Matthew 27
27
The Death of Judas
1Early in the morning all the chief priests and the leaders of the people decided to execute Jesus. 2They tied him up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.
3Then Judas, who had betrayed Jesus, regretted what had happened when he saw that Jesus was condemned. He brought the 30 silver coins back to the chief priests and leaders. 4He said, “I’ve sinned by betraying an innocent man.”
They replied, “What do we care? That’s your problem.”
5So he threw the money into the temple, went away, and hanged himself.
6The chief priests took the money and said, “It’s not right to put it into the temple treasury, because it’s blood money.” 7So they decided to use it to buy a potter’s field for the burial of strangers. 8That’s why that field has been called the Field of Blood ever since. 9Then what the prophet Jeremiah had said came true, “They took the 30 silver coins, the price the people of Israel had placed on him, 10and used the coins to buy a potter’s field, as the Lord had directed me.”
Pilate Questions Jesus
(Mark 15:1–5; Luke 23:1–4; John 18:28–38)
11Jesus stood in front of the governor, ⌞Pilate⌟. The governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
“Yes, I am,” Jesus answered.
12While the chief priests and leaders were accusing him, he said nothing. 13Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear how many charges they’re bringing against you?”
14But Jesus said absolutely nothing to him in reply, so the governor was very surprised.
The Crowd Rejects Jesus
(Mark 15:6–15; Luke 23:18–25; John 18:39, 40)
15At every Passover festival the governor would free one prisoner whom the crowd wanted. 16At that time there was a well-known prisoner by the name of Barabbas. 17So when the people gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which man do you want me to free for you? Do you want me to free Barabbas or Jesus, who is called Christ?” 18Pilate knew that they had handed Jesus over to him because they were jealous.
19While Pilate was judging the case, his wife sent him a message. It said, “Leave that innocent man alone. I’ve been very upset today because of a dream I had about him.”
20But the chief priests and leaders persuaded the crowd to ask for the release of Barabbas and the execution of Jesus.
21The governor asked them, “Which of the two do you want me to free for you?”
They said, “Barabbas.”
22Pilate asked them, “Then what should I do with Jesus, who is called Christ?”
“He should be crucified!” they all said.
23Pilate asked, “Why? What has he done wrong?”
But they began to shout loudly, “He should be crucified!”
24Pilate saw that he was not getting anywhere. Instead, a riot was breaking out. So Pilate took some water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. He said, “I won’t be guilty of killing this man. Do what you want!”
25All the people answered, “The responsibility for killing him will rest on us and our children.”
26Then Pilate freed Barabbas for the people. But he had Jesus whipped and handed over to be crucified.
The Soldiers Make Fun of Jesus
(Mark 15:16–19; John 19:1–3)
27Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the palace and gathered the whole troop around him. 28They took off his clothes and put a bright red cape on him. 29They twisted some thorns into a crown, placed it on his head, and put a stick in his right hand. They knelt in front of him and made fun of him by saying, “Long live the king of the Jews!” 30After they had spit on him, they took the stick and kept hitting him on the head with it.
The Crucifixion
(Mark 15:20–32; Luke 23:33–38; John 19:16b–24)
31After the soldiers finished making fun of Jesus, they took off the cape and put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.
32On the way they found a man named Simon. He was from the city of Cyrene. The soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross.
33They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 34They gave him a drink of wine mixed with a drug called gall. When he tasted it, he refused to drink it. 35After they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by throwing dice. 36Then they sat there and kept watch over him. 37They placed a written accusation above his head. It read, “This is Jesus, the king of the Jews.”
38At that time they crucified two criminals with him, one on his right and the other on his left.
39Those who passed by insulted him. They shook their heads 40and said, “You were going to tear down God’s temple and build it again in three days. Save yourself! If you’re the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41The chief priests together with the experts in Moses’ Teachings and the leaders made fun of him in the same way. They said, 42“He saved others, but he can’t save himself. So he’s Israel’s king! Let him come down from the cross now, and we’ll believe him. 43He trusted God. Let God rescue him now if he wants. After all, this man said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” 44Even the criminals crucified with him were insulting him the same way.
