Matthew 27
New Matthew Bible
Christ is delivered to Pilate. Judas hangs himself. Christ is crucified between thieves. He dies and is buried. Watchmen guard the grave.
27 When the morning was come, all the chief priests and the elders of the people held a council against Jesus, to put him to death, 2 and brought him bound, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
3 Then 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, betraying the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? You see to it. 5 And Judas cast down the silver pieces in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.
6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. 7 And they took counsel, and bought with the money a potter’s field to bury strangers in. 8 Therefore that field is called the Field of Blood until this day. 9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying: And they took thirty silver pieces, the price of him that was sold, whom they bought from the children of Israel, 10 and gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me.
11 Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, saying, Are you the king of the Jews? Jesus said to him, It is as you say. 12 And when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. 13 Then Pilate said to him, Do you not hear how many things they lay against you? 14 And he answered him never a word, insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.
15 At that feast the governor was accustomed to release to the people a prisoner, whomever they would request. 16 He had then a notable prisoner called Barabbas. 17 And when the people were gathered together, Pilate said to them, Which do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ? 18 For he knew well that it was for envy they had delivered him.
19 When he was seated to give judgment, his wife sent to him, saying, Have nothing to do with that just man. For I have suffered many things this day in a dream about him. 20 But the chief priests and the elders had persuaded the people that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 Then the governor spoke and said to them, Which of the two do you want me to set free to you? And they said, Barabbas! 22 Pilate said to them, What shall I do then with Jesus who is called Christ? They all said to him, Let him be crucified! 23 Then said the governor, What evil has he done? And they cried out all the more, saying, Let him be crucified!
24 When Pilate saw that he was not prevailing, but that more of a tumult was made, he took water and washed his hands before the people, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person, and that you should see. 25 Then all the people answered and said, His blood be on us and on our children!
26 Then he let Barabbas go free to them, and had Jesus scourged, and delivered him to be crucified.
27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus to the common hall, and gathered to him the whole company of soldiers. 28 And they stripped him and put on him a purple robe, 29 and plaited a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and a reed in his right hand. And they bowed their knees before him and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! 30 And they spat upon him, and took the reed and struck him on the head.
31 And when they had mocked him, they took the robe back from him and put his own clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him. 32 And as they went out, they found a man from Cyrene named Simon; him they compelled to bear his cross. 33 And when they came to the place called Golgotha (which means, a place of dead men’s skulls), 34 they gave him vinegar to drink mixed with gall. But when he had tasted of it, he would not drink.
35 When they had crucified him, they parted his garments and cast lots, to fulfil that which was spoken by the prophet: They divided my garments among them, and for my vesture did cast lots. 36 And they sat and kept watch over him there. 37 And they set up over his head his accusation, written this is jesus, the king of the jews. 38 And there were two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand and another on the left.
39 The people who passed by reviled him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, You who destroy the temple of God and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!
41 Likewise also the high priests, mocking him with the scribes and elders, said, 42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he really is the king of Israel, let him come down now 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 Also the thieves who were crucified with him cast the same in his teeth.
45 From the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? (which means, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?)
47 Some of the people who were standing there, when they heard that, said, This man is calling for Elijah! 48 And straightaway one of them ran and took a sponge, and filled it full of vinegar and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. 49 Others said, Leave him be; let us see if Elijah will come and deliver him.
50 Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up the spirit. 51 And behold: the veil of the temple did tear in two, from the top to the bottom, and the earth did quake, and the rocks did split. 52 And graves did open, and the bodies of many saints who slept arose, 53 and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and came into the holy city and appeared to many.
54 When the centurion and those who were with him watching Jesus saw the earthquake and those things that happened, they feared greatly, saying, Surely this was the Son of God.
55 And many women were there, watching him from afar – those who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s children.
57 When the evening was come, there came a rich man of Arimathea named Joseph, which man also was Jesus’ disciple. 58 He went to Pilate and requested the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.
59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and put it in his new tomb, which he had hewn out even in the rock. He rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre and departed. 61 And there were Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, sitting across from the sepulchre.
62 The next day, which followed the day of preparing the Sabbath, the high priests and Pharisees assembled before Pilate 63 and said, Sir, we remember what this deceiver said while he was still alive: After three days, I will arise again. 64 Command therefore that the sepulchre be made secure until the third day, lest perhaps his disciples come and steal him away, and say to the people that he is risen from the dead, and the last error be worse than the first.
65 Pilate said to them, Take watchmen; go and make it as secure as you can. 66 And they went and made the sepulchre secure with watchmen, and sealed the stone.
Matthew 27
Complete Jewish Bible
27 Early in the morning, all the head cohanim and elders met to plan how to bring about Yeshua’s death. 2 Then they put him in chains, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor.
3 When Y’hudah, who had betrayed him, saw that Yeshua had been condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the head cohanim and elders, 4 saying, “I sinned in betraying an innocent man to death.” “What is that to us?” they answered. “That’s your problem.” 5 Hurling the pieces of silver into the sanctuary, he left; then he went off and hanged himself.
6 The head cohanim took the silver coins and said, “It is prohibited to put this into the Temple treasury, because it is blood money.” 7 So they decided to use it to buy the potter’s field as a cemetery for foreigners. 8 This is how it came to be called the Field of Blood, a name it still bears. 9 Then what Yirmeyahu the prophet spoke was fulfilled, “And they took the thirty silver coins, which was the price the people of Isra’el had agreed to pay for him, 10 and used them to buy the potter’s field, just as the Lord directed me.”[a]
11 Meanwhile, Yeshua was brought before the governor, and the governor put this question to him: “Are you the King of the Jews?” Yeshua answered, “The words are yours.” 12 But when he was accused by the head cohanim and elders, he gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate said to him, “Don’t you hear all these charges they are making against you?” 14 But to the governor’s great amazement, he did not say a single word in reply to the accusations.
