Matthew 27
27
Jesus Is Taken to Pilate
1Early the next morning, all the leading priests and elders of the people decided to kill Jesus. 2They tied him, led him away, and turned him over to Pilate, the governor.
Judas Kills Himself
3Judas saw that they had decided to kill Jesus. Judas was the one who gave Jesus to his enemies. When Judas saw what happened, he was very sorry for what he had done. So he took the 30 silver coins back to the priests and the leaders. 4Judas said, “I sinned. I gave you an innocent man to be killed.”
The leaders answered, “What is that to us? That’s your problem, not ours.”
5So Judas threw the money into the Temple. Then he went off and hanged himself.
6The leading priests picked up the silver coins in the Temple. They said, “Our law does not allow us to keep this money with the Temple money. This money has paid for a man’s death.” 7So they decided to use the coins to buy a field called Potter’s Field. This field would be a place to bury strangers who died while visiting Jerusalem. 8That is why that field is still called the Field of Blood. 9So the thing came true that Jeremiah the prophet had said: “They took 30 silver coins. That is how little the Israelites thought he was worth. 10They used those 30 silver coins to buy Potter’s Field, as the Lord commanded me.”# See Zechariah 11:12–13 and Jeremiah 32:6–9.
Pilate Questions Jesus
11Jesus stood before Pilate the governor. Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
Jesus answered, “Yes, I am.”
12When the leading priests and the elders accused Jesus, he said nothing.
13So Pilate said to Jesus, “Don’t you hear these people accusing you of all these things?”
14But Jesus said nothing in answer to Pilate. Pilate was very surprised at this.
Pilate Tries to Free Jesus
15Every year at the time of Passover the governor would free one person from prison. This was always a person the people wanted to be set free. 16At that time there was a man in prison who was known to be very bad. His name was Barabbas.# Some Greek copies read “Jesus Barabbas.” 17All the people gathered at Pilate’s house. Pilate said, “Which man do you want me to free: Barabbas,# Some Greek copies read “Jesus Barabbas.” or Jesus who is called the Christ?” 18Pilate knew that they gave Jesus to him because they were jealous.
19Pilate said these things while he was sitting on the judge’s seat. While he was sitting there, his wife sent a message to him. The message said, “Don’t do anything to that man. He is not guilty. Today I had a dream about him, and it troubled me very much.”
20But the leading priests and elders told the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be freed and for Jesus to be killed.
21Pilate said, “I have Barabbas and Jesus. Which do you want me to set free for you?”
The people answered, “Barabbas!”
22Pilate asked, “What should I do with Jesus, the one called the Christ?”
They all answered, “Kill him on a cross!”
23Pilate asked, “Why do you want me to kill him? What wrong has he done?”
But they shouted louder, “Kill him on a cross!”
24Pilate saw that he could do nothing about this, and a riot was starting. So he took some water and washed his hands# He did this as a sign to show that he wanted no part in what the people did. in front of the crowd. Then he said, “I am not guilty of this man’s death. You are the ones who are causing it!”
25All the people answered, “We will be responsible. We accept for ourselves and for our children any punishment for his death.”
26Then Pilate freed Barabbas. Pilate told some of the soldiers to beat Jesus with whips. Then he gave Jesus to the soldiers to be killed on a cross.
27Pilate’s soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s palace. All the soldiers gathered around Jesus. 28They took off his clothes and put a red robe on him. 29Then the soldiers used thorny branches to make a crown. They put this crown of thorns on Jesus’ head. They put a stick in his right hand. Then the soldiers bowed before Jesus and made fun of him. They said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30They spit on Jesus. Then they took his stick and hit him on the head many times. 31After they finished making fun of Jesus, the soldiers took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led Jesus away to be killed on a cross.
Jesus Is Killed on a Cross
32The soldiers were going out of the city with Jesus. They forced another man to carry the cross to be used for Jesus. This man was Simon, from Cyrene. 33They all came to the place called Golgotha. (Golgotha means the Place of the Skull.) 34At Golgotha, the soldiers gave Jesus wine to drink. This wine was mixed with gall.# Probably a drink of wine mixed with drugs to help a person feel less pain. He tasted the wine but refused to drink it. 35The soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross. They threw lots to decide who would get his clothes.# Some Greek copies continue, “So what God said through the prophet came true, ‘They divided my clothes among them, and they threw lots for my clothing.’” 36The soldiers sat there and continued watching him. 37They put a sign above Jesus’ head with the charge against him written on it. The sign read: “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” 38Two robbers were nailed to crosses beside Jesus, one on the right and the other on the left. 39People walked by and insulted Jesus. They shook their heads, 40saying, “You said you could destroy the Temple and build it again in three days. So save yourself! Come down from that cross, if you are really the Son of God!”
41The leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the Jewish elders were also there. These men made fun of Jesus 42and said, “He saved other people, but he can’t save himself! People say he is the King of Israel! If he is the King, then let him come down now from the cross. Then we will believe in him. 43He trusts in God. So let God save him now, if God really wants him. He himself said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44And in the same way, the robbers who were being killed on crosses beside Jesus also insulted him.
