Mark 15
1 Early in the morning, the chief priests, together with the elders, the teachers of the law, and the whole Sanhedrin, made their 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 replied, “You say so.”
3 The chief priests accused him of many things.
4 Pilate asked him again, “Have you nothing to say? Look at how many things they accuse you of.”
5 But Jesus said nothing more, and Pilate was amazed.
6 At each festival, he released to them a prisoner, whoever they asked for.
7 There was a man called Barabbas, imprisoned with the rebels who had committed murder during the uprising.
8 The crowd came up and began asking him to do for them what he usually did.
9 Pilate answered them, “Do you want me to release the king of the Jews to you?”
10 For he knew that the chief priests had handed him over out of envy.
11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas to them instead.
12 Pilate asked them again, “Then what should I do with the one you call the king of the Jews?”
13 They shouted again, “Crucify him!”
14 Pilate said to them, “But what wrong has he done?” And they shouted even louder, “Crucify him!”
15 Pilate, wanting to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas to them. After having Jesus whipped, he handed him over to be crucified.
16 The soldiers took him inside the courtyard, which is the Praetorium, and gathered the whole cohort.
17 They dressed him in purple and put on him a crown of thorns they had twisted together.
18 They began to greet him: “Hail, king of the Jews!”
19 They struck his head with a stick, spat on him, and knelt down and bowed before him.
20 After mocking him, they took off the purple robe and dressed him in his own clothes. Then they led him out to crucify him.
21 They forced a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the countryside, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.
22 They brought him to the place called Golgotha, which means “Place of the Skull.”
23 They offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he would not take it.
24 Then they crucified him and divided his clothes, casting lots to see what each of them would take.
25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him.
26 The inscription stating the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.”
27 With him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left.
29 Those passing by insulted him, shaking their heads and saying, “Ha! You who destroy the sanctuary and rebuild it in three days!
30 Save yourself by coming down from the cross!”
31 In the same way, the chief priests, mocking him among themselves with the teachers of the law, said, “He saved others, but he cannot save himself!
32 Let the Christ, the king of Israel, come down from the cross now, so we can see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also insulted him.
33 At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.
34 At three in the afternoon, Jesus cried out loudly, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
35 Some of those standing there heard this and said, “Look, he’s calling Elijah.”
36 One of them ran, filled a sponge with vinegar, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Leave him alone; let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down.”
37 But Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.
38 And the sanctuary curtain was torn in two, from top to bottom.
39 When the centurion standing opposite him saw that he breathed his last in this way, 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 had followed him and served him; there were also many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem.
42 It was already evening, and it was the day of Preparation, the day before the Sabbath.
43 Then Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also waiting for the kingdom of God, took courage, went in to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus.
44 Pilate was surprised that he had already died. He summoned the centurion and asked him whether he had been dead for long.
45 When he had been informed by the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.
46 Joseph bought a linen cloth, took the body down, wrapped it in the cloth, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. He rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.
47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses watched where he was laid.
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