Jesus Dies on the Cross
(Mark 15:33–41; Luke 23:44–49; John 19:28–30)
45At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 46About three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” 47When some of the people standing there heard him say that, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” 48One of the men ran at once, took a sponge, and soaked it in some vinegar. Then he put it on a stick and offered Jesus a drink. 49The others said, “Leave him alone! Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”
50Then Jesus loudly cried out once again and gave up his life.
51Suddenly, the curtain in the temple was split in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split open. 52The tombs were opened, and the bodies of many holy people who had died came back to life. 53They came out of the tombs after he had come back to life, and they went into the holy city where they appeared to many people.
54An army officer and those watching Jesus with him saw the earthquake and the other things happening. They were terrified and said, “Certainly, this was the Son of God!”
55Many women were there watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee and had always supported him. 56Among them were Mary from Magdala, Mary (the mother of James and Joseph), and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
Jesus Is Placed in a Tomb
(Mark 15:42–47; Luke 23:50–56; John 19:38–42)
57In the evening a rich man named Joseph arrived. He was from the city of Arimathea and had become a disciple of Jesus. 58He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate ordered that it be given to him.
59Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. 60Then he laid it in his own new tomb, which had been cut in a rock. After rolling a large stone against the door of the tomb, he went away. 61Mary from Magdala and the other Mary were sitting there, facing the tomb.
The Chief Priests and Pharisees Secure Jesus’ Tomb
62The next day, which was the day of rest—a holy day, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together and went to Pilate. 63They said, “Sir, we remember how that deceiver said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will be brought back to life.’ 64Therefore, give the order to make the tomb secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may steal him and say to the people, ‘He has been brought back to life.’ Then the last deception will be worse than the first.”
65Pilate told them, “You have the soldiers you want for guard duty. Go and make the tomb as secure as you know how.”
66So they went to secure the tomb. They placed a seal on the stone and posted the soldiers on guard duty.
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Matthew 27
27
Jesus Is Taken to Pilate
1Early the next morning, all the leading priests and elders of the people decided that Jesus should die. 2They tied him, led him away, and turned him over to Pilate, the governor.
Judas Kills Himself
3Judas, the one who had given Jesus to his enemies, saw that they had decided to kill Jesus. Then he was very sorry for what he had done. So he took the thirty silver coins back to the priests and the leaders, 4saying, “I sinned; I handed over to you an innocent man.”
The leaders answered, “What is that to us? That’s your problem, not ours.”
5So Judas threw the money into the Temple. Then he went off and hanged himself.
6The leading priests picked up the silver coins in the Temple and said, “Our law does not allow us to keep this money with the Temple money, because it has paid for a man’s death.” 7So they decided to use the coins to buy Potter’s Field as a place to bury strangers who died in Jerusalem. 8That is why that field is still called the Field of Blood. 9So what Jeremiah the prophet had said came true: “They took thirty silver coins. That is how little the Israelites thought he was worth. 10They used those thirty silver coins to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”
Pilate Questions Jesus
11Jesus stood before Pilate the governor, and Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
Jesus answered, “Those are your words.”
12When the leading priests and the elders accused Jesus, he said nothing.
13So Pilate said to Jesus, “Don’t you hear them accusing you of all these things?”
14But Jesus said nothing in answer to Pilate, and Pilate was very surprised at this.
Pilate Tries to Free Jesus
15Every year at the time of Passover the governor would free one prisoner whom the people chose. 16At that time there was a man in prison, named Barabbas, who was known to be very bad. 17When the people gathered at Pilate’s house, Pilate said, “Whom do you want me to set free: Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Christ?” 18Pilate knew that they turned Jesus in to him because they were jealous.
19While Pilate was sitting there on the judge’s seat, his wife sent this message to him: “Don’t do anything to that man, because he is innocent. Today I had a dream about him, and it troubled me very much.”
20But the leading priests and elders convinced the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be freed and for Jesus to be killed.