Jesus Dies
45At noon the whole country became dark. This darkness lasted for three hours. 46About three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” This means, “My God, my God, why have you left me alone?”
47Some of the people standing there heard this. They said, “He is calling Elijah.”
48Quickly one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled the sponge with vinegar and tied it to a stick. Then he used the stick to give the sponge to Jesus to drink from it. 49But the others said, “Don’t bother him. We want to see if Elijah will come to save him.”
50Again Jesus cried out in a loud voice. Then he died.
51Then the curtain in the Temple# A curtain divided the Most Holy Place from the other part of the Temple. That was the special building in Jerusalem where God commanded the Jews to worship him. split into two pieces. The tear started at the top and tore all the way down to the bottom. Also, the earth shook and rocks broke apart. 52The graves opened, and many of God’s people who had died were raised from death. 53They came out of the graves after Jesus was raised from death. They went into the holy city, and many people saw them.
54The army officer and the soldiers guarding Jesus saw this earthquake and everything else that happened. They were very frightened and said, “He really was the Son of God!”
55Many women were standing at a distance from the cross, watching. These were women who had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for him. 56Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of James and John were there.
Jesus Is Buried
57That evening a rich man named Joseph came to Jerusalem. He was a follower of Jesus from the town of Arimathea. 58Joseph went to Pilate and asked to have Jesus’ body. Pilate gave orders for the soldiers to give it to Joseph. 59Then Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. 60He put Jesus’ body in a new tomb that he had cut in a wall of rock. He rolled a very large stone to block the entrance of the tomb. Then Joseph went away. 61Mary Magdalene and the other woman named Mary were sitting near the tomb.
The Tomb of Jesus Is Guarded
62That day was the day called Preparation Day. The next day, the leading priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63They said, “Sir, we remember that while that liar was still alive he said, ‘After three days I will rise from death.’ 64So give the order for the tomb to be guarded closely till the third day. His followers might come and steal the body. Then they could tell the people that he has risen from death. That lie would be even worse than the first one.”
65Pilate said, “Take some soldiers and go guard the tomb the best way you know.” 66So they all went to the tomb and made it safe from thieves. They did this by sealing the stone in the entrance and then putting soldiers there to guard it.
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Matthew 27: ICB
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Matthew 27
27
Jesus Is Taken to Governor Pilate
(Mk. 15:1; Lk. 23:1–2; Jn. 18:28–32)
1Early the next morning, all the leading priests and older leaders of the people met and decided to kill Jesus. 2They tied him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.
Judas Kills Himself
(Acts 1:18–19)
3Judas saw that they had decided to kill Jesus. He was the one who had handed him over. When he saw what happened, he was very sorry for what he had done. So he took the 30 silver coins back to the leading priests and the older leaders. 4Judas said, “I sinned. I handed over to you an innocent man to be killed.”
The Jewish leaders answered, “We don’t care! That’s a problem for you, not us.”
5So Judas threw the money into the Temple. Then he went out from there and hanged himself.
6The leading priests picked up the silver coins in the Temple. They said, “Our law does not allow us to keep this money with the Temple money, because this money has paid for a man’s death.” 7So they decided to use the money to buy a field called Potter’s Field. This field would be a place to bury people who died while visiting in Jerusalem. 8That is why that field is still called the Field of Blood. 9This showed the full meaning of what Jeremiah the prophet said:
“They took 30 silver coins. That was how much the people of Israel decided to pay for his life. 10They used those 30 silver coins to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”#27:10 “They took … me” See Zech. 11:12-13; Jer. 32:6-9.
Governor Pilate Questions Jesus
(Mk. 15:2–5; Lk. 23:3–5; Jn. 18:33–38)
11Jesus stood before Pilate, the governor, who asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
Jesus answered, “Yes, that’s right.”
12Then, when the leading priests and the older Jewish leaders made their accusations against Jesus, he said nothing.
13So Pilate said to him, “Don’t you hear all these charges they are making against you? Why don’t you answer?”
14But Jesus did not say anything, and this really surprised the governor.
Pilate Tries but Fails to Free Jesus
(Mk. 15:6–15; Lk. 23:13–25; Jn. 18:39–19:16)
15Every year at Passover time the governor would free one prisoner—whichever one the people wanted him to free. 16At that time there was a man in prison who was known to be very bad. His name was Barabbas.#27:16 Barabbas In some Greek copies the name is Jesus Barabbas.
17When a crowd gathered, Pilate said to them, “I will free one man for you. Which one do you want me to free: Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” 18Pilate knew that they had handed Jesus over to him because they were jealous of him.
19While Pilate was sitting there in the place for judging, his wife sent a message to him. It said, “Don’t do anything with that man. He is not guilty. Last night I had a dream about him, and it troubled me very much.”
20But the leading priests and older Jewish leaders told the people to ask for Barabbas to be set free and for Jesus to be killed.
21Pilate said, “I have Barabbas and Jesus. Which one do you want me to set free for you?”
The people answered, “Barabbas!”
22Pilate asked, “So what should I do with Jesus, the one called the Messiah?”
All the people said, “Kill him on a cross!”
