27 Early the next morning, all the leaders of the priests and the important Jews met together. They decided how to make the Roman rulers kill Jesus. 2 They tied Jesus' hands and feet and then they took him to Pilate's house. They put him under the authority of Pilate, who was the Roman ruler. [ a ]
3 Judas heard that the Jewish leaders wanted the Roman rulers to kill Jesus. Judas was the man who had helped Jesus' enemies to take hold of him. Now he was very sorry about what he had done. So he took back the 30 silver coins to the leaders of the priests and the important Jews. 4 He said to them, ‘I have done the wrong thing. I helped you to take hold of a man who has done nothing wrong.’
They said to Judas, ‘That is not important to us. That is your problem.’
5 So Judas took the money and he threw it down on the floor in the temple. Then he went away. He hung himself from a rope so that he died.
6 The leaders of the priests picked up the coins. They said, ‘We used this money to catch and kill a man. So it is against our Law to use this same money for the temple.’ 7 They decided to use the money to buy a field. They wanted to use the field to bury foreign people who died in the city. The field had been called ‘The Pot-maker's Field’. 8 After this, it was called ‘The Field of Blood’. It is still called that even today. 9 So the words that the prophet Jeremiah wrote long ago now became true. [ b ] He had said, ‘Then they took the 30 silver coins. It was the amount of money the people of Israel had agreed to pay for the man. 10 They used this money to buy the pot-maker's field. The Lord God had told me to do this.’
11 Now Jesus stood in front of the Roman ruler, Pilate. The ruler asked Jesus, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’
Jesus replied, ‘You have said it.’
12 The leaders of the priests and the important Jews spoke against Jesus. They said that he had done many bad things. Jesus did not answer them. 13 So Pilate said to Jesus, ‘You hear what these men are saying against you. You should reply.’ 14 But Jesus did not reply to what the men were saying against him, not even to one thing. Pilate was very surprised about this.
15 Each year, at the time for the Passover festival, the Roman ruler would let one person go free out of the prison. The people could choose which person should go free. 16 At that time, there was a man called Barabbas in prison. Everyone knew about the bad things that he had done. 17 When the crowd came together at Pilate's house, Pilate asked them, ‘Who do you want me to let go free? Should Barabbas go free? Or should it be Jesus, who is called the Messiah?’ 18 Pilate knew why the Jewish leaders had brought Jesus to him. They were jealous because people liked Jesus so much.
19 Pilate was sitting on his special seat as a judge. Then his wife sent a message to him. She said, ‘Do not do anything to that man. He has done nothing wrong. Last night I had a dream about him. It gave me a lot of trouble in my mind.’
20 But the leaders of the priests and the important Jews talked to the crowds of people. They said, ‘You must ask Pilate to let Barabbas go free. Then he must tell the soldiers to kill Jesus.’
21 Pilate asked the people again, ‘Which of these two men should go free?’ The people answered, ‘Barabbas.’
22 Then Pilate asked the people, ‘So what should I do with Jesus, who is called the Messiah?’ The people all shouted, ‘Take him and kill him on a cross!’
23 So Pilate said, ‘Why should I kill him? What bad things has he done?’
But the people shouted even louder, ‘Kill him on a cross!’
24 Then Pilate knew that he could not do anything to make them quiet. He thought that the people would start to fight his soldiers. So he took a dish of water and he washed his hands in front of the people. He said, ‘It is not because of me that this man will die. You are the people who have caused it to happen.’
25 All the people answered Pilate, ‘Yes, God should punish us and our children, if we have done the wrong thing.’
26 Then Pilate let Barabbas go free, as the crowd wanted. But he said to his soldiers, ‘Hit Jesus many times with a whip. Then take him and fix him to a cross to die.’
27 Then Pilate's soldiers took Jesus into the yard of the ruler's house. All the other soldiers in their group were there. 28 They removed Jesus' clothes from him. They put a dark red coat on him. 29 They used some branches with thorns to make a crown for him. Then they put it on his head. They put a long stick in his right hand. They went down on their knees in front of him. They laughed at him and they said, ‘Hello, King of the Jews, you are great!’ [ c ]
30 Then the soldiers spat into Jesus' face. They took the stick and they hit Jesus on his head with it many times. 31 After they had laughed at him, they took the special coat off him. They put his own clothes back on him. Then they took him out to the place where they would kill him on a cross.