21Pilate said, “I have Barabbas and Jesus. Which do you want me to set free for you?”
The people answered, “Barabbas.”
22Pilate asked, “So what should I do with Jesus, the one called the Christ?”
They all answered, “Crucify him!”
23Pilate asked, “Why? What wrong has he done?”
But they shouted louder, “Crucify him!”
24When Pilate saw that he could do nothing about this and that a riot was starting, he took some water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. Then he said, “I am not guilty of this man’s death. You are the ones who are causing it!”
25All the people answered, “We and our children will be responsible for his death.”
26Then he set Barabbas free. But Jesus was beaten with whips and handed over to the soldiers to be crucified.
27The governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s palace, and they all gathered around him. 28They took off his clothes and put a red robe on him. 29Using thorny branches, they made a crown, put it on his head, and put a stick in his right hand. Then the soldiers bowed before Jesus and made fun of him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30They spat on Jesus. Then they took his stick and began to beat him on the head. 31After they finished, the soldiers took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.
Jesus Is Crucified
32As the soldiers were going out of the city with Jesus, they forced a man from Cyrene, named Simon, to carry the cross for Jesus. 33They all came to the place called Golgotha, which means the Place of the Skull. 34The soldiers gave Jesus wine mixed with gall to drink. He tasted the wine but refused to drink it. 35When the soldiers had crucified him, they threw lots to decide who would get his clothes. 36The soldiers sat there and continued watching him. 37They put a sign above Jesus’ head with a charge against him. It said: this is jesus, the king of the jews. 38Two robbers were crucified beside Jesus, one on the right and the other on the left. 39People walked by and insulted Jesus and shook their heads, 40saying, “You said you could destroy the Temple and build it again in three days. So save yourself! Come down from that cross if you are really the Son of God!”
41The leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the Jewish elders were also making fun of Jesus. 42They said, “He saved others, but he can’t save himself! He says he is the king of Israel! If he is the king, let him come down now from the cross. Then we will believe in him. 43He trusts in God, so let God save him now, if God really wants him. He himself said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” 44And in the same way, the robbers who were being crucified beside Jesus also insulted him.
Jesus Dies
45At noon the whole country became dark, and the darkness lasted for three hours. 46About three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” This means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
47Some of the people standing there who heard this said, “He is calling Elijah.”
48Quickly one of them ran and got a sponge and filled it with vinegar and tied it to a stick and gave it to Jesus to drink. 49But the others said, “Don’t bother him. We want to see if Elijah will come to save him.”
50But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice and died.
51Then the curtain in the Temple was torn into two pieces, from the top to the bottom. Also, the earth shook and rocks broke apart. 52The graves opened, and many of God’s people who had died were raised from the dead. 53They came out of the graves after Jesus was raised from the dead and went into the holy city, where they appeared to many people.
54When the army officer and the soldiers guarding Jesus saw this earthquake and everything else that happened, they were very frightened and said, “He really was the Son of God!”
55Many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee to help him were standing at a distance from the cross, watching. 56Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of James and John were there.
Jesus Is Buried
57That evening a rich man named Joseph, a follower of Jesus from the town of Arimathea, came to Jerusalem. 58Joseph went to Pilate and asked to have Jesus’ body. So Pilate gave orders for the soldiers to give it to Joseph. 59Then Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. 60He put Jesus’ body in a new tomb that he had cut out of a wall of rock, and he rolled a very large stone to block the entrance of the tomb. Then Joseph went away. 61Mary Magdalene and the other woman named Mary were sitting near the tomb.
The Tomb of Jesus Is Guarded
62The next day, the day after Preparation Day, the leading priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63They said, “Sir, we remember that while that liar was still alive he said, ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’ 64So give the order for the tomb to be guarded closely till the third day. Otherwise, his followers might come and steal the body and tell people that he has risen from the dead. That lie would be even worse than the first one.”
65Pilate said, “Take some soldiers and go guard the tomb the best way you know.” 66So they all went to the tomb and made it safe from thieves by sealing the stone in the entrance and putting soldiers there to guard it.
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.