23
But they continued to shout, demanding that Jesus be crucified. Their yelling became so loud that
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Pilate decided to give them what they wanted.
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He set free the man who was in jail for rioting and murder, and he handed Jesus over to them to do with him as they wished.
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As they led Jesus away, Simon, a man from Cyrene, was coming in from the fields. They forced him to carry Jesus' cross and to walk behind him.
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A large crowd of people was following Jesus, including some women who were sad and crying for him.
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But Jesus turned and said to them, "Women of Jerusalem, don't cry for me. Cry for yourselves and for your children.
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The time is coming when people will say, 'Happy are the women who cannot have children and who have no babies to nurse.'
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Then people will say to the mountains, 'Fall on us!' And they will say to the hills, 'Cover us!'
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If they act like this now when life is good, what will happen when bad times come?"
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There were also two criminals led out with Jesus to be put to death.
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When they came to a place called the Skull, the soldiers crucified Jesus and the criminals -- one on his right and the other on his left.