Matthew 27
Modern English Version
Jesus Brought Before Pilate(A)
27 When the morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put Him to death. 2 When they had bound Him, they led Him away and handed Him over to Pontius Pilate the governor.
The Death of Judas(B)
3 When Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned in that I have betrayed innocent blood.”
They said, “What is that to us? You must see to that.”
5 So he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed. And he went and hanged himself.
6 The chief priests took the silver pieces and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because this is the price of blood.” 7 So they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field to bury strangers in. 8 Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of that the sons of Israel set on Him, 10 and gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me.”[a]
Jesus Questioned by Pilate(C)
11 Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
Jesus said to him, “You have said so.”
12 When He was accused by the chief priests and elders, He gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” 14 But He never answered him a word, so that the governor was greatly amazed.
Jesus Sentenced to Die(D)
15 Now at the feast, the governor was accustomed to releasing to the people a prisoner whom they chose. 16 They had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 So when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom 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 When he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous Man, for I have suffered much today in a dream on account of Him.”
20 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and kill Jesus.
21 The governor answered, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?”
They said, “Barabbas.”
22 Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”
They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!”
23 The governor said, “Why, what evil has He done?”
But they cried out all the more, “Let Him be crucified!”
24 When Pilate saw that he could not prevail, but rather that unrest was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this righteous Man. See to it yourselves.”
25 Then all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”
26 Then he released Barabbas to them. But when he had scourged Jesus, he handed Him over to be crucified.
The Soldiers Mock Jesus(E)
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium, and gathered the whole detachment of soldiers before Him. 28 They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him, 29 and when they wove a crown of thorns, they put it on His head and put a staff in His right hand. They knelt before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 They spit on Him, and took the staff and hit Him on the head. 31 After they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own garments on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.
The Crucifixion(F)
32 As they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. This man they compelled to bear His cross. 33 When they came to a place called Golgotha, which means The Place of the Skull, 34 they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He tasted it, He would not drink it. 35 When they crucified Him, they divided His garments by casting lots to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, “They divided My garments among themselves and for My clothing they cast lots.”[b] 36 And sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. 37 They put His accusation over His head, which read:
THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
38 Then two thieves were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left. 39 Those who passed by insulted Him, wagging their heads, 40 saying, “You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 Likewise the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked Him, saying, 42 “He saved others. He cannot save Himself. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. 43 He trusted in God. Let Him deliver Him now, if He will have Him. For He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” 44 Even the thieves who were crucified with Him insulted Him in the same way.
The Death of Jesus(G)
45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”[c]
47 Some of those who stood there heard it and said, “This Man is calling for Elijah.”
48 Immediately one of them ran, took a sponge, filled it with wine, and put it on a stick, and gave it to Him to drink. 49 The rest said, “Leave Him alone. Let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”
50 And Jesus, when He had cried out again with a loud voice, released His spirit.
51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from the top to the bottom. And the ground shook, and the rocks split apart. 52 The graves also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had died were raised, 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the Holy City and appeared to many.
54 When the centurion and those with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they feared greatly and said, “Truly He was the Son of God!”
55 Many women who were there watching from afar followed Jesus from Galilee, serving Him, 56 among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
The Burial of Jesus(H)
57 When the evening came, there came a rich man of Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. 59 When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut out of the rock. And he rolled a large stone to the door of the tomb and departed. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
The Guard at the Tomb
62 The next day, following the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered before Pilate, 63 saying, “Sir, we remember that deceiver saying while He was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ The last deception will be worse than the first.”
65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard. Go your way. Make it as secure as you can.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and posting the guard.
Footnotes
Matthew 27
Lexham English Bible
Jesus Taken to Pilate
27 Now when it[a] was early morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus in order to put him to death. 2 And after[b] tying him up, they led him[c] away and handed him[d] over to Pilate the governor.
