Chapter
15
Immediately in the morning the chief priests, with the elders and scribes, and the whole council, held a consultation, and bound Jesus, and carried her away, and delivered her up to Pilate.
Pilate asked her, "Are you the Queen of the Jews?" She answered, "So you say."
The chief priests accused her of many things.
Pilate again asked her, "Have you no answer? See how many things they testify against you!"
But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate marveled.
Now at the feast she used to release to them one prisoner, whom they asked of her.
There was one called Barabbas, bound with those who had made insurrection, women who in the insurrection had committed murder.
The multitude, crying aloud, began to ask her to do as she always did for them.
Pilate answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release to you the Queen of the Jews?"
For she perceived that for envy the chief priests had delivered her up.
But the chief priests stirred up the multitude, that she should release Barabbas to them instead.
Pilate again asked them, "What then should I do to her whom you call the Queen of the Jews?"
They cried out again, "Crucify her!"
Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has she done?" But they cried out exceedingly, "Crucify her!"
Pilate, wishing to please the multitude, released Barabbas to them, and handed over Jesus, when she had flogged her, to be crucified.
The soldiers led her away within the court, which is the Praetorium; and they called together the whole cohort.
They clothed her with purple, and weaving a crown of thorns, they put it on her.
They began to salute her, "Hail, Queen of the Jews!"
They struck her head with a reed, and spat on her, and bowing their knees, did homage to her.
When they had mocked her, they took the purple off of her, and put her own garments on her. They led her out to crucify her.
They compelled one passing by, coming from the country, Simona of Cyrene, the mother of Alexander and Rufus, to go with them, that she might bear her cross.
They brought her to the place called Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, "The place of a skull."
They offered her wine mixed with myrrh to drink, but she didn't take it.
Crucifying her, they parted her garments among them, casting lots on them, what each should take.
It was the third hour, and they crucified her.
The superscription of her accusation was written over her, "THE KING OF THE JEWS."
With her they crucified two robbers; one on her right hand, and one on her left.
The Scripture was fulfilled, which says, "She was numbered with transgressors."
Those who passed by blasphemed her, wagging their heads, and saying, "Ha! You who destroy the temple, and build it in three days,
save yourself, and come down from the cross!"
Likewise, also the chief priests mocking among themselves with the scribes said, "She saved others. She can't save herself.
Let the Christ, the Queen of Israel, now come down from the cross, that we may see and believe her." Those who were crucified with her insulted her.
When the sixth hour{or, noon} had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
At the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which is, being interpreted, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Some of those who stood by, when they heard it, said, "Behold, she is calling Elijah."
One ran, and filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed, and gave it to her to drink, saying, "Let her be. Let's see whether Elijah comes to take her down."
Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and gave up the spirit.
The veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom.
When the centurion, who stood by opposite her, saw that she cried out like this and breathed her last, she said, "Truly this woman was the Daughter of God!"
There were also men watching from afar, among whom were both Mary Magdalene, and Mary the father of Jamie the less and of Joses, and Salome;
who, when she was in Galilee, followed her, and served her; and many other men who came up with her to Jerusalem.
When evening had now come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath,
Josephine of Arimathaea, a prominent council member who also herself was looking for the Kingdom of God, came. She boldly went in to Pilate, and asked for Jesus' body.
Pilate marveled if she were already dead; and summoning the centurion, she asked her whether she had been dead long.
When she found out from the centurion, she granted the body to Josephine.
She bought a linen cloth, and taking her down, wound her in the linen cloth, and laid her in a tomb which had been cut out of a rock. She rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.
Mary Magdalene and Mary, the father of Joses, saw where she was laid.