Luke 19:1-23:47

New International Reader's Version

Zacchaeus the Tax Collector

19 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. ² A man named Zacchaeus lived there. He was a chief tax collector and was very rich. ³ Zacchaeus wanted to see who Jesus was. But he was a short man. He could not see Jesus because of the crowd. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree. He wanted to see Jesus, who was coming that way.

⁵ Jesus reached the spot where Zacchaeus was. He looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down at once. I must stay at your house today.” ⁶ So Zacchaeus came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

⁷ All the people saw this. They began to whisper among themselves. They said, “Jesus has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

⁸ But Zacchaeus stood up. He said, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of what I own to those who are poor. And if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay it back. I will pay back four times the amount I took.”

⁹ Jesus said to Zacchaeus, “Today salvation has come to your house. You are a member of Abraham’s family line. ¹⁰ The Son of Man came to look for the lost and save them.”

The Story of Three Slaves

¹¹ While the people were listening to these things, Jesus told them a story. He was near Jerusalem. The people thought that God’s kingdom was going to appear right away. ¹² Jesus said, “A man from an important family went to a country far away. He went there to be made king and then return home. ¹³ So he sent for ten of his slaves. He gave them each about three months’ pay. ‘Put this money to work until I come back,’ he said.

¹⁴ “But those he ruled over hated him. They sent some messengers after him. They were sent to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’

¹⁵ “But he was made king and returned home. Then he sent for the slaves he had given the money to. He wanted to find out what they had earned with it.

¹⁶ “The first one came to him. He said, ‘Sir, your money has earned ten times as much.’

¹⁷ “ ‘You have done well, my good slave!’ his master replied. ‘You have been faithful in a very small matter. So I will put you in charge of ten towns.’

¹⁸ “The second slave came to his master. He said, ‘Sir, your money has earned five times as much.’

¹⁹ “His master answered, ‘I will put you in charge of five towns.’

²⁰ “Then another slave came. He said, ‘Sir, here is your money. I have kept it hidden in a piece of cloth. ²¹ I was afraid of you. You are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in. You harvest what you did not plant.’

²² “His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you evil slave! So you knew that I am a hard man? You knew that I take out what I did not put in? You knew that I harvest what I did not plant? ²³ Then why didn’t you put my money in the bank? When I came back, I could have collected it with interest.’

²⁴ “Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his money away from him. Give it to the one who has ten times as much.’

²⁵ “ ‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten times as much!’

²⁶ “He replied, ‘I tell you that everyone who has will be given more. But here is what will happen to anyone who has nothing. Even what they have will be taken away from them. ²⁷ And what about my enemies who did not want me to be king over them? Bring them here! Kill them in front of me!’ ”

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King

²⁸ After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead. He was going up to Jerusalem. ²⁹ He approached Bethphage and Bethany. The hill there was called the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent out two of his disciples. He said to them, ³⁰ “Go to the village ahead of you. As soon as you get there, you will find a donkey’s colt tied up. No one has ever ridden it. Untie it and bring it here. ³¹ Someone may ask you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ If so, say, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ”

³² Those who were sent ahead went and found the young donkey. It was there just as Jesus had told them. ³³ They were untying the colt when its owners came. The owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

³⁴ They replied, “The Lord needs it.”

³⁵ Then the disciples brought the colt to Jesus. They threw their coats on the young donkey and put Jesus on it. ³⁶ As he went along, people spread their coats on the road.

³⁷ Jesus came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives. There the whole crowd of disciples began to praise God with joy. In loud voices they praised him for all the miracles they had seen. They shouted,

³⁹ Some of the Pharisees in the crowd spoke to Jesus. “Teacher,” they said, “tell your disciples to stop!”

