassageabout theburningbush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘Iam theGod ofAbraham,and theGod ofIsaac,and theGod ofJacob’?

27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; you are greatly mistakenandyou are deceiving yourselves!”

28 Then one of the scribes [an expert in Mosaic Law] came up and listened to them arguing [with one another], and noticing that Jesus answered them well, asked Him, “Which commandment is firstandmost important of all?”

29 Jesus answered,“The firstandmost importantoneis: ‘Hear, O Israel,theLord ourGod is oneLord;

30 and you shall love theLord yourGod with all your heart,and with all your soul(life),and with all your mind(thought, understanding),and with all your strength.’

31 This is the second: ‘You shall[unselfishly]love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

32 The scribe said to Him, “Admirably answered, Teacher; You truthfully stated that He isOne,and there is no other butHim;

33 and to loveHim with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength,and to[unselfishly]love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

34 When Jesus saw that he answered thoughtfullyandintelligently, He said to him,“You are not far from the kingdom of God.”And after that, no one would dare to ask Him any more questions.

35 Jesusbeganto say, as He taught in [a portico or court of] the temple,“How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?

36 David himself said[when inspired]by the Holy Spirit,

‘TheLord(the Father)said to myLord(the Son, the Messiah),

“Sit atMy right hand,

UntilIputYour enemies underYour feet.” ’

37 David himself calls Him (the Son, the Messiah) ‘Lord’; so how can it be that He isDavid’s Son?”The large crowd enjoyed hearing Jesusandlistened to Him with delight.

38 In [the course of] His teaching He was saying,“Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes[displaying their prominence],andlike to receiverespectful greetings in the market places,

39 and[they love]thechief seats in the synagogues and the places of distinctionandhonor at banquets,

40 [these scribes]who devour (confiscate) widows’ houses, and offer long prayers for appearance’s sake[to impress others].These men will receive greater condemnation.”

The Widow’s Mite

41 And He sat down opposite the [temple] treasury, andbeganwatching how the people were putting money into thetreasury. And many rich people were putting inlarge sums.

42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to amite.

43 Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them,“I assure youandmost solemnly say to you, this poor widow put in[proportionally]more than all the contributors to the treasury.

44 For they all contributed from their surplus, but she, from her poverty, put in all she had, all she had to live on.”

Things to Come

1 As He was coming out of the temple [grounds], one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, look whatwonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!”

2 Jesus replied to him,“You see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left on another which will not betorn down!”

3 As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked Him privately,

4 “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be fulfilled?”

5 Jesus began to say to them,“Be carefulandsee to it that no one misleads you.

6 Many will come in My name[misusing My name or claiming to be the Messiah],saying, ‘I amHe!’and will deceiveandmislead many.

7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed (frightened, troubled);these thingsmust take place, but the end is not yet.

8 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These things are the beginning of thebirth pangs[the intolerable anguish and suffering].

9 “But be on your guard; they will turn you over to courts, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand[as accused]before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them.

10 The gospel[that is, the good news regarding the way of salvation]must first be preached to all the[Gentile]nations.

11 When they take you and turn you over[to the court],do not worry beforehand about what to say, but say whatever is given to you[by God]in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit[who will speak through you].

12 Brother will betray brother to[be put to]death, and a father[will hand over]his child; and children will rise upandtake a stand against parents and have them put to death.

13 You will be hated by everyone because of[your association with]My name, but the one who[patiently perseveres empowered by the Holy Spirit and]endures to the end, he will be saved.

14 “But when you see theabomination of desolationstanding[in the temple sanctuary]where it ought not to be(let thereader understand) then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.

15 Whoever is on the housetop must not go down[to enter the house],or go inside to take anything out of his house;

16 whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his coat.

17 And woe to those women who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!

18 Pray that it will not occur in winter,

19 for at that time there will be such tribulation as has not occurred, from the beginning of the creation which God made, until now—and never will[be again].

20 And if the Lord had not shortened the days, no human life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose[for Himself],He shortened the days.

21 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed)!’ or, ‘Look,He isthere!’ do not believe it;

22 for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and they will provide signs and wonders in order to deceive, if[such a thing were]possible, even the elect[those God has chosen for Himself].

23 But be on your guard; I have told you everything in advance.

The Return of Christ

24 “But in those days, after[the suffering and distress of]that tribulation,the sun will be darkened,and the moon will not give its light,

25 and the stars will be fallingfrom the sky, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken.

26 Then they will seetheSon ofMan coming in cloudswith great power and glory[in royal majesty and splendor].

27 And then He will send out the angels, and will gather together His elect[those He has chosen for Himself]from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.

