Verse-Reference
Reference-Verse
Abbreviate Books
Quotes around Verses      |
 Mar 15:1 |
Very early in the morning the leading priests, other leaders, and teachers of religious law--the entire high council [fn]--met to discuss their next step. They bound Jesus and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor. |
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Mar 15:2 |
Pilate asked Jesus, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus replied, "Yes, it is as you say." |
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Mar 15:3 |
Then the leading priests accused him of many crimes, |
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Mar 15:4 |
and Pilate asked him, "Aren't you going to say something? What about all these charges against you?" |
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Mar 15:5 |
But Jesus said nothing, much to Pilate's surprise. |
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Mar 15:6 |
Now it was the governor's custom to release one prisoner each year at Passover time--anyone the people requested. |
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Mar 15:7 |
One of the prisoners at that time was Barabbas, convicted along with others for murder during an insurrection. |
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Mar 15:8 |
The mob began to crowd in toward Pilate, asking him to release a prisoner as usual. |
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Mar 15:9 |
"Should I give you the King of the Jews?" Pilate asked. |
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Mar 15:10 |
(For he realized by now that the leading priests had arrested Jesus out of envy.) |
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Mar 15:11 |
But at this point the leading priests stirred up the mob to demand the release of Barabbas instead of Jesus. |
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Mar 15:12 |
"But if I release Barabbas," Pilate asked them, "what should I do with this man you call the King of the Jews?" |
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Mar 15:13 |
They shouted back, "Crucify him!" |
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Mar 15:14 |
"Why?" Pilate demanded. "What crime has he committed?" But the crowd only roared the louder, "Crucify him!" |
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Mar 15:15 |
So Pilate, anxious to please the crowd, released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to crucify him. |
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Mar 15:16 |
The soldiers took him into their headquarters [fn] and called out the entire battalion. |
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Mar 15:17 |
They dressed him in a purple robe and made a crown of long, sharp thorns and put it on his head. |
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Mar 15:18 |
Then they saluted, yelling, "Hail! King of the Jews!" |
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Mar 15:19 |
And they beat him on the head with a stick, spit on him, and dropped to their knees in mock worship. |
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Mar 15:20 |
When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified. |
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Mar 15:21 |
A man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, [fn] was coming in from the country just then, and they forced him to carry Jesus' cross. (Simon is the father of Alexander and Rufus.) |
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Mar 15:22 |
And they brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha (which means Skull Hill). |
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Mar 15:23 |
They offered him wine drugged with myrrh, but he refused it. |
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Mar 15:24 |
Then they nailed him to the cross. They gambled for his clothes, throwing dice [fn] to decide who would get them. |
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Mar 15:25 |
It was nine o'clock in the morning when the crucifixion took place. |
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Mar 15:26 |
A signboard was fastened to the cross above Jesus' head, announcing the charge against him. It read: "The King of the Jews." |
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Mar 15:27 |
Two criminals were crucified with him, their crosses on either side of his. [fn] |
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Mar 15:28 |
Omitted from the NLT. See the  button or the footnotes for additional information.
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Mar 15:29 |
And the people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. "Ha! Look at you now!" they yelled at him. "You can destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days, can you? |
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Mar 15:30 |
Well then, save yourself and come down from the cross!" |
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Mar 15:31 |
The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked Jesus. "He saved others," they scoffed, "but he can't save himself! |
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Mar 15:32 |
Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down from the cross so we can see it and believe him!" Even the two criminals who were being crucified with Jesus ridiculed him. |
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Mar 15:33 |
At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o'clock. |
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Mar 15:34 |
Then, at that time Jesus called out with a loud voice, "[Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?]" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" [fn] |
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Mar 15:35 |
Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. |
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Mar 15:36 |
One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a stick so he could drink. "Leave him alone. Let's see whether Elijah will come and take him down!" he said. |
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Mar 15:37 |
Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. |
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Mar 15:38 |
And the curtain in the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. |
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Mar 15:39 |
When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, "Truly, this was the Son of God!" |
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Mar 15:40 |
Some women were there, watching from a distance, including Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James the younger and of Joseph [fn]), and Salome. |
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Mar 15:41 |
They had been followers of Jesus and had cared for him while he was in Galilee. Then they and many other women had come with him to Jerusalem. |
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Mar 15:42 |
This all happened on Friday, the day of preparation, [fn] the day before the Sabbath. As evening approached, |
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Mar 15:43 |
an honored member of the high council, Joseph from Arimathea (who was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come), gathered his courage and went to Pilate to ask for Jesus' body. |
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Mar 15:44 |
Pilate couldn't believe that Jesus was already dead, so he called for the Roman military officer in charge and asked him. |
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Mar 15:45 |
The officer confirmed the fact, and Pilate told Joseph he could have the body. |
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Mar 15:46 |
Joseph bought a long sheet of linen cloth, and taking Jesus' body down from the cross, he wrapped it in the cloth and laid it in a tomb that had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone in front of the entrance. |
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Mar 15:47 |
Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where Jesus' body was laid. |
NLT Footnotes:
- (15:1) Greek the Sanhedrin; also in 15:43.
- (15:16) Greek the courtyard, which is the praetorium.
- (15:21) Cyrene was a city in northern Africa.
- (15:24) Greek casting lots. See Ps 22:18.
- (15:27) Some manuscripts add verse 28, And the Scripture was fulfilled that said, “He was counted among those who were rebels.” See Isa 53:12.
- (15:34) Ps 22:1.
- (15:40) Greek Joses; also in 15:47. See Matt 27:56.
- (15:42) Greek on the day of preparation.
