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 is Taken to Pilate
(Mk 15.1; Lk 23.1–2; Jn 18.28–32)
1Early in the morning all the chief priests and the elders made their plans against Jesus to put him to death. 2They put him in chains, led him off, and handed him over to Pilate, the Roman governor.
The Death of Judas
(Acts 1.18–19)
3 #
Acts 1.18–19
When Judas, the traitor, learnt that Jesus had been condemned, he repented and took back the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. 4“I have sinned by betraying an innocent man to death!” he said.
“What do we care about that?” they answered. “That is your business!”
5Judas threw the coins down in the Temple and left; then he went off and hanged himself.
6The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “This is blood money, and it is against our Law to put it in the temple treasury.” 7After reaching an agreement about it, they used the money to buy Potter's Field, as a cemetery for foreigners. 8That is why that field is called “Field of Blood” to this very day.
9 #
Zech 11.12–13
Then what the prophet Jeremiah had said came true: “They took the thirty silver coins, the amount the people of Israel had agreed to pay for him, 10and used the money to buy the potter's field, as the Lord had commanded me.”
Pilate Questions Jesus
(Mk 15.2–5; Lk 23.3–5; Jn 18.33–38)
11Jesus stood before the Roman governor, who questioned him. “Are you the king of the Jews?” he asked.
“So you say,” answered Jesus. 12But he said nothing in response to the accusations of the chief priests and elders.
13So Pilate said to him, “Don't you hear all these things they accuse you of?”
14But Jesus refused to answer a single word, with the result that the Governor was greatly surprised.
Jesus is Sentenced to Death
(Mk 15.6–15; Lk 23.13–25; Jn 18.39—19.16)
15At every Passover Festival the Roman governor was in the habit of setting free any one prisoner the crowd asked for. 16At that time there was a well-known prisoner named Jesus Barabbas. 17So when the crowd gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to set free for you? Jesus Barabbas or Jesus called the Messiah?” 18He knew very well that the Jewish authorities had handed Jesus over to him because they were jealous.
19While Pilate was sitting in the judgement hall, his wife sent him a message: “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, because in a dream last night I suffered much on account of him.”
20The chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask Pilate to set Barabbas free and have Jesus put to death. 21But Pilate asked the crowd, “Which one of these two do you want me to set free for you?”
“Barabbas!” they answered.
22“What, then, shall I do with Jesus called the Messiah?” Pilate asked them.
“Crucify him!” they all answered.
23But Pilate asked, “What crime has he committed?”
Then they started shouting at the top of their voices: “Crucify him!”
24 #
Deut 21.6–9
When Pilate saw that it was no use to go on, but that a riot might break out, he took some water, washed his hands in front of the crowd, and said, “I am not responsible for the death of this man! This is your doing!”
25The whole crowd answered, “Let the responsibility for his death fall on us and our children!”
26Then Pilate set Barabbas free for them; and after he had Jesus whipped, he handed him over to be crucified.
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
(Mk 15.16–20; Jn 19.2–3)
27Then Pilate's soldiers took Jesus into the governor's palace, and the whole company gathered round him. 28They stripped off his clothes and put a scarlet robe on him. 29Then they made a crown out of thorny branches and placed it on his head, and put a stick in his right hand; then they knelt before him and mocked him. “Long live the King of the Jews!” they said. 30They spat on him, and took the stick and hit him over the head. 31When they had finished mocking him, they took the robe off and put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
Jesus is Crucified
(Mk 15.21–32; Lk 23.26–43; Jn 19.17–27)
32As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene named Simon, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus' cross. 33They came to a place called Golgotha, which means, “The Place of the Skull”. 34#Ps 69.21There they offered Jesus wine mixed with a bitter substance; but after tasting it, he would not drink it.
35 #
Ps 22.18
They crucified him and then divided his clothes among them by throwing dice. 36After that they sat there and watched him. 37Above his head they put the written notice of the accusation against him: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38Then they crucified two bandits with Jesus, one on his right and the other on his left.
39 #
Ps 22.7; 109.25 People passing by shook their heads and hurled insults at Jesus: 40#Mt 26.61; Jn 2.19“You were going to tear down the Temple and build it up again in three days! Save yourself if you are God's Son! Come on down from the cross!”
41In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the Law and the elders jeered at him: 42“He saved others, but he cannot save himself! Isn't he the king of Israel? If he comes down off the cross now, we will believe in him! 43#Ps 22.8He trusts in God and claims to be God's Son. Well, then, let us see if God wants to save him now!”
44Even the bandits who had been crucified with him insulted him in the same way.
The Death of Jesus
(Mk 15.33–41; Lk 23.44–49; Jn 19.28–30)
45At noon the whole country was covered with darkness, which lasted for three hours. 46#Ps 22.1At about three o'clock Jesus cried out with a loud shout, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why did you abandon me?”
47Some of the people standing there heard him and said, “He is calling for Elijah!” 48#Ps 69.21One of them ran up at once, took a sponge, soaked it in cheap wine, put it on the end of a stick, and tried to make him drink it.
49But the others said, “Wait, let us see if Elijah is coming to save him!”
50Jesus again gave a loud cry and breathed his last.
51 #
Ex 26.31–33
Then the curtain hanging in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split apart, 52the graves broke open, and many of God's people who had died were raised to life. 53They left the graves, and after Jesus rose from death, they went into the Holy City, where many people saw them.
54When the army officer and the soldiers with him who were watching Jesus saw the earthquake and everything else that happened, they were terrified and said, “He really was the Son of God!”
55 #
Lk 8.2–3
There were many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee and helped him. 56Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the wife of Zebedee.
The Burial of Jesus
(Mk 15.42–47; Lk 23.50–56; Jn 19.38–42)
57When it was evening, a rich man from Arimathea arrived; his name was Joseph, and he also was a disciple of Jesus. 58He went into the presence of Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate gave orders for the body to be given to Joseph. 59So Joseph took it, wrapped it in a new linen sheet, 60and placed it in his own tomb, which he had just recently dug out of solid rock. Then he rolled a large stone across the entrance to the tomb and went away. 61Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there, facing the tomb.
The Guard at the Tomb
62The next day, which was a Sabbath, the chief priests and the Pharisees met with Pilate 63#Mt 16.21; 17.23; 20.19; Mk 8.31; 9.31; 10.33–34; Lk 9.22; 18.31–33and said, “Sir, we remember that while that liar was still alive he said, ‘I will be raised to life three days later.’ 64Give orders, then, for his tomb to be carefully guarded until the third day, so that his disciples will not be able to go and steal the body, and then tell the people that he was raised from death. This last lie would be even worse than the first one.”
65“Take a guard,” Pilate told them; “go and make the tomb as secure as you can.”
66So they left and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and leaving the guard on watch.
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.