The Crown of Thorns

19 So Pilate then took Jesus and ^[a](A)had Him flogged. ^2 (B)And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and placed it on His head, and put a purple ^[b]cloak on Him; ³ and they repeatedly came up to Him and said, “^(C)Hail, King of the Jews!” and ^(D)slapped Him in the face again and again. ⁴ And then Pilate ^(E)came out again and *said to them, “See, I am bringing Him out to you so that you will know that ^(F)I find no grounds at all for charges in ^[c]His case.” ⁵ Jesus then came out, ^(G)wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate *said to them, “Behold, the Man!” ⁶ So when the chief priests and the ^(H)officers saw Him, they shouted, saying, “Crucify, crucify!” Pilate *said to them, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him; for ^(I)I find no grounds for charges in ^[d]His case!” ⁷ The Jews answered him, “^(J)We have a law, and by that law He ought to die, because He ^(K)made Himself out to be the Son of God!”

⁸ Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid; ⁹ and he ^(L)entered the ^[e]Praetorium again and *said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But ^(M)Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰ So Pilate *said to Him, “Are you not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?” ¹¹ Jesus answered him, “^(N)You would have no authority ^[f]over Me at all, if it had not been given to you from above; for this reason ^(O)the one who handed Me over to you has the greater sin.” ¹² As a result of this, Pilate ^[g]made efforts to release Him; but the Jews shouted, saying, “^(P)If you release this Man, you are not a friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king ^[h]opposes Caesar!”

¹³ Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and ^(Q)sat down on the judgment seat at a place called ^[i]The Pavement—but ^(R)in ^[j]Hebrew, Gabbatha. ¹⁴ Now it was ^(S)the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the ^[k](T)sixth hour. And he *said to the Jews, “Look, ^(U)your King!” ¹⁵ So they shouted, “^(V)Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” Pilate *said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king except Caesar.”

The Crucifixion

¹⁶ So he then ^(W)handed Him over to them to be crucified.

^17 (X)They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, ^[l](Y)carrying His own cross, to the place called ^(Z)the Place of a Skull, which ^(AA)in ^[m]Hebrew is called, Golgotha. ¹⁸ There they crucified Him, and with Him ^(AB)two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between. ¹⁹ Now Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written: “^(AC)JESUS THE NAZARENE, ^(AD)THE KING OF THE JEWS.” ²⁰ Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written ^(AE)in ^[n]Hebrew, Latin, and in Greek. ²¹ So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘^(AF)The King of the Jews’; rather, write that He said, ‘I am ^(AG)King of the Jews.’” ²² Pilate answered, “^(AH)What I have written, I have written.”

²³ Then ^(AI)the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made ^(AJ)four parts: a part to each soldier, and the ^[o]tunic also; but the tunic was seamless, woven ^[p]in one piece. ²⁴ So they said to one another, “^(AK)Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be.” ^(AL)This happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: “They ^(AM)divided My garments among themselves, and they cast ^[q]lots for My clothing.” Therefore the soldiers did these things.

^25 (AN)Now beside the cross of Jesus stood ^(AO)His mother, His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and ^(AP)Mary Magdalene. ²⁶ So when Jesus saw His mother, and ^(AQ)the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He *said to His mother, “^(AR)Woman, behold, your son!” ²⁷ Then He *said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her into ^(AS)his own household.

²⁸ After this, Jesus, ^(AT)knowing that all things had already been accomplished, ^(AU)in order that the Scripture would be fulfilled, *said, “^(AV)I am thirsty.” ²⁹ A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so ^(AW)they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. ³⁰ Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “^(AX)It is finished!” And He bowed His head and ^(AY)gave up His spirit.

Care of the Body of Jesus

³¹ Now then, since it was ^(AZ)the day of preparation, to prevent ^(BA)the bodies from remaining on the cross on the Sabbath (^[r]for that Sabbath was a ^(BB)high day), the Jews requested of Pilate that their legs be broken, and the bodies be taken away. ³² So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man, and of the other who was ^(BC)crucified with Him; ³³ but after they came to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. ³⁴ Yet one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately ^(BD)blood and water came out. ³⁵ And he who has seen has ^(BE)testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe. ³⁶ For these things took place ^(BF)so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: “^(BG)Not a bone of Him shall be ^[s]broken.” ³⁷ And again another Scripture says, “^(BH)They will look at Him whom they pierced.”