23Pilate asked, “Why do you want me to kill him? What wrong has he done?”
But they shouted louder, “Kill him on a cross!”
24Pilate saw that there was nothing he could do to make the people change. In fact, it looked as if there would be a riot. So he took some water and washed his hands#27:24 washed his hands Pilate did this as a sign to show that he wanted no part in what the people did. in front of them all. He said, “I am not guilty of this man’s death. You are the ones who are doing it!”
25The people answered, “We will take full responsibility for his death. You can blame us and even our children!”
26Then Pilate set Barabbas free. And he told some soldiers to beat Jesus with whips. Then he handed him over to the soldiers to be killed on a cross.
Pilate’s Soldiers Make Fun of Jesus
(Mk. 15:16–20; Jn. 19:2–3)
27Then Pilate’s soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s palace. All the soldiers gathered around him. 28They took off Jesus’ clothes and put a red robe on him. 29Then they made a crown from thorny branches and put it on his head, and they put a stick in his right hand. Then they bowed before him, making fun of him. They said, “We salute you, king of the Jews!” 30They spit on him. Then they took his stick and kept hitting him on the head with it. 31After they finished making fun of him, the soldiers took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be killed on a cross.
Jesus Is Nailed to a Cross
(Mk. 15:21–32; Lk. 23:26–39; Jn. 19:17–19)
32The soldiers were going out of the city with Jesus. They saw a man from Cyrene named Simon, and they forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. 33They came to the place called Golgotha. (Golgotha means “The Place of the Skull.”) 34There the soldiers gave Jesus some wine mixed with gall.#27:34 gall Probably used as a drug to relieve pain. But when he tasted it, he refused to drink it.
35The soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross. Then they threw dice to divide his clothes between them. 36The soldiers stayed there to guard him. 37They put a sign above his head with the charge against him written on it: “this is jesus, the king of the jews.”
38Two criminals were nailed to crosses beside Jesus—one on the right and the other on the left. 39People walked by and shouted insults at Jesus. They shook their heads 40and said, “You said you could destroy the Temple and build it again in three days. So save yourself! Come down from that cross if you really are the Son of God!”
41The leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the older Jewish leaders were also there. They made fun of Jesus the same as the other people did. 42They said, “He saved others, but he can’t save himself! People say he is the king of Israel. If he is the king, he should come down now from the cross. Then we will believe in him. 43He trusted God. So let God save him now, if God really wants him. He himself said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44And in the same way, the criminals on the crosses beside Jesus also insulted him.
Jesus Dies
(Mk. 15:33–41; Lk. 23:44–49; Jn. 19:28–30)
45At noon the whole country became dark. The darkness continued for three hours. 46About three o’clock Jesus cried out loudly, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” This means “My God, my God, why have you left me alone?”#Quote from Ps. 22:1.
47Some of the people standing there heard this. They said, “He is calling Elijah.”#27:47 “He is calling Elijah” The word for “My God” (Eli in Hebrew or Eloi in Aramaic) sounded to the people like the name of Elijah, a famous man who spoke for God about 850 B.C.
48Quickly, one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled the sponge with sour wine and tied the sponge to a stick. Then he used the stick to give the sponge to Jesus to get a drink from it. 49But the others said, “Don’t bother him. We want to see if Elijah will come to save him.”
50Again Jesus cried out loudly and then died.#27:50 died Literally, “let his spirit leave.”
51When Jesus died, the curtain in the Temple was torn into two pieces. The tear started at the top and tore all the way to the bottom. Also, the earth shook and rocks were broken. 52The graves opened, and many of God’s people who had died were raised from death. 53They came out of the graves. And after Jesus was raised from death, they went into the holy city, and many people saw them.
54The army officer and the soldiers guarding Jesus saw this earthquake and everything that happened. They were very afraid and said, “He really was the Son of God!”
55Many women were standing away from the cross, watching. These were the women who had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for him. 56Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of James and John#27:56 James and John Literally, “the sons of Zebedee.” were there.
Jesus Is Buried
(Mk. 15:42–47; Lk. 23:50–56; Jn. 19:38–42)
57That evening a rich man named Joseph came to Jerusalem. He was a follower of Jesus from the town of Arimathea. 58He went to Pilate and asked to have Jesus’ body. Pilate gave orders for the soldiers to give Jesus’ body to him. 59Then Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a new linen cloth. 60He put Jesus’ body in a new tomb that he had dug in a wall of rock. Then he closed the tomb by rolling a very large stone to cover the entrance. After he did this, he went away. 61Mary Magdalene and the other woman named Mary were sitting near the tomb.
The Tomb of Jesus Is Guarded
62That day was the day called Preparation day. The next day, the leading priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63They said, “Sir, we remember that while that liar was still alive he said, ‘I will rise from death in three days.’ 64So give the order for the tomb to be guarded well for three days. His followers might come and try to steal the body. Then they could tell everyone that he has risen from death. That lie will be even worse than what they said about him before.”
65Pilate said, “Take some soldiers and go guard the tomb the best way you know.” 66So they all went to the tomb and made it safe from thieves. They did this by sealing the stone in the entrance and putting soldiers there to guard it.
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