Mark 15

And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate.

1Early in the morning the leading priests made a plan. They met with the elders, the teachers of the law, and the whole council. They tied Jesus up and led him away. They handed him over to Pilate, the Roman governor.

2And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto him, Thou sayest it.

2Pilate asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "You have said so."

3And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing.

3The leading priests said Jesus had done many wrong things.

4And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee.

4Pilate asked him again, "Are you not going to answer? Listen to all they say you did."

5But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled.

5But Jesus still said nothing. That surprised Pilate.

6Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired.

6At the feast each year, Pilate set one prisoner free. The people chose which one.

7And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection.

7A man named Barabbas was locked up. He was with men who had fought against the rulers. Someone had been killed in that fighting.

8And the multitude crying aloud began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them.

8The crowd came to Pilate. They asked him to do what he always did.

9But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews?

9Pilate asked them, "Do you want me to set free the King of the Jews?"

10For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.

10He knew the leading priests had handed Jesus over because they were jealous of him.

11But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them.

11But the leading priests stirred up the crowd. The people asked for Barabbas to be set free instead.

12And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews?

12So Pilate asked again, "Then what should I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?"

13And they cried out again, Crucify him.

13They shouted back, "Nail him to a cross!"

14Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him.

14Pilate said, "Why? What wrong has he done?" They shouted even louder, "Nail him to a cross!"

15And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.

15Pilate wanted to make the crowd happy. So he set Barabbas free. He had Jesus whipped and handed him over to be nailed to a cross.

16And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band.

16The soldiers led Jesus into the palace yard, called the Praetorium. They called all the other soldiers together.

17And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head,

17They put a purple robe on him. They twisted thorn branches into a crown and set it on his head.

18And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews!

18Then they called out to him, "Hail, King of the Jews!" That was a greeting for a king.

19And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him.

19They hit him on the head with a stick. They spit on him. They knelt down and bowed low in front of him.

20And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him.

20When they were done making fun of him, they took off the purple robe. They put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him out to nail him to a cross.

21And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.

21A man named Simon from Cyrene was walking in from the fields. He was the father of Alexander and Rufus. The soldiers made him carry the cross of Jesus.

22And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.

22They brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha. The name means "the place of a skull."

23And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not.

23They offered him wine mixed with myrrh, a strong-smelling plant sap. He would not drink it.

24And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take.

24They nailed him to the cross. Then they divided up his clothes. They drew lots, a bit like rolling dice, to see who got what.

25And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.

25It was nine in the morning when they nailed him to the cross.

NoteThe KJV counts hours from sunrise. So the "third hour" is about nine in the morning, the "sixth hour" is noon, and the "ninth hour" is three in the afternoon.

26And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

26A sign above him told what he was blamed for. It said: THE KING OF THE JEWS.

27And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left.

27They nailed two robbers to crosses beside him. One was on his right and one on his left.

28And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.

28So the words in the holy writings came true: "He was counted with the lawbreakers."

ManuscriptsMost modern translations leave this verse out. It is in the Greek text the King James translators worked from, but not in the older manuscripts found since, so scholars generally take it as a copyist’s addition rather than part of the original.

29And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,

29People walking by said mean things to him. They shook their heads and said, "Aha! You were going to tear down the temple and build it again in three days.

30Save thyself, and come down from the cross.

30So save yourself, and come down from that cross!"

31Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save.

31The leading priests and the teachers of the law made fun of him too. They said to each other, "He saved other people. He cannot save himself.

32Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.

32Let the Christ, the king God promised, come down from the cross now. Then we will see it and believe." Even the men on the crosses beside him said mean things to him.

33And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

33At noon it grew dark over the whole land. It stayed dark until three in the afternoon.

34And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

34At three, Jesus called out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" That means, "My God, my God, why have you left me?"

35And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias.

35Some people standing nearby heard him. They said, "Listen, he is calling for Elijah."

Note"Elias" in the KJV is another spelling of Elijah. He was a prophet, someone who told people what God said, long before this time.

36And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down.

36One man ran and filled a sponge with sour wine. He put it on a stick and held it up for Jesus to drink. He said, "Leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down."

NoteThe "vinegar" here was cheap sour wine that soldiers drank. It was not the vinegar we cook with today.

37And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.

37Then Jesus gave a loud cry and died.

38And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.

38The big curtain inside the temple tore in two, from the top all the way down.

39And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.

39A Roman officer stood right in front of Jesus. He saw how Jesus cried out and died. He said, "This man really was the Son of God."

40There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;

40Some women were watching from far away. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.

41(Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem.

41These women had followed Jesus in Galilee and taken care of him. Many other women had come with him to Jerusalem.

42And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,

42Evening came. It was Preparation Day, the day before the Sabbath, the day of rest.

43Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.

43Joseph from Arimathea was an important member of the council. He was waiting for God's kingdom to come. He went bravely to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

44And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead.

44Pilate was surprised that Jesus was already dead. He called the officer and asked if it was true.

45And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.

45The officer told him it was. So Pilate let Joseph have the body.

46And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.

46Joseph bought a clean linen cloth. He took the body down and wrapped it in the cloth. He laid it in a tomb cut out of solid rock. Then he rolled a big stone over the doorway.

47And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid.

47Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where the body was laid.