Immediately in the morning the chief priests, with the elders and scribes, and the whole council, held a consultation, and bound ‘ISA1, and carried him away, and delivered him up to Pilate. 2Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
‘ISA answered, “So you say.”
3The chief priests accused ‘ISA of many things. 4Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer? See how many things they testify against you!”
5But ‘ISA made no further answer, so that Pilate marveled.
6Now at the feast he used to release to them one prisoner, whom they asked of him. 7There was one called Barabbas, bound with those who had made insurrection, men who in the insurrection had committed murder. 8The multitude, crying aloud, began to ask him to do as he always did for them. 9Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” 10For he perceived that for envy the chief priests had delivered him up. 11But the chief priests stirred up the multitude, that he should release Barabbas to them instead. 12Pilate again asked them, “What then should I do to him whom you call the King of the Jews?”
13They cried out again, “Crucify him!”
14Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has he done?”
But they cried out greatly, “Crucify him!”
15Pilate, wishing to please the multitude, released Barabbas to them, and handed over ‘ISA, when he had flogged him, to be crucified. 16The soldiers led him away within the court, which is the Praetorium; and they called together the whole cohort. 17They clothed him with purple, and weaving a crown of thorns, they put it on him. 18They began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19They struck his head with a reed, and spat on him, and bowing their knees, did homage to him. 20When they had mocked him, they took the purple off of him, and put his own garments on him. They led him out to crucify him. 21They compelled one passing by, coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to go with them, that he might bear his cross. 22They brought him to the place called Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, “The place of a skull.” 23They offered him wine mixed with myrrh to drink, but he didn’t take it.
24Crucifying him, they parted his garments among them, casting lots on them, what each should take. 2
25It was the third hour,3 and they crucified him. 26The superscription of his accusation was written over him, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.” 27With him they crucified two robbers; one on his right hand, and one on his left. 28 Al-Kitab was fulfilled, where it says,
“He was numbered with the lawbreakers.” 4
29Those who passed by blasphemed him, wagging their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who destroy the Temple, and build it in three days, 30save yourself, and come down from the cross!”
31Likewise, also the chief priests mocking among themselves with the scribes said, “He saved others. He cannot save himself. 32Let AL-MASIH5, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, that we may see and believe him.” Those who were crucified with him insulted him.
33When the sixth hour6 had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.7 34At the ninth hour ‘ISA cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated,
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 8
35Some of those who stood by, when they heard it, said, “Look, he is calling Ilyas9.”
36One ran, and filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Let him be. Let’s see whether Ilyas comes to take him down.”
37‘ISA cried out with a loud voice, and gave up the spirit. 38The veil of the Temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. 39When the centurion, who stood by opposite him, saw that he cried out like this and breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the SON OF GOD10!”
40There were also women watching from afar, among whom were both Maryam Magdalene, and Maryam the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; 41who, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and served him; and many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.
42When evening had now come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43Yusuf of Arimathea, a prominent council member who also himself was looking for the Kingdom of God, came. He boldly went in to Pilate, and asked for ‘ISA’s body. 44Pilate marveled that he was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead long. 45When he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Yusuf. 46He bought a linen cloth, and taking him down, wound him in the linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb which had been cut out of a rock. He rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. 47Mary Magdalene and Maryam, the mother of Joses, saw where he was laid.
- 15:1 ‘ISA – The names ‘ISA (Arabic), ISHO (Syriac) and JESUS (Greek, IESOUS) are all derived from the Hebrew name YEHOSHUA, which means “YAHWEH saves.” (YAHWEH is God’s personal name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15 – God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”) ↩︎
- 15:24 This fulfills the prophecy of the Zabur 22:16-18 which says: For dogs have surrounded me. A company of evil-doers have enclosed me. They pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all of my bones. They look and stare at me. They divide my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing. ↩︎
- 15:25 that is, 9:00 A.M. ↩︎
- 15:28 Quoting the Taurat, Shaya 53:12 which says: Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death, and he was numbered with the lawbreakers. ↩︎
- 15:32 MASIH – an Arabic title equivalent to Messiah (Hebrew) or Christ (Greek), all of which mean Anointed One, that is, God’s Chosen One. In ancient times, divinely-appointed kings, priests and prophets were anointed with oil to signify their appointment to office. All of them point ahead to God’s ultimate Anointed One, the Messiah, AL-MASIH. Al-Kitab unanimously points to ‘ISA Ibn Maryam as the only person worthy to bear the title AL-MASIH. He is the one whom God sent into this world to save people from sin, and to usher in God’s Kingdom at his Second Coming. ↩︎
- 15:33 or, noon ↩︎
- 15:33 that is, 3:00 P.M. ↩︎
- 15:34 Quoting the Zabur 22:1 which says: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, And from the words of my groaning? ↩︎
- 15:35 Ilyas, this Arabic name is derived from the Hebrew name Elijah, which means “YAHWEH is My God”. (YAHWEH is God’s personal name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15 – God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”) ↩︎
- 15:39 SON OF GOD, a title of the Messiah, ‘ISA AL-MASIH, revealed through Prophet Dawud in the Zabur 2:7-9, which says: I will tell of the decree. YAHWEH said to me, “You are my SON. Today I have become your FATHER. Ask of me, and I will give the nations for your inheritance, The ends of the earth for your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron. You shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” ↩︎