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Matthew 27
Contemporary English Version
Matthew 27
Contemporary English Version
Jesus Is Taken to Pilate
(Mark 15.1; Luke 23.1,2; John 18.28-32)
27 Early the next morning all the chief priests and the nation's leaders met and decided that Jesus should be put to death. 2 They tied him up and led him away to Pilate the governor.
The Death of Judas
(Acts 1.18,19)
3 (A) Judas had betrayed Jesus, but when he learned that Jesus had been sentenced to death, he was sorry for what he had done. He returned the 30 silver coins to the chief priests and leaders 4 and said, “I have sinned by betraying a man who has never done anything wrong.”
“So what? That's your problem,” they replied. 5 Judas threw the money into the temple and then went out and hanged himself.
6 The chief priests picked up the money and said, “This money was paid to have a man killed. We can't put it in the temple treasury.” 7 Then they had a meeting and decided to buy a field that belonged to someone who made clay pots. They wanted to use it as a graveyard for foreigners. 8 This is why people still call that place “Field of Blood.” 9 (B) So the words of the prophet Jeremiah came true,
“They took
the thirty silver coins,
the price of a person
among the people of Israel.
10 They paid it
for a potter's field,[a]
as the Lord
had commanded me.”
Pilate Questions Jesus
(Mark 15.2-5; Luke 23.3-5; John 18.33-38)
11 Jesus was brought before Pilate the governor, who asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
“Those are your words!” Jesus answered. 12 And when the chief priests and leaders brought their charges against him, he did not say a thing.
13 Pilate asked him, “Don't you hear what crimes they say you have done?” 14 But Jesus did not say anything, and the governor was greatly amazed.
The Death Sentence
(Mark 15.6-15; Luke 23.13-26; John 18.39—19.16)
15 During Passover the governor always freed a prisoner chosen by the people. 16 At that time a well-known terrorist named Jesus Barabbas[b] was in jail. 17 So when the crowd came together, Pilate asked them, “Which prisoner do you want me to set free? Do you want Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” 18 Pilate knew the leaders had brought Jesus to him because they were jealous.
19 While Pilate was judging the case, his wife sent him a message. It said, “Don't have anything to do with that innocent man. I have had nightmares because of him.”
20 But the chief priests and the leaders convinced the crowds to ask for Barabbas to be set free and for Jesus to be killed. 21 Pilate asked the crowd again, “Which of these two men do you want me to set free?”
“Barabbas!” they shouted.
22 Pilate asked them, “What am I to do with Jesus, who is called the Messiah?”
They all yelled, “Nail him to a cross!”
23 Pilate answered, “But what crime has he done?”
“Nail him to a cross!” they yelled even louder.
24 (C) Pilate saw that there was nothing he could do and that the people were starting to riot. So he took some water and washed his hands[c] in front of them and said, “I won't have anything to do with killing this man. You are the ones doing it!”
25 Everyone answered, “We and our own families will take the blame for his death!”
26 Pilate set Barabbas free. Then he ordered his soldiers to beat Jesus with a whip and nail him to a cross.
Soldiers Make Fun of Jesus
(Mark 15.16-21; John 19.2,3)
27 The governor's soldiers led Jesus into the fortress[d] and brought together the rest of the troops. 28 They stripped off Jesus' clothes and put a scarlet robe[e] on him. 29 They made a crown out of thorn branches and placed it on his head, and they put a stick in his right hand. The soldiers knelt down and pretended to worship him. They made fun of him and shouted, “Hey, you king of the Jews!” 30 Then they spit on him. They took the stick from him and beat him on the head with it.
Jesus Is Nailed to a Cross
(Mark 15.22-32; Luke 23.27-43; John 19.17-27)
31 When the soldiers had finished making fun of Jesus, they took off the robe. They put his own clothes back on him and led him off to be nailed to a cross. 32 On the way they met a man named Simon who was from Cyrene, and they forced him to carry Jesus' cross.
33 They came to a place named Golgotha, which means “Place of a Skull.”[f] 34 (D) There they gave Jesus some wine mixed with a drug to ease the pain. But when Jesus tasted what it was, he refused to drink it.
35 (E) The soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross and gambled to see who would get his clothes. 36 Then they sat down to guard him. 37 Above his head they put a sign that told why he was nailed there. It read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38 The soldiers also nailed two criminals on crosses, one to the right of Jesus and the other to his left.
39 (F) People who passed by said terrible things about Jesus. They shook their heads and 40 (G) shouted, “So you're the one who claimed you could tear down the temple and build it again in three days! If you are God's Son, save yourself and come down from the cross!”
