Matthew 27
Open in the reader1When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people conspired against He-Who-Is-Saves to put Him to death.
2They bound Him, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate the governor.
3When Praised, who had betrayed Him, saw that He-Who-Is-Saves was condemned, he was filled with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders.
4“I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,” he said. “What is that to us?” they replied. “You bear the responsibility.”
5So Praised threw the silver into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.
6The chief priests picked up the pieces of silver and said, “It is unlawful to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.”
7After conferring together, they used the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners.
8That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day.
9Then what was spoken through He-Who-Is-Will-Rise the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on Him by the people of He-Strives-with-God,
10and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord had commanded me.”
11Meanwhile He-Who-Is-Saves stood before the governor, who questioned Him: “Are You the King of the Praised-Ones?” “You have said so,” He-Who-Is-Saves replied.
12And when He was accused by the chief priests and elders, He gave no answer.
13Then Pilate asked Him, “Do You not hear how many charges they are bringing against You?”
14But He-Who-Is-Saves gave no answer, not even to a single charge, much to the governor’s amazement.
15Now it was the governor’s custom at the feast to release to the crowd a prisoner of their choosing.
16At that time they were holding a notorious prisoner named Son-of-the-Father.
17So when the crowd had assembled, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Son-of-the-Father, or He-Who-Is-Saves who is called The-Anointed-One?”
18For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed He-Who-Is-Saves over to him.
19While Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered terribly in a dream today because of Him.”
20But the chief priests and elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Son-of-the-Father and to have He-Who-Is-Saves put to death.
21“Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. “Son-of-the-Father,” they replied.
22“What then should I do with He-Who-Is-Saves who is called The-Anointed-One?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify Him!”
23“Why?” asked Pilate. “What evil has He done?” But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify Him!”
24When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but that instead a riot was breaking out, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “You bear the responsibility.”
25All the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”
26So Pilate released Son-of-the-Father to them. But he had He-Who-Is-Saves flogged, and handed Him over to be crucified.
27Then the governor’s soldiers took He-Who-Is-Saves into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company around Him.
28They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.
29And they twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on His head. They put a staff in His right hand, knelt down before Him, and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Praised-Ones!”
30Then they spit on Him and took the staff and struck Him on the head repeatedly.
31After they had mocked Him, they removed the robe and put His own clothes back on Him. Then they led Him away to crucify Him.
32Along the way they found a man from Cyrene, named Heard, and they forced him to carry the cross of He-Who-Is-Saves.
33And when they came to a place called Place-of-the-Skull, which means The Place of the Skull,
34they offered Him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it.
35When they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments by casting lots.
36And sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.
37Above His head they posted the written charge against Him: THIS IS He-Who-Is-Saves, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
38Two robbers were crucified with Him, one on His right and the other on His left.
39And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads
40and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross!”
41In the same way, the chief priests, scribes, and elders mocked Him, saying,
42“He saved others, but He cannot save Himself. He is the King of He-Strives-with-God! Let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him.
43He trusts in God. Let God deliver Him now if He wants Him. For He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
44In the same way, even the robbers who were crucified with Him berated Him.
45From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.
46About the ninth hour He-Who-Is-Saves cried out in a loud voice, “My-Lifting-Up, My-Lifting-Up, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
47When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He is calling My-God-Is-He-Who-Is.”
48One of them quickly ran and brought a sponge. He filled it with sour wine, put it on a reed, and held it up for He-Who-Is-Saves to drink.
49But the others said, “Leave Him alone. Let us see if My-God-Is-He-Who-Is comes to save Him.”
50When He-Who-Is-Saves had cried out again in a loud voice, He yielded up His spirit.
51At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, and the rocks were split.
52The tombs broke open, and the bodies of many devoted ones who had fallen asleep were raised.
53After He-Who-Is-Saves’ resurrection, when they had come out of the tombs, they entered the devoted city and appeared to many people.
54When the centurion and those with him who were guarding He-Who-Is-Saves saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified and said, “Truly this was the Son of God.”
55And many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed He-Who-Is-Saves from The-Circuit to minister to Him.
56Among them were Bitter Tower-Woman, Bitter the mother of Heel-Grabber and Josech, and the mother of He-Who-Is-Has-Given’s sons.
57When it was evening, there came a rich man from Heights named Josech, who himself was a disciple of He-Who-Is-Saves.
58He went to Pilate to ask for the body of He-Who-Is-Saves, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him.
59So Josech took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
60and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut into the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance to the tomb and went away.
61Bitter Tower-Woman and the other Bitter were sitting there opposite the tomb.
62The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and Separated-Ones assembled before Pilate.
63“Sir,” they said, “we remember that while He was alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’
64So give the order that the tomb be secured until the third day. Otherwise, His apprentices may come and steal Him away and tell the people He has risen from the dead. And this last deception would be worse than the first.”
65“You have a guard,” Pilate said. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.”
66So they went and secured the tomb by sealing the stone and posting the guard.