Matthew 27
Legacy Standard Bible
Judas’ Remorse
27 (A)Now when morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel together against Jesus to put Him to death; 2 and they bound Him, and led Him away and (B)delivered Him to (C)Pilate the governor.
3 Then when (D)Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned (E)the [a]thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? (F)See to that yourself!” 5 And he threw the pieces of silver into (G)the [b]sanctuary and departed; and (H)he went away and hanged himself. 6 And 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.” 7 And taking counsel together, they bought [c]with the money the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers. 8 (I)For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, “(J)And [d]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 [e]they gave them for the Potter’s Field, as the [f]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)You yourself say it.” 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 [g]charge, so the governor marveled greatly.
15 (Q)Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 And 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? [h]Barabbas, or Jesus (R)who is called [i]Christ?” 18 For he knew that because of envy they had delivered Him over.
19 (S)Now 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 [j]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 answered and 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 [k]Christ?” They all *said, “Let Him be crucified!” 23 And he said, “Why, what evil did He do?” But they were crying out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!”
24 Now 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 answered and said, “(AB)His blood be on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released Barabbas [l]for them; but after having Jesus (AC)scourged, he delivered Him over to be crucified.
Jesus Is Mocked
27 (AD)Then when the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into (AE)the [m]Praetorium, they gathered the whole Roman [n](AF)cohort around Him. 28 And 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 [o]reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “(AI)Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 (AJ)And they spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head. 31 (AK)When 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)And as they were coming out, they found a man of (AM)Cyrene named Simon, [p]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 did not want to drink.
35 And when they had crucified Him, (AR)they divided up His garments among themselves by casting [q]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 [r]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 blaspheming Him, (AU)shaking their heads 40 and saying, “(AV)You who are going to destroy the sanctuary 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)And 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 And 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)And 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 were saying, “[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 sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom; and (BH)the earth shook and the rocks were split. 52 And 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 (BN)God’s Son!”
55 (BO)And many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while [ab](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)Now 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, [ac]the day after (BV)the [ad]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, order for the grave to be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples 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
- Matthew 27:3 Silver shekels, approx. 120 days of a laborer’s wages
- Matthew 27:5 The inner part of the temple
- Matthew 27:7 Lit from them
- Matthew 27:9 Or I took, cf. Zech 11:13
- Matthew 27:10 Some early mss I gave
- Matthew 27:10 In OT, Yahweh, cf. Zech 11:13
- Matthew 27:14 Lit word
- Matthew 27:17 Some mss Jesus Barabbas
- Matthew 27:17 Messiah
- Matthew 27:19 Lit today
- Matthew 27:22 Messiah
- Matthew 27:26 Or to them
- Matthew 27:27 Governor’s official residence
- Matthew 27:27 Normally 600 men (the number varied); or battalion
- Matthew 27:29 Or staff
- Matthew 27:32 Lit this one
- Matthew 27:35 Lit a lot
- Matthew 27:37 Lit written
- Matthew 27:42 Or can He not save Himself?
- Matthew 27:43 Or takes pleasure in, cares for
- Matthew 27:45 Noon
- Matthew 27:45 Or occurred
- Matthew 27:45 3 p.m.
- Matthew 27:49 Lit Permit that we see
- Matthew 27:49 Some early mss add And another took a spear and pierced His side, and there came out water and blood, cf. John 19:34
- Matthew 27:51 Or curtain
- Matthew 27:52 Or holy ones
- Matthew 27:55 Or caring for Him
- Matthew 27:62 Lit which is after
- Matthew 27:62 Preparation for the Sabbath
Matthew 27
Common English Bible
Jesus before Pilate
27 Early in the morning all the chief priests and the elders of the people reached the decision to have Jesus put to death. 2 They bound him, led him away, and turned him over to Pilate the governor.
Judas’ death
3 When Judas, who betrayed Jesus, saw that Jesus was condemned to die, he felt deep regret. He returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, and 4 said, “I did wrong because I betrayed an innocent man.”
But they said, “What is that to us? That’s your problem.” 5 Judas threw the silver pieces into the temple and left. Then he went and hanged himself.
