< Matthew 27 >
1 When early morning came, all the chief priests and elders plotted against Jesus to kill Him.
2 And having bound Him they went and handed Him over to Pontius Pilate, the governor.
3 (Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, felt regret and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and elders
4 saying, “I sinned, by betraying innocent blood.” But they said: “What do we care? It's your problem!”
5 So throwing the silver down in the sanctuary he left, and went and hanged himself!
6 Then the chief priests took the coins and said, “It isn't lawful to put them into the treasury, being blood money.”
7 So after consultation they bought the potter's field with them, as a burial ground for strangers.
8 Therefore that field has been called ‘field of blood’ to this day.
9 Then was fulfilled what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet, namely: “And they took the thirty silver coins, the value of the one who was priced, whom some of the children of Israel priced,
10 and they gave them for the potter's field, just as the Lord directed me.”)
11 So Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him saying, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus said to him, “As you say.”
12 But although the chief priests and elders kept accusing Him, He answered nothing.
13 Then Pilate says to Him, “Don't you hear all that they are saying against you?”
14 But He did not answer him, not even one word, so that the governor was really amazed.
15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release one prisoner to the crowd, whomever they wanted.
16 Just then they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.
17 So while they were assembled Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you, Barabbas or Jesus who is called Messiah?”
18 For he knew that they had handed Him over through envy.
19 Now as he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, because I suffered a great deal in a dream today because of Him.”
20 But the chief priests and elders had persuaded the crowds that they should ask for Barabbas, but destroy Jesus.
21 So the governor spoke up and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” And they said, “Barabbas!”
22 Pilate says to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Messiah?” They all say to him, “Let Him be crucified!”
23 So the governor said, “But, what evil did He do?” But they kept yelling all the more saying, “Let Him be crucified!”
24 When Pilate saw that nothing was being gained but rather a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd saying: “I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man. It's your problem!”
25 So in answer all the people said, “His blood be upon us and upon our children!”
26 Then he released Barabbas to them, but Jesus, after flogging Him, he delivered to be crucified.
27 Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him.
28 They stripped Him and put a scarlet cloak on Him.
29 They plaited a crown out of thorns and put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and kneeling before Him they would mock Him saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
30 Spitting on Him they took the reed and hit Him repeatedly on the head.
31 After they had mocked Him they took the cloak off Him and put His own clothes back on; and they led Him away to be crucified.
32 Now as they went out they found a man of Cyrene, named Simon; they compelled him to carry His cross.
33 Upon arriving at a place called Golgotha, which means ‘place of a skull’,
34 they gave Him sour wine mixed with gall to drink; but having tasted it He would not drink.
35 Having crucified Him they divided up His clothes by casting lots.
36 And sitting down there they guarded Him.
37 And they put the charge against Him over His head in writing: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
38 Then they crucified two bandits with Him, one on His right and one on His left.
39 And the passers-by kept blaspheming Him, wagging their heads
40 and saying: “You who destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself!” “If you are ‘Son of God’, come down from the cross!”
41 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders and Pharisees, said:
42 “He saved others; himself he cannot save!” “If he is ‘King of Israel’ let him come down from the cross now and we will believe him!”
43 “He trusted in God; let Him rescue him now, if He wants him; for he said, ‘I am God's Son.’”
44 Even the bandits who were crucified with Him were reviling Him in the same way.
45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour a darkness came over all the land.
46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying, “Eli, Eli, lima sabachtani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have You abandoned me?”
47 So upon hearing it some of the bystanders said, “This man is calling Elijah.”
48 Right then one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a reed and started to give Him a drink;
49 but the rest said: “Don't! Let's see if Elijah comes to save Him.”
50 Then Jesus called out again with a great shout and dismissed His spirit.
51 And then, the veil of the temple was ripped in two from top to bottom! And the earth was shaken, and the rocks were split,
52 and the graves were opened. (And many bodies, of the saints who had fallen asleep, were raised;
53 and coming forth out of the graves after His resurrection, they entered the holy city and were made visible to many.)
54 Now when the centurion and those with him guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that happened they were scared stiff and said, “This Man really was the Son of God!”
55 Many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were also there looking on from a distance;
56 among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
57 Now at evening there appeared a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.
58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered that the body be given.
59 So taking the body Joseph wrapped it in clean linen cloth
60 and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. Then he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb and left.
61 And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the grave.
62 The next day, which is after the Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees went together to Pilate
63 saying: “Sir, we remember that that deceiver, while still alive, said, ‘After three days I am going to rise.’
64 Therefore command that the grave be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him and say to the people, ‘He was raised from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.”
65 So Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go make it as secure as you can!”
66 So they went and secured the grave with the guard, having sealed the stone.