32 When they were going to that place, they met a man called Simon. He came from the city of Cyrene. The Roman soldiers told Simon that he must carry Jesus' cross. 33 The soldiers took Jesus to the place that is called Golgotha. (Golgotha means the place of a skull. [ d ] )
34 They tried to give Jesus some wine to drink. They had mixed some medicine into the wine. Jesus tasted it, but he would not drink it. 35 Then the soldiers fixed Jesus onto the cross. They took his clothes for themselves. They played a game to find out who would receive each piece of his clothes. 36 Then the soldiers sat down and they watched Jesus carefully. 37 Above his head they fixed a notice. This showed the reason why they were killing him. It said, ‘This man is Jesus, the king of the Jews.’ 38 Then the soldiers also fixed two robbers to crosses near to Jesus. One robber was at Jesus' right side, and one was at his left side.
39 The people who walked near there insulted Jesus. They laughed at him, 40 and they said, ‘You said that you could destroy the temple and then build it again in three days. If you really are the Son of God, save yourself. Come down from the cross.’
41 The leaders of the priests and the teachers of God's Law and the important Jews also laughed at him. 42 They said, ‘This man saved other people, did he? But he cannot save his own life! He says that he is the king of Israel. So he should come down from the cross now. Then we will believe in him. 43 He says that he trusts in God. So if God wants him, God should save him now. He did say that he is the Son of God.’ 44 Then the two robbers who were on the crosses next to Jesus also insulted him.
45 It was now midday. The whole country became dark for three hours. 46 At about three o'clock in the afternoon, Jesus shouted loudly, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ That means, ‘My God, my God, why have you left me alone?’
47 Some people who were standing there heard him. They said to each other, ‘He is shouting to Elijah.’
48 One of these people ran quickly and he brought a piece of cloth. He poured cheap wine on it, and he put it on the end of a stick. He lifted it up to Jesus so that he could drink the wine from it. 49 The other people said, ‘Wait! Now we will see if Elijah comes to save him.’
50 Then Jesus shouted again with a loud voice, and after that he died.
51 At that moment, the curtain inside the temple tore completely into two parts. It tore from the top down to the bottom. The ground shook and rocks broke into pieces. 52 Places in the ground where people had buried dead bodies opened up. Many of God's people who had died now became alive again. 53 After Jesus became alive again, those people came up out of those places. They went into God's city, Jerusalem. Many people saw them there.
54 The captain and his soldiers had been watching Jesus. They saw the ground shaking. They saw everything that had happened. They were very frightened and they said, ‘It must be true! This man really was the Son of God.’
55 There were also many women there. They were standing a long way away and they were watching these events. They had come with Jesus from Galilee to help him. 56 Mary from Magdala was there. Mary the mother of James and Joses, and Mary the mother of Zebedee's sons, were also there.
57 That evening a rich man who came from a town called Arimathea went to Pilate. The man's name was Joseph, and he had become a disciple of Jesus. 58 Joseph asked Pilate for the dead body of Jesus. Pilate told his soldiers to give Jesus' body to Joseph. 59 So Joseph took Jesus' body. He put a clean piece of linen cloth around it. 60 Then he put the body in a large hole in a rock. He had made the hole for his own body when he died. After he put Jesus' body there, he rolled a very big stone across the front of the hole to shut it. Then he went away. 61 Mary from Magdala and Mary the mother of James were there. They were sitting where they could see the hole in the rock where Joseph had put Jesus' body.
62 The next day was the Jewish day of rest. The leaders of the priests and the Pharisees met together with Pilate. 63 They said to him, ‘Sir, that man told lies. When he was still living, he said, “Three days after I die, I will become alive again.” We know that is what he said. 64 So you should tell some soldiers to watch the place where Joseph put Jesus' body. They should watch there for the next three days. Then his disciples cannot come to take his body away. If they did that, then they could say to the people, “God has caused Jesus to become alive again.” This will be worse than the lies that Jesus told when he was alive.’
