Luke 23:20-30

20 Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again,

21 but they kept on calling out, saying, "Crucify, crucify Him!

22 And he said to them the third time, "Why, what evil has this man done? I have found in Him no guilt demanding death; therefore I will ¹punish Him and release Him."

23 But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail.

24 And Pilate pronounced sentence that their demand be granted.

25 And he released the man they were asking for who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, but he delivered Jesus to their will.

Simon Bears the Cross

26 ²When they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of ³Cyrene, coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.

27 And following Him was a large crowd of the people, and of women who were ⁴mourning and lamenting Him.

28 But Jesus turning to them said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.

29 "For behold, the days are coming when * they will say, '⁵Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.'

30 "Then they will begin TO ⁶SAY TO THE MOUNTAINS, 'FALL ON US,' AND TO THE HILLS, 'COVER US.'

Cross References

• 1. Luke 23:16
• 2. Luke 23:26: {Matthew 27:32; Mark 15:21;} John 19:17
• 3. Matthew 27:32
• 4. Luke 8:52
• 5. Matthew 24:19; Luke 11:27; Luke 21:23
• 6. Hosea 10:8; Isaiah 2:19, 20; Revelation 6:16

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "beating the breast"