⁴⁰ “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

⁴¹ He approached Jerusalem. When he saw the city, he began to weep. ⁴² He said, “I wish you had known today what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes. ⁴³ The days will come when your enemies will arrive. They will build a wall of dirt up against your city. They will surround you and close you in on every side. ⁴⁴ You didn’t recognize the time when God came to you. So your enemies will smash you to the ground. They will destroy you and all the people inside your walls. They will not leave one stone on top of another.”

Jesus Clears Out the Temple

⁴⁵ Then Jesus entered the temple courtyard. He began to drive out those who were selling there. ⁴⁶ He told them, “It is written that the Lord said, ‘My house will be a house where people can pray.’ (Isaiah 56:7) But you have made it a ‘den for robbers.’ ” (Jeremiah 7:11)

⁴⁷ Every day Jesus was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests and the teachers of the law were trying to kill him. So were the leaders among the people. ⁴⁸ But they couldn’t find any way to do it. All the people were paying close attention to his words.

The Authority of Jesus Is Questioned

20 One day Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courtyard. He was announcing the good news to them. The chief priests and the teachers of the law came up to him. The elders came with them. ² “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they all said. “Who gave you this authority?”

³ Jesus replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me, ⁴ was John’s baptism from heaven? Or did it come from people?”

⁵ They talked to one another about it. They said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ ⁶ But if we say, ‘From people,’ all the people will throw stones at us and kill us. They believe that John was a prophet.”

⁷ So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know where John’s baptism came from.”

⁸ Jesus said, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I am doing these things either.”

The Story of the Renters

⁹ Jesus went on to tell the people a story. “A man planted a vineyard,” he said. “He rented it out to some farmers. Then he went away for a long time. ¹⁰ At harvest time he sent a slave to the renters. They were supposed to give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the renters beat the slave. Then they sent him away with nothing. ¹¹ So the man sent another slave. They beat that one and treated him badly. They also sent him away with nothing. ¹² The man sent a third slave. The renters wounded him and threw him out.

¹³ “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? I have a son, and I love him. I will send him. Maybe they will respect him.’

¹⁴ “But when the renters saw the son, they talked the matter over. ‘This is the one who will receive all the owner’s property someday,’ they said. ‘Let’s kill him. Then everything will be ours.’ ¹⁵ So they threw him out of the vineyard. And they killed him.

“What will the owner of the vineyard do to the renters? ¹⁶ He will come and kill them. He will give the vineyard to others.”

When the people heard this, they said, “We hope this never happens!”

¹⁷ Jesus looked right at them and said, “Here is something I want you to explain the meaning of. It is written,

¹⁸ Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces. But the stone will crush anyone it falls on.”

¹⁹ The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest Jesus at once. They knew he had told that story against them. But they were afraid of the people.

Is It Right to Pay the Royal Tax to Caesar?

²⁰ The religious leaders sent spies to keep a close watch on Jesus. The spies pretended to be sincere. They hoped they could trap Jesus with something he would say. Then they could hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. ²¹ So the spies questioned Jesus. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you speak and teach what is right. We know you don’t favor one person over another. You teach the way of God truthfully. ²² Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

²³ Jesus saw they were trying to trick him. So he said to them, ²⁴ “Show me a silver coin. Whose picture and words are on it?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

²⁵ He said to them, “Then give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. And give back to God what belongs to God.”

²⁶ They were not able to trap him with what he had said there in front of all the people. Amazed by his answer, they became silent.

Marriage When the Dead Rise

²⁷ The Sadducees do not believe that people rise from the dead. Some of them came to Jesus with a question. ²⁸ “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us about a man’s brother who dies. Suppose the brother leaves a wife but has no children. Then the man must marry the widow. He must provide children to carry on his dead brother’s name. ²⁹ There were seven brothers. The first one married a woman. He died without leaving any children. ³⁰ The second one married her. ³¹ And then the third one married her. One after another, the seven brothers married her. They all died. None left any children. ³² Finally, the woman died too. ³³ Now then, when the dead rise, whose wife will she be? All seven brothers were married to her.”

