Matthew

27 And when morning came all the chief priests and the elders of the people laid their plan against Jesus for putting him to death, 2 and bound him and took him to Pilate, the governor, and handed him over to him.

3 Then, upon seeing that he had been condemned, Judas who had been the agent in his arrest regretted his action and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying “I have sinned in bringing innocent blood to its death.” But they said “What concern of ours is that? you see to that.” 5 And he threw the pieces into the temple and withdrew, and went away and hanged himself. 6 But the chief priests took the money and said “It is not lawful to deposit it in the temple treasury, because it is the price of blood”; 7 and they decided on buying the potter’s field with it for a burying-ground for strangers, and did so; 8 for which reason that field has been called the Blood Field to this day. 9* Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah in the words “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the Priced whom they priced on the part of the sons of Israel, 10 and gave them for the potter’s field, in accordance with what the Lord directed me,” was fulfilled.

11 But Jesus was set before the governor; and the governor put the question to him “Are you the ‘king of the Jews’?” and Jesus said “As you say.” 12 And while the accusations were being made against him by the chief priests and elders he made no answer. 13 Then Pilate said to him “Do you not hear how many charges against you they are testifying to?” 14 And to not one word of it did he give him an answer, so that the governor wondered exceedingly.

15 And every feast-time it was the governor’s custom to release for the crowd one prisoner whom they wanted. 16* And they had then a conspicuous prisoner known as Jesus Bar-Abbas. 17 So when they had gathered Pilate said to them “Which will you have me release for you, Jesus Bar-Abbas or Jesus known as the Messiah?” 18 For he knew that it was out of jealousy that they had had him arrested; 19 and while he was sitting on the bench his wife had sent a message to him, “Do not have anything to do with that saint; for today I had a great deal happen to me in a dream because of him.” 20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Bar-Abbas and have Jesus perish; 21 and the governor answered them “Which of the two will you have me release for you?” and they said “Bar-Abbas.” 22* Said Pilate to them, “Then what shall I do with the Jesus who is known as the Messiah?” They all said “Have him crucified.” 23 Said he, “Why, what harm has he done?” but they screamed more and more “Have him crucified.” 24 And Pilate, seeing that he was doing no good but rather a disturbance was beginning, took water and washed his hands in front of the people, saying “I am innocent of this blood; you shall see to it.” 25 And all the people answered “His blood be on us and on our children.” 26 Then he released Bar-Abbas for them, but scourged Jesus and gave him in charge to be crucified.

27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the praetorium and got together the whole cohort over him, 28 and stripped him and threw a scarlet cape over him, 29 and braided a wreath out of thorns and put it on his head and a reed in his right hand, and knelt before him and made fun of him, saying “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 and spat on him and took the reed and beat him over the head. 31 And when they had had their fun with him they took the cape off him and put his own clothes on him, and led him away to be crucified.

32 And as they were going out they found a Cyrene man, by name Simon: this man they requisitioned to take up his cross.

33 And when they came to a place known as Golgotha, which is to say the Skull place, 34 they gave him wine mixed with gall to drink; and when he had tasted it he would not drink. 35 And they crucified him and divided up his clothes, throwing lots, 36 and they sat and kept watch over him there. 37 And they put up over his head a written statement of his offense, “This is Jesus the King of the Jews.” 38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left.

39 And those who went past taunted him, shaking their heads 40* and saying “You that were tearing down the temple and building it up in three days, save yourself, if you are Son of God, and get down off the cross.” 41 In the same way the chief priests, making fun of him with the scribes and elders, said 42** “He saved others; he cannot save himself! He is the King of Israel: let him get down off the cross now, and we will believe on him. 43 He trusts in God, let him deliver him now if he wants him—for he said ‘I am Son of God.’” 44 And the robbers too, who were crucified with him, gave him the same twitting.

45 And from twelve o’clock on there came a darkness over all the land till three. 46 And about three o’clock Jesus shrieked out loudly “Elí, Elí, Lemá shabaktáni?” that is, “My God, my God, why hast thou abandoned me?” 47 And some of those who were standing there said when they heard it “That man is calling Eliah” [for that was the way Elijah’s name was then pronounced]. 48 And at once one of them ran and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar and stuck it on a reed, and offered him the drink; 49* but the rest said “Let be and let us see if Elijah is coming to save him.” 50* And Jesus again gave a loud cry, and breathed his last; 51 and lo, the curtain of the temple split from top to bottom into two parts, and the earth quaked, and the rocks split, 52 and the tombs opened and many bodies of holy men who had gone to their rest rose, 53 and, coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, came into the sacred city and appeared to many. 54* And when the centurion and those who were with him keeping watch over Jesus saw the earthquake and the rest, they were greatly afraid, saying “This positively was the son of God.”

55 And there were many women there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, waiting on his needs; 56 among them was Mary the Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

57 And when evening came there came a rich man from Arimathea, Joseph by name, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus; 58 this man went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’s body. Then Pilate ordered it turned over to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen wrapper, 60 and laid it in his new tomb which he had cut out in the rock, and rolled a great stone against the door of the tomb, and went away. 61 And Mary the Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the front of the grave.

62* But on the following day—that is, after Friday—the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered at Pilate’s residence 63 saying “Sir, we recollect that that delusionist, while he was still alive, said ‘After three days I rise,’ 64 So order the grave made secure till the third day, for fear the disciples should come and spirit him away and say to the people ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the final delusion will be worse than the first.” 65 Said Pilate to them, “You may have a guard: go make it as sure as you know how.” 66 And they went and made the grave sure by sealing the stone, in addition to the guard.