28 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: as soon as its branch becomes tender and it puts out its leaves, you recognize that summer is near.

29 Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, know[for certain]that He is near,rightat the door.

30 I assure youandmost solemnly say to you, this generation[the people living when these signs and events begin]will not pass away until all these things take place.

31 Heaven and earth[as now known]willpass away, but My words will not pass away.

32 But of that[exact]day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son[in His humanity],but the Fatheralone.

33 “Be on guard and stay constantly alert[and pray]; for you do not know when theappointedtime will come.

34 It is like a man away on a journey,whowhen he left home put his servants in charge, each with hisparticulartask, and also ordered the doorkeeper to becontinuallyalert.

35 Therefore, becontinuallyon the alert—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—

36 [stay alert,]in case he should come suddenlyandunexpectedly and find you asleepandunprepared.

37 What I say to you I say to everyone, ‘Be on the alert[stay awake and be continually cautious]!’ ”

Death Plot and the Anointing in Bethany

1 It was now two days before the Passover and [the festival of] Unleavened Bread, and the chief priests and the scribes were searching for a deceitful way to arrest Jesus and killHim;

2 but they were saying, “Not during the festival, for the people might riot.”

3 While He was in Bethany [as a guest] at the home ofSimon the leper, and recliningat the table,awoman came with an alabaster vial of very costlyandprecious perfume of purenard; and she broke the vial and poured the perfume over His head.

4 But there weresome who were indignantlyremarkingto one another, “Why has this perfume been wasted?

5 For this perfume might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii [a laborer’s wages for almost a year], andthe moneygiven to the poor.” And they scolded her.

6 But Jesus said,“Let her alone; why are you bothering herandcausing trouble? She has done a goodandbeautiful thing to Me.

7 For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do something good to them; but you will not always have Me.

8 She has done what she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial.

9 I assure youandmost solemnly say to you, wherever thegood news [regarding salvation]is proclaimed throughout the world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”

10 Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve [disciples], went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them.

11 When they heard this they were delighted, and promised to give him money. And hebeganlooking for an opportune time to betray Jesus.

The Last Passover

12 On the first day [of the festival] ofUnleavened Bread, when [as was customary] they sacrificed the Passover lamb, His disciples asked Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare for You to eat the Passover?”

13 And He sent two of His disciples, saying to them,“Go into the city, and aman carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him;

14 and say to theowner of thehousehe enters, ‘The Teacher asks, “Where is My guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?” ’

15 He will show you a large upstairs room, furnished and ready[with carpets and dining couches];prepare[the supper]for us there.”

16 The disciples left and went to the city and found everything just as He had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

17 When it was evening, He came with the twelve [disciples].

18 While they were recliningat the table,Jesus said,“I assure youandmost solemnly say to you that one of you will betray Me—one who is eating with Me.”

19 They began to be grievedanddeeply distressed and to say to Him one by one, “Surely not I?”

20 And He replied,“It is one of the twelve[disciples],one who is dippingbreadin the bowl with Me.

21 For the Son of Man goes[to the cross]just as it is written[in Scripture]of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!It would have beengood for that man if he had not been born.”

The Lord’s Supper

22 While they were eating, Jesus took bread andblessed it [giving thanks and praise], and He broke it, and gave it to them and said,“Take it. This is My body.”

23 And when He had taken a cup [of wine] andgiven thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.

24 And He said to them,“This is My blood of the[new]covenant,[My blood]which is being poured out for many[for the forgiveness of sins].

25 I assure youandmost solemnly say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

26 After they had sung ahymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

27 Jesus said to them,“You will all fall away[and be ashamed and be afraid to be associated with Me as disciples],because it is written, ‘Iwill strike theShepherd,and the sheep will be scattered.’

28 But after I have been raised[from the dead],I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”

29 But Peter said to Him, “Even if they all fall away [and desert You, ashamed and afraid of being associated with You], yet I will not [do so]!”

30 Jesus said to him,“I assure youandmost solemnly say to you, this very night, before a rooster crows twice, you will deny[that you even know]Me three times.”

31 But Peter kept saying insistently, “If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And they all were saying the same thing as well.

Jesus in Gethsemane

32 Then they went to a place called Gethsemane; and Jesus said to His disciples,“Sit down here until I have prayed.”

33 He took Peter and James and John with Him, and He began to be deeply distressed and troubled [extremely anguished at the prospect of what was to come].

34 And He said to them,“My soul is deeply grievedandoverwhelmed with sorrow, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch.”

35 After going a little farther, He fell to the ground [distressed by the weight of His spiritual burden] andbeganto pray that if it were possible [in the Father’s will], the hour [of suffering and death for the sins of mankind] might pass from Him.

