Matthew 27
English Standard Version
Jesus Delivered to Pilate
27 (A)When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people (B)took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. 2 And they bound him and (C)led him away and (D)delivered him over to (E)Pilate the governor.
Judas Hangs Himself
3 Then when (F)Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus[a] was condemned, (G)he changed his mind and brought back (H)the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? (I)See to it yourself.” 5 And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, (J)he departed, and he went and hanged himself. 6 But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into (K)the treasury, since it is blood money.” 7 So they took counsel and bought with them the potter's field as a burial place for strangers. 8 Therefore (L)that field has been called the Field of Blood (M)to this day. 9 (N)Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, (O)“And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, 10 and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me.”
Jesus Before Pilate
11 (P)Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you (Q)the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, (R)“You have said so.” 12 (S)But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate said to him, (T)“Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” 14 But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.
The Crowd Chooses Barabbas
15 (U)Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or (V)Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 For he knew that it was out (W)of envy that they had delivered him up. 19 Besides, while he was sitting on (X)the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with (Y)that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today (Z)in a dream.” 20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to (AA)ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 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 shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” (AB)They all said, “Let him be crucified!” 23 And he said, “Why? (AC)What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”
Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified
24 So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that (AD)a riot was beginning, he took water and (AE)washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of (AF)this man's blood;[b] (AG)see to it yourselves.” 25 And all the people answered, (AH)“His blood be on us and (AI)on our children!” 26 Then he released for them Barabbas, and having (AJ)scourged[c] Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.
Jesus Is Mocked
27 (AK)Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the (AL)governor's headquarters,[d] and they gathered the whole (AM)battalion[e] before him. 28 And they stripped him and put (AN)a scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they (AO)mocked him, saying, “Hail, (AP)King of the Jews!” 30 And (AQ)they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and (AR)led him away to crucify him.
The Crucifixion
32 (AS)(AT)As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to (AU)carry his cross. 33 (AV)And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 (AW)they offered him wine to drink, mixed with (AX)gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, (AY)they divided his garments among them by casting lots. 36 Then they sat down and (AZ)kept watch over him there. 37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, (BA)the King of the Jews.” 38 Then two (BB)robbers were crucified with him, (BC)one on the right and one on the left. 39 And (BD)those who passed by (BE)derided him, (BF)wagging their heads 40 and saying, (BG)“You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! (BH)If you are (BI)the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 (BJ)“He saved others; (BK)he cannot save himself. (BL)He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 (BM)He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 (BN)And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.
The Death of Jesus
45 Now from the sixth hour[f] there was darkness over all the land[g] until the ninth hour.[h] 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus (BO)cried out with a loud voice, saying, (BP)“Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with (BQ)sour wine, and put it on a reed and (BR)gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50 And Jesus (BS)cried out again with a loud voice and (BT)yielded up his spirit.
51 And behold, (BU)the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And (BV)the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of (BW)the saints (BX)who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into (BY)the holy city and appeared to many. 54 (BZ)When the centurion and those who were with him, (CA)keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, (CB)“Truly this was the Son[i] of God!”
55 There were also (CC)many women there, looking on (CD)from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, (CE)ministering to him, 56 among whom were (CF)Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and (CG)the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
Jesus Is Buried
57 (CH)When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 58 He 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 shroud 60 and (CI)laid it in his own new tomb, (CJ)which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled (CK)a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and (CL)the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
The Guard at the Tomb
62 The next day, that is, after the day of (CM)Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember how (CN)that impostor said, while he was still alive, (CO)‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, (CP)lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have (CQ)a guard[j] of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by (CR)sealing the stone and setting a guard.
Footnotes
- Matthew 27:3 Greek he
- Matthew 27:24 Some manuscripts this righteous blood, or this righteous man's blood
- Matthew 27:26 A Roman judicial penalty, consisting of a severe beating with a multi-lashed whip containing embedded pieces of bone and metal
- Matthew 27:27 Greek the praetorium
- Matthew 27:27 Greek cohort; a tenth of a Roman legion, usually about 600 men
- Matthew 27:45 That is, noon
- Matthew 27:45 Or earth
- Matthew 27:45 That is, 3 p.m.