³⁸ Now ^(BI)after these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a ^(BJ)secret one for ^(BK)fear of the ^[t]Jews, requested of Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body. ^39 (BL)Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, ^(BM)bringing a ^[u]mixture of ^(BN)myrrh and aloes, about a ^[v](BO)hundred litras weight. ⁴⁰ So they took the body of Jesus and ^(BP)bound it in ^(BQ)linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. ⁴¹ Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden was a ^(BR)new tomb ^(BS)in which no one had yet been laid. ⁴² Therefore because of the Jewish day of ^(BT)preparation, since the tomb was ^(BU)nearby, they laid Jesus there.

The Empty Tomb

20 ^(BV)Now on the first day of the week ^(BW)Mary Magdalene *came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and *saw ^(BX)the stone already removed from the tomb. ² So she *ran and *came to Simon Peter and to the other ^(BY)disciple whom Jesus loved, and *said to them, “^(BZ)They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we do not know where they have put Him.” ^3 (CA)So Peter and the other disciple left, and they were going to the tomb. ⁴ The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead, faster than Peter, and came to the tomb first; ⁵ and he ^(CB)stooped to look in, and *saw the ^(CC)linen wrappings lying there; however he did not go in. ⁶ So Simon Peter also *came, following him, and he entered the tomb; and he *looked at the linen wrappings lying there, ⁷ and ^(CD)the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the ^(CE)linen wrappings but folded up in a place by itself. ⁸ So the other disciple who ^(CF)had first come to the tomb also entered then, and he saw and believed. ⁹ For ^(CG)they did not yet understand the Scripture, ^(CH)that He must rise from the dead. ¹⁰ So the disciples went away again ^(CI)to their own homes.

^11 (CJ)But Mary was standing outside the tomb, weeping; so as she wept, she ^(CK)stooped to look into the tomb; ¹² and she *saw ^(CL)two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. ¹³ And they *said to her, “^(CM)Woman, why are you weeping?” She *said to them, “Because ^(CN)they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they put Him.” ¹⁴ When she had said this, she turned around and *^(CO)saw Jesus standing there, and yet she ^(CP)did not know that it was Jesus. ¹⁵ Jesus *said to her, “^(CQ)Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Thinking that He was the gardener, she *said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you put Him, and I will take Him away.” ¹⁶ Jesus *said to her, “Mary!” She turned and *said to Him ^(CR)in ^[w]Hebrew, “^(CS)Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). ¹⁷ Jesus *said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to ^(CT)My brothers and say to them, ‘I am ^(CU)ascending to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’” ^18 (CV)Mary Magdalene *came and ^(CW)announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her.

Jesus among His Disciples

¹⁹ Now when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were ^[x]shut where the disciples were together due to ^(CX)fear of the ^[y]Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst, and *said to them, “^(CY)Peace be to you.” ²⁰ And when He had said this, ^(CZ)He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then ^(DA)rejoiced when they saw the Lord. ²¹ So Jesus said to them again, “^(DB)Peace be to you; ^(DC)just as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” ²² And when He had said this, He breathed on them and *said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ^23 (DD)If you forgive the sins of any, their sins ^[z]have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”

²⁴ But ^(DE)Thomas, one of ^(DF)the twelve, who was called ^[aa](DG)Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in ^(DH)His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, ^(DI)I will not believe.”

^26 [ab]Eight days later His disciples were again inside, and Thomas was with them. Jesus *came, the doors having been ^[ac]shut, and stood in their midst and said, “^(DJ)Peace be to you.” ²⁷ Then He *said to Thomas, “^(DK)Place your finger here, and see My hands; and take your hand and put it into My side; and do not continue in disbelief, but be a believer.” ²⁸ Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹ Jesus *said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you now believed? ^(DL)Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

Why This Gospel Was Written

^30 (DM)So then, many other ^[ad](DN)signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; ³¹ but these have been written ^(DO)so that you may believe that Jesus is the ^[ae]Christ, ^(DP)the Son of God; and that by ^(DQ)believing you may have life in His name.

