Open English Translation LUKE Chapter 23

23 Then the whole group of Jewish leaders stood up and led him to Pilate 2 where they started to bring their accusations, “We found this man perverting our nation and telling the people not to pay taxes to Caesar. He calls himself the messiah and claims to be a king.”

3 “Are you the king of the Jews,” Pilate asked him?

“You’re the one saying it,” Yeshua answered.

4 Then Pilate told the chief priests and the crowds, “I can’t find anything that this man is guilty of.”

5 But they kept insisting, “He’s been stirring up the people, teaching throughout all Yudea. He started in Galilee then worked his way all the way down here.”

6 When Pilate heard that, he asked if the prisoner was a Galilean, 7 and when he discovered that he was from King Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him across to Herod as he also happened to be in Yerushalem at that time. 8 Herod was very pleased when he saw Yeshua being brought in because he’d been wanting to see him for quite some time because of everything he’d heard about him. He was hoping to see Yeshua do a miracle in front of his eyes 9 and asked him lots of questions, but Yeshua didn’t answer any of them. 10 Meanwhile the chief priests and the religious teachers were standing there loudly making many accusations against him. 11 Then Herod and his soldiers also insulted and mocked Yeshua, and dressing him in posh clothes, Herod sent him back to Pilate. 12 After that day, Herod and Pilate became friends with each other. (Before then they’d opposed each other.)

13 So Pilate called together the chief priests and the local leaders and the people 14 and told them, “You brought this man to me for stirring up the people, but listen, I’ve examined him in front of you all and I find him to be not guilty of anything that you’re all accusing him of, 15 and Herod didn’t either, because he just sent him back to us. Now listen, he’s done nothing worthy of a death sentence 16 so I’ll have him disciplined and then discharged.

17 ◘ 18 But they all yelled out in unison, “Take him away and release Barabbas instead!” 19 (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for murder after an uprising that had occurred in the city.)

20 Pilate called out again to them wanting to release Yeshua 21 but they kept yelling, “Execute him on a stake! Execute him on a stake!”

22 He tried a third time, “But what crime has this man committed? I’ve found nothing worthy of the death sentence, so I’ll discipline him and then release him.”

23 But they kept loudly insisting that he be executed on a stake, and the yelling of the crowd was strong enough to convince Pilate, 24 so he conceded to their request 25 and released the one thrown into prison for murder and rebellion, but he conceded to sentence Yeshua as they had wanted.

26 As the Roman soldiers led Yeshua out of the city, they grabbed a man that was coming in from the countryside. He was Simon from Cyrene, and they forced him to carry the stake and follow along behind Yeshua.

27 Following along behind them, was a large crowd of people including women who were wailing for Yeshua and chanting sad songs, 28 but he turned to them and spoke, “Women of Yerushalem, don’t weep for me. Weep for yourselves and for your children, 29 because the time is coming when they’ll say, ‘Blessed are the childless couples and the women who never bore or raised a child.’ 30 [ref]Then they’ll start being the mountains to fall on top of them and begging the hills to smother them, 31 because if this what happens while we’re still a nation, what will happen when the country is gone?”

32 There were also two other criminals being led along to be executed with Yeshua.

33 When they got to the place named ‘The Skull’, they attached Yeshua onto a stake[fn] and the same for the two criminals, one on each side of him, 34 [ref]but when they divided his clothes, the soldiers threw dice to divide them up.

35 [ref]The people observing were standing there, and some of the Jewish leaders were there too, sneering at him and saying, “He saved others, so now if he’s God’s son, the chosen messiah, let him save himself.”

36 The soldiers also mocked him, going up and offering cheap wine to him, 37 saying, “If you’re the king of the Jews, then save yourself,” 38 as an inscription had been placed above him that said, “This is the king of the Jews.”

39 One of the criminals that was hanging there insulted him, saying, “Aren’t you the messiah? Save yourself and us too.”

40 But the other criminal told him off, saying, “Don’t you even respect God when you too have been sentenced to death. 41 At least we deserve our punishment that fits what we’ve done, but in contrast, this man did nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Yeshua, remember me when you enter your kingdom.”

43 “I can assure you,” he replied, “that you’ll be with me in paradise today.”

44 By then it was around midday but it went dark until around 3pm— 45 [ref]the sun went dark[fn] and the curtain inside the temple was torn in the middle. 46 [ref]Then Yeshua called out loudly, “Father, I’m entrusting my spirit into your care.” and after saying that, he stopped breathing.

47 When the centurion saw how it happened, he praised God saying, “This really was an innocent man.”

48 The crowd of people who’d gathered for the spectacle, after seeing what happened they returned to the city, beating their chests in sorrow. 49 [ref]Yeshua’s acquaintances had stood further back, along with the women who have accompanied him from Galilee, and they too saw it all.

50 Then, look, there was a man named Yosef on the local council. (He was a good man and godly, 51 and hadn’t agreed with what the council had decided and done. He was from the Jewish city of Arimathea and was waiting for God’s kingdom to come.) 52 He went in to see Pilate and requested Yeshua’s body, 53 then he took it down from the stake and wrapped it in some linen cloth, and put the body into a tomb hollowed into the rock—a new tomb that had never been used. 54 It was now the day of preparation and the Rest Day was about to begin.

55 The women who’d come from Galilee followed Yosef and his men and saw the tomb and how the body was placed inside, 56 [ref]then they returned to the house and prepared spices and ointments.

Once the Rest Day began, they all rested according to the commandment,