Matthew 26-27

Legacy Standard Bible

The Plot to Kill Jesus

26 ^[a](A)Now it happened that when Jesus had finished all these words, He said to His disciples, ² “^(B)You know that after two days ^(C)the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be ^(D)delivered over for crucifixion.”

^3 (E)Then the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in ^(F)the court of the high priest, named ^(G)Caiaphas; ⁴ and they ^(H)plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth and kill Him. ⁵ But they were saying, “Not during the festival, ^(I)lest a riot occur among the people.”

The Costly Perfume

^6 (J)Now when Jesus was in ^(K)Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper, ^7 (L)a woman came to Him with an alabaster jar of very costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table. ⁸ But when the disciples saw this, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? ⁹ For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.” ¹⁰ But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good work to Me. ¹¹ For you always have ^(M)the poor with you; but you do not always have Me. ¹² For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it ^(N)to prepare Me for burial. ¹³ Truly I say to you, ^(O)wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”

Judas Looks to Betray Jesus

^14 (P)Then one of the twelve, named ^(Q)Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and said, “What are you willing to give me ^[b]to ^(R)deliver Him to you?” And ^(S)they weighed out ^[c]thirty pieces of silver to him. ¹⁶ And from then on he began looking for a good opportunity to ^[d]betray ^[e]Jesus.

The Passover Meal

^17 (T)Now on the first day of ^(U)Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?” ¹⁸ And He said, “Go into the city to ^(V)a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “^(W)My time is near; I am keeping the Passover at your house with My disciples.”’” ¹⁹ And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.

^20 (X)Now when evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the twelve disciples. ²¹ And as they were eating, He said, “^(Y)Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me.” ²² And being deeply grieved, they ^[f]each one began to say to Him, “Surely not I, Lord?” ²³ And He answered and said, “^(Z)He who dipped his hand with Me in the bowl is the one who will betray Me. ²⁴ The Son of Man is going, ^(AA)just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! ^(AB)It would have been good ^[g]for that man if he had not been born.” ²⁵ And ^(AC)Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, “Surely not I, ^(AD)Rabbi?” Jesus *said to him, “^(AE)You yourself said it.”

The Lord’s Supper

^26 (AF)Now while they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and ^[h](AG)after a blessing, He broke it. And giving it to the disciples, He said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” ²⁷ And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; ²⁸ for ^(AH)this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for ^(AI)many for forgiveness of sins. ²⁹ But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

^30 (AJ)And after singing a hymn, they went out to ^(AK)the Mount of Olives.

³¹ Then Jesus *said to them, “You will all ^[i](AL)fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, ‘^(AM)I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be ^(AN)scattered.’ ³² But after I have been raised, ^(AO)I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” ³³ But Peter answered and said to Him, “Even though all may ^[j]fall away because of You, I will never fall away.” ³⁴ Jesus said to him, “^(AP)Truly I say to you that ^(AQ)this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” ³⁵ Peter *said to Him, “^(AR)Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You.” All the disciples said the same thing too.

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

^36 (AS)Then Jesus *came with them to a place called ^(AT)Gethsemane, and *said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷ And He took with Him ^(AU)Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. ³⁸ Then He *said to them, “^(AV)My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and ^(AW)keep watch with Me.”

³⁹ And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let ^(AX)this cup pass from Me; ^(AY)yet not as I will, but as You will.” ⁴⁰ And He *came to the disciples and *found them sleeping, and *said to Peter, “So, you men could not ^(AZ)keep watch with Me for one hour? ^41 (BA)Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; ^(BB)the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

⁴² He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this ^(BC)cannot pass away unless I drink it, ^(BD)Your will be done.” ⁴³ And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. ⁴⁵ Then He *came to the disciples and *said to them, “^[k]Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, ^(BE)the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Get up, let us go; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!”

The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

^47 (BF)And while He was still speaking, behold, ^(BG)Judas, one of the twelve, came up, and with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chief priests and elders of the people. ⁴⁸ Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him.” ⁴⁹ And immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, “Greetings, ^(BH)Rabbi!” and kissed Him. ⁵⁰ And Jesus said to him, “^(BI)Friend, do what you have come for.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him.

⁵¹ And behold, ^(BJ)one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew out his ^(BK)sword and struck the ^(BL)slave of the high priest and ^[l]cut off his ear. ⁵² Then Jesus *said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for ^(BM)all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. ⁵³ Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve ^[m](BN)legions of ^(BO)angels? ⁵⁴ Therefore, how will ^(BP)the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?”

⁵⁵ At that time Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would against a robber? ^(BQ)Every day I used to sit in the temple teaching and you did not seize Me. ⁵⁶ But all this has taken place in order that ^(BR)the Scriptures of the prophets would be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left Him and fled.

Jesus Before Caiaphas

^57 (BS)Now those who had seized Jesus led Him away to ^(BT)Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together. ⁵⁸ But ^(BU)Peter was following Him at a distance as far as the ^(BV)courtyard of the high priest, and entered in, and sat down with the ^[n](BW)officers to see the outcome.

⁵⁹ Now the chief priests and the whole ^(BX)Sanhedrin kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death. ⁶⁰ And they did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on ^(BY)two came forward, ⁶¹ and said, “This man stated, ‘^(BZ)I am able to destroy the ^[o]sanctuary of God and to rebuild it ^[p]in three days.’” ⁶² And the high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You not answer? What are these men testifying against You?” ⁶³ But ^(CA)Jesus kept silent. ^(CB)And the high priest said to Him, “^(CC)I put You under oath by ^(CD)the living God, that You tell us whether You are the ^[q]Christ, ^(CE)the Son of God.” ⁶⁴ Jesus *said to him, “^(CF)You yourself said it; nevertheless I tell you, ^[r]hereafter you will see ^(CG)the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and ^(CH)coming on the clouds of heaven.”