Jesus Appears at the Sea of Galilee

21 After these things Jesus ^[af](DR)revealed Himself ^(DS)again to the disciples at the ^(DT)Sea of Tiberias, and He revealed Himself in this way: ² Simon Peter, ^(DU)Thomas who was called ^[ag]Didymus, ^(DV)Nathanael of ^(DW)Cana in Galilee, ^(DX)the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. ³ Simon Peter *said to them, “I am going fishing.” They *said to him, “We are also coming with you.” They went out and got into the boat; and ^(DY)that night they caught nothing.

⁴ But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not ^(DZ)know that it was Jesus. ⁵ So Jesus *said to them, “Children, ^(EA)you do not have any fish to eat, do you?” They answered Him, “No.” ⁶ And He said to them, “^(EB)Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you will find the fish.” So they cast it, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great quantity of fish. ^7 (EC)Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved *said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea. ⁸ But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about ^[ah]two hundred cubits away, dragging the net full of fish.

⁹ So when they got out on the land, they *saw a charcoal ^(ED)fire already ^[ai]made and ^(EE)fish placed on it, and bread. ¹⁰ Jesus *said to them, “Bring some of the ^(EF)fish which you have now caught.” ¹¹ So Simon Peter went up and hauled the net to land, full of large fish, 153; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.

Jesus Provides

¹² Jesus *said to them, “Come and have ^(EG)breakfast.” None of the disciples ventured to inquire of Him, “Who are You?” knowing that it was the Lord. ¹³ Jesus *came and *took ^(EH)the bread and *gave it to them, and the ^(EI)fish likewise. ¹⁴ This was now the ^(EJ)third time that Jesus revealed Himself to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead.

The Love Question

¹⁵ Now when they had ^(EK)finished breakfast, Jesus *said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you ^[aj](EL)love Me more than these?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I ^[ak]love You.” He *said to him, “Tend ^(EM)My lambs.” ¹⁶ He *said to him again, a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you ^[al]love Me?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I ^[am]love You.” He *said to him, “^(EN)Shepherd My sheep.” ¹⁷ He *said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you ^[an]love Me?” Peter was ^[ao]hurt because He said to him ^(EO)the third time, “Do you ^[ap]love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, ^(EP)You know all things; You know that I ^[aq]love You.” Jesus *said to him, “^(EQ)Tend My sheep.

Our Times Are in His Hand

¹⁸ Truly, truly I tell you, when you were younger, you used to put on your belt and walk wherever you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will put your belt on you, and bring you where you do not want to go.” ¹⁹ Now He said this, ^(ER)indicating by ^(ES)what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had said this, He *said to him, “^(ET)Follow Me!”

²⁰ Peter turned around and *saw the ^(EU)disciple whom Jesus loved following them—the one who also had ^(EV)leaned back on His chest at the supper and said, “Lord, who is the one who is betraying You?” ²¹ So Peter, upon seeing him, *said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?” ²² Jesus *said to him, “If I want him to remain ^(EW)until I come, what is that to you? You ^(EX)follow Me!” ²³ Therefore this ^[ar]account went out among ^(EY)the brothers, that that disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, “If I want him to remain ^(EZ)until I come, what is that to you?”

²⁴ This is the disciple who ^(FA)is testifying about these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

²⁵ But there are also ^(FB)many other things which Jesus did, which, if they were written in detail, I expect that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.

Jesus before Pilate

23 Then the entire assembly of them set out and ^(A)brought Him before Pilate. ^2 (B)And they began to bring charges against Him, saying, “We found this man ^(C)misleading our nation and ^(D)forbidding us to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is ^[a]Christ, a King.” ³ Now Pilate asked Him, saying, “So You are the King of the Jews?” And He answered him and said, “^(E)It is as you say.” ⁴ But Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “^(F)I find no grounds for charges in the case of this man.” ⁵ But they kept on insisting, saying, “He is stirring up the people, teaching all over Judea, ^(G)starting from Galilee, as far as this place!”