65 Pilate said to them, ‘OK. You may take a group of soldiers to watch the place. Let them fix the rock well, so that nobody can open it.’ 66 So the Jewish leaders and the soldiers went to the place where Joseph had put Jesus' body. They fixed the big stone that closed the front of the hole with a seal. Then they would know if someone had moved it. The soldiers stayed there to watch the place very carefully.
27 Early the next morning, all the leading priests and older leaders of the people met and decided to kill Jesus. 2 They tied him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.
3 Judas saw that they had decided to kill Jesus. He was the one who had handed him over. When he saw what happened, he was very sorry for what he had done. So he took the 30 silver coins back to the priests and the older leaders. 4 Judas said, “I sinned. I handed over to you an innocent man to be killed.”
The Jewish leaders answered, “We don’t care! That’s a problem for you, not us.”
5 So Judas threw the money into the Temple. Then he went out from there and hanged himself.
6 The leading priests picked up the silver coins in the Temple. They said, “Our law does not allow us to keep this money with the Temple money, because this money has paid for a man’s death.” 7 So they decided to use the money to buy a field called Potter’s Field. This field would be a place to bury people who died while visiting in Jerusalem. 8 That is why that field is still called the Field of Blood. 9 This showed the full meaning of what Jeremiah the prophet said:
“They took 30 silver coins. That was how much the people of Israel decided to pay for his life. 10 They used those 30 silver coins to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.” [ a ]
11 Jesus stood before Pilate, the governor, who asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
Jesus answered, “Yes, that’s right.”
12 Then, when the leading priests and the older Jewish leaders made their accusations against Jesus, he said nothing.
13 So Pilate said to him, “Don’t you hear all these charges they are making against you? Why don’t you answer?”
14 But Jesus did not say anything, and this really surprised the governor.
15 Every year at Passover time the governor would free one prisoner—whichever one the people wanted him to free. 16 At that time there was a man in prison who was known to be very bad. His name was Barabbas. [ b ]
17 When a crowd gathered, Pilate said to them, “I will free one man for you. Which one do you want me to free: Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” 18 Pilate knew that they had handed Jesus over to him because they were jealous of him.
19 While Pilate was sitting there in the place for judging, his wife sent a message to him. It said, “Don’t do anything with that man. He is not guilty. Last night I had a dream about him, and it troubled me very much.”
20 But the leading priests and older Jewish leaders told the people to ask for Barabbas to be set free and for Jesus to be killed.
21 Pilate said, “I have Barabbas and Jesus. Which one do you want me to set free for you?”
The people answered, “Barabbas!”
22 Pilate asked, “So what should I do with Jesus, the one called the Messiah?”
All the people said, “Kill him on a cross!”
23 Pilate asked, “Why do you want me to kill him? What wrong has he done?”
But they shouted louder, “Kill him on a cross!”
24 Pilate saw that there was nothing he could do to make the people change. In fact, it looked as if there would be a riot. So he took some water and washed his hands [ c ] in front of them all. He said, “I am not guilty of this man’s death. You are the ones who are doing it!”
25 The people answered, “We will take full responsibility for his death. You can blame us and even our children!”
26 Then Pilate set Barabbas free. And he told some soldiers to beat Jesus with whips. Then he handed him over to the soldiers to be killed on a cross.
27 Then Pilate’s soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s palace. All the soldiers gathered around him. 28 They took off Jesus’ clothes and put a red robe on him. 29 Then they made a crown from thorny branches and put it on his head, and they put a stick in his right hand. Then they bowed before him, making fun of him. They said, “We salute you, king of the Jews!” 30 They spit on him. Then they took his stick and kept hitting him on the head with it. 31 After they finished making fun of him, the soldiers took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be killed on a cross.