⁶⁵ Then the high priest ^(CI)tore his garments and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy; ⁶⁶ what do you think?” They answered and said, “^(CJ)He deserves death!”

^67 (CK)Then they ^(CL)spat in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others ^[s]slapped Him, ⁶⁸ and said, “^(CM)Prophesy to us, O ^[t]Christ; who is the one who hit You?”

Peter’s Denials

^69 (CN)Now Peter was sitting outside in the ^(CO)courtyard, and a servant-girl came to him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.” ⁷⁰ But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.” ⁷¹ And when he had gone out to the gateway, another servant-girl saw him and *said to those who were there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” ⁷² And again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man.” ⁷³ A little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Surely you too are one of them; ^(CP)for even the way you talk ^[u]gives you away.” ⁷⁴ Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed. ⁷⁵ And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, “^(CQ)Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and cried bitterly.

Judas’ Remorse

27 ^(CR)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 ^(CS)delivered Him to ^(CT)Pilate the governor.

³ Then when ^(CU)Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned ^(CV)the ^[v]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? ^(CW)See to that yourself!” ⁵ And he threw the pieces of silver into ^(CX)the ^[w]sanctuary and departed; and ^(CY)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 ^[x]with the money the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers. ^8 (CZ)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, “^(DA)And ^[y]they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one whose price had been set by the sons of Israel; ^10 (DB)and ^[z]they gave them for the Potter’s Field, as the ^[aa]Lord directed me.”

Jesus Before Pilate

^11 (DC)Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, “Are You the ^(DD)King of the Jews?” And Jesus said to him, “^(DE)You yourself say it.” ¹² And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, ^(DF)He did not answer. ¹³ Then Pilate *said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” ¹⁴ And ^(DG)He did not answer him with regard to even a single ^[ab]charge, so the governor marveled greatly.

^15 (DH)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? ^[ac]Barabbas, or Jesus ^(DI)who is called ^[ad]Christ?” ¹⁸ For he knew that because of envy they had delivered Him over.

^19 (DJ)Now while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “Have nothing to do with that ^(DK)righteous Man; for ^[ae]last night I suffered greatly ^(DL)in a dream because of Him.” ²⁰ But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ^(DM)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 ^(DN)who is called ^[af]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 ^(DO)a riot was starting, he took water and ^(DP)washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of ^(DQ)this man’s blood; ^(DR)see to that yourselves.” ²⁵ And all the people answered and said, “^(DS)His blood be on us and on our children!” ²⁶ Then he released Barabbas ^[ag]for them; but after having Jesus ^(DT)scourged, he delivered Him over to be crucified.

Jesus Is Mocked

^27 (DU)Then when the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into ^(DV)the ^[ah]Praetorium, they gathered the whole Roman ^[ai](DW)cohort around Him. ²⁸ And they stripped Him and ^(DX)put a scarlet robe on Him. ^29 (DY)And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a ^[aj]reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “^(DZ)Hail, King of the Jews!” ^30 (EA)And they spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head. ^31 (EB)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 (EC)And as they were coming out, they found a man of ^(ED)Cyrene named Simon, ^[ak]whom they pressed into service to bear His cross.

The Crucifixion

^33 (EE)And when they came to a place called ^(EF)Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull, ^34 (EG)they gave Him ^(EH)wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He did not want to drink.

³⁵ And when they had crucified Him, ^(EI)they divided up His garments among themselves by casting ^[al]lots. ³⁶ And sitting down, they began to ^(EJ)keep watch over Him there. ³⁷ And above His head they put up the charge against Him ^[am]which read, “^(EK)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, ^(EL)shaking their heads ⁴⁰ and saying, “^(EM)You who are going to destroy the sanctuary and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! ^(EN)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 “^(EO)He saved others; ^[an]He cannot save Himself. ^(EP)He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. ^43 (EQ)He trusts in God; let God rescue Him now, if He ^[ao]delights in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” ^44 (ER)And the robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words.

^45 (ES)Now from the ^[ap]sixth hour darkness ^[aq]fell upon all the land until the ^[ar]ninth hour. ⁴⁶ And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “^(ET)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 (EU)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, “^[as]Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him^[at].” ⁵⁰ And Jesus ^(EV)cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. ^51 (EW)And behold, ^(EX)the ^[au]veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom; and ^(EY)the earth shook and the rocks were split. ⁵² And the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the ^[av]saints who had ^(EZ)fallen asleep were raised; ⁵³ and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered ^(FA)the holy city and appeared to many. ^54 (FB)Now the centurion, and those who were with him ^(FC)keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw ^(FD)the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was ^(FE)God’s Son!”

^55 (FF)And many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while ^[aw](FG)ministering to Him. ⁵⁶ Among them was ^(FH)Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and ^(FI)the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

Jesus Is Buried

^57 (FJ)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 ^(FK)a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away. ⁶¹ And ^(FL)Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the grave.

⁶² Now on the next day, ^[ax]the day after ^(FM)the ^[ay]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, ‘^(FN)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 ^(FO)guard; go, make it as secure as you know how.” ⁶⁶ And they went and made the grave secure, and along with ^(FP)the guard they set a ^(FQ)seal on ^(FR)the stone.