⁶ Now when Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. ⁷ And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to ^(H)Herod, ^[b]since he also was in Jerusalem ^[c]at this time.

Jesus before Herod

⁸ Now Herod was overjoyed when he saw Jesus; for ^(I)he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some ^[d]sign performed by Him. ⁹ And he questioned Him ^[e]at some length; but ^(J)He offered him no answer at all. ¹⁰ Now the chief priests and the scribes stood there, vehemently charging Him. ¹¹ And Herod, together with his soldiers, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, ^(K)dressing Him in a brightly shining robe, and sent Him back to Pilate. ¹² And so ^(L)Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for previously, they had been enemies toward each other.

Pilate Seeks Jesus’ Release

¹³ Now Pilate summoned to himself the chief priests, the ^[f](M)rulers, and the people, ¹⁴ and he said to them, “You brought this man to me on the ground that ^(N)he is inciting the people to revolt; and behold, after examining Him before you, I ^(O)have found no basis at all in the case of this man for the charges which you are bringing against Him. ¹⁵ No, nor has ^(P)Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and behold, nothing deserving death has been done by Him. ¹⁶ Therefore I will ^[g](Q)punish Him and release Him.” ¹⁷ [^[h]Now he was obligated to release to them at the feast one prisoner.]

¹⁸ But they cried out all together, saying, “^(R)Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas!” ¹⁹ (He was one who had been thrown into prison for a revolt that took place in the city, and for murder.) ²⁰ But Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again, ²¹ but they kept on crying out, saying, “Crucify, crucify Him!” ²² And he said to them a third time, “Why, what has this man done wrong? I have found ^[i]in His case no grounds for a sentence of death; therefore I will ^[j](S)punish Him and release Him.” ²³ But they were insistent, with loud voices, demanding that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail. ²⁴ And so Pilate decided to have their demand carried out. ²⁵ And he released the man for whom they were asking, who had been thrown into prison for a revolt and murder; but he handed Jesus over to their will.

Simon Carries the Cross

^26 (T)And when they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of ^(U)Cyrene, as he was coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.

²⁷ Now following Him was a large crowd of the people, and of women who were ^[k](V)mourning and grieving for Him. ²⁸ But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. ²⁹ For behold, days are coming when they will say, ‘^(W)Blessed are those who cannot bear, and the wombs that have not given birth, and the breasts that have not nursed.’ ³⁰ Then they will begin to ^(X)say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ ³¹ For if they do these things ^[l]when the tree is green, what will happen ^[m]when it is dry?”

^32 (Y)Now two others, who were criminals, were also being led away to be put to death with Him.

The Crucifixion

^33 (Z)And when they came to the place called ^[n]The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. ³⁴ [^[o]But Jesus was saying, “^(AA)Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”] ^(AB)And they cast lots, dividing His garments among themselves. ³⁵ And the people stood by, watching. And even the ^(AC)rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; ^(AD)let Him save Himself if this is the ^[p]Christ of God, His Chosen One.” ³⁶ The soldiers also ridiculed Him, coming up to Him, ^(AE)offering Him sour wine, ³⁷ and saying, “^(AF)If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!” ³⁸ Now there was also an inscription above Him, “^(AG)THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

^39 (AH)One of the criminals who were hanged there was ^[q]hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the ^[r]Christ? ^(AI)Save Yourself and us!” ⁴⁰ But the other responded, and rebuking him, said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹ And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving ^[s]what we deserve for our crimes; but this man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!” ⁴³ And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in ^(AJ)Paradise.”

^44 (AK)It was now about ^[t](AL)the sixth hour, and darkness came over the entire land until ^[u]the ninth hour, ^45 [v]because the sun stopped shining; and ^(AM)the veil of the temple was torn ^[w]in two. ⁴⁶ And Jesus, ^(AN)crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, ^(AO)into Your hands I entrust My spirit.” And having said this, He ^[x]died. ^47 (AP)Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began ^(AQ)praising God, saying, “This man was in fact ^[y]innocent.” ⁴⁸ And all the crowds who came together for this spectacle, after watching what had happened, began to return home, ^[z](AR)beating their chests. ^49 (AS)And all His acquaintances and ^(AT)the women who accompanied Him from Galilee were standing at a distance, seeing these things.

