Mark 15

Evangelical Heritage Version

Jesus’ Trial in Pilate’s Court

15 As soon as it was morning, the chief priests, along with the elders, the experts in the law, and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. ² Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”

He answered him, “It is as you say.”

³ The chief priests accused him of many things. ⁴ Pilate questioned him again, “Are you not going to answer anything? See how many charges they are bringing against you!”

⁵ But Jesus still did not answer anything, so Pilate was amazed.

Barabbas or Jesus?

⁶ At each Festival, Pilate used to release to the people one prisoner whom they requested. ⁷ There was one named Barabbas, who was imprisoned with the rebels and had committed murder in the rebellion. ⁸ The crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do for them what he usually did.

⁹ Pilate replied, “Do you want me to release the King of the Jews to you?” ¹⁰ In fact, he knew that it was because of envy that the chief priests had handed him over.

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

¹² Again, Pilate replied to them, “Then what do you want me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?”

¹³ “Crucify him!” they shouted back.

¹⁴ But Pilate said to them, “Why? What has he done wrong?”

But they shouted even louder, “Crucify him!”

¹⁵ Since he wanted to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. After he had Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified.

Soldiers Mock Jesus

¹⁶ The soldiers led him away inside the palace, which is the Praetorium, and called together the whole cohort^[a] of soldiers. ¹⁷ They put a purple robe on him, twisted together a crown of thorns, and put it on him. ¹⁸ The soldiers began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” ¹⁹ They kept hitting him on the head with a reed and spitting on him. They also kneeled down to pay homage to him.

The Crucifixion

²⁰ When they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothing on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.

²¹ A certain man, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus), was passing by on his way in from the country. They forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. ²² They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha, which means, “The place of a skull.” ²³ They tried to give him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. ²⁴ They crucified him. And they divided his garments, casting lots for them to decide what each of them would take.

²⁵ Now it was the third hour^[b] when they crucified him. ²⁶ The superscription stating the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” ²⁷ They also crucified two criminals with him, one on his right and one on his left.^[c]

²⁹ Those who passed by ridiculed him, shaking their heads and saying, “Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, ³⁰ save yourself! Come down from the cross!”

³¹ In the same way, the chief priests along with the experts in the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said. “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!”

Those who were crucified with him also insulted him.

Jesus’ Death

³³ When it was the sixth hour,^[d] darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour.^{[e] 34} At the ninth hour Jesus shouted with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”^[f]

³⁵ When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah!”

³⁶ Someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. They said, “Leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down.”

³⁷ Jesus cried out with a loud voice and breathed his last. ³⁸ The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. ³⁹ When the centurion who stood facing him saw how he cried out and breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

⁴⁰ There were also women watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. ⁴¹ When he was in Galilee, they followed him and served him. Many other women also came up with him to Jerusalem.

Jesus’ Burial

⁴² It was already evening, and since it was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath), ⁴³ Joseph from Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, boldly went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. ⁴⁴ Pilate was surprised that he was already dead. He summoned the centurion and asked him if Jesus had been dead for a long time. ⁴⁵ When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he granted the body to Joseph. ⁴⁶ Joseph bought a linen cloth, took him down, and wrapped him in the linen cloth. He laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of rock, and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. ⁴⁷ Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were watching where the body was laid.