猶大的下場

27 到了清晨,眾祭司長和民間的長老商定要處死耶穌。 他們把祂綁起來,押送到總督彼拉多那裡。

出賣耶穌的猶大看見耶穌被定了罪,感到很後悔,就把那三十塊銀子還給祭司長和長老,說: 「我出賣了清白無辜的人,我犯罪了!」

他們說:「那是你自己的事,跟我們有什麼關係?」

猶大把錢扔在聖殿裡,出去上吊自盡了。

祭司長們撿起銀子,說:「這是血錢,不可收進聖殿的庫房。」 他們商議,決定用這些錢買下陶匠的地作為埋葬異鄉人的墳場。 那塊地至今被稱為「血田」。 這就應驗了耶利米先知的話:「他們用以色列人給祂估定的三十塊銀子, 10 買了陶匠的一塊田,正如主指示我的。」

耶穌在彼拉多面前受審

11 耶穌站在總督面前受審。總督問:「你是猶太人的王嗎?」

耶穌說:「如你所言。」

12 當祭司長和長老控告祂時,祂一句話也不說。 13 彼拉多就問:「你沒聽見他們對你的諸多控告嗎?」 14 耶穌仍然一言不發,彼拉多感到十分驚奇。

15 每逢逾越節,總督會照慣例按民眾的選擇釋放一個犯人。 16 那時,有一個惡名昭彰的囚犯名叫巴拉巴。 17 百姓聚在一起的時候,彼拉多就問他們:「你們要我給你們釋放誰?巴拉巴還是被稱為基督的耶穌?」 18 因為彼拉多知道他們把耶穌抓來是因為嫉妒。

19 彼拉多正坐堂斷案時,他夫人派人來對他說:「你不要插手這個義人的事!我今天在夢中因為這個人受了許多苦。」

20 祭司長和長老卻慫恿百姓要求釋放巴拉巴,處死耶穌。 21 總督再次問百姓:「這兩個人,你們要我釋放哪一個?」他們說:「巴拉巴!」

22 彼拉多問:「那麼,我怎樣處置那個被稱為基督的耶穌呢?」

他們齊聲說:「把祂釘在十字架上!」

23 彼拉多問:「為什麼?祂犯了什麼罪?」

他們卻更大聲地喊叫:「把祂釘在十字架上!」

24 彼拉多見再說也無濟於事,反而會引起騷亂,於是拿了一盆水來,在眾人面前洗手,說:「流這義人的血,罪不在我,你們自己負責。」

25 眾人都說:「流祂血的責任由我們和我們的子孫承擔!」

26 於是,彼拉多為他們釋放了巴拉巴,下令將耶穌鞭打後,帶出去釘十字架。

耶穌受辱

27 士兵把耶穌押進總督府,叫全營的士兵都聚集在祂周圍。 28 他們剝下耶穌的衣服,替祂披上一件朱紅色的長袍, 29 用荊棘編成冠冕,戴在祂頭上,又拿一根葦稈放在祂右手裡,跪在祂跟前戲弄祂,說:「猶太人的王萬歲!」 30 然後向祂吐唾沫,拿過葦稈打祂的頭。 31 他們戲弄完了,就脫去祂的袍子,給祂穿上原來的衣服,把祂押出去釘十字架。

釘十字架

32 路上,他們遇見一個叫西門的古利奈人,就強迫他背耶穌的十字架。

33 來到一個地方,名叫各各他——意思是「髑髏地」, 34 士兵給耶穌喝摻了苦膽汁的酒,祂嚐了一口,不肯喝。

35 他們把耶穌釘在十字架上,還抽籤分了祂的衣服, 36 然後坐在那裡看守。 37 他們在祂頭頂上掛了一個牌子,上面寫著祂的罪狀:「這是猶太人的王耶穌」。 38 有兩個強盜也被釘在十字架上,一個在祂右邊,一個在祂左邊。 39 過路的人都嘲笑祂,搖著頭說: 40 「你這聲稱把聖殿拆毀又在三天內重建的人啊,救救自己吧!你要是上帝的兒子,就從十字架上下來吧!」

41 祭司長、律法教師和長老也嘲諷說: 42 「祂救了別人,卻救不了自己!祂要是以色列的王,就從十字架上跳下來吧!我們就信祂。 43 祂說信靠上帝,如果上帝喜悅祂,就讓上帝來救祂吧!因為祂自稱是上帝的兒子。」 44 甚至跟祂一同被釘十字架的強盜也這樣嘲笑祂。

耶穌之死

45 從正午一直到下午三點,黑暗籠罩著整個大地。 46 大約下午三點,耶穌大聲呼喊:「以利,以利,拉馬撒巴各大尼?」意思是:「我的上帝,我的上帝,你為什麼離棄我?」

47 有些站在旁邊的人聽見了,就說:「這人在呼叫以利亞呢。」 48 其中一人連忙跑去拿了一塊海綿,蘸滿酸酒,綁在葦稈上送給祂喝。 49 其他人卻說:「等一下!我們看看以利亞會不會來救祂。」

50 耶穌又大喊了一聲,就斷了氣。

51 就在那時,聖殿裡的幔子從上到下裂成兩半,大地震動,岩石崩裂, 52 墳墓打開,很多死去的聖徒復活過來。 53 他們在耶穌復活後離開墳墓,進聖城向許多人顯現。

54 看守耶穌的百夫長和士兵看見地震及所發生的一切,都很害怕,說:「這人真是上帝的兒子啊!」 55 有好些婦女在遠處觀看,她們從加利利就跟隨了耶穌,服事祂。 56 其中有抹大拉的瑪麗亞、雅各和約西的母親瑪麗亞以及西庇太兩個兒子的母親。