36 He was saying,“Abba, Father! All things are possible for You; take this cup[of judgment]away from Me; but not what I will, but what You will.”

37 And He came back and found them sleeping, and He said to Peter,“Simon, are you asleep? Were you unable to keep watch for one hour?

38 Keep[actively]watching and praying so that you do not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but thebody is weak.”

39 He went away again and prayed, saying the same words.

40 And again He came back and found them sleeping, because their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know how to answer Him.

41 He came back a third time and said to them,“Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough[of that]!The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.

42 Get up, let us go. Look, my betrayer is near!”

Betrayal and Arrest

43 And at once, while He was still speaking, Judas [Iscariot], one of the twelve [disciples], came up, and with him a crowd of men with swords and clubs,who camefrom the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders [of the Sanhedrin].

44 Now the betrayer had given them a signal, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him and lead Him away safely [under guard].”

45 When Judas came, immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Rabbi (Master)!” and hekissed Him [forcefully].

46 They laid hands on Him and seized Him.

47 But one of the bystanders [Simon Peter] drew his sword and struck [Malchus] the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear.

48 Jesus said to them,“Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me, asyou wouldagainst a robber?

49 Day after day I was with you, teaching in the[courts and porches of the]temple, and you did not seize Me; butthis has happenedso that the Scriptures would be fulfilled.”

50 Then all of His disciples abandoned Him and fled.

51 A youngman was following Him, wearing [only] a linen sheet overhisnakedbody;and some men seized him.

52 But pulling free of the linen sheet, he escaped [from them] naked.

Jesus before His Accusers

53 They led Jesus away to the high priest, and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) gathered together.

54 Peter had followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the officers [guards and servants] and warming himself at the fire.

55 Now the chief priests and the entire Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) were trying to obtain testimony against Jesus [which they could use] to have Him [condemned and] executed, but they were not finding any.

56 For many [people] were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimonies were not consistent.

57 Some stood up andbeganto give false testimony against Him, saying,

58 “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple (sanctuary) that was made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.’ ”

59 Not even in this respect was their testimony consistent.

60 The high priest stood up and came forward and asked Jesus, “Have You no answer to give [in response] to what these men are testifying against You?”

61 But Jesus kept silent and gave no answer at all. Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, “Are You the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the Son of theBlessed One?”

62 Jesus said,“I am; and you will[all]seetheSon ofMan seated[with authority]at the right hand ofPower(the Father), andcoming with the clouds of heaven.”

63 Thentearing his robe [to express his indignation], the high priest said, “What further need do we have of witnesses?

64 You have heard the blasphemy [that is, His claim to be the Son of God]. What is your decision?” And they all condemned Him to be [guilty and] deserving of death.

65 And some began to spit on Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him with their fists, and to say to Him, “Prophesy [by telling us who hit you]!” Then the officers took custody of Him and struck him in the face.

Peter’s Denials

66 While Peter was down below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest came,

67 and when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked intently at him and said, “You were with Jesus the Nazarene, too.”

68 But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are talking about.” Then he went out [of the courtyard] to the porch,[and a rooster crowed.]

69 The servant-girl saw him, and began once more to tell the bystanders, “This [man] isoneof them.”

70 But again he denied it. After a little while, the bystanders again said to Peter, “You are in factoneof them, for [it is clear from your accent, that] you are a Galilean, too.”

71 But he began toinvoke a curse [on himself] and to swear [an oath], “I do not know this man you are talking about!”

72 Immediately a rooster crowed the second time. And Peter remembered what Jesus said to him:“Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.”And thinking of this, he began weeping [in anguish].

Jesus before Pilate

1 Early in the morning the chief priests, with the elders and scribes and the whole Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court), immediately consulted together; and they bound Jesus, they took Him away [violently] and handed Him over to Pilate.

2 Pilate questioned Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He replied to him,“It is as you say.”

3 The chief priestsbeganaccusing Him of many things.

4 Then Pilate again asked Him, “Have You no answer [to give]? See how many charges they are bringing against You!”

5 But Jesus gave no further answer; so Pilate was perplexed.

6 Now at the [Passover] feast Pilate used to set free for them any one prisoner whom they requested.

7 The man called Barabbas was imprisoned with the insurrectionists (revolutionaries) who had committed murder in the civil rebellion.

8 The crowd came up and began asking Pilate to do as he usually did for them.

9 Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to set free for you the King of the Jews?”

10 For he was aware that the chief priests had turned Jesus over to him because of envyandresentment.

11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to get him to release Barabbas for them instead.

