Matthew 27
1 At dawn, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made a plan against Jesus to put him to death.
2 They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor.
3 Then Judas, who had handed him over, saw that Jesus had been condemned. He felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders.
4 He said, “I have sinned by handing over innocent blood.” They replied, “What is that to us? That’s your problem.”
5 He threw the silver coins into the sanctuary, went away, and hanged himself.
6 The chief priests took the silver coins and said, “It isn’t permitted to put them in the temple treasury, because they are the price of blood.”
7 After conferring together, they bought the potter’s field with them, to bury foreigners in.
8 That is why that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.
9 Then what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one who was valued, whom some of the Israelites had valued,
10 and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”
11 Jesus was brought before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus replied, “You say so.”
12 While he was being accused by the chief priests and the elders, he answered nothing.
13 Then Pilate said to him, “Don’t you hear how many things they testify against you?”
14 But he did not answer him a single word, so the governor was greatly astonished.
15 At every festival, the governor was accustomed to release to the crowd one prisoner, whichever one they wanted.
16 At that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.
17 So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas or Jesus, who is called Christ?”
18 For he knew that they had handed him over out of envy.
19 While he was seated on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message: “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, because today I suffered greatly in a dream because of him.”
20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus put to death.
21 The governor asked them again, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They answered, “Barabbas.”
22 Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus, who is called Christ?” They all answered, “Let him be crucified!”
23 He asked, “But what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”
24 Pilate saw that nothing was helping and that, instead, the uproar was growing. So he took water, washed his hands in front of the crowd, and said, “I am innocent of this blood; you will answer for it.”
25 All the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”
26 Then he released Barabbas to them, but after having Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified.
27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole cohort around him.
28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him.
29 They twisted a crown of thorns, placed it on his head, and put a reed in his right hand. Then they knelt before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!”
30 They spat on him, took the reed, and struck him on the head.
31 After mocking him, they took off the robe, dressed him in his own clothes, and led him away to crucify him.
32 As they were going out, they found a man from Cyrene named Simon, and forced him to carry his cross.
33 They came to a place called Golgotha, which means “Place of the Skull.”
34 They gave him wine mixed with gall to drink, but after tasting it, he would not drink it.
35 After crucifying him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots.
36 Then they sat down and kept watch over him there.
37 Above his head they placed the charge against him, written like this: “This is Jesus, the king of the Jews.”
38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.
39 Those passing by insulted him, shaking their heads.
40 They said, “You who destroy the sanctuary and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!”
41 In the same way, the chief priests mocked him along with the teachers of the Law and the elders, saying:
42 “He saved others, but he cannot save himself! He is king of Israel: let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him.
43 He trusted in God; let God rescue him now, if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
44 The robbers who were crucified with him also insulted him in the same way.
45 From noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.
46 About three in the afternoon, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
47 Some of those standing there heard this and said, “This man is calling Elijah.”
48 At once one of them ran, took a sponge, filled it with vinegar, put it on a reed, and gave it to him to drink.
49 But the others said, “Leave him; let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.”
50 Jesus cried out again in a loud voice and gave up his spirit.
51 Then the sanctuary curtain was torn in two from top to bottom, the earth shook, and the rocks split apart.
52 The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.
53 After his resurrection, they came out of the tombs, entered the holy city, and appeared to many.
54 The centurion and those with him who were keeping watch over Jesus saw the earthquake and what was happening. They were very afraid and said, “Truly this was the Son of God.”
55 Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee, serving him.
56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
57 When evening came, a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph arrived. He too had become a disciple of Jesus.
58 He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Then Pilate ordered that it be handed over.
59 Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth.
60 He laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut into the rock. He rolled a large stone across the entrance to the tomb and went away.
61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
62 The next day, which was the day after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate.
63 They said, “Sir, we remember that while that deceiver was still alive, he said, ‘After three days I will rise.’
64 So order the tomb to be secured until the third day, so his disciples cannot come and steal him and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead.’ Then the last deception will be worse than the first.”
65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard. Go and secure it as best you know how.”
66 They went and secured the tomb, sealing the stone and setting the guard.
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