Jesus Is Buried

^50 (AU)And a man named Joseph, who was a ^(AV)member of the Council, a good and righteous man ⁵¹ (he had not consented to their plan and action), a man from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who was ^(AW)waiting for the kingdom of God— ⁵² this man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. ⁵³ And he took it down and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had ever lain. ⁵⁴ It was a ^[aa](AX)preparation day, and a Sabbath was about to ^[ab]begin. ⁵⁵ Now ^(AY)the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how His body was laid. ⁵⁶ And then they returned and ^(AZ)prepared spices and perfumes.

And ^(BA)on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

The Resurrection

24 ^(BB)But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. ² And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³ but when they entered, they did not find the body of ^(BC)the Lord Jesus. ⁴ While they were perplexed about this, behold, ^(BD)two men suddenly ^(BE)stood near them in gleaming clothing; ⁵ and as ^[ac]the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why are you seeking the living One among the dead? ⁶ He is not here, but He ^(BF)has ^[ad]risen. Remember how He spoke to you ^(BG)while He was still in Galilee, ⁷ saying that ^(BH)the Son of Man must be handed over to sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise from the dead.” ⁸ And ^(BI)they remembered His words, ⁹ and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven, and to all the rest. ¹⁰ Now these women were ^(BJ)Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to ^(BK)the apostles. ¹¹ But these words appeared ^[ae]to them as nonsense, and they ^(BL)would not believe ^[af]the women. ¹² Nevertheless, Peter got up and ^(BM)ran to the tomb; and when he stooped and looked in, he *saw the linen wrappings ^[ag]only; and he went away ^(BN)to his ^[ah]home, marveling at what had happened.

The Road to Emmaus

¹³ And behold, on that very day ^(BO)two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, which was ^[ai]sixty stadia from Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place. ¹⁵ While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them. ¹⁶ But ^(BP)their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. ¹⁷ And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they came to a stop, looking sad. ¹⁸ One of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, “Are You possibly the only one living near Jerusalem ^[aj]who does not know about the things that happened here in these days?” ¹⁹ And He said to them, “What sort of things?” And they said to Him, “Those about ^(BQ)Jesus the Nazarene, who proved to be a ^(BR)prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people, ²⁰ and how the chief priests and our ^(BS)rulers handed Him over to be sentenced to death, and crucified Him. ²¹ But we ^[ak]were hoping that it was He who was going to ^(BT)redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. ²² But also some women among us left us bewildered. ^(BU)When they were at the tomb early in the morning, ²³ and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. ²⁴ And so some of those who were with us went to the tomb, and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.” ²⁵ And then He said to them, “^[al]You foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that ^(BV)the prophets have spoken! ^26 (BW)Was it not necessary for the ^[am]Christ to suffer these things and to come into His glory?” ²⁷ Then beginning ^[an]with ^(BX)Moses and ^[ao]with all the ^(BY)Prophets, He explained to them the things written about Himself in all the Scriptures.

²⁸ And they approached the village where they were going, and ^(BZ)He gave the impression that He was going farther. ²⁹ And so they strongly urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day ^[ap]is now nearly over.” So He went in to stay with them. ³⁰ And it came about, when He had reclined at the table with them, that He took the bread and ^(CA)blessed it, and He broke it and began giving it to them. ³¹ And then their ^(CB)eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from ^[aq]their sight. ³² They said to one another, “^[ar]Were our hearts not burning within us when He was speaking to us on the road, while He ^(CC)was ^[as]explaining the Scriptures to us?” ³³ And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and ^(CD)found the eleven gathered together and ^(CE)those who were with them, ³⁴ saying, “^(CF)The Lord has really risen and ^(CG)has appeared to Simon!” ³⁵ They began to relate ^[at]their experiences on the road, and how ^(CH)He was recognized by them at the breaking of the bread.

