Then the Jewish authorities asked Pilate to allow them to break the legs of the men who had been crucified, and to take the bodies down from the crosses. They requested this because it was Friday, and they did not want the bodies to stay on the crosses on the Sabbath, since the coming Sabbath was especially holy.

So the soldiers went and broke the legs of the first man and then of the other man who had been crucified with Jesus.

Since it was the day before the Sabbath and because the tomb was close by, they placed Jesus' body there.

The next day, which was a Sabbath, the chief priests and the Pharisees met with Pilate

It was toward evening when Joseph of Arimathea arrived. He was a respected member of the Council, who was waiting for the coming of the Kingdom of God. It was Preparation day (that is, the day before the Sabbath), so Joseph went boldly into the presence of Pilate and asked him for the body of Jesus.

It was Friday, and the Sabbath was about to begin.

It was nine o'clock in the morning when they crucified him.

At noon the whole country was covered with darkness, which lasted for three hours.

At three o'clock Jesus cried out with a loud shout, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why did you abandon me?"

and came to him and said, "Long live the King of the Jews!" And they went up and slapped him.

So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Look! Here is the man!"

Pilate wrote a notice and had it put on the cross. "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews," is what he wrote.

The chief priests said to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but rather, 'This man said, I am the King of the Jews.' "