¹⁸ (With the payment^(A) he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field;^(B) there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out.

³ When Judas, who had betrayed him,^(A) saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver^(B) to the chief priests and the elders. ⁴ “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”

“What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”^(C)

⁵ So Judas threw the money into the temple^(D) and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.^(E)

⁶ The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” ⁷ So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. ⁸ That is why it has been called the Field of Blood^(F) to this day. ⁹ Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:^(G) “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, ¹⁰ and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”^[a](H)

¹⁵ They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam^(A) son of Bezer,^[a] who loved the wages of wickedness. ¹⁶ But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—an animal without speech—who spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.^(B)

Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus^(A)

¹⁴ Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot^(B)—went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver.^(C)

¹⁵ To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,^[a] each according to his ability.^(A) Then he went on his journey.