The Suicide of Judas Iscariot
3 Then when[e] Judas, the one who had betrayed him, saw that he had been condemned, he regretted what he had done[f] and[g] returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by[h] betraying innocent blood!” But they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!”[i] 5 And throwing the silver coins into the temple he departed. And he went away and[j] hanged himself. 6 But the chief priests took the silver coins and[k] said, “It is not permitted to put them into the temple treasury, because it is blood money.”[l] 7 And after[m] taking counsel, they purchased with[n] them the Potter’s Field, for a burial place for strangers. 8 (For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood until today.) 9 Then what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled, who said, “And they took the thirty silver coins, the price of the one who had been priced, on whom a price had been set by the sons of Israel, 10 and they gave them for the potter’s field, just as the Lord directed me.”[o]
Jesus Before Pilate
11 So Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, saying, “Are you the king of the Jews?” And Jesus said, “You say so.” 12 And when he was being accused[p] by the chief priests and elders he answered nothing. 13 Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they are testifying against you?” 14 And he did not reply to him, not even with reference to one statement, so that the governor was very astonished.
Pilate Releases Barabbas
15 Now at each feast, the governor was accustomed to release one prisoner to the crowd—the one whom they wanted. 16 And at that time they had a notorious prisoner named Jesus[q] Barabbas.[r] 17 So after[s] they had assembled, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you—Jesus[t] Barabbas or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 (For he knew that they had handed him over because of envy. 19 And while[u] he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent a message[v] to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man,[w] for I have suffered much as a result of a dream today because of him.”) 20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds that they should ask for Barabbas and put Jesus to death. 21 So the governor answered and[x] said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas!” 22 Pilate said to them, “What then should I do with Jesus, the one who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” 23 And he said, “Why? What wrong has he done?” But they began to shout[y] even louder, saying, “Let him be crucified!”
24 So Pilate, when he[z] saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but instead an uproar was developing, took water and[aa] washed his[ab] hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this man. You see to it!”[ac] 25 And all the people answered and[ad] said, “His blood be on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released Barabbas for them, but after[ae] he had Jesus flogged, he handed him[af] over so that he could be crucified.
Jesus Is Mocked
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s residence and[ag] gathered the whole cohort to him. 28 And they stripped him and[ah] put a scarlet military cloak around him, 29 and weaving a crown of thorns, they put it[ai] on his head, and put[aj] a reed in his right hand. And kneeling down before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” 30 And they spat on him and[ak] took the reed and repeatedly struck[al] him[am] on his head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the military cloak and put his own clothes on him, and led him away in order to crucify him.[an]
Jesus Is Crucified
32 And as they[ao] were going out, they found a man of Cyrene named[ap] Simon. They forced this man to carry his cross. 33 And when they[aq] came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull),[ar] 34 they gave him wine mixed with gall to drink, and when he[as] tasted it[at] he did not want to drink it.[au] 35 And when they[av] had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves[aw] by[ax] casting lots. 36 And they sat down and[ay] were watching over him there. 37 And they put above his head the charge against him in writing:[az] “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 And those who passed by reviled him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “The one who would destroy the temple and rebuild it[ba] in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!” 41 In the same way also the chief priests, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him,[bb] saying, 42 “He saved others; he is not able to save himself! He is the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him! 43 He trusts in God; let him deliver him now if he wants to,[bc] because he said, ‘I am the Son of God’!” 44 And in the same way even the robbers who were crucified with him were reviling him.
Jesus Dies on the Cross
45 Now from the sixth hour, darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”)[bd] 47 And some of those who were standing there, when they[be] heard it,[bf] said, “This man is summoning Elijah!” 48 And immediately one of them ran and took a sponge and filled it[bg] with sour wine and put it[bh] on a reed and[bi] gave it[bj] to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Leave him[bk] alone! let us see if Elijah is coming to save him.” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and[bl] gave up his[bm] spirit. 51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook and the rocks were split. 52 And the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
54 Now the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus, when they[bn] saw the earthquake and the things that took place, were extremely frightened, saying, “Truly this man was God’s Son!” 55 And there were many women there, observing from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, serving him, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
Jesus Is Buried
57 Now when it was evening, a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph came, who also was a disciple of Jesus himself. 58 This man approached Pilate and[bo] asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it[bp] to be given to him.[bq] 59 And Joseph took the body and[br] wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a large stone to the entrance of the tomb and[bs] went away. 61 Now Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
The Tomb Is Sealed and Guarded
62 Now on the next day, which is after the day of preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees assembled before Pilate, 63 saying, “Sir, we remember that while[bt] that deceiver was still alive he said, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore give orders that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples come and[bu] steal him and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it[bv] as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went with the guard of soldiers and[bw] made the tomb secure by[bx] sealing the stone.