- Matthew 27:54 Or a son
- Matthew 27:65 Or Take a guard
Matthew 27
New American Standard Bible
Judas’ Remorse
27 (A)Now when morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus to put Him to death; 2 and they bound Him and led Him away, and (B)handed Him over to (C)Pilate the governor.
3 Then when (D)Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned (E)the thirty [a]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? (F)You shall see to it yourself!” 5 And he threw the pieces of silver into (G)the temple sanctuary and left; and (H)he went away and hanged himself. 6 The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put them in the temple treasury, since it is money paid for blood.” 7 And they conferred together and [b]with the money bought the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers. 8 (I)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: “(J)And [c]they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the One whose price had been set by the sons of Israel; 10 (K)and [d]they gave them for the Potter’s Field, just as the Lord directed me.”
Jesus before Pilate
11 (L)Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, “So You are the (M)King of the Jews?” And Jesus said to him, “(N)It is as you say.” 12 And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, (O)He did not offer any answer. 13 Then Pilate *said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they are testifying against You?” 14 And still (P)He did not answer him in regard to even a single [e]charge, so the governor was greatly amazed.
15 (Q)Now at the Passover Feast the governor was accustomed to release for the [f]people 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: Barabbas, or Jesus (R)who is called Christ?” 18 For he knew that it was because of envy that [g]they had handed Him over.
19 And (S)while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “See that you have nothing to do with that (T)righteous Man; for [h]last night I suffered greatly (U)in a dream because of Him.” 20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to (V)ask for Barabbas, and to put Jesus to death. 21 And the governor [i]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 (W)who is called Christ?” They all *said, “[j]Crucify Him!” 23 But he said, “Why, what evil has He done?” Yet they kept shouting all the more, saying, “[k]Crucify Him!”
24 Now when Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that (X)a riot was starting, he took water and (Y)washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of (Z)this Man’s blood; (AA)you yourselves shall see.” 25 And all the people replied, “(AB)His blood shall be on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released Barabbas [l]for them; but after having Jesus (AC)flogged, he handed Him over to be crucified.
Jesus Is Mocked
27 (AD)Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into (AE)the [m]Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman [n](AF)cohort to Him. 28 And they stripped Him and (AG)put a red [o]cloak on Him. 29 (AH)And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and put a [p]reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “(AI)Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 And (AJ)they spit on Him, and took the reed and beat Him on the head. 31 (AK)And after they had mocked Him, they took the cloak off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.
32 (AL)As they were coming out, they found a man of (AM)Cyrene named Simon, [q]whom they compelled to carry His [r]cross.
The Crucifixion
33 (AN)And when they came to a place called (AO)Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull, 34 (AP)they gave Him (AQ)wine mixed with [s]bile to drink; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink it.
35 And when they had crucified Him, (AR)they divided His garments among themselves by casting [t]lots. 36 And sitting down, they began to (AS)keep watch over Him there. 37 And above His head they put up the charge against Him [u]which read, “(AT)THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
38 At that time two [v]rebels *were being crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those passing by were [w]speaking abusively to Him, (AU)shaking their heads, 40 and saying, “(AV)You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! (AW)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 “(AX)He saved others; [x]He cannot save Himself! (AY)He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. 43 (AZ)He has trusted in God; let God rescue Him now, if He [y]takes pleasure in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 (BA)And the [z]rebels who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him in the same way.
45 (BB)Now from the [aa]sixth hour darkness [ab]fell upon all the land until the [ac]ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “(BC)Eli, Eli, lema sabaktanei?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 47 And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, said, “This man is calling for Elijah.” 48 And (BD)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 said, “[ad]Let us see if Elijah comes to save Him[ae].” 50 And Jesus (BE)cried out again with a loud voice, and gave up His spirit. 51 (BF)And behold, (BG)the [af]veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and (BH)the earth shook and the rocks were split. 52 Also the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the [ag]saints who had (BI)fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered (BJ)the holy city and appeared to many. 54 (BK)Now as for the centurion and those who were with him (BL)keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw (BM)the earthquake and the other things that were happening, they became extremely frightened and said, “Truly this was [ah](BN)the Son of God!”
