55 servants, and warmed himself at the fire. And the chieft priests, and all the council, sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; 56 and found none. For many bare false witness

against him, but their witness agreed not 57 together. And there arose certain, and bare 58 false witness against him, saying, We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build 59 another made without hands. But neither 60 did their testimony agree together. And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what 61 is it which these witness against thee? But he held his peace and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? 62 And Jesus said, I am : and ye shall see the Son

of man sitting on the right hand of power, and 63 coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the

high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What 64 need we any further witnesses? Ye have heard

the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all 65 condemned him to be guilty of death. And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.

66

And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the high priest: 67 And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also 68 wast with Jesus of Nazareth. But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what

thou sayest. And he went out into the porch : 69 and the cock crew. And a maid saw him

again, and began to say to them that stood by, 70 This is one of them. And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilean, and thy speech agreeth thereto. 71 But he began to curse and to swear, saying, 72 I know not this man of whom ye speak. And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept.

1

CHAP. XV.

AND immediately 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 2 to Pilate. And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering, 3 said unto them, Thou sayest it. And the chief priests accused him of many things: but 4 he answered nothing. And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? hehold how many things they witness against thee. 5 But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pi6 late marvelled. Now at that feast he released

unto them one prisoner whomsoever they de7 sired. And there was one named Barabbas, who lay bound with them that had made in

surrection with him, who had committed mur8 der in the insurrection. And the multitude

crying aloud, began to desire him to do as he 9 had ever done for them. But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you 10 him ye call King of the Jews? (For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for en11 vy.) But the chief priests moved the people to desire that he should rather release Barabbas 12 unto them. And Pilate answered, and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of 13 the Jews? And they cried out again, Crucify 14 him. Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him.*

15

And Pilate, willing to please the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be cru16 cified. And the soldiers led him away into the

hall, called Pretorium; and they call together 17 the whole military band; and they clothed him

with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and 18 put it on his head, and put his own clothes upon

him, and began to salute him, saying, Hail, King 19 of the Jews. And they smote him on the head

with areed, and spit upon him, and bowing their 20 knees, worshipped him. And when they had

mocked him, they took off the purple robe from 21 him, and led him out to crucify him. And they

*A melancholy proof of the awful effects of passion and prejudice. They could not alledge nothing against Jesus: yet insisted he should be crucified.

compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alex22 ander and Rufus, to bear his cross. And

they bring him unto the place called Golgotha, which being interpreted is, the place of a skull. 23 And they gave him to drink wine mingled 24 with myrrh: but he`received it not. And · when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every 25 man should take. And it was the third hour, 26 and they crucified him. And the superscrip

tion of his accusation was written over, THE 27 KING OF THE JEWS. And with him they

crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand. 28 and the other on his left. And the scripture

was fulfilled, which saith, he was numbered 29 with the transgressors. And they who passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Aha, thou that destroyest the tem30 ple, and buildest it in three days, save thy31 self, and come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking, said among themselves, with the scribes, He saved others; 32 himself he cannot save. Let this Christ, this

King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they who 33 were crucified with him reviled him. And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole Jand, whole land, until the 34 ninth hour. And 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 35 forsaken me? And some of them that stood

by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he call36 eth Elijah. And 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 Elijah will come to take him down. 37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and expired. 38 And the vail of the temple was rent in twain, from the top to the bottom.

39

And when the centurion, who stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and expired, he said, Truly this man was the Son 40 of God.* There were also women looking on afar off, among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less, and 41 of Joses, and Salome; who also when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him; and many other women who came up with him unto Jerusalem.

42

And now, when the even was come (because it was the preparation, that is, the day 43 before the sabbath) Joseph of Arimathea, an honorable counsellor, who also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. 44 And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead : and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. 45 And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave 46 the body to Joseph. And 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

* That is, a prophet, a righteous man-See Luke xxiii, 47.