³⁴ Jesus replied, “People in this world get married. And their parents give them to be married. ³⁵ But it will not be like that when the dead rise. Those who are considered worthy to take part in the world to come won’t get married. And their parents won’t give them to be married. ³⁶ They can’t die anymore. They are like the angels. They are God’s children. They will be given a new form of life when the dead rise. ³⁷ Remember the story of Moses and the burning bush. Even Moses showed that the dead rise. The Lord said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham. I am the God of Isaac. And I am the God of Jacob.’ (Exodus 3:6) ³⁸ He is not the God of the dead. He is the God of the living. In his eyes, everyone is alive.”

³⁹ Some of the teachers of the law replied, “You have spoken well, teacher!” ⁴⁰ And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Whose Son Is the Messiah?

⁴¹ Jesus said to them, “Why do people say that the Messiah is the son of David? ⁴² David himself says in the Book of Psalms,

⁴⁴ David calls him ‘Lord.’ So how can he be David’s son?”

Warning Against the Teachers of the Law

⁴⁵ All the people were listening. Jesus said to his disciples, ⁴⁶ “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in long robes. They love to be greeted with respect in the market. They love to have the most important seats in the synagogues. They also love to have the places of honor at banquets. ⁴⁷ They take over the houses of widows. They say long prayers to show off. God will punish these men very much.”

The Widow’s Offering

21 As Jesus looked up, he saw rich people putting their gifts into the temple offering boxes. ² He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. ³ “What I’m about to tell you is true,” Jesus said. “That poor widow has put in more than all the others. ⁴ All these other people gave a lot because they are rich. But even though she is poor, she put in everything. She had nothing left to live on.”

When the Temple Will Be Destroyed and the Signs of the End

⁵ Some of Jesus’ disciples were talking about the temple. They spoke about how it was decorated with beautiful stones and with gifts that honored God. But Jesus asked, ⁶ “Do you see all this? The time will come when not one stone will be left on top of another. Every stone will be thrown down.”

⁷ “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”

⁸ Jesus replied, “Keep watch! Be careful that you are not fooled. Many will come in my name. They will claim, ‘I am he!’ And they will say, ‘The time is near!’ Do not follow them. ⁹ Do not be afraid when you hear about wars and about fighting against rulers. Those things must happen first. But the end will not come right away.”

¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Nation will fight against nation. Kingdom will fight against kingdom. ¹¹ In many places there will be powerful earthquakes. People will go hungry. There will be terrible sicknesses. Things will happen that will make people afraid. There will be great and miraculous signs from heaven.

¹² “But before all this, people will arrest you and treat you badly. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison. You will be brought to kings and governors. All this will happen to you because of my name. ¹³ And so you will be witnesses about me. ¹⁴ But make up your mind not to worry ahead of time about how to stand up for yourselves. ¹⁵ I will give you words of wisdom. None of your enemies will be able to withstand them or prove them wrong. ¹⁶ Even your parents, brothers, sisters, relatives and friends will hand you over to the authorities. The authorities will put some of you to death. ¹⁷ Everyone will hate you because of me. ¹⁸ But not a hair on your head will be harmed. ¹⁹ Remain strong in the faith, and you will receive eternal life.

²⁰ “A time is coming when you will see armies surround Jerusalem. Then you will know that it will soon be destroyed. ²¹ Those who are in Judea should then escape to the mountains. Those in the city should get out. Those in the country should not enter the city. ²² This is the time when God will punish Jerusalem. Everything will come true, just as it has been written. ²³ How awful it will be in those days for pregnant women! How awful for nursing mothers! There will be terrible suffering in the land. There will be great anger against those people. ²⁴ Some will be killed by the sword. Others will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be taken over by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles come to an end.

²⁵ “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. The nations of the earth will be in terrible pain. They will be puzzled by the roaring and tossing of the sea. ²⁶ Terror will make people faint. They will be worried about what is happening in the world. The sun, moon and stars will be shaken from their places. ²⁷ At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud. He will come with power and great glory. ²⁸ When these things begin to take place, stand up. Hold your head up with joy and hope. The time when you will be set free will be very close.”