55 (BO)And many women were there watching from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while (BP)caring for Him. 56 Among them were (BQ)Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and (BR)the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
Jesus Is Buried
57 (BS)Now when it was evening, a rich man from Arimathea came, 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 cut out in the rock; and he rolled (BT)a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61 And (BU)Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.
62 Now on the next day, that is, the day which is after (BV)the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate, 63 and they said, “Sir, we remember that when that deceiver was still alive, He said, ‘(BW)After three days I am rising.’ 64 Therefore, give orders for the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise, His disciples may come and steal Him, 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 (BX)guard; go, make it as secure as you know how.” 66 And they went and made the tomb secure with (BY)the guard, (BZ)sealing (CA)the stone.
Footnotes
- Matthew 27:3 Or silver shekels
- Matthew 27:7 Lit from them
- Matthew 27:9 Or I took; cf. Zech 11:13
- Matthew 27:10 Some early mss I gave
- Matthew 27:14 Lit word
- Matthew 27:15 Lit crowd
- Matthew 27:18 I.e., the Jewish leaders
- Matthew 27:19 Lit today
- Matthew 27:21 Lit answering, said to them
- Matthew 27:22 Lit Have Him crucified
- Matthew 27:23 Lit Have Him crucified
- Matthew 27:26 Or to them
- Matthew 27:27 I.e., the governor’s official residence
- Matthew 27:27 Normally 600 men (the number varied)
- Matthew 27:28 I.e., a Roman soldier’s cloak
- Matthew 27:29 Or staff; i.e., to mimic a king’s scepter
- Matthew 27:32 Lit this one
- Matthew 27:32 I.e., the crossbeam for a cross
- Matthew 27:34 Prob. referring to the taste of myrrh, added to lessen pain
- Matthew 27:35 Lit a lot
- Matthew 27:37 Lit written
- Matthew 27:38 Or robbers
- Matthew 27:39 Or blaspheming
- Matthew 27:42 Or can He not save Himself?
- Matthew 27:43 Or desires;
- Matthew 27:44 Or robbers
- Matthew 27:45 I.e., noon
- Matthew 27:45 Lit occurred
- Matthew 27:45 I.e., 3 p.m.
- Matthew 27:49 Lit Allow that we see
- Matthew 27:49 Some early mss And another took a spear and pierced His side, and there came out water and blood (cf. John 19:34)
- Matthew 27:51 Or curtain
- Matthew 27:52 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
- Matthew 27:54 Or a son of God; or a son of a god
Matthew 27
New King James Version
Jesus Handed Over to Pontius Pilate(A)
27 When morning came, (B)all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death. 2 And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and (C)delivered Him to [a]Pontius Pilate the governor.
Judas Hangs Himself(D)
3 (E)Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty (F)pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”
And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!”
5 Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and (G)departed, and went and hanged himself.
6 But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood.” 7 And they consulted together and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. 8 Therefore that field has been called (H)the Field of Blood to this day.
9 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, (I)“And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced, 10 and (J)gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.”
Jesus Faces Pilate(K)
11 Now Jesus stood before the governor. (L)And the governor asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
Jesus said to him, (M)“It is as you say.” 12 And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, (N)He answered nothing.
13 Then Pilate said to Him, (O)“Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” 14 But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.
Taking the Place of Barabbas(P)
15 (Q)Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. 16 And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called [b]Barabbas. 17 Therefore, 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 because of (R)envy.
19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.”
20 (S)But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?”
They said, (T)“Barabbas!”
22 Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”
They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!”
23 Then the governor said, (U)“Why, what evil has He done?”
But they cried out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!”
24 When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a [c]tumult was rising, he (V)took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this [d]just Person. You see to it.”
25 And all the people answered and said, (W)“His blood be on us and on our children.”
26 Then he released Barabbas to them; and when (X)he had [e]scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.
The Soldiers Mock Jesus(Y)
27 (Z)Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the [f]Praetorium and gathered the whole [g]garrison around Him. 28 And they (AA)stripped Him and (AB)put a scarlet robe on Him. 29 (AC)When they had [h]twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 Then (AD)they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, (AE)and led Him away to be crucified.