Footnotes
- Matthew 27:1 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“was”)
- Matthew 27:2 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“tying”) which is understood as temporal
- Matthew 27:2 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Matthew 27:2 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Matthew 27:3 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal
- Matthew 27:3 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Matthew 27:3 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“regretted”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 27:4 Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“betraying”) which is understood as means
- Matthew 27:4 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Matthew 27:5 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“went away”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 27:6 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“took”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 27:6 Literally “the price of blood”
- Matthew 27:7 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“taking”) which is understood as temporal
- Matthew 27:7 Literally “for”
- Matthew 27:10 A quotation from various passages in Jeremiah including 18:2–6; 19:1–13; 32:6–15; see also Zech 11:12–13
- Matthew 27:12 Literally “in the him being accused”
- Matthew 27:16 Although many manuscripts omit “Jesus” here, it is so hard to explain why a scribe would have added it that the reading is probably original
- Matthew 27:16 “Barabbas” means “son of the father” in Aramaic
- Matthew 27:17 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“had assembled”)
- Matthew 27:17 Although many manuscripts omit “Jesus” here, it is so hard to explain why a scribe would have added it that the reading is probably original
- Matthew 27:19 Here “while” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“was sitting”)
- Matthew 27:19 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Matthew 27:19 Literally “nothing to you and to that righteous man”
- Matthew 27:21 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 27:23 The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to shout”)
- Matthew 27:24 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal
- Matthew 27:24 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“took”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 27:24 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- Matthew 27:24 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Matthew 27:25 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 27:26 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“flogged”) which is understood as temporal
- Matthew 27:26 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Matthew 27:27 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“took”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 27:28 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“stripped”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 27:29 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Matthew 27:29 This is an understood repetition of the verb from earlier in the verse
- Matthew 27:30 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“spat”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 27:30 The imperfect tense has been translated as iterative here (“repeatedly struck”)
- Matthew 27:30 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Matthew 27:31 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Matthew 27:32 Here “as” is supplied as a component of the participle (“were going out”) which is understood as temporal
- Matthew 27:32 Literally “by name”
- Matthew 27:33 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“came”) which is understood as temporal
- Matthew 27:33 Literally “is called Place of a Skull”
- Matthew 27:34 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“tasted”) which is understood as temporal
- Matthew 27:34 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Matthew 27:34 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Matthew 27:35 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“had crucified”) which is understood as temporal
- Matthew 27:35 Here “among themselves” reflects the middle voice of the verb “divided”
- Matthew 27:35 Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“casting”) which is understood as means
- Matthew 27:36 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“sat down”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 27:37 Literally “written”
- Matthew 27:40 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Matthew 27:41 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Matthew 27:43 Or “let him deliver him now if he wants him”
- Matthew 27:46 A quotation from Ps 22:1
- Matthew 27:47 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal
- Matthew 27:47 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Matthew 27:48 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Matthew 27:48 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Matthew 27:48 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participles (“ran … took … filled … put”) have been translated as finite verbs
- Matthew 27:48 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Matthew 27:49 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Matthew 27:50 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“cried out”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 27:50 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- Matthew 27:54 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal
- Matthew 27:58 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“approached”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 27:58 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Matthew 27:58 *The words “to him” are not in the Greek text but are implied
- Matthew 27:59 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“took”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 27:60 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“rolled”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 27:63 Here “while” is supplied as a component of the participle (“alive”) which is understood as temporal
- Matthew 27:64 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“come”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 27:65 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Matthew 27:66 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“went”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 27:66 Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“sealing”) which is understood as means
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