²⁹ Jesus told them a story. “Look at the fig tree and all the trees,” he said. ³⁰ “When you see leaves appear on the branches, you know that summer is near. ³¹ In the same way, when you see these things happening, you will know that God’s kingdom is near.

³² “What I’m about to tell you is true. The people living now will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. ³³ Heaven and earth will pass away. But my words will never pass away.

³⁴ “Be careful. If you aren’t, your hearts will be loaded down with wasteful living, drunkenness and the worries of life. Then the day the Son of Man returns will close on you like a trap. It will happen suddenly. ³⁵ That day will come on every person who lives on the whole earth. ³⁶ Always keep watching. Pray that you will be able to escape all that is about to happen. Also, pray that you will not be judged guilty when the Son of Man comes.”

³⁷ Each day Jesus taught at the temple. And each evening he went to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives. ³⁸ All the people came to the temple early in the morning. They wanted to hear Jesus speak.

Judas Agrees to Hand Jesus Over

22 The Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was near. ² The chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for a way to get rid of Jesus. They were afraid of the people. ³ Then Satan entered Judas, who was called Iscariot. Judas was one of the 12 disciples. ⁴ He went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard. He talked with them about how he could hand Jesus over to them. ⁵ They were delighted and agreed to give him money. ⁶ Judas accepted their offer. He watched for the right time to hand Jesus over to them. He wanted to do it when no crowd was around.

The Last Supper

⁷ Then the day of Unleavened Bread came. That was the time the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. ⁸ Jesus sent Peter and John on ahead. “Go,” he told them. “Prepare for us to eat the Passover meal.”

⁹ “Where do you want us to prepare for it?” they asked.

¹⁰ Jesus replied, “When you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house he enters. ¹¹ Then say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks, “Where is the guest room? Where can I eat the Passover meal with my disciples?” ’ ¹² He will show you a large upstairs room with furniture already in it. Prepare for us to eat there.”

¹³ Peter and John left. They found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover meal.

¹⁴ When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles took their places at the table. ¹⁵ He said to them, “I have really looked forward to eating this Passover meal with you. I wanted to do this before I suffer. ¹⁶ I tell you, I will not eat the Passover meal again until it is celebrated in God’s kingdom.”

¹⁷ After Jesus took the cup, he gave thanks. He said, “Take this cup and share it among yourselves. ¹⁸ I tell you, I will not drink wine with you again until God’s kingdom comes.”

¹⁹ Then Jesus took bread. He gave thanks and broke it. He handed it to them and said, “This is my body. It is given for you. Every time you eat it, do this in memory of me.”

²⁰ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup. He said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. It is poured out for you. ²¹ But someone here is going to hand me over to my enemies. His hand is with mine on the table. ²² The Son of Man will go to his death, just as God has already decided. But how terrible it will be for the one who hands him over!” ²³ The apostles began to ask one another about this. They wondered which one of them would do it.

²⁴ They also started to argue. They disagreed about which of them was thought to be the most important person. ²⁵ Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles hold power over their people. And those who order them around call themselves Protectors. ²⁶ But you must not be like that. Instead, the most important among you should be like the youngest. The one who rules should be like the one who serves. ²⁷ Who is more important? Is it the one at the table, or the one who serves? Isn’t it the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. ²⁸ You have stood by me during my troubles. ²⁹ And I give you a kingdom, just as my Father gave me a kingdom. ³⁰ Then you will eat and drink at my table in my kingdom. And you will sit on thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel.

³¹ “Simon, Simon! Satan has asked to sift all of you disciples like wheat. ³² But I have prayed for you, Simon. I have prayed that your faith will not fail. When you have turned back, help your brothers to be strong.”

³³ But Simon replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”

³⁴ Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, you will say three times that you don’t know me. And you will do it before the rooster crows today.”