The King on a Cross(AF)
32 (AG)Now as they came out, (AH)they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross. 33 (AI)And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, 34 (AJ)they gave Him [i]sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.
35 (AK)Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, [j]that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet:
(AL)“They divided My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots.”
36 (AM)Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. 37 And they (AN)put up over His head the accusation written against Him:
THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
38 (AO)Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left.
39 And (AP)those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, (AQ)“You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! (AR)If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”
41 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the [k]scribes and elders, said, 42 “He (AS)saved others; Himself He cannot save. [l]If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe [m]Him. 43 (AT)He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”
44 (AU)Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.
Jesus Dies on the Cross(AV)
45 (AW)Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 46 And about the ninth hour (AX)Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, (AY)“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
47 Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” 48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, (AZ)filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink.
49 The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”
50 And Jesus (BA)cried out again with a loud voice, and (BB)yielded up His spirit.
51 Then, behold, (BC)the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
54 (BD)So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, (BE)“Truly this was the Son of God!”
55 And many women (BF)who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, 56 (BG)among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and [n]Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
Jesus Buried in Joseph’s Tomb(BH)
57 Now (BI)when evening had come, 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 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 (BJ)laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed. 61 And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting [o]opposite the tomb.
Pilate Sets a Guard
62 On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, 63 saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, (BK)‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come [p]by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So 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 know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure, (BL)sealing the stone and setting the guard.
Footnotes
- Matthew 27:2 NU omits Pontius
- Matthew 27:16 NU Jesus Barabbas
- Matthew 27:24 an uproar
- Matthew 27:24 NU omits just
- Matthew 27:26 flogged with a Roman scourge
- Matthew 27:27 The governor’s headquarters
- Matthew 27:27 cohort
- Matthew 27:29 Lit. woven
- Matthew 27:34 NU omits sour
- Matthew 27:35 NU, M omit the rest of v. 35.
- Matthew 27:41 M scribes, the Pharisees, and the elders
- Matthew 27:42 NU omits If
- Matthew 27:42 NU, M in Him
- Matthew 27:56 NU Joseph
- Matthew 27:61 in front of
- Matthew 27:64 NU omits by night
Matthew 27
The Message
Thirty Silver Coins
27 1-2 In the first light of dawn, all the high priests and religious leaders met and put the finishing touches on their plot to kill Jesus. Then they tied him up and paraded him to Pilate, the governor.
3-4 Judas, the one who betrayed him, realized that Jesus was doomed. Overcome with remorse, he gave back the thirty silver coins to the high priests, saying, “I’ve sinned. I’ve betrayed an innocent man.”
They said, “What do we care? That’s your problem!”
5 Judas threw the silver coins into the Temple and left. Then he went out and hung himself.
6-10 The high priests picked up the silver pieces, but then didn’t know what to do with them. “It wouldn’t be right to give this—a payment for murder!—as an offering in the Temple.” They decided to get rid of it by buying the “Potter’s Field” and use it as a burial place for the homeless. That’s how the field got called “Murder Meadow,” a name that has stuck to this day. Then Jeremiah’s words became history:
They took the thirty silver pieces,
The price of the one priced by some sons of Israel,
And they purchased the potter’s field.
And so they unwittingly followed the divine instructions to the letter.
Pilate
11 Jesus was placed before the governor, who questioned him: “Are you the ‘King of the Jews’?”
Jesus said, “If you say so.”
12-14 But when the accusations rained down hot and heavy from the high priests and religious leaders, he said nothing. Pilate asked him, “Do you hear that long list of accusations? Aren’t you going to say something?” Jesus kept silence—not a word from his mouth. The governor was impressed, really impressed.
15-18 It was an old custom during the Feast for the governor to pardon a single prisoner named by the crowd. At the time, they had the infamous Jesus Barabbas in prison. With the crowd before him, Pilate said, “Which prisoner do you want me to pardon: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus the so-called Christ?” He knew it was through sheer spite that they had turned Jesus over to him.
19 While court was still in session, Pilate’s wife sent him a message: “Don’t get mixed up in judging this noble man. I’ve just been through a long and troubled night because of a dream about him.”
20 Meanwhile, the high priests and religious leaders had talked the crowd into asking for the pardon of Barabbas and the execution of Jesus.
