Luke 23 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

Jesus’ Trial before Pilate

(Mat 27:1, 2, 11–14; Mar 15:1–5; Jhn 18:28–38 )

Luk 23:1Then the entire council took Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor.

Luk 23:2They began to state their case: “This man has been leading our people astray by telling them not to pay their taxes to the Roman government and by claiming he is the Messiah, a king.”

Luk 23:3

Luk 23:3So Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
Jesus replied, “You have said it.”

Luk 23:4

Luk 23:4Pilate turned to the leading priests and to the crowd and said, “I find nothing wrong with this man!”

Luk 23:5

Luk 23:5Then they became insistent. “But he is causing riots by his teaching wherever he goes—all over Judea, from Galilee to Jerusalem!”

Luk 23:6

Luk 23:6“Oh, is he a Galilean?” Pilate asked.

Luk 23:7

Luk 23:7When they said that he was, Pilate sent him to Herod Antipas, because Galilee was under Herod’s jurisdiction, and Herod happened to be in Jerusalem at the time.

Luk 23:8

Luk 23:8Herod was delighted at the opportunity to see Jesus, because he had heard about him and had been hoping for a long time to see him perform a miracle.

Luk 23:9

Luk 23:9He asked Jesus question after question, but Jesus refused to answer.

Luk 23:10

Luk 23:10Meanwhile, the leading priests and the teachers of religious law stood there shouting their accusations.

Luk 23:11

Luk 23:11Then Herod and his soldiers began mocking and ridiculing Jesus. Finally, they put a royal robe on him and sent him back to Pilate.

Luk 23:12

Luk 23:12(Herod and Pilate, who had been enemies before, became friends that day.)

(Mat 27:15–26; Mar 15:6–15; Jhn 18:38—19:16 )

Luk 23:13

Luk 23:13Then Pilate called together the leading priests and other religious leaders, along with the people,

Luk 23:14

Luk 23:14and he announced his verdict. “You brought this man to me, accusing him of leading a revolt. I have examined him thoroughly on this point in your presence and find him innocent.

Luk 23:15

Luk 23:15Herod came to the same conclusion and sent him back to us. Nothing this man has done calls for the death penalty.

Luk 23:16

Luk 23:16So I will have him flogged, and then I will release him.”[fn]

Luk 23:17

Luk 23:17 See Footnote

Luk 23:18

Luk 23:18Then a mighty roar rose from the crowd, and with one voice they shouted, “Kill him, and release Barabbas to us!”

Luk 23:19

Luk 23:19(Barabbas was in prison for taking part in an insurrection in Jerusalem against the government, and for murder.)

Luk 23:20

Luk 23:20Pilate argued with them, because he wanted to release Jesus.

Luk 23:21

Luk 23:21But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

Luk 23:22

Luk 23:22For the third time he demanded, “Why? What crime has he committed? I have found no reason to sentence him to death. So I will have him flogged, and then I will release him.”

Luk 23:23

Luk 23:23But the mob shouted louder and louder, demanding that Jesus be crucified, and their voices prevailed.

Luk 23:24

Luk 23:24So Pilate sentenced Jesus to die as they demanded.

Luk 23:25

Luk 23:25As they had requested, he released Barabbas, the man in prison for insurrection and murder. But he turned Jesus over to them to do as they wished.

The Crucifixion

(Mat 27:32–44; Mar 15:21–32; Jhn 19:17–24 )

Luk 23:26

Luk 23:26As they led Jesus away, a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene,[fn] happened to be coming in from the countryside. The soldiers seized him and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.

Luk 23:27

Luk 23:27A large crowd trailed behind, including many grief-stricken women.

Luk 23:28

Luk 23:28But Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.

Luk 23:29

Luk 23:29For the days are coming when they will say, ‘Fortunate indeed are the women who are childless, the wombs that have not borne a child and the breasts that have never nursed.’

Luk 23:30

Luk 23:30People will beg the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and plead with the hills, ‘Bury us.’[fn]

Luk 23:31

Luk 23:31For if these things are done when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?[fn]”

Luk 23:32

Luk 23:32Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him.

Luk 23:33

Luk 23:33When they came to a place called The Skull,[fn] they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left.

Luk 23:34

Luk 23:34Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”[fn] And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.[fn]

Luk 23:35

Luk 23:35The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”

Luk 23:36

Luk 23:36The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine.

Luk 23:37

Luk 23:37They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”

Luk 23:38

Luk 23:38A sign was fastened above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.”

Luk 23:39

Luk 23:39One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!”

Luk 23:40

Luk 23:40But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die?

Luk 23:41

Luk 23:41We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.”

Luk 23:42

Luk 23:42Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”

Luk 23:43

Luk 23:43And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

The Death of Jesus

(Mat 27:45–56; Mar 15:33–41; Jhn 19:25–30 )

Luk 23:44

Luk 23:44By this time it was about noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock.

Luk 23:45

Luk 23:45The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle.

Luk 23:46

Luk 23:46Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!”[fn] And with those words he breathed his last.

Luk 23:47

Luk 23:47When the Roman officer[fn] overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, “Surely this man was innocent.[fn]”

Luk 23:48

Luk 23:48And when all the crowd that came to see the crucifixion saw what had happened, they went home in deep sorrow.[fn]

Luk 23:49

Luk 23:49But Jesus’ friends, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching.

The Burial of Jesus

(Mat 27:57–61; Mar 15:42–47; Jhn 19:38–42 )

Luk 23:50

Luk 23:50Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph. He was a member of the Jewish high council,

Luk 23:51

Luk 23:51but he had not agreed with the decision and actions of the other religious leaders. He was from the town of Arimathea in Judea, and he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come.

Luk 23:52

Luk 23:52He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body.

Luk 23:53

Luk 23:53Then he took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in a long sheet of linen cloth and laid it in a new tomb that had been carved out of rock.

Luk 23:54

Luk 23:54This was done late on Friday afternoon, the day of preparation,[fn] as the Sabbath was about to begin.

Luk 23:55

Luk 23:55As his body was taken away, the women from Galilee followed and saw the tomb where his body was placed.

Luk 23:56

Luk 23:56Then they went home and prepared spices and ointments to anoint his body. But by the time they were finished the Sabbath had begun, so they rested as required by the law.

See the NLT Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

NLT Footnotes

(23:16)

Some manuscripts add verse 17, Now it was necessary for him to release one prisoner to them during the Passover celebration. Compare Matt 27:15; Mark 15:6; John 18:39.

(23:26)

Cyrene was a city in northern Africa.

(23:30)

Hos 10:8.

(23:31)

Or If these things are done to me, the living tree, what will happen to you, the dry tree?

(23:33)

Sometimes rendered Calvary, which comes from the Latin word for “skull.”

(23:34)

This sentence is not included in many ancient manuscripts.

(23:34)

Greek by casting lots. See Ps 22:18.

(23:46)

Ps 31:5.

(23:47)

Greek the centurion.

(23:47)

Or righteous.

(23:48)

Greek went home beating their breasts.

(23:54)

Greek It was the day of preparation.

BLB Footnotes

(23:17)

Some Greek manuscripts exclude this verse. The NLT related footnote for 23:16 states:
23:16 Some manuscripts add verse 17, Now it was necessary for him to release one prisoner to them during the Passover celebration. Compare Matt 27:15; Mark 15:6; John 18:39.

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For more information on this translation, see the NLT Preface.