12 Again Pilate answered, “Then what shall I do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?”

13 They screamed back, “Crucify Him!”

14 But Pilate asked them, “Why, what has He done that is evil?” But they screamed all the more, “Crucify Him!”

15 So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, set Barabbas free for them; and after having Jesusscourged, he handed Him over [to his soldiers] to be crucified.

Jesus Is Mocked

16 The soldiers led Him away into the palace (that is, thePraetorium), and they called together the entire [Roman] battalion [of 600 soldiers].

17 They dressed Him up in [a ranking Roman officer’s robe of] purple, and after twisting [together] a crown of thorns, they placed it on Him;

18 and they began salutingandmocking Him: “Hail, King of the Jews!”

19 They kept beating Him on the head with areed and spitting on Him, and kneeling and bowing in [mock] homage to Him.

20 After they had mocked Him, they took off the purple robe and put His own clothes on Him. And they led Him out [of the city] to crucify Him.

21 They forced into service a passer-by coming in from the countryside, Simon ofCyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus),to carry His cross.

The Crucifixion

22 Then they brought Him to the place [called] Golgotha, which is translated, Place of aSkull.

23 They tried to give Himwine mixed with myrrh [to dull the pain], but He would not take it.

24 And they crucified Him, anddivided up His clothes among themselves, casting lots for them to see who should take what.

25 It was the third hour (9:00 a.m.) when they crucified Him.

26 The inscription of the accusation against Him had been written [above Him]: “THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

27 They crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left.

28 [And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “He was counted with the transgressors.”]

29 Those who were passing by were insulting Him with abusiveandinsolent language, wagging their heads [as a sign of contempt], and saying, “Ha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in [only] three days,

30 save Yourself by coming down from the cross!”

31 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were ridiculingandmockingHimamong themselves and saying, “He saved others [from death]; He cannot save Himself!

32 Let the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believeandtrust [in Him]!” Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.

33 When the sixth hour (noon) came, darkness covered the whole land until the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.).

34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice,“Eloi, Eloi,lama sabachthani?”—which is translated,“MyGod, MyGod,why haveYou forsakenMe?”

35 Some of the bystanders heard Him and said, “Look! He is calling forElijah!”

36 Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave Him a drink, saying, “Let us see whether Elijah is coming to take Him down.”

37 But Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed out His last [voluntarily, sovereignly dismissing and releasing His spirit from His body in submission to His Father’s plan].

38 And the veil [of the Holy of Holies] of the temple was torn in two fromtop to bottom.

39 When the centurion, who was standing opposite Him, saw the way He breathed His last [being fully in control], he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

40 Now some women also were watching from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, andMary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, andSalome.

41 When Jesus was in Galilee, they used to accompany him and minister to Him; andthere werealso many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.

Jesus Is Buried

42 When evening had already come, because it was the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath,

43 Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominentandrespected member of the Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court), who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God—and he courageously dared to go in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus.

44 Pilatewondered if He was dead by this time [only six hours after being crucified], and he summoned the centurion and asked him whether He was already dead.

45 And when he learned from the centurion [that Jesus was in fact dead], he gave the body to Joseph [by granting him permission to remove it].

46 So Joseph purchased a [fine] linen cloth [forwrapping the body], and after taking Jesus down [from the cross], he wrapped Him in the linen cloth and placed Him in a tomb which had been cut out of rock. Then he rolled a [large, wheel-shaped] stone against the entrance of the tomb.

47 Mary Magdalene and Mary themotherof Joses were [carefully] watching to see where He was laid.

The Resurrection

1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary themotherof James, and Salome purchased [sweet-smelling] spices, so that they might go andanoint Him.

2 Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.

3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll back the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”

4 Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, though it was extremely large.

5 Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right, wearing a [long, stately] white robe; and they were amazedandbewildered.

6 And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen; He is not here. See, [here is] the place where they laid Him.

7 But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see Him there, just as He told you.’ ”

8 They went out and fled from the tomb, for they were seized with trembling and astonishment; and they said nothing [about it] to anyone, because they were afraid.

9 [Now Jesus, having risen [from death] early on the first day of the week, appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons.

10 She went and reported it to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping.

11 When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe it.

12 After that, He appeared in a different form to two of them as they were walking along the way to the country.

13 They returned [to Jerusalem] and told the others, but they did not believe them either.

The Disciples Commissioned

14 Later, Jesus appeared to the eleven [disciples] themselves as they were recliningat the table;and He called them to account for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen [from death].

15 And He said to them,“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

16 He who has believed[in Me]and has been baptized will be saved[from the penalty of God’s wrath and judgment];but he who has not believed will be condemned.

17 These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak in new tongues;

18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will get well.”

19 So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord was working with them and confirming the word by the signs that followed.]