Matthew 26:47-27:61

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

⁴⁷ While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. ⁴⁸ Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him.” ⁴⁹ At once he came up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.^{(A) 50} Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you are here to do.”^[a] Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested him.^{(B) 51} Suddenly one of those with Jesus put his hand on his sword, drew it, and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear. ⁵² Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place, for all who take the sword will die by the sword.^{(C) 53} Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?^{(D) 54} But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, which say it must happen in this way?”^{(E) 55} At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a rebel? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. ⁵⁶ But all this has taken place, so that the scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.^(F)

Jesus before the High Priest

⁵⁷ Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. ⁵⁸ But Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards in order to see how this would end.^{(G) 59} Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they might put him to death, ⁶⁰ but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward^{(H) 61} and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’ ”^{(I) 62} The high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?” ⁶³ But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I put you under oath before the living God, tell us if you are the Messiah,^[b] the Son of God.”^{(J) 64} Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you,

⁶⁵ Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? You have now heard his blasphemy.^{(L) 66} What do you think?” They answered, “He deserves death.”^{(M) 67} Then they spat in his face and struck him, and some slapped him,^{(N) 68} saying, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah!^[c] Who is it that struck you?”

Peter’s Denial of Jesus

⁶⁹ Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A female servant came to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” ⁷⁰ But he denied it before all of them, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.” ⁷¹ When he went out to the porch, another female servant saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus the Nazarene.”^{[d] 72} Again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man.” ⁷³ After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you.” ⁷⁴ Then he began to curse, and he swore an oath, “I do not know the man!” At that moment the cock crowed. ⁷⁵ Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: “Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.^(O)

Jesus Brought before Pilate

27 When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about his death. ² They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor.^(P)

The Suicide of Judas

³ When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus^[e] was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders.^{(Q) 4} He said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent^[f] blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.”^{(R) 5} Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself.^{(S) 6} But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since they are blood money.” ⁷ After conferring together, they used them to buy the potter’s field as a place to bury foreigners. ⁸ For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.^{(T) 9} Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah,^[g] “And they took^[h] the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one on whom a price had been set,^[i] on whom some of the people of Israel had set a price,^{(U) 10} and they gave^[j] them for the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”

Pilate Questions Jesus

¹¹ Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You say so.” ¹² But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not answer.^{(V) 13} Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many accusations they make against you?”^{(W) 14} But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.^(X)

Barabbas or Jesus?

¹⁵ Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. ¹⁶ At that time they had a notorious prisoner called Jesus^[k] Barabbas. ¹⁷ So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus^[l] Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?”^{[m] 18} For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. ¹⁹ While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about him.”^{(Y) 20} Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed.^{(Z) 21} The governor again 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 should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”^[n] All of them said, “Let him be crucified!” ²³ Then he asked, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”

Pilate Hands Jesus Over to Be Crucified

²⁴ So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood;^[o] see to it yourselves.”^{(AA) 25} Then the people as a whole answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”^{(AB) 26} So he released Barabbas for them, and after flogging Jesus he handed him over to be crucified.^(AC)

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

²⁷ Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters,^[p] and they gathered the whole cohort around him.^{(AD) 28} They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, ²⁹ and after twisting some thorns into a crown they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”^{(AE) 30} They spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head.^{(AF) 31} After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.^(AG)

The Crucifixion of Jesus

³² As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry his cross.^{(AH) 33} And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), ³⁴ they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.^{(AI) 35} And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots;^{[q](AJ) 36} then they sat down there and kept watch over him.^{(AK) 37} Over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”

³⁸ Then two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.^{(AL) 39} Those who passed by derided^[r] him, shaking their heads^{(AM) 40} and 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.”^{(AN) 41} In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying, ⁴² “He saved others; he cannot save himself.^[s] He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him.^{(AO) 43} He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to, for he said, ‘I am God’s Son.’ ”^{(AP) 44} The rebels who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way.

The Death of Jesus

⁴⁵ From noon on, darkness came over the whole land^[t] until three in the afternoon.^{(AQ) 46} And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”^{(AR) 47} When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “This man is calling for Elijah.” ⁴⁸ At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink.^{(AS) 49} But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.”^{[u] 50} Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last.^{[v] 51} At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split.^{(AT) 52} The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. ⁵³ After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. ⁵⁴ Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”^[w](AU)

⁵⁵ Many women were also there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him.^{(AV) 56} Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph,^[x] and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.^(AW)

The Burial of Jesus

⁵⁷ When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who also was himself a disciple of Jesus.^{(AX) 58} He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. ⁵⁹ So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth ⁶⁰ and laid it in his new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away.^{(AY) 61} Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.