Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE in Religious Studies – Anthology
88Extract 7: Luke 23:26-24:53
Taken from: the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright ©
1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Soc iety.
The Crucifixion of Jesus
23 As t he soldiers led him away, t hey seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his
way in from the c ountry, and put the c ross on him and made him c arry it behind
Jesus. 27 A large number of people followed him, inc luding women who mourned
and wailed f o r h im.^28 Jesus turned and said to them, “Daught ers of Jerus a le m, d o
not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For t he t ime will
come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never
bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then^
“‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’
(^31) For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is
dry?”
(^32) T wo ot her men, bot h c riminals, were also led out wit h him t o be
executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, t hey c ruc ified him t here,
along wit h t he c riminals – one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said,^
“Fat her, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided
up his c lot hes by c ast ing lot s.
(^35) The people stood watc hing, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He
saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”
(^36) T he soldiers also c ame up and moc ked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and
said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
(^38) There was a written notic e above him, whic h read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
(^39) One of the c riminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the
Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
(^40) But the other c riminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “sinc e you are
under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our
deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
(^42) Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you c ome into your kingdom.”
(^43) Jesus answered him, “T ruly I t ell you, t oday you will be wit h me in paradise.”