封石守墓

57 傍晚,從亞利馬太來了一位名叫約瑟的富人,他是耶穌的門徒。 58 他去求見彼拉多,要求領取耶穌的遺體,彼拉多就下令把耶穌的遺體交給他。 59 約瑟領了遺體,用乾淨的細麻布裹好, 60 安放在他為自己在岩壁上鑿出的新墓穴裡,並滾來一塊大石頭封閉墓穴的入口,然後離去。 61 那時,抹大拉的瑪麗亞和另一個瑪麗亞坐在墳墓的對面。

62 第二天,就是預備日之後的那天,祭司長和法利賽人一起來見彼拉多,說: 63 「總督大人,我們記得那個騙子生前曾說,『三天之後,我必復活』, 64 所以請你命人看守墳墓三天,以防祂的門徒偷走祂的屍體,然後對百姓說祂已經從死裡復活。這樣的迷惑會比以前的更厲害!」

65 彼拉多說:「你們帶上衛兵,去那裡嚴加看守。」

66 他們就帶著衛兵去了,在墓口的石頭上貼上封條,派人看守墓穴。

Judas’s Remorse

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; and they bound Him, and led Him away and (B)delivered Him to (C)Pilate the governor.

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, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? (F)See to that yourself!” And he threw the pieces of silver into (G)the temple sanctuary and departed; and (H)he went away and hanged himself. The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the temple treasury, since it is the price of blood.” And they conferred together and [b]with the money bought the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers. (I)For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 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, as the Lord directed me.”

Jesus before Pilate

11 (L)Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, “Are You 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 answer. 13 Then Pilate *said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” 14 And (P)He did not answer him with regard to even a single [e]charge, so the governor was quite amazed.

15 (Q)Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the [f]people any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 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 because of envy they had handed Him over.

19 (S)While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “Have nothing to do with that (T)righteous Man; for [g]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 But the governor [h]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, “[i]Crucify Him!” 23 And he said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they kept shouting all the more, saying, “[j]Crucify Him!”

24 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)see to that yourselves.” 25 And all the people said, “(AB)His blood shall be on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released Barabbas [k]for them; but after having Jesus (AC)scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.

Jesus Is Mocked

27 (AD)Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into (AE)the [l]Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman [m](AF)cohort around Him. 28 They stripped Him and (AG)put a scarlet robe on Him. 29 (AH)And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a [n]reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “(AI)Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 (AJ)They spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head. 31 (AK)After they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe 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, [o]whom they pressed into service to bear His cross.

The Crucifixion

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 to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink.

35 And when they had crucified Him, (AR)they divided up His garments among themselves by casting [p]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 [q]which read, “(AT)THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

38 At that time two robbers *were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those passing by were [r]hurling abuse at Him, (AU)wagging 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; [s]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 trusts in God; let God rescue Him now, if He [t]delights in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 (BA)The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words.

45 (BB)Now from the [u]sixth hour darkness [v]fell upon all the land until the [w]ninth hour. 46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, (BC)Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 47 And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah.” 48 (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, “[x]Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him[y].” 50 And Jesus (BE)cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. 51 (BF)And behold, (BG)the [z]veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and (BH)the earth shook and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the [aa]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 the centurion, and those who were with him (BL)keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw (BM)the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was [ab](BN)the Son of God!”

55 (BO)Many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while [ac](BP)ministering to Him. 56 Among them was (BQ)Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and (BR)the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

Jesus Is Buried

57 (BS)When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, 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 hewn 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 grave.

62 Now on the next day, [ad]the day after (BV)the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate, 63 and said, “Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘(BW)After three days I am to rise again.’ 64 Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day, otherwise His disciples may come and steal Him away 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 grave secure, and along with (BY)the guard they set a (BZ)seal on (CA)the stone.

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 27:3 Or silver shekels
  2. Matthew 27:7 Lit from them
  3. Matthew 27:9 Or I took; cf Zech 11:13
  4. Matthew 27:10 Some early mss read I gave
  5. Matthew 27:14 Lit word
  6. Matthew 27:15 Lit crowd
  7. Matthew 27:19 Lit today
  8. Matthew 27:21 Lit answered and said to them
  9. Matthew 27:22 Lit Let Him be crucified
  10. Matthew 27:23 Lit Let Him be crucified
  11. Matthew 27:26 Or to them
  12. Matthew 27:27 I.e. the governor’s official residence
  13. Matthew 27:27 Or battalion
  14. Matthew 27:29 Or staff; i.e. to mimic a king’s scepter
  15. Matthew 27:32 Lit this one
  16. Matthew 27:35 Lit a lot
  17. Matthew 27:37 Lit written
  18. Matthew 27:39 Or blaspheming
  19. Matthew 27:42 Or can He not save Himself?
  20. Matthew 27:43 Or takes pleasure in; or cares for him
  21. Matthew 27:45 I.e. 12 noon
  22. Matthew 27:45 Or occurred
  23. Matthew 27:45 I.e. 3 p.m.
  24. Matthew 27:49 Lit Permit that we see
  25. Matthew 27:49 Some early mss read And another took a spear and pierced His side, and there came out water and blood (cf John 19:34)
  26. Matthew 27:51 Or curtain
  27. Matthew 27:52 Or holy ones
  28. Matthew 27:54 Or a son of God or a son of a god
  29. Matthew 27:55 Or caring for Him
  30. Matthew 27:62 Lit which is after