Other Appearances

³⁶ Now while they were telling these things, ^(CI)Jesus Himself suddenly stood in their midst and *said to them, “Peace be to you.” ³⁷ But they were startled and frightened, and thought that they were looking at ^(CJ)a spirit. ³⁸ And He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why are doubts arising in your ^[au]hearts? ^39 (CK)See My hands and My feet, that ^[av]it is I Myself; ^(CL)touch Me and see, because a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you plainly see that I have.” ⁴⁰ And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. ⁴¹ While they still ^[aw](CM)could not believe it because of their joy and astonishment, He said to them, “^(CN)Have you anything here to eat?” ⁴² They served Him a piece of broiled fish; ⁴³ and He took it and ^(CO)ate it in front of them.

⁴⁴ Now He said to them, “^(CP)These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all the things that are written about Me in the ^(CQ)Law of Moses and the Prophets and ^(CR)the Psalms must be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵ Then He ^(CS)opened their ^[ax]minds to understand the Scriptures, ⁴⁶ and He said to them, “^(CT)So it is written, that the ^[ay]Christ would suffer and ^(CU)rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷ and that ^(CV)repentance ^[az]for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed ^[ba]in His name to ^(CW)all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are ^(CX)witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ And behold, ^(CY)I am sending the promise of My Father upon you; but ^(CZ)you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

The Ascension

⁵⁰ And He led them out as far as ^(DA)Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. ⁵¹ While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. ⁵² And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, ⁵³ and were continually in the temple ^[bb]praising God.

Introduction

1 The first account I ^[a]composed, ^(A)Theophilus, about all that Jesus ^(B)began to do and teach, ² until the day when He ^(C)was taken up to heaven, after He ^(D)had given orders ^[b]by the Holy Spirit to ^(E)the apostles whom He had ^(F)chosen. ³ To ^[c]these ^(G)He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of ^(H)things regarding the kingdom of God. ^4 [d]Gathering them together, He commanded them ^(I)not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for ^[e](J)what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; ⁵ for ^(K)John baptized ^[f]with water, but you will be baptized ^[g]with the Holy Spirit ^[h](L)not many days from now.”

⁶ So, when they had come together, they began asking Him, saying, “Lord, ^(M)is it at this time that You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷ But He said to them, “It is not for you to know periods of time or appointed times which ^(N)the Father has set by His own authority; ⁸ but you will receive power ^(O)when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be ^(P)My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and ^(Q)Samaria, and as far as ^(R)the remotest part of the earth.”

The Ascension

⁹ And after He had said these things, ^(S)He was lifted up while they were watching, and a cloud took Him up, out of their sight. ¹⁰ And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, then behold, ^(T)two men in white clothing stood beside them, ¹¹ and they said, “^(U)Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who ^(V)has been taken up from you into heaven, will ^(W)come in the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

The Upper Room

¹² Then they ^(X)returned to Jerusalem from the ^[i](Y)mountain called ^[j]Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a ^[k]Sabbath day’s journey away.

The Fact of Christ’s Resurrection

15 Now ^(A)I make known to you, brothers and sisters, the ^(B)gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, ^(C)in which you also stand, ² by which you also are saved, ^(D)if you hold firmly to ^[a]the word which I preached to you, ^(E)unless you believed in vain.

³ For ^(F)I handed down to you ^[b]as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died ^(G)for our sins ^(H)according to the Scriptures, ⁴ and that He was buried, and that He was ^(I)raised on the third day ^(J)according to the Scriptures, ⁵ and that ^(K)He appeared to ^[c](L)Cephas, then ^(M)to the twelve. ⁶ After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some ^(N)have fallen asleep; ⁷ then He appeared to ^[d](O)James, then to ^(P)all the apostles; ⁸ and last of all, as ^[e]to one untimely born, ^(Q)He appeared to me also. ⁹ For I am ^(R)the least of the apostles, ^[f]and not fit to be called an apostle, because I ^(S)persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by ^(T)the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I ^(U)labored even more than all of them, yet ^(V)not I, but the grace of God with me. ¹¹ Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

¹² Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there ^(W)is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³ But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; ¹⁴ and ^(X)if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, your faith also is in vain. ¹⁵ Moreover, we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified ^[g]against God that He ^(Y)raised ^[h]Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. ¹⁶ For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised; ¹⁷ and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; ^(Z)you are still in your sins. ¹⁸ Then also those who ^(AA)have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.