Matthew 27
27
Judas Hangs Himself
1Very early in the morning the leading priests and the elders of the people met again to lay plans for putting Jesus to death. 2Then they bound him, led him away, and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor.
3When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and the elders. 4“I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.”
“What do we care?” they retorted. “That’s your problem.”
5Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself.
6The leading priests picked up the coins. “It wouldn’t be right to put this money in the Temple treasury,” they said, “since it was payment for murder.”#27:6 Greek since it is the price for blood. 7After some discussion they finally decided to buy the potter’s field, and they made it into a cemetery for foreigners. 8That is why the field is still called the Field of Blood. 9This fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah that says,
“They took#27:9 Or I took. the thirty pieces of silver—
the price at which he was valued by the people of Israel,
10and purchased the potter’s field,
as the Lord directed.#27:9-10 Greek as the Lord directed me. Zech 11:12-13; Jer 32:6-9.”
Jesus’ Trial before Pilate
11Now Jesus was standing before Pilate, the Roman governor. “Are you the king of the Jews?” the governor asked him.
Jesus replied, “You have said it.”
12But when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against him, Jesus remained silent. 13“Don’t you hear all these charges they are bringing against you?” Pilate demanded. 14But Jesus made no response to any of the charges, much to the governor’s surprise.
15Now it was the governor’s custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner to the crowd—anyone they wanted. 16This year there was a notorious prisoner, a man named Barabbas.#27:16 Some manuscripts read Jesus Barabbas; also in 27:17. 17As the crowds gathered before Pilate’s house that morning, he asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you—Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” 18(He knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.)
19Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night.”
20Meanwhile, the leading priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be put to death. 21So the governor asked again, “Which of these two do you want me to release to you?”
The crowd shouted back, “Barabbas!”
22Pilate responded, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”
They shouted back, “Crucify him!”
23“Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?”
But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”
24Pilate saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere and that a riot was developing. So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. The responsibility is yours!”
25And all the people yelled back, “We will take responsibility for his death—we and our children!”#27:25 Greek “His blood be on us and on our children.”
26So Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
27Some of the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into their headquarters#27:27 Or into the Praetorium. and called out the entire regiment. 28They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. 29They wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head, and they placed a reed stick in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mockery and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” 30And they spit on him and grabbed the stick and struck him on the head with it. 31When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.
The Crucifixion
32Along the way, they came across a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene,#27:32 Cyrene was a city in northern Africa. and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. 33And they went out to a place called Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”). 34The soldiers gave Jesus wine mixed with bitter gall, but when he had tasted it, he refused to drink it.
35After they had nailed him to the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.#27:35 Greek by casting lots. A few late manuscripts add This fulfilled the word of the prophet: “They divided my garments among themselves and cast lots for my robe.” See Ps 22:18. 36Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there. 37A sign was fastened above Jesus’ head, announcing the charge against him. It read: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38Two revolutionaries#27:38 Or criminals; also in 27:44. were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.
39The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. 40“Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!”
41The leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders also mocked Jesus. 42“He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! So he is the King of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him! 43He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44Even the revolutionaries who were crucified with him ridiculed him in the same way.
The Death of Jesus
45At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. 46At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,#27:46a Some manuscripts read Eloi, Eloi. lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”#27:46b Ps 22:1.
47Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. 48One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. 49But the rest said, “Wait! Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.”#27:49 Some manuscripts add And another took a spear and pierced his side, and out flowed water and blood. Compare John 19:34.
50Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. 51At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, 52and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. 53They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.
54The Roman officer#27:54 Greek The centurion. and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!”
55And many women who had come from Galilee with Jesus to care for him were watching from a distance. 56Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James and Joseph), and the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee.
The Burial of Jesus
57As evening approached, Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea who had become a follower of Jesus, 58went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. And Pilate issued an order to release it to him. 59Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a long sheet of clean linen cloth. 60He placed it in his own new tomb, which had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance and left. 61Both Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting across from the tomb and watching.
The Guard at the Tomb
62The next day, on the Sabbath,#27:62 Or On the next day, which is after the Preparation. the leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate. 63They told him, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’ 64So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we’ll be worse off than we were at first.”
65Pilate replied, “Take guards and secure it the best you can.” 66So they sealed the tomb and posted guards to protect it.
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Matthew 27: NLT
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Matthew 27
27
Jesus Delivered to Pilate
(Mark 15:1–5)
1When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people conspired against Jesus to put Him to death. 2They bound Him, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate the governor.
Judas Hangs Himself
(Zechariah 11:10–17)
3When Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was filled with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. 4“I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,” he said.
“What is that to us?” they replied. “You bear the responsibility.”
5So Judas threw the silver into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.