6 The chief priests picked up the silver pieces and said, “According to the Law it’s not right to put this money in the treasury. Since it was used to pay for someone’s life, it’s unclean.” 7 So they decided to use it to buy the potter’s field where strangers could be buried. 8 That’s why that field is called “Field of Blood” to this very day. 9 This fulfilled the words of Jeremiah the prophet: And I took the thirty pieces of silver, the price for the one whose price had been set by some of the Israelites, 10 and I gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.[a]
Questioned by Pilate
11 Jesus was brought before the governor. The governor said, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
Jesus replied, “That’s what you say.” 12 But he didn’t answer when the chief priests and elders accused him.
13 Then Pilate said, “Don’t you hear the testimony they bring against you?” 14 But he didn’t answer, not even a single word. So the governor was greatly amazed.
Death sentence
15 It was customary during the festival for the governor to release to the crowd one prisoner, whomever they might choose. 16 At that time there was a well-known prisoner named Jesus Barabbas. 17 When the crowd had come together, Pilate asked them, “Whom would you like me to release to you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 He knew that the leaders of the people had handed him over because of jealousy.
19 While he was serving as judge, his wife sent this message to him, “Leave that righteous man alone. I’ve suffered much today in a dream because of him.”
20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and kill Jesus. 21 The governor said, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?”
“Barabbas,” they replied.
22 Pilate said, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”
They all said, “Crucify him!”
23 But he said, “Why? What wrong has he done?”
They shouted even louder, “Crucify him!”
24 Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere and that a riot was starting. So he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I’m innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It’s your problem.”
25 All the people replied, “Let his blood be on us and on our children.” 26 Then he released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus whipped, then handed him over to be crucified.
Soldiers mocking Jesus
27 The governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s house, and they gathered the whole company[b] of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a red military coat on him. 29 They twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They put a stick in his right hand. Then they bowed down in front of him and mocked him, saying, “Hey! King of the Jews!” 30 After they spit on him, they took the stick and struck his head again and again. 31 When they finished mocking him, they stripped him of the military coat and put his own clothes back on him. They led him away to crucify him.
Crucifixion
32 As they were going out, they found Simon, a man from Cyrene. They forced him to carry his cross. 33 When they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Skull Place, 34 they gave Jesus wine mixed with vinegar to drink. But after tasting it, he didn’t want to drink it. 35 After they crucified him, they divided up his clothes among them by drawing lots. 36 They sat there, guarding him. 37 They placed above his head the charge against him. It read, “This is Jesus, the king of the Jews.” 38 They crucified with him two outlaws, one on his right side and one on his left.
39 Those who were walking by insulted Jesus, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “So you were going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, were you? Save yourself! If you are God’s Son, come down from the cross.”
41 In the same way, the chief priests, along with the legal experts and the elders, were making fun of him, saying, 42 “He saved others, but he can’t save himself. He’s the king of Israel, so let him come down from the cross now. Then we’ll believe in him. 43 He trusts in God, so let God deliver him now if he wants to. He said, ‘I’m God’s Son.’” 44 The outlaws who were crucified with him insulted him in the same way.
Death
45 From noon until three in the afternoon the whole earth was dark. 46 At about three Jesus cried out with a loud shout, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani,” which means, “My God, my God, why have you left me?”[c]
47 After hearing him, some standing there said, “He’s calling Elijah.” 48 One of them ran over, took a sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a pole. He offered it to Jesus to drink.
49 But the rest of them said, “Let’s see if Elijah will come and save him.”
50 Again Jesus cried out with a loud shout. Then he died.
51 Look, the curtain of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split, 52 and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised. 53 After Jesus’ resurrection they came out of their graves and went into the holy city where they appeared to many people. 54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and what had just happened, they were filled with awe and said, “This was certainly God’s Son.”
55 Many women were watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to serve him. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
Burial
57 That evening a man named Joseph came. He was a rich man from Arimathea who had become a disciple of Jesus. 58 He came to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate gave him permission to take it. 59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had carved out of the rock. After he rolled a large stone at the door of the tomb, he went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting in front of the tomb.
Guard at 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 arise.’ 64 Therefore, order the grave to be sealed until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people, ‘He’s been raised from the dead.’ This last deception will be worse than the first.”
65 Pilate replied, “You have soldiers for guard duty. Go and make it as secure as you know how.” 66 Then they went and secured the tomb by sealing the stone and posting the guard.
Footnotes
- Matthew 27:10 Zech 11:12-13; Jer 32:6-9
- Matthew 27:27 Or cohort (approximately six hundred soldiers)
- Matthew 27:46 Ps 22:1
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