³⁵ Then Jesus asked the disciples, “Did you need anything when I sent you without a purse, bag or sandals?”

“Nothing,” they answered.

³⁶ He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it. And also take a bag. If you don’t have a sword, sell your coat and buy one. ³⁷ It is written, ‘He was counted among those who had committed crimes.’ (Isaiah 53:12) I tell you that what is written about me must come true. Yes, it is already coming true.”

³⁸ The disciples said, “See, Lord, here are two swords.”

“Two swords are enough!” he replied.

Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives

³⁹ Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives. His disciples followed him. ⁴⁰ When they reached the place, Jesus spoke. “Pray that you won’t fall into sin when you are tempted,” he said to them. ⁴¹ Then he went a short distance away from them. There he got down on his knees and prayed. ⁴² He said, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup of suffering away from me. But do what you want, not what I want.” ⁴³ An angel from heaven appeared to Jesus and gave him strength. ⁴⁴ Because he was very sad and troubled, he prayed even harder. His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

⁴⁵ After that, he got up from prayer and went back to the disciples. He found them sleeping. They were worn out because they were very sad. ⁴⁶ “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up! Pray that you won’t fall into sin when you are tempted.”

Jesus Is Arrested

⁴⁷ While Jesus was still speaking, a crowd came up. The man named Judas was leading them. He was one of the 12 disciples. Judas approached Jesus to kiss him. ⁴⁸ But Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you handing over the Son of Man with a kiss?”

⁴⁹ Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen. So they said, “Lord, should we use our swords against them?” ⁵⁰ One of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear.

⁵¹ But Jesus answered, “Stop this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.

⁵² Then Jesus spoke to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders. They had all come for him. “Am I leading a band of armed men against you?” he asked. “Do you have to come with swords and clubs? ⁵³ Every day I was with you in the temple courtyard. And you didn’t lay a hand on me. But this is your hour. This is when darkness rules.”

Peter Says He Does Not Know Jesus

⁵⁴ Then the men arrested Jesus and led him away. They took him into the high priest’s house. Peter followed from far away. ⁵⁵ Some people there started a fire in the middle of the courtyard. Then they sat down together. Peter sat down with them. ⁵⁶ A female servant saw him sitting there in the firelight. She looked closely at him. Then she said, “This man was with Jesus.”

⁵⁷ But Peter said he had not been with him. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said.

⁵⁸ A little later someone else saw Peter. “You also are one of them,” he said.

“No,” Peter replied. “I’m not!”

⁵⁹ About an hour later, another person spoke up. “This fellow must have been with Jesus,” he said. “He is from Galilee.”

⁶⁰ Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. ⁶¹ The Lord turned and looked right at Peter. Then Peter remembered what the Lord had spoken to him. “The rooster will crow today,” Jesus had said. “Before it does, you will say three times that you don’t know me.” ⁶² Peter went outside. He broke down and cried.

The Guards Make Fun of Jesus

⁶³ There were men guarding Jesus. They began laughing at him and beating him. ⁶⁴ They blindfolded him. They said, “Prophesy! Who hit you?” ⁶⁵ They also said many other things to make fun of him.

Jesus Is Brought to Pilate and Herod

⁶⁶ At dawn the elders of the people met together. These included the chief priests and the teachers of the law. Jesus was led to them. ⁶⁷ “If you are the Messiah,” they said, “tell us.”

Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me. ⁶⁸ And if I asked you, you would not answer. ⁶⁹ But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.”

⁷⁰ They all asked, “Are you the Son of God then?”

He replied, “You say that I am.”

⁷¹ Then they said, “Why do we need any more witnesses? We have heard it from his own lips.”

23 Then the whole group got up and led Jesus off to Pilate. ² They began to bring charges against Jesus. They said, “We have found this man misleading our people. He is against paying taxes to Caesar. And he claims to be Messiah, a king.”

