Judas Hangs Himself

27 Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed.^{(A) 2} So they bound him, led him away and handed him over^(B) to Pilate the governor.^(C)

³ When Judas, who had betrayed him,^(D) saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver^(E) to the chief priests and the elders. ⁴ “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”

“What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”^(F)

⁵ So Judas threw the money into the temple^(G) and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.^(H)

⁶ The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” ⁷ So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. ⁸ That is why it has been called the Field of Blood^(I) to this day. ⁹ Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:^(J) “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, ¹⁰ and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”^[a](K)

Jesus Before Pilate^(L)

¹¹ Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”^(M)

“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

¹² When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer.^{(N) 13} Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?”^{(O) 14} But Jesus made no reply,^(P) not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.

¹⁵ Now it was the governor’s custom at the festival to release a prisoner^(Q) chosen by the crowd. ¹⁶ At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose name was Jesus^[b] Barabbas. ¹⁷ So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?”^{(R) 18} For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him.

¹⁹ While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat,^(S) his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent^(T) man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream^(U) because of him.”

²⁰ But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.^(V)

²¹ “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.

“Barabbas,” they answered.

²² “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”^(W) Pilate asked.

They all answered, “Crucify him!”

²³ “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

²⁴ When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar^(X) was starting, he took water and washed his hands^(Y) in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,”^(Z) he said. “It is your responsibility!”^(AA)

²⁵ All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!”^(AB)

²⁶ Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged,^(AC) and handed him over to be crucified.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus^(AD)

²⁷ Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium^(AE) and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. ²⁸ They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,^{(AF) 29} and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said.^{(AG) 30} They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.^{(AH) 31} After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.^(AI)

The Crucifixion of Jesus^(AJ)

³² As they were going out,^(AK) they met a man from Cyrene,^(AL) named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.^{(AM) 33} They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”).^{(AN) 34} There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall;^(AO) but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. ³⁵ When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.^{(AP) 36} And sitting down, they kept watch^(AQ) over him there. ³⁷ Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.

³⁸ Two rebels were crucified with him,^(AR) one on his right and one on his left. ³⁹ Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads^{(AS) 40} and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days,^(AT) save yourself!^(AU) Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”^{(AV) 41} In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. ⁴² “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel!^(AW) Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe^(AX) in him. ⁴³ He trusts in God. Let God rescue him^(AY) now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” ⁴⁴ In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

The Death of Jesus^(AZ)

⁴⁵ From noon until three in the afternoon darkness^(BA) came over all the land. ⁴⁶ About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,^[c] lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).^[d](BB)

⁴⁷ When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”

⁴⁸ Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar,^(BC) put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. ⁴⁹ The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

⁵⁰ And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.^(BD)

⁵¹ At that moment the curtain of the temple^(BE) was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split^{(BF) 52} and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. ⁵³ They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and^[e] went into the holy city^(BG) and appeared to many people.

⁵⁴ When the centurion and those with him who were guarding^(BH) Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”^(BI)

⁵⁵ Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs.^{(BJ) 56} Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph,^[f] and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.^(BK)

The Burial of Jesus^(BL)

⁵⁷ As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸ Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. ⁵⁹ Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, ⁶⁰ and placed it in his own new tomb^(BM) that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. ⁶¹ Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

The Guard at the Tomb

⁶² The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. ⁶³ “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’^{(BN) 64} So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body^(BO) and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”

⁶⁵ “Take a guard,”^(BP) Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” ⁶⁶ So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal^(BQ) on the stone^(BR) and posting the guard.^(BS)

5 Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast^(A) heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until they^[a] had crossed over, their hearts melted in fear^(B) and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites.

Circumcision and Passover at Gilgal

² At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives^(C) and circumcise^(D) the Israelites again.” ³ So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth.^[b]

⁴ Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of military age^(E)—died in the wilderness on the way after leaving Egypt.^{(F) 5} All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness during the journey from Egypt had not. ⁶ The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness^(G) forty years^(H) until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the Lord. For the Lord had sworn to them that they would not see the land he had solemnly promised their ancestors to give us,^(I) a land flowing with milk and honey.^{(J) 7} So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way. ⁸ And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed.^(K)

⁹ Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal^[c](L) to this day.

¹⁰ On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month,^(M) while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover.^{(N) 11} The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land:^(O) unleavened bread^(P) and roasted grain.^{(Q) 12} The manna stopped the day after^[d] they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan.^(R)

The Fall of Jericho

¹³ Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man^(S) standing in front of him with a drawn sword^(T) in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

¹⁴ “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown^(U) to the ground^(V) in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord^[e] have for his servant?”

¹⁵ The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.”^(W) And Joshua did so.

6 Now the gates of Jericho^(X) were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.

² Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered^(Y) Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. ³ March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. ⁴ Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns^(Z) in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets.^{(AA) 5} When you hear them sound a long blast^(AB) on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout;^(AC) then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”

⁶ So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.”^{(AD) 7} And he ordered the army, “Advance^(AE)! March around the city, with an armed guard going ahead of the ark^(AF) of the Lord.”

⁸ When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the Lord went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the Lord’s covenant followed them. ⁹ The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard^(AG) followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding. ¹⁰ But Joshua had commanded the army, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!^(AH)” ¹¹ So he had the ark of the Lord carried around the city, circling it once. Then the army returned to camp and spent the night there.

¹² Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. ¹³ The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the Lord and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets kept sounding. ¹⁴ So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.

¹⁵ On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times.^{(AI) 16} The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!^{(AJ) 17} The city and all that is in it are to be devoted^[f](AK) to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute^(AL) and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid^(AM) the spies we sent. ¹⁸ But keep away from the devoted things,^(AN) so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction^(AO) and bring trouble^(AP) on it. ¹⁹ All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron^(AQ) are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.”

²⁰ When the trumpets sounded,^(AR) the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout,^(AS) the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city.^{(AT) 21} They devoted^(AU) the city to the Lord and destroyed^(AV) with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.

²² Joshua said to the two men^(AW) who had spied out^(AX) the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her.^(AY)” ²³ So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother, her brothers and sisters and all who belonged to her.^(AZ) They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.

²⁴ Then they burned the whole city^(BA) and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron^(BB) into the treasury of the Lord’s house.^{(BC) 25} But Joshua spared^(BD) Rahab the prostitute,^(BE) with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho^(BF)—and she lives among the Israelites to this day.

²⁶ At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath:^(BG) “Cursed^(BH) before the Lord is the one who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho:

²⁷ So the Lord was with Joshua,^(BJ) and his fame spread^(BK) throughout the land.