32 The soldiers were going out of the city with Jesus. They saw a man from Cyrene named Simon, and they forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. 33 They came to the place called Golgotha. (Golgotha means “The Place of the Skull.”) 34 There the soldiers gave Jesus some wine mixed with gall. [ d ] But when he tasted it, he refused to drink it.
35 The soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross. Then they threw dice to divide his clothes between them. 36 The soldiers stayed there to guard him. 37 They put a sign above his head with the charge against him written on it: “ this is jesus, the king of the jews .”
38 Two criminals were nailed to crosses beside Jesus—one on the right and the other on the left. 39 People walked by and shouted insults at Jesus. They shook their heads 40 and said, “You said you could destroy the Temple and build it again in three days. So save yourself! Come down from that cross if you really are the Son of God!”
41 The leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the older Jewish leaders were also there. They made fun of Jesus the same as the other people did. 42 They said, “He saved others, but he can’t save himself! People say he is the king of Israel. If he is the king, he should come down now from the cross. Then we will believe in him. 43 He trusted God. So let God save him now, if God really wants him. He himself said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 And in the same way, the criminals on the crosses beside Jesus also insulted him.
45 At noon the whole country became dark. The darkness continued for three hours. 46 About three o’clock Jesus cried out loudly, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” This means “My God, my God, why have you left me alone?” [ e ]
47 Some of the people standing there heard this. They said, “He is calling Elijah.” [ f ]
48 Quickly, one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled the sponge with sour wine and tied the sponge to a stick. Then he used the stick to give the sponge to Jesus to get a drink from it. 49 But the others said, “Don’t bother him. We want to see if Elijah will come to save him.”
50 Again Jesus cried out loudly and then died. [ g ]
51 When Jesus died, the curtain in the Temple was torn into two pieces. The tear started at the top and tore all the way to the bottom. Also, the earth shook and rocks were broken. 52 The graves opened, and many of God’s people who had died were raised from death. 53 They came out of the graves. And after Jesus was raised from death, they went into the holy city, and many people saw them.
54 The army officer and the soldiers guarding Jesus saw this earthquake and everything that happened. They were very afraid and said, “He really was the Son of God!”
55 Many women were standing away from the cross, watching. These were the women who had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for him. 56 Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of James and John [ h ] were there.
57 That evening a rich man named Joseph came to Jerusalem. He was a follower of Jesus from the town of Arimathea. 58 He went to Pilate and asked to have Jesus’ body. Pilate gave orders for the soldiers to give Jesus’ body to him. 59 Then Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a new linen cloth. 60 He put Jesus’ body in a new tomb that he had dug in a wall of rock. Then he closed the tomb by rolling a very large stone to cover the entrance. After he did this, he went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other woman named Mary were sitting near the tomb.
62 That day was the day called Preparation day. The next day, the leading priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 They said, “Sir, we remember that while that liar was still alive he said, ‘I will rise from death in three days.’ 64 So give the order for the tomb to be guarded well for three days. His followers might come and try to steal the body. Then they could tell everyone that he has risen from death. That lie will be even worse than what they said about him before.”
65 Pilate said, “Take some soldiers and go guard the tomb the best way you know.” 66 So they all went to the tomb and made it safe from thieves. They did this by sealing the stone in the entrance and putting soldiers there to guard it.
27 When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:
2 And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.
7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.
8 Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day.
9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value;
10 And gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me.
11 And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest.
12 And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.
13 Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee?
14 And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.
15 Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would.
16 And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.
17 Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?
18 For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.
19 When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.
20 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.
21 The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas.
22 Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified.
23 And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.
24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.
25 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.
26 Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers.
28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.
29 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!
30 And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.
31 And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.
32 And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.
33 And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,
34 They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.
35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
36 And sitting down they watched him there;
37 And set up over his head his accusation written, This Is Jesus The King Of The Jews .
38 Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.
39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,
40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.
41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,
42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.
43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.
44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.
45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.
46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias.
48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.
49 The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.
50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
55 And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him:
56 Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedees children.
57 When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:
58 He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.
59 And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
60 And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.
61 And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.
62 Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,
63 Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.
64 Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.