41 The chief priests, the leaders, and the teachers of the Law of Moses also made fun of Jesus. They said, 42 “He saved others, but he can't save himself. If he is the king of Israel, he should come down from the cross! Then we will believe him. 43 (H) He trusted God, so let God save him, if he wants to. He even said he was God's Son.” 44 The two criminals also said cruel things to Jesus.
The Death of Jesus
(Mark 15.33-41; Luke 23.44-49; John 19.28-30)
45 At noon the sky turned dark and stayed that way until three o'clock. 46 (I) Then about that time Jesus shouted, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?”[g] which means, “My God, my God, why have you deserted me?”
47 Some of the people standing there heard Jesus and said, “He's calling for Elijah.”[h] 48 (J) One of them at once ran and grabbed a sponge. He soaked it in wine, then put it on a stick and held it up to Jesus.
49 Others said, “Wait! Let's see if Elijah will come[i] and save him.” 50 Once again Jesus shouted, and then he died.
51 (K) At once the curtain in the temple[j] was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, and rocks split apart. 52 Graves opened, and many of God's people were raised to life. 53 They left their graves, and after Jesus had risen to life, they went into the holy city, where they were seen by many people.
54 The officer and the soldiers guarding Jesus felt the earthquake and saw everything else that happened. They were frightened and said, “This man really was God's Son!”
55 (L) Many women had come with Jesus from Galilee to be of help to him, and they were there, looking on at a distance. 56 Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of James and John[k] were some of these women.
Jesus Is Buried
(Mark 15.42-47; Luke 23.50-56; John 19.38-42)
57 That evening a rich disciple named Joseph from the town of Arimathea 58 went and asked for Jesus' body. Pilate gave orders for it to be given to Joseph, 59 who took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. 60 Then Joseph put the body in his own tomb that had been cut into solid rock[l] and had never been used. He rolled a big stone against the entrance to the tomb and went away.
61 All this time Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting across from the tomb.
62 On the next day, which was a Sabbath, the chief priests and the Pharisees went together to Pilate. 63 (M) They said, “Sir, we remember what this liar said while he was still alive. He claimed in three days he would come back from death. 64 So please order the tomb to be carefully guarded for three days. If you don't, his disciples may come and steal his body. They will tell the people he has been raised to life, and this last lie will be worse than the first one.”[m]
65 Pilate said to them, “All right, take some of your soldiers and guard the tomb as well as you know how.” 66 So they sealed it tight and placed soldiers there to guard it.
Footnotes
- 27.10 a potter's field: Perhaps a field owned by someone who made clay pots. But it may have been a field where potters came to get clay or to make pots or to throw away their broken pieces of pottery.
- 27.16 Jesus Barabbas: Here and in verse 17 many manuscripts have “Barabbas.”
- 27.24 washed his hands: To show that he was innocent.
- 27.27 fortress: The place where the Roman governor stayed. It was probably at Herod's palace west of Jerusalem, though it may have been Fortress Antonia north of the temple, where the Roman troops were stationed.
- 27.28 scarlet robe: This was probably a Roman soldier's robe.
- 27.33 Place of a Skull: The place was probably given this name because it was near a large rock in the shape of a human skull.
- 27.46 Eli … sabachthani: These words are in Hebrew.
- 27.47 Elijah: In Aramaic the name “Elijah” sounds like “Eli,” which means “my God.”
- 27.49 Elijah will come: See the note at 16.14.
- 27.51 curtain in the temple: There were two curtains in the temple. One was at the entrance, and the other separated the holy place from the most holy place that the Jewish people thought of as God's home on earth. The second curtain is probably the one that is meant.
- 27.56 of James and John: The Greek text has “of Zebedee's sons” (see 26.37).
- 27.60 tomb … solid rock: Some of the Jewish people buried their dead in rooms carved into solid rock. A heavy stone was rolled against the entrance.
- 27.64 the first one: Probably the belief that Jesus is the Messiah.
Matthew 27
New International Version
Matthew 27
New International Version
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)
Footnotes
- Matthew 27:10 See Zech. 11:12,13; Jer. 19:1-13; 32:6-9.
- Matthew 27:16 Many manuscripts do not have Jesus; also in verse 17.
- Matthew 27:46 Some manuscripts Eloi, Eloi
- Matthew 27:46 Psalm 22:1
- Matthew 27:53 Or tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they
- Matthew 27:56 Greek Joses, a variant of Joseph
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