| 1 Early in the morning all the chief priests and the Jewish authorities met to look for ways of putting Jesus to death. | |
| 2 They had him bound and led him away to be handed over to Pilate, the governor. | |
| 3 When Judas, the traitor, realized that Jesus had been condemned, he was filled with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, | |
| 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying an innocent man to death.” They answered, “What does it matter to us? That is your concern.” | |
| 5 So, throwing the money into the Temple, he went away and hanged himself. | |
| 6 The priests picked up the money, and said, “This money cannot be put into the Temple treasury, for this is the price of blood.” | |
| 7 So they met together and decided to buy the Potter’s Field with the money and make it a cemetery for for-eigners. | |
| 8 This is why that place has been called Field of Blood to this day. | |
| 9 So what the prophet Jeremiah said was fulfilled: They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price the sons of Israel set on him. | |
| 10 And they gave them for the Potter’s Field, as the Lord commanded me. | |
| 11 Jesus stood before the governor who questioned him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “You say so.” | |
| 12 The chief priests and the Elders accused him, but he made no answer. | |
| 13 Pilate said to him, “Do you hear all the charges they bring against you?” | |
| 14 But he did not answer even a single question, so that the governor wondered. | |
| 15 It was customary for the governor to release any prisoner the people asked for on the occasion of the Passover. | |
| 16 Now there was a well-known prisoner called Barabbas. | |
| 17 As the people had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Whom do you want me to set free: Barabbas, or Jesus called the Messiah?” | |
| 18 For he realized that Jesus had been handed over to him out of envy. | |
| 19 As Pilate was sitting in court, his wife sent him this message, “Have nothing to do with that holy man. Because of him I had a dream last night that disturbed me greatly.” | |
| 20 But the chief priests and the Elders stirred the crowds to ask for the release of Barabbas and the death of Jesus. | |
| 21 When the governor asked them again, “Which of the two do you want me to set free?” they answered, “Barabbas.” | |
| 22 Pilate said to them, “And what shall I do with Jesus called the Messiah?” All answered, “Crucify him!” | |
| 23 Pilate insisted, “What evil has he done?” But they shouted louder, “Crucify him!” | |
| 24 Pilate realized that he was getting nowhere and that instead there could be a riot. He then asked for water and washed his hands before the people, saying, “I am not responsible for his blood. It is your doing.” | |
| 25 And all the people answered, “Let his blood be upon us and upon our children.” | |
| 26 Then Pilate set Barabbas free, but had Jesus scourged, and handed him over to be crucified. | |
| 27 The Roman soldiers took Jesus into the palace of the governor and the whole troop gathered around him. | |
| 28 They stripped him and dressed him in a purple military cloak. | |
| 29 Then, twisting a crown of thorns, they forced it onto his head, and placed a reed in his right hand. They knelt before Jesus and mocked him, saying, “Long life to the King of the Jews!” | |
| 30 They spat on him, took the reed from his hand and struck him on the head with it. | |
| 31 When they had finished mocking him, they pulled off the purple cloak and dressed him in his own clothes again, and led him out to be crucified. | |
| 32 On the way they met a man from Cyrene called Simon, and forced him to carry the cross of Jesus. | |
| 33 When they reached the place called Golgotha (or Calvary) which means the Skull, | |
| 34 they offered him wine mixed with gall. Jesus tasted it but would not take it. | |
| 35 There they crucified him and divided his clothes among themselves, casting lots to decide what each should take. | |
| 36 Then they sat down to guard him. | |
| 37 The statement of his offense was displayed above his head and it read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” | |
| 38 They also crucified two bandits with him, one on his right and one on his left. | |
| 39 People passing by shook their heads and insulted him, | |
| 40 saying, “Aha! So you will destroy the Temple and build it up again in three days. Now save yourself and come down from the cross, if you are Son of God.” | |
| 41 In the same way the chief priests, the Elders and the teachers of the Law mocked him. | |
| 42 They said, “The man who saved others cannot save himself. Let the King of Israel now come down from his cross and we will believe in him. | |
| 43 He trusted in God; let God rescue him if God wants to, since he himself said: I am the Son of God.” | |
| 44 Even the robbers who were crucified with him insulted him. | |
| 45 From midday darkness fell over the whole land until mid-afternoon. | |
| 46 At about three o’clock, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lamma Sabbacthani?” which means: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? | |
| 47 As soon as they heard this, some of the bystanders said, “He is calling for Elijah.” | |
| 48 And one of them went quickly, took a sponge and soaked it in vinegar and, putting it on a reed, gave him to drink. | |
| 49 Others said, “Leave him alone, let us see whether Elijah comes to his rescue.” | |
| 50 Then Jesus cried out again in a loud voice and gave up his spirit. | |
| 51 Just then the curtain of the Temple sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom, the earth quaked, rocks were split, | |
| 52 tombs were opened, and several holy people who had died were raised to life. | |
| 53 They came out of the tombs after the resurrection of Jesus, entered the Holy City and appeared to many. | |
| 54 The captain and the soldiers who guarded Jesus were greatly terrified when they saw the earthquake and all that had happened, and said, “Truly, this man was a Son of God.” | |
| 55 There were also some women there who watched from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and saw to his needs. | |
| 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons. | |
| 57 It was now evening and there arrived a wealthy man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. | |
| 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus, and the governor ordered that the body be given him. | |
| 59 So Joseph took the body of Jesus, wrapped it in a clean linen sheet | |
| 60 and laid it in his own new tomb which had been cut out of the rock. Then he rolled a huge stone across the entrance of the tomb and left. | |
| 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary remained sitting there in front of the tomb. | |
| 62 On the following day (the day after the Preparation for the Passover), the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate | |
| 63 and said to him, “Sir, we remember that when that impostor was still alive, he said: I will rise after three days. | |
| 64 Therefore, have his tomb secured until the third day, lest his disciples come and steal the body and say to the people: He was raised from the dead. This would be a worse lie than the first.” | |
| 65 Pilate answered them, “You have soldiers, go and take all the necessary precautions”. | |
| 66 So they went to the tomb and secured it, sealing the stone and placing it under guard. | |
