Luke 23

23 ¹Den di whole gathering stand up, carry am go bifor Pilate. ²Dem start to accuse am say, “We catch dis man dey lead our nation astray, dey tell people make dem no pay tax to Caesar, and dey call imsef Christ, one king.”

³Pilate ask am, “Na you be di King of di Jews?” Jesus answer am, “Na you talk am.”

⁴Den Pilate tell di chief priests and di crowd say, “I no see any wrong for dis man.”

⁵But dem push more, dey talk say, “E dey stir up di people, dey teach dem for all Judea, from Galilee reach here.”

⁶Wen Pilate hear dis, e ask weda di man na Galilee man. ⁷Wen e learn say di man dey under Herod authority, e send am go Herod, wey imsef sef dey Jerusalem for dat time.

⁸Wen Herod see Jesus, e dey very glad—e don long dey wan see am, sake of di tori wey e hear about am, and e dey hope say e go see am do some sign. ⁹E question am plenty-plenty, but Jesus no answer am anytin. ¹⁰Di chief priests and di scribes stand near, dey accuse am hard-hard. ¹¹Herod and im soldiers scorn am and mock am, dem dress am for bright cloth, and send am go back to Pilate. ¹²Dat same day Herod and Pilate come be friend—bifor-bifor dem bin be enemy.

¹³Den Pilate call di chief priests, di rulers, and di people come togeda, ¹⁴and tell dem say, “Una bring dis man come me as person wey dey turn di people away. I don examine am for una front, and I no see any wrong for dis man about di tins wey una dey accuse am. ¹⁵Herod sef no find any, na why e send am come back to us. Look, e no do anytin wey fit make dem kill am. ¹⁶So den, I go discipline am and release am.” ^a a v16 Di oldest manuscripts no get verse 17 for here; later copies add: “Bicos e suppose release one prisoner give dem for di feast.” ¹⁸But dem all shout togeda say, “Carry dis man comot! Release Barabbas give us!” ¹⁹na man wey dem lock up sake of one rebellion wey happen for di city, and sake of murder.

²⁰Pilate talk to dem again, bicos e wan release Jesus, ²¹but dem continue to shout say, “Nail am for cross, nail am for cross!”

²²Di third time e tell dem say, “Why? Wetin dis man do wrong? I no see any ground for death for am. So I go punish am and release am.” ²³But dem continue to shout loud-loud, dey demand say make dem nail am for cross, and dia voice win. ²⁴So Pilate decide say make dem grant wetin dem dey demand. ²⁵E release di man wey dem ask for, wey dem lock up sake of rebellion and murder, but e hand Jesus over to dia will.

Dem Nail the Pikin for Cross

²⁶As dem dey lead am go, dem grab one man wey im name na Simon of Cyrene, wey dey come in from di village, and dem put di cross for im shoulder make e carry am follow bihind Jesus. ²⁷Big crowd of di people follow am, and among dem na women wey dey cry and dey wail for am.

²⁸But Jesus turn to dem and talk say, “Daughters of Jerusalem, no cry for me; cry for una own sef and for una pikin dem. ²⁹Bicos di days dey come wen dem go talk say, ‘Blessing dey for di women wey no fit born, di womb wey never carry belle, and di breast wey never give suck.’ ³⁰Den dem go start to tell di mountains, “Fall on top us,” and tell di hills, “Cover us.” ³¹Bicos if dem do dis kind tin wen di wood still dey green, wetin go happen wen e don dry?” ^b b v31 Na proverb: if Rome do dis kind tin to di innocent (green wood), how much worse dey wait di guilty (dry wood) wen judgment fall.

³²Dem also lead two oda men, wey be criminal, go make dem kill dem togeda with am. ³³Wen dem reach di place wey dem dey call The Skull, dem nail am for cross for dia with di criminals, one for im right hand side, one for im left.

³⁴Jesus talk say, “Papa, forgive dem, bicos dem no know wetin dem dey do.” Den dem share im cloth, dey cast lot. ^c c v34 Dis words no dey some early manuscripts. Dem print am here, as e dey for most modern Bibles.

³⁵Di people stand dey watch; di rulers dey sneer say, “E save oda people—make e save imsef, if na im be God im Christ, di Chosen One.”

³⁶Di soldiers sef mock am, dem come near come offer am sour wine, ³⁷and dem talk say, “If you be di King of di Jews, save yasef!”

³⁸There bin dey one inscription for im top sef wey talk say: “Dis na di King of di Jews.”

³⁹One of di criminals wey dem hang insult am say, “No be you be di Christ? Save yasef and us!”

⁴⁰But di oda one rebuke am say, “You no even fear God, wey you dey under di same sentence? ⁴¹Na correct tin wey happen to us—we dey pay for wetin we do; but dis man no do anytin wrong.” ⁴²Den e talk say, “Jesus, remember me wen you come inside your kingdom.”

⁴³And Jesus tell am say, “Truly I dey tell you, today you go dey with me for Paradise.”

The Pikin Breathe Im Last Breath

⁴⁴E don reach around afternoon time, and darkness cover di whole land reach three o’clock for afternoon, ⁴⁵bicos di sun light fail; and di curtain of di temple tear into two.

⁴⁶Jesus call out loud-loud say, “Papa, I put my spirit for your hand!” Den e breathe im last breath.

⁴⁷Wen di centurion see wetin happen, e praise our Papa say, “True-true, dis man na correct-and-holy man.” ⁴⁸All di crowd wey gada come see dis sight, wen dem see wetin happen, dem go house dey beat dia chest. ⁴⁹All im people wey sabi am, and di women wey follow am from Galilee, stand far dey watch dis tins.

Dem Put the Pikin for Grave

⁵⁰Now one man dey wey im name na Joseph, member of di council, good man wey get correct-and-holy way, ⁵¹wey no gree with dia plan and wetin dem do. E come from Arimathea, one Jewish town, and e dey wait for di kingdom of our Papa. ⁵²Dis man go meet Pilate and ask for di body of Jesus. ⁵³E take am down, wrap am with linen cloth, and lay am inside grave wey dem cut inside rock, wey dem never lay anybody bifor. ⁵⁴Na di day of Preparation, and Sabbath dey about to start. ⁵⁵Di women wey come with am from Galilee follow, dem see di grave, and how dem lay im body. ⁵⁶Dem go back go prepare spices and ointment, den dem rest for Sabbath as di command talk.