15 It was the governor’s custom during a festival to set free one prisoner, whomever the crowd asked for. 16 There was at that time a notorious prisoner being held, named Yeshua Bar-Abba. 17 So when a crowd had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to set free for you? Bar-Abba? or Yeshua, called ‘the Messiah’?” 18 For he understood that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. 19 While he was sitting in court, his wife sent him a message, “Leave that innocent man alone. Today in a dream I suffered terribly because of him.” 20 But the head cohanim persuaded the crowd to ask for Bar-Abba’s release and to have Yeshua executed on the stake. 21 “Which of the two do you want me to set free for you?” asked the governor. “Bar-Abba!” they answered. 22 Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Yeshua, called ‘the Messiah’?” They all said, “Put him to death on the stake! Put him to death on the stake!” 23 When he asked, “Why? What crime has he committed?” they shouted all the louder, “Put him to death on the stake!” 24 When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water, washed his hands in front of the crowd, and said, “My hands are clean of this man’s blood; it’s your responsibility.” 25 All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released to them Bar-Abba; but Yeshua, after having him whipped, he handed over to be executed on a stake.
27 The governor’s soldiers took Yeshua into the headquarters building, and the whole battalion gathered around him. 28 They stripped off his clothes and put on him a scarlet robe, 29 wove thorn-branches into a crown and put it on his head, and put a stick in his right hand. Then they kneeled down in front of him and made fun of him: “Hail to the King of the Jews!” 30 They spit on him and used the stick to beat him about the head. 31 When they had finished ridiculing him, they took off the robe, put his own clothes back on him and led him away to be nailed to the execution-stake.
32 As they were leaving, they met a man from Cyrene named Shim‘on; and they forced him to carry Yeshua’s execution-stake. 33 When they arrived at a place called Gulgolta (which means “place of a skull”), 34 they gave him wine mixed with bitter gall to drink; but after tasting it, he would not drink it. 35 After they had nailed him to the stake, they divided his clothes among them by throwing dice. 36 Then they sat down to keep watch over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written notice stating the charge against him,
THIS IS YESHUA
THE KING OF THE JEWS
38 Then two robbers were placed on execution-stakes with him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 People passing by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads[b] 40 and saying, “So you can destroy the Temple, can you, and rebuild it in three days? Save yourself, if you are the Son of God, and come down from the stake!” 41 Likewise, the head cohanim jeered at him, along with the Torah-teachers and elders, 42 “He saved others, but he can’t save himself!” “So he’s King of Isra’el, is he? Let him come down now from the stake! Then we’ll believe him!” 43 “He trusted God? So, let him rescue him if he wants him![c] After all, he did say, ‘I’m the Son of God’!” 44 Even the robbers nailed up with him insulted him in the same way.
45 From noon until three o’clock in the afternoon, all the Land was covered with darkness. 46 At about three, Yeshua uttered a loud cry, “Eli! Eli! L’mah sh’vaktani? (My God! My God! Why have you deserted me?)”[d] 47 On hearing this, some of the bystanders said, “He’s calling for Eliyahu.” 48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, soaked it in vinegar, put it on a stick and gave it to him to drink.[e] 49 The rest said, “Wait! Let’s see if Eliyahu comes and rescues him.” 50 But Yeshua, again crying out in a loud voice, yielded up his spirit.
51 At that moment the parokhet in the Temple was ripped in two from top to bottom; and there was an earthquake, with rocks splitting apart. 52 Also the graves were opened, and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life; 53 and after Yeshua rose, they came out of the graves and went into the holy city, where many people saw them. 54 When the Roman officer and those with him who were keeping watch over Yeshua saw the earthquake and what was happening, they were awestruck and said, “He really was a son of God.”
55 There were many women there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Yeshua from the Galil, helping him. 56 Among them were Miryam from Magdala, Miryam the mother of Ya‘akov and Yosef, and the mother of Zavdai’s sons.
57 Towards evening, there came a wealthy man from Ramatayim named Yosef, who was himself a talmid of Yeshua. 58 He approached Pilate and asked for Yeshua’s body, and Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 Yosef took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen sheet, 60 and laid it in his own tomb, which he had recently had cut out of the rock. After rolling a large stone in front of the entrance to the tomb, he went away. 61 Miryam of Magdala and the other Miryam stayed there, sitting opposite the grave.
62 Next day, after the preparation, the head cohanim and the P’rushim went together to Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember that that deceiver said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will be raised.’ 64 Therefore, order that the grave be made secure till the third day; otherwise the talmidim may come, steal him away and say to the people, ‘He was raised from the dead’; and the last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You may have your guard. Go and make the grave as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the grave secure by sealing the stone and putting the guard on watch.
Footnotes
- Matthew 27:10 Zechariah 11:12–13, where Hebrew yotzer means “treasury”; here it means “potter” (see v. 7).
- Matthew 27:39 Psalm 22:8(7)
- Matthew 27:43 Psalm 22:9(8)
- Matthew 27:46 Psalm 22:2(1)
- Matthew 27:48 Psalm 69:22(21)
Copyright © 2016 by Ruth Magnusson (Davis). Includes emendations to February 2022. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.