65 Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can.
66 So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.
27 ( A ) Now when morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus to put Him to death; 2 and they bound Him and led Him away, and ( B ) handed Him over to ( C ) Pilate the governor.
3 Then when ( D ) Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned ( E ) the thirty [ a ] pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? ( F ) You shall see to it yourself!” 5 And he threw the pieces of silver into ( G ) the temple sanctuary and left; and ( H ) he went away and hanged himself. 6 The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put them in the temple treasury, since it is money paid for blood.” 7 And they conferred together and [ b ] with the money bought the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers. 8 ( I ) For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “ ( J ) And [ c ] they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the One whose price had been set by the sons of Israel; 10 ( K ) and [ d ] they gave them for the Potter ’ s Field, just as the Lord directed me .”
11 ( L ) Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, “ So You are the ( M ) King of the Jews?” And Jesus said to him, “ ( N ) It is as you say.” 12 And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, ( O ) He did not offer any answer. 13 Then Pilate *said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they are testifying against You?” 14 And still ( P ) He did not answer him in regard to even a single [ e ] charge, so the governor was greatly amazed.
15 ( Q ) Now at the Passover Feast the governor was accustomed to release for the [ f ] people any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 And at that time they were holding a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 So when the people gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus ( R ) who is called Christ?” 18 For he knew that it was because of envy that [ g ] they had handed Him over.
19 And ( S ) while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message , saying, “ See that you have nothing to do with that ( T ) righteous Man; for [ h ] last night I suffered greatly ( U ) in a dream because of Him.” 20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ( V ) ask for Barabbas, and to put Jesus to death. 21 And the governor [ i ] said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22 Pilate *said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus ( W ) who is called Christ?” They all *said, “ [ j ] Crucify Him!” 23 But he said, “Why, what evil has He done?” Yet they kept shouting all the more, saying, “ [ k ] Crucify Him!”
24 Now when Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that ( X ) a riot was starting, he took water and ( Y ) washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of ( Z ) this Man’s blood; ( AA ) you yourselves shall see.” 25 And all the people replied, “ ( AB ) His blood shall be on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released Barabbas [ l ] for them; but after having Jesus ( AC ) flogged, he handed Him over to be crucified.
27 ( AD ) Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into ( AE ) the [ m ] Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman [ n ] ( AF ) cohort to Him. 28 And they stripped Him and ( AG ) put a red [ o ] cloak on Him. 29 ( AH ) And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and put a [ p ] reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “ ( AI ) Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 And ( AJ ) they spit on Him, and took the reed and beat Him on the head. 31 ( AK ) And after they had mocked Him, they took the cloak off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him .
32 ( AL ) As they were coming out, they found a man of ( AM ) Cyrene named Simon, [ q ] whom they compelled to carry His [ r ] cross.
33 ( AN ) And when they came to a place called ( AO ) Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull, 34 ( AP ) they gave Him ( AQ ) wine mixed with [ s ] bile to drink; and after tasting it , He was unwilling to drink it .
35 And when they had crucified Him, ( AR ) they divided His garments among themselves by casting [ t ] lots. 36 And sitting down, they began to ( AS ) keep watch over Him there. 37 And above His head they put up the charge against Him [ u ] which read, “ ( AT ) THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
38 At that time two [ v ] rebels *were being crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those passing by were [ w ] speaking abusively to Him, ( AU ) shaking their heads, 40 and saying, “ ( AV ) You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! ( AW ) If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, 42 “ ( AX ) He saved others; [ x ] He cannot save Himself! ( AY ) He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. 43 ( AZ ) He has trusted in God; let God rescue Him now, if He [ y ] takes pleasure in Him ; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 ( BA ) And the [ z ] rebels who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him in the same way .