6The chief priests picked up the pieces of silver and said, “It is unlawful to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” 7After conferring together, they used the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. 8That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
“They took the thirty pieces of silver,
the price set on Him by the people of Israel,
10and they gave them for the potter’s field,
as the Lord had commanded me.”#27:10 See Jeremiah 19:1–15, Jeremiah 32:6–9, and Zechariah 11:12–13.
Jesus before Pilate
(Luke 23:1–5; John 18:28–40)
11Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, who questioned Him: “Are You the King of the Jews?”
“You have said so,” Jesus replied.
12And when He was accused by the chief priests and elders, He gave no answer.
13Then Pilate asked Him, “Do You not hear how many charges they are bringing against You?”
14But Jesus gave no answer, not even to a single charge, much to the governor’s amazement.
The Crowd Chooses Barabbas
(Mark 15:6–11; Luke 23:13–25)
15Now it was the governor’s custom at the feast to release to the crowd a prisoner of their choosing. 16At that time they were holding a notorious prisoner named Barabbas.#27:16 SBL and NA Jesus Barabbas; also in verse 17, but universally called Barabbas in verses 20, 21, and 26 17So when the crowd had assembled, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him.
19While Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered terribly in a dream today because of Him.”
20But the chief priests and elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus put to death.
21“Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.
“Barabbas,” they replied.
22“What then should I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” Pilate asked.
They all answered, “Crucify Him!”
23“Why?” asked Pilate. “What evil has He done?”
But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify Him!”
Pilate Washes His Hands
(Mark 15:12–15)
24When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but that instead a riot was breaking out, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,#27:24 Literally this blood; BYZ and TR this righteous blood” he said. “You bear the responsibility.”
25All the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”
26So Pilate released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed Him over to be crucified.
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
(Isaiah 50:4–11; Mark 15:16–20; Luke 22:63–65; John 19:1–15)
27Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company around Him. 28They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. 29And they twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on His head. They put a staff in His right hand and knelt down before Him to mock Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30Then they spit on Him and took the staff and struck Him on the head repeatedly.
31After they had mocked Him, they removed the robe and put His own clothes back on Him. Then they led Him away to crucify Him.
The Crucifixion
(Psalms 22:1–31; Mark 15:21–32; Luke 23:26–43; John 19:16–27)
32Along the way they found a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross of Jesus.
33And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means The Place of the Skull, 34they offered Him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it.
35When they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments by casting lots.#27:35 See Psalms 22:18; TR includes to fulfill what was said through the prophet: “They divided My garments among them, and cast lots for My clothing.” 36And sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.
37Above His head they posted the written charge against Him:
THIS IS JESUS,
THE KING OF THE JEWS.
38Two robbers #27:38 Or insurrectionists; also in verse 44 were crucified with Him, one on His right hand and the other on His left.
39And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads 40and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross!”
41In the same way, the chief priests, scribes, and elders mocked Him, saying, 42“He saved others, but He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel! Let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him. 43He trusts in God. Let God deliver Him now if He wants Him.#27:43 Psalms 22:8 For He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
44In the same way, even the robbers who were crucified with Him berated Him.
The Death of Jesus
(Psalms 22:1–31; Mark 15:33–41; Luke 23:44–49; John 19:28–30)
45From the sixth hour until the ninth hour #27:45 That is, from noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,#27:46 NE and WH Eloi, Eloi lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”#27:46 Psalms 22:1
47When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He is calling Elijah.” 48One of them quickly ran and brought a sponge. He filled it with sour wine,#27:48 Or filled it with wine vinegar put it on a reed, and held it up for Jesus to drink.#27:48 See Psalms 69:21.
49But the others said, “Leave Him alone. Let us see if Elijah comes to save Him.”#27:49 WH includes And another took a spear and pierced His side, and water and blood flowed out; see John 19:34.
50When Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He yielded up His spirit. 51At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split. 52The tombs broke open, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. 53After Jesus’ resurrection, when they had come out of the tombs, they entered the holy city and appeared to many people.
54When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified and said, “Truly this was the Son of God.”
55And many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to minister to Him. 56Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
The Burial of Jesus
(Isaiah 53:9–12; Mark 15:42–47; Luke 23:50–56; John 19:38–42)
57When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who himself was a disciple of Jesus. 58He went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 59So Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut into the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance to the tomb and went away. 61Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.
The Guards at the Tomb
62The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and Pharisees assembled before Pilate. 63“Sir,” they said, “we remember that while He was alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64So give the order that the tomb be secured until the third day. Otherwise, His disciples may come and steal Him away and tell the people He has risen from the dead. And this last deception would be worse than the first.”
65“You have a guard,” Pilate said. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66So they went and secured the tomb by sealing the stone and posting the guard.
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The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. This text of God's Word has been dedicated to the public domain.