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

“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

⁴ Then Pilate spoke to the chief priests and the crowd. He announced, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”

⁵ But they kept it up. They said, “His teaching stirs up the people all over Judea. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here.”

⁶ When Pilate heard this, he asked if the man was from Galilee. ⁷ He learned that Jesus was from Herod’s area of authority. So Pilate sent Jesus to Herod. At that time Herod was also in Jerusalem.

⁸ When Herod saw Jesus, he was very pleased. He had been wanting to see Jesus for a long time. He had heard much about him. He hoped to see Jesus perform a sign of some kind. ⁹ Herod asked him many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰ The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there. With loud shouts they brought charges against him. ¹¹ Herod and his soldiers laughed at him and made fun of him. They dressed him in a beautiful robe. Then they sent him back to Pilate. ¹² That day Herod and Pilate became friends. Before this time they had been enemies.

¹³ Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people. ¹⁴ He said to them, “You brought me this man. You said he was turning the people against the authorities. I have questioned him in front of you. I have found no basis for your charges against him. ¹⁵ Herod hasn’t either. So he sent Jesus back to us. As you can see, Jesus has done nothing that is worthy of death. ^16-17 So I will just have him whipped and let him go.”

¹⁸ But the whole crowd shouted, “Kill this man! But let Barabbas go!” ¹⁹ Barabbas had been thrown into prison. He had taken part in a struggle in the city against the authorities. He had also committed murder.

²⁰ Pilate wanted to let Jesus go. So he made an appeal to the crowd again. ²¹ But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

²² Pilate spoke to them for the third time. “Why?” he asked. “What wrong has this man done? I have found no reason to have him put to death. So I will just have him whipped and let him go.”

²³ But with loud shouts they kept calling for Jesus to be crucified. The people’s shouts won out. ²⁴ So Pilate decided to give them what they wanted. ²⁵ He set free the man they asked for. The man had been thrown in prison for murder and for fighting against the authorities. Pilate handed Jesus over to them so they could carry out their plans.

Jesus Is Nailed to a Cross

²⁶ As the soldiers led Jesus away, they took hold of Simon. Simon was from Cyrene. He was on his way in from the country. They put a wooden cross on his shoulders. Then they made him carry it behind Jesus. ²⁷ A large number of people followed Jesus. Some were women whose hearts were filled with sorrow. They cried loudly because of him. ²⁸ Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me. Weep for yourselves and for your children. ²⁹ The time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the women who can’t have children! Blessed are those who never gave birth or nursed babies!’ ³⁰ It is written,

³¹ People do these things when trees are green. So what will happen when trees are dry?”

³² Two other men were also led out with Jesus to be killed. Both of them had broken the law. ³³ The soldiers brought them to the place called the Skull. There they nailed Jesus to the cross. He hung between the two criminals. One was on his right and one was on his left. ³⁴ Jesus said, “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.” The soldiers divided up his clothes by casting lots.

³⁵ The people stood there watching. The rulers even made fun of Jesus. They said, “He saved others. Let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”

³⁶ The soldiers also came up and poked fun at him. They offered him wine vinegar. ³⁷ They said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”

³⁸ A written sign had been placed above him. It read,

This is the King of the Jews.

³⁹ One of the criminals hanging there made fun of Jesus. He said, “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself! Save us!”

⁴⁰ But the other criminal scolded him. “Don’t you have any respect for God?” he said. “Remember, you are under the same sentence of death. ⁴¹ We are being punished fairly. We are getting just what our actions call for. But this man hasn’t done anything wrong.”

⁴² Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

⁴³ Jesus answered him, “What I’m about to tell you is true. Today you will be with me in paradise.”

Jesus Dies

⁴⁴ It was now about noon. Then darkness covered the whole land until three o’clock. ⁴⁵ The sun had stopped shining. The temple curtain was torn in two. ⁴⁶ Jesus called out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my life.” After he said this, he took his last breath.

⁴⁷ The Roman commander saw what had happened. He praised God and said, “Jesus was surely a man who did what was right.”