45 ( BB ) Now from the [ aa ] sixth hour darkness [ ab ] fell upon all the land until the [ ac ] ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “ ( BC ) Eli, Eli, lema sabaktanei ?” that is, “ My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me ?” 47 And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, said, “This man is calling for Elijah.” 48 And ( BD ) immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink. 49 But the rest of them said, “ [ ad ] Let us see if Elijah comes to save Him [ ae ] .” 50 And Jesus ( BE ) cried out again with a loud voice, and gave up His spirit. 51 ( BF ) And behold, ( BG ) the [ af ] veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and ( BH ) the earth shook and the rocks were split. 52 Also the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the [ ag ] saints who had ( BI ) fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered ( BJ ) the holy city and appeared to many. 54 ( BK ) Now as for the centurion and those who were with him ( BL ) keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw ( BM ) the earthquake and the other things that were happening, they became extremely frightened and said, “Truly this was [ ah ] ( BN ) the Son of God!”
55 ( BO ) And many women were there watching from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while ( BP ) caring for Him. 56 Among them were ( BQ ) Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and ( BR ) the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
57 ( BS ) Now when it was evening, a rich man from Arimathea came, 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 it to be given to him . 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut out in the rock; and he rolled ( BT ) a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61 And ( BU ) Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.
62 Now on the next day, that is, the day which is after ( BV ) the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate, 63 and they said, “Sir, we remember that when that deceiver was still alive, He said, ‘ ( BW ) After three days I am rising.’ 64 Therefore, give orders for the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise, His disciples may come and steal Him, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a ( BX ) guard; go, make it as secure as you know how.” 66 And they went and made the tomb secure with ( BY ) the guard, ( BZ ) sealing ( CA ) the stone.
27 Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed. ( A ) 2 So they bound him, led him away and handed him over ( B ) to Pilate the governor. ( C )
3 When Judas, who had betrayed him, ( D ) saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver ( E ) to the chief priests and the elders. 4 “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”
“What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.” ( F )
5 So Judas threw the money into the temple ( G ) and left. Then he went away and hanged himself. ( H )
6 The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” 7 So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. 8 That is why it has been called the Field of Blood ( I ) to this day. 9 Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: ( J ) “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, 10 and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.” [ a ] ( K )
11 Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” ( M )
“You have said so,” Jesus replied.
12 When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. ( N ) 13 Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” ( O ) 14 But Jesus made no reply, ( P ) not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.
15 Now it was the governor’s custom at the festival to release a prisoner ( Q ) chosen by the crowd. 16 At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose name was Jesus [ b ] Barabbas. 17 So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” ( R ) 18 For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him.
19 While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, ( S ) his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent ( T ) man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream ( U ) because of him.”
20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed. ( V )
21 “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.
“Barabbas,” they answered.
22 “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” ( W ) Pilate asked.
They all answered, “Crucify him!”
23 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”
24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar ( X ) was starting, he took water and washed his hands ( Y ) in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” ( Z ) he said. “It is your responsibility!” ( AA )
25 All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!” ( AB )
26 Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, ( AC ) and handed him over to be crucified.
27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium ( AE ) and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, ( AF ) 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. ( AG ) 30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. ( AH ) 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him. ( AI )
32 As they were going out, ( AK ) they met a man from Cyrene, ( AL ) named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. ( AM ) 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). ( AN ) 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; ( AO ) but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. ( AP ) 36 And sitting down, they kept watch ( AQ ) over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews .
38 Two rebels were crucified with him, ( AR ) one on his right and one on his left. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads ( AS ) 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, ( AT ) save yourself! ( AU ) Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” ( AV ) 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! ( AW ) Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe ( AX ) in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him ( AY ) now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness ( BA ) came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, [ c ] lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ). [ d ] ( BB )
47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”
48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, ( BC ) put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”
50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. ( BD )
51 At that moment the curtain of the temple ( BE ) was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split ( BF ) 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and [ e ] went into the holy city ( BG ) and appeared to many people.
54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding ( BH ) Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!” ( BI )
55 Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. ( BJ ) 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, [ f ] and the mother of Zebedee’s sons. ( BK )
57 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. 58 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and placed it in his own new tomb ( BM ) that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.
62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ ( BN ) 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body ( BO ) and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”
65 “Take a guard,” ( BP ) Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal ( BQ ) on the stone ( BR ) and posting the guard. ( BS )
