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Then they spit on him and hit him on the head with the stick.
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When they had had their fun, they took off the toga and put his own clothes back on him. Then they proceeded out to the crucifixion.
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Along the way they came on a man from Cyrene named Simon and made him carry Jesus' cross.
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Arriving at Golgotha, the place they call "Skull Hill,"
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they offered him a mild painkiller (a mixture of wine and myrrh), but when he tasted it he wouldn't drink it.
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After they had finished nailing him to the cross and were waiting for him to die, they whiled away the time by throwing dice for his clothes.
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Above his head they had posted the criminal charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
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Along with him, they also crucified two criminals, one to his right, the other to his left.
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People passing along the road jeered, shaking their heads in mock lament:
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"You bragged that you could tear down the Temple and then rebuild it in three days - so show us your stuff! Save yourself! If you're really God's Son, come down from that cross!"
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The high priests, along with the religion scholars and leaders, were right there mixing it up with the rest of them, having a great time poking fun at him:
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"He saved others - he can't save himself! King of Israel, is he? Then let him get down from that cross. We'll all become believers then!
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He was so sure of God - well, let him rescue his 'Son' now - if he wants him! He did claim to be God's Son, didn't he?"
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Even the two criminals crucified next to him joined in the mockery.
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From noon to three, the whole earth was dark.
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Around mid-afternoon Jesus groaned out of the depths, crying loudly, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?"
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Some bystanders who heard him said, "He's calling for Elijah."
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One of them ran and got a sponge soaked in sour wine and lifted it on a stick so he could drink.
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The others joked, "Don't be in such a hurry. Let's see if Elijah comes and saves him."
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But Jesus, again crying out loudly, breathed his last.