33. At noon the whole country was covered with darkness, which lasted for three hours.
34. 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?”
35. Some of the people there heard him and said, “Listen, he is calling for Elijah!”
36. One of them ran up with a sponge, soaked it in cheap wine, and put it on the end of a stick. Then he held it up to Jesus' lips and said, “Wait! Let us see if Elijah is coming to bring him down from the cross!”
37. With a loud cry Jesus died.
38. The curtain hanging in the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
39. The army officer who was standing there in front of the cross saw how Jesus had died. “This man was really the Son of God!” he said.
40. Some women were there, looking on from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of the younger James and of Joseph, and Salome.
41. They had followed Jesus while he was in Galilee and had helped him. Many other women who had come to Jerusalem with him were there also.
42-43. It was towards 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.
44. Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead. He called the army officer and asked him if Jesus had been dead a long time.
45. After hearing the officer's report, Pilate told Joseph he could have the body.
46. Joseph bought a linen sheet, took the body down, wrapped it in the sheet, and placed it in a tomb which had been dug out of solid rock. Then he rolled a large stone across the entrance to the tomb.
47. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph were watching and saw where the body of Jesus was placed.