21 The governor asked, “Which of the two do you want me to pardon?”
They said, “Barabbas!”
22 “Then what do I do with Jesus, the so-called Christ?”
They all shouted, “Nail him to a cross!”
23 He objected, “But for what crime?”
But they yelled all the louder, “Nail him to a cross!”
24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere and that a riot was imminent, he took a basin of water and washed his hands in full sight of the crowd, saying, “I’m washing my hands of responsibility for this man’s death. From now on, it’s in your hands. You’re judge and jury.”
25 The crowd answered, “We’ll take the blame, we and our children after us.”
26 Then he pardoned Barabbas. But he had Jesus whipped, and then handed over for crucifixion.
The Crucifixion
27-31 The soldiers assigned to the governor took Jesus into the governor’s palace and got the entire brigade together for some fun. They stripped him and dressed him in a red robe. They plaited a crown from branches of a thornbush and set it on his head. They put a stick in his right hand for a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mocking reverence: “Bravo, King of the Jews!” they said. “Bravo!” Then they spit on him and hit him on the head with the stick. When they had had their fun, they took off the robe and put his own clothes back on him. Then they proceeded out to the crucifixion.
32-34 Along the way they came on a man from Cyrene named Simon and made him carry Jesus’ cross. Arriving at Golgotha, the place they call “Skull Hill,” they offered him a mild painkiller (a mixture of wine and myrrh), but when he tasted it he wouldn’t drink it.
35-40 After they had finished nailing him to the cross and were waiting for him to die, they killed time by throwing dice for his clothes. Above his head they had posted the criminal charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews. Along with him, they also crucified two criminals, one to his right, the other to his left. People passing along the road jeered, shaking their heads in mock lament: “You bragged that you could tear down the Temple and then rebuild it in three days—so show us your stuff! Save yourself! If you’re really God’s Son, come down from that cross!”
41-44 The high priests, along with the religion scholars and leaders, were right there mixing it up with the rest of them, having a great time poking fun at him: “He saved others—he can’t save himself! King of Israel, is he? Then let him get down from that cross. We’ll all become believers then! He was so sure of God—well, let him rescue his ‘Son’ now—if he wants him! He did claim to be God’s Son, didn’t he?” Even the two criminals crucified next to him joined in the mockery.
45-46 From noon to three, the whole earth was dark. Around mid-afternoon Jesus groaned out of the depths, crying loudly, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
47-49 Some bystanders who heard him said, “He’s calling for Elijah.” One of them ran and got a sponge soaked in sour wine and lifted it on a stick so he could drink. The others joked, “Don’t be in such a hurry. Let’s see if Elijah comes and saves him.”
50 But Jesus, again crying out loudly, breathed his last.
51-53 At that moment, the Temple curtain was ripped in two, top to bottom. There was an earthquake, and rocks were split in pieces. What’s more, tombs were opened up, and many bodies of believers asleep in their graves were raised. (After Jesus’ resurrection, they left the tombs, entered the holy city, and appeared to many.)
54 The captain of the guard and those with him, when they saw the earthquake and everything else that was happening, were scared to death. They said, “This has to be the Son of God!”
55-56 There were also quite a few women watching from a distance, women who had followed Jesus from Galilee in order to serve him. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the Zebedee brothers.
The Tomb
57-61 Late in the afternoon a wealthy man from Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus, arrived. His name was Joseph. He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate granted his request. Joseph took the body and wrapped it in clean linens, put it in his own tomb, a new tomb only recently cut into the rock, and rolled a large stone across the entrance. Then he went off. But Mary Magdalene and the other Mary stayed, sitting in plain view of the tomb.
62-64 After sundown, the high priests and Pharisees arranged a meeting with Pilate. They said, “Sir, we just remembered that that liar announced while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will be raised.’ We’ve got to get that tomb sealed until the third day. There’s a good chance his disciples will come and steal the corpse and then go around saying, ‘He’s risen from the dead.’ Then we’ll be worse off than before, the final deceit surpassing the first.”
65-66 Pilate told them, “You will have a guard. Go ahead and secure it the best you can.” So they went out and secured the tomb, sealing the stone and posting guards.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson