The Day before Pesach

22 Now the Feast of Matzah, which is called Passover, was approaching. ² The ruling kohanim and Torah scholars were searching for a way to do away with Yeshua, for they were afraid of the people.

³ Then satan entered into Judah, the one from Kriot, one of the twelve. ⁴ And he went away and talked with the ruling kohanim and officers of the Temple guard about how he might deliver Yeshua over to them. ⁵ They were delighted and agreed to give him money. ⁶ So he agreed and began looking for a chance to hand Yeshua over to them without a crowd.

⁷ Then came the day of matzah when the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. ⁸ Now Yeshua sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, so we may eat.”

⁹ Then they said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare?”

¹⁰ And He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters. ¹¹ And say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ ¹² And with that, he will show you a large upper room, fully furnished. Make preparations there.” ¹³ So they left and found just what Yeshua had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

The Seder in the Upper Room

¹⁴ When the hour came, Yeshua reclined at table, and the emissaries with Him. ¹⁵ And He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. ¹⁶ For I tell you, I will never eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

¹⁷ And when He had taken a cup and offered the bracha, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. ¹⁸ For I tell you that I will never drink of the fruit of the vine from now on, until the kingdom of God comes.”

¹⁹ And when He had taken matzah^[a] and offered the bracha, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body, given for you. Do this in memory of Me.” ²⁰ In the same way, He took the cup after the meal, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you. ^{[b] 21} But look, the hand of the one betraying Me is with Mine on the table. ^{[c] 22} For indeed, the Son of Man is going as has been predetermined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”

²³ So they began to discuss among themselves which of them it might be who would do this thing. ²⁴ But there was also a quarrel among them about which of them is considered the greatest. ²⁵ And Yeshua said to them, “The kings of the nations have mastery over them, and those exercising authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ ²⁶ But with you, it is not so. Rather, let the one who is greatest among you become like the youngest, and the one who leads like the one who serves. ²⁷ For who is greater, the one who reclines or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines? But I am among you as one who serves.

²⁸ “You are the ones who have remained with Me in My times of testing. ²⁹ And just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, so I grant to you ³⁰ that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you shall sit upon thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

³¹ “Simon, Simon! Indeed, satan has demanded to sift you all like wheat. ³² But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith will not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

³³ But Simon said to Him, “Master, I am ready to go with You even to prison and to death!”

³⁴ But Yeshua said, “I tell you, Peter, a rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.”

³⁵ And He said to them, “When I sent you out without a money pouch and travel bag and sandals, you didn’t lack anything, did you?”

They said, “No, nothing.”

³⁶ Then He said to them, “But now, whoever has a money pouch must carry it as well as a travel bag. And whoever does not own a sword must sell his cloak and buy one. ³⁷ For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me: ‘And he was counted with the lawless.’^[d] For what is written about Me is being fulfilled.”

³⁸ But they said, “Master, look here! Two swords!”

And He said to them, “It is enough.”

Yeshua Prays at the Mount of Olives

³⁹ And Yeshua came out and went as usual to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed Him. ⁴⁰ When he reached the place, He said to them, “Pray that you will not enter into temptation.” ⁴¹ And He pulled back about a stone’s throw from them, got on His knees, and began to pray, ⁴² saying, “Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.”

⁴³ Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him. ⁴⁴ And in His anguish, He was praying fervently; and His sweat was like drops of blood falling down on the ground. ⁴⁵ When He rose up from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them asleep, exhausted from grief. ⁴⁶ And He said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray, so that you won’t enter into temptation.”

Betrayed!

⁴⁷ While Yeshua was speaking, suddenly a crowd came, and the one called Judah, one of the Twelve, approached Yeshua to kiss Him. ⁴⁸ But Yeshua said to him, “Judah, with a kiss you betray the Son of Man?”^[e]

⁴⁹ When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, “Master, shall we strike with the sword?” ⁵⁰ And one of them struck the servant of the kohen gadol and cut off his right ear.

⁵¹ But Yeshua answered and said, “Stop this now!” And He touched the man’s ear and healed him.

⁵² Then Yeshua said to the ruling kohanim, officers of the Temple guard, and the elders who had come against Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as you would against a revolutionary? ⁵³ Every day I was with you in the Temple, yet you did not lay a finger on Me. But this is yours—the hour and the power of darkness.” ⁵⁴ Then they seized Yeshua and led Him away and brought Him into the house of the kohen gadol. But Peter was following from a distance.

Denied Three Times

⁵⁵ Now they had lit a fire in the center of the courtyard and sat down together, and Peter was sitting among them. ⁵⁶ Then a servant girl saw him sitting at the fire. She looked straight at him and said, “This one was with Him too!”

⁵⁷ But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I don’t know Him!”

⁵⁸ A little later, another saw him and said, “You too are one of them.”

But Peter said, “Man, I am not!”

⁵⁹ And about an hour later, another began to insist, saying, “Certainly this fellow was with Him, for he too is a Galilean!”

⁶⁰ But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” And immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. ⁶¹ And the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.’

⁶² And Peter went out and wept bitterly.

Beaten by Roman Soldiers

⁶³ Now the men who were guarding Yeshua began mocking and beating Him. ⁶⁴ They blindfolded Him and kept asking Him, saying, “Prophesy! Who is the one who hit You?” ⁶⁵ And reviling Him, they were saying many other things against Him.

Brought Before the Council

⁶⁶ As it become day, the elders of the people gathered together, both ruling kohanim and Torah scholars, and they led Him away to their council, saying, ⁶⁷ “If You are Mashiach, tell us.”

But Yeshua said to them, “If I tell you, you will never believe; ⁶⁸ and if I ask you, you will never answer. ⁶⁹ But from now on, the Son of Man is seated at the right hand of the power of God.”^[f]

⁷⁰ Then they all said, “Are You then Ben-Elohim?”

And to them He said, “You say that I am.”

⁷¹ Then they said, “What further need do we have for testimony? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth!”

Brought Before Pilate

23 Then the entire assembly got up and brought Yeshua to Pilate. ² And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this fellow subverting our nation, forbidding payment of taxes to Caesar and saying that He Himself is Messiah—a king.”

³ So Pilate questioned Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

“As you say,” Yeshua replied.

⁴ Then Pilate said to the ruling kohanim and the crowds, “I find no case against this Man.”

⁵ But they kept insisting, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, starting from the Galilee to as far as here.”

⁶ But when Pilate heard this, he asked whether the Man was a Galilean. ⁷ And when he learned that Yeshua was from Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.

Brought Before Herod

⁸ Now Herod was overjoyed when he saw Yeshua, for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had heard about Him and was hoping to see some miracle done by Him. ⁹ He was questioning Yeshua on many issues, but Yeshua did not answer at all. ^{[g] 10} And the ruling kohanim and the Torah scholars stood their ground, strongly accusing Him.

¹¹ Now Herod together with his soldiers were treating Him with contempt and mocking Him.^[h] They put splendid clothing on Him and sent Him back to Pilate. ¹² And Herod and Pilate became friends with one another from that very day, for previously they had been enemies with one another.

Pilate’s Decree

¹³ Now Pilate called together the ruling kohanim, the leaders, and the people. ¹⁴ And he said to them, “You brought this Man to me as one who incites the people to revolt. But having examined Him in your presence, I have found no case against this Man regarding what you accuse Him of doing. ¹⁵ Nor did Herod, for he sent Him back to us. Indeed, He has done nothing that is worthy of death. ¹⁶ Therefore I will scourge Him and release Him.” (¹⁷ )^[i]

¹⁸ But they shouted out all together, saying, “Take this fellow away! Release to us Bar-Abba!” ^{[j] 19} (He was someone who had been thrown into prison for a rebellion in the city and murder.)

²⁰ Again Pilate addressed them, wanting to release Yeshua; ²¹ but they kept shouting out, saying, “Execute, execute Him!”

²² And a third time he spoke to them, “Why? What evil has this One done? I have found in Him no fault deserving of death. Therefore, I will scourge and release Him.”

²³ But they were insistent, demanding with loud shouts that He be executed. And their voices prevailed. ²⁴ So Pilate decreed that their demand be put into effect. ²⁵ And He released the one they were asking for, the one thrown in jail for insurrection and murder. But he handed over Yeshua to their will.

Executed on the Stake

²⁶ As they led Him away, they grabbed a man, Simon of Cyrene, coming in from the countryside. They placed on him the cross-beam,^[k] to carry behind Yeshua.

²⁷ Now a great multitude of people was following Him, including women who were mourning and singing dirges for Him. ²⁸ But Yeshua, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but for yourselves and your children. ²⁹ For indeed, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are barren, and the wombs that never gave birth, and the breasts that did not feed.’

³¹ “For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

³² Others, two evildoers, were also led away to be put to death with Him. ³³ When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified Him and the evildoers, one on His right and the other on His left.

³⁴ But Yeshua was saying, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Then they cast lots, dividing up His clothing.^[m]

³⁵ The people stood there watching. And even the leaders were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Messiah of God, the Chosen One!”^[n]

³⁶ The soldiers likewise mocked Him, coming up and bringing Him sour wine, ^{[o] 37} and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.”

³⁸ Now there was also an inscription over Him:^[p] THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. ³⁹ One of the evildoers hanging there was jeering at Him, saying, “Aren’t You the Messiah? Save Yourself—and us!”

⁴⁰ But the other one, rebuking him, replied, “Don’t you fear God, since you are under the same sentence? ⁴¹ We’re getting what we deserve for our actions, and rightly so—but this One has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² And he said, “Yeshua, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

⁴³ Yeshua said to him, “Amen, I tell you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

Temple Curtain Torn in Two

⁴⁴ It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour, ^{[q] 45} for the sun died out. And the curtain^[r] of the Temple was torn in two.

⁴⁶ And Yeshua, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I entrust My spirit.’”^[s] When He had said this, He breathed His last.

⁴⁷ Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began glorifying God, saying, “Truly this was a righteous Man.”

⁴⁸ And all the crowds assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had happened, began to turn back, beating their breasts. ⁴⁹ But all Yeshua’s acquaintances, and the women who were following Him from the Galilee, were standing at a distance, watching these things.

Buried in a Rich Man’s Tomb

⁵⁰ Now there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and righteous man. ⁵¹ (He had not been in agreement with the council and their action.) He was from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he was waiting for the kingdom of God. ⁵² This man went to Pilate and asked for Yeshua’s body. ⁵³ And he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb^[t] cut out of the rock, where no one had ever yet been laid.

⁵⁴ Now it was the Day of Preparation, and Shabbat was approaching. ⁵⁵ The women who had come with Him from the Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how His body was laid. ⁵⁶ Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes. But on Shabbat they rested according to the commandment.

Women Visit the Garden Tomb

24 Now on the first day of the week, at daybreak, the women came to the tomb, carrying the spices they had prepared. ² They found the stone had been rolled away from the tomb; ³ but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Yeshua.

⁴ And while they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. ⁵ The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you search for the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here, but He is risen! Remember what He told you when He was still in the Galilee, ⁷ saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be executed, and on the third day rise up.”

⁸ And they were reminded of His words. ⁹ And when they returned from the tomb, they told all these things to the eleven and to everyone else. ¹⁰ Now it was Miriam from Magdala, Joanna, the Miriam of Jacob and others together with them who were telling these things to the emissaries. ¹¹ But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them. ¹² But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. Leaning in, he sees only the linen cloths. And he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened.

Eyes Open in Emmaus

¹³ Now behold, two of them on that very day were traveling to a village named Emmaus, a distance of about seven miles^[u] from Jerusalem. ¹⁴ They were speaking with one another about all the things that had been happening. ¹⁵ While they were talking and discussing, Yeshua Himself approached and began traveling with them. ¹⁶ But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him.

¹⁷ Then He said to them, “What are these things you are discussing with one another as you are walking along?”

They stood still, looking gloomy. ¹⁸ Then the one named Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that happened there in these days?”

¹⁹ Yeshua said to them, “What kind of things?”

And they said to Him, “The things about Yeshua from Natzeret, who was a Prophet, powerful in deed and word before God and all the people— ²⁰ how the ruling kohanim and our leaders handed Him over to be sentenced to death, and they executed Him. ²¹ But we were hoping that He was the One about to redeem Israel. Besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.

²² “But also some women among us amazed us. Early in the morning they were at the tomb. ²³ When they didn’t find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels, who said He is alive! ²⁴ Some of those with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women said, but they did not see Him.”

²⁵ Yeshua said to them, “Oh foolish ones, so slow of heart to put your trust in all that the prophets spoke! ²⁶ Was it not necessary for Messiah to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” ²⁷ Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them the things written about Himself in all the Scriptures.

²⁸ They approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He were going farther on. ²⁹ But they urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is already gone.” So He went in to stay with them.

³⁰ And it happened that when He was reclining at the table with them, He took the matzah,^[v] offered a bracha and, breaking it, gave it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him, and He disappeared from them.

Good News for the Disciples in Jerusalem

³² They said to one another, “Didn’t our heart burn within us while He was speaking with us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?” ³³ And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem. They found the eleven and others with them gathered together, ³⁴ saying, “The Lord is risen indeed! He has appeared to Simon!” ³⁵ Then they began telling about the events on the road and how He became recognized by them in the breaking of the matzah.

³⁶ While they were speaking of these things, Yeshua Himself stood in the midst of them and said, “Shalom Aleichem!” ³⁷ But they were startled and terrified, thinking they were seeing a ghost.

³⁸ Then He said to them, “Why are you so shaken? And why do doubts arise in your heart? ³⁹ Look at My hands and My feet—it is I Myself! Touch Me and see! For a spirit doesn’t have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” ⁴⁰ And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.

⁴¹ But while they were still in disbelief due to joy and wonder, He said to them, “Do you have anything to eat here?”

⁴² They gave Him a piece of broiled fish, ⁴³ and He took it and ate it in their presence. ⁴⁴ Then He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you—everything written concerning Me in the Torah of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.

⁴⁵ Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, ⁴⁶ and He said to them, “So it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷ and that repentance for the removal of sins^[w] is to be proclaimed in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ^{[x] 48} You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ And behold, I am sending the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

Yeshua Ascends into Heaven

⁵⁰ Then Yeshua led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands^[y] and blessed them. ⁵¹ And while blessing them, He departed from them and was taken up into heaven. ⁵² After worshiping Him, they returned to Jerusalem with great joy. ⁵³ And they were continually in the Temple, praising God.