When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the
people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. And they
bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the
governor.
Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he
changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to
the chief priests and the elders, saying, “I have sinned by
betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to
it yourself.” And throwing down the pieces of silver into the
temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. But the chief
priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to
put them into the treasury, since it is blood money.” So they took
counsel and bought with them the potter's field as a burial place
for strangers. Therefore that field has been called the Field of
Blood to this day. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the
prophet Jeremiah, saying, “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, and they gave them for the potter's field, as
the Lord directed me.”
Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him,
“Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You have said so.” But
when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no
answer. Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things
they testify against you?” But he gave him no answer, not even to a
single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.
Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the
crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. And they had then a
notorious prisoner called Barabbas. So when they had gathered,
Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you:
Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” For he knew that it was
out of envy that they had delivered him up. Besides, while he was
sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have
nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much
because of him today in a dream.” Now the chief priests and the
elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.
The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me
to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” Pilate said to
them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They
all said, “Let him be crucified!” And he said, “Why? What evil has
he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”
So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a
riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the
crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it
yourselves.” And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and
on our children!” Then he released for them Barabbas, and having
scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's
headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And
they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 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 mocked him,
saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and took the
reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they
stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him
away to crucify him.
As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They
compelled this man to carry his cross. And when they came to a
place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered
him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would
not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his
garments among them by casting lots. Then they sat down and kept
watch over him there. And over his head they put the charge against
him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” Then two
robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the
left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and
saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three
days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the
cross.” So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders,
mocked him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is
the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we
will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if
he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” And the
robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same
way.
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land
until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with
a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My
God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders,
hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” And one of them at
once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on
a reed and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, “Wait, let
us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” And Jesus cried out
again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top
to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs
also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen
asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his
resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over
Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled
with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who
had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, among whom
were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the
mother of the sons of Zebedee.
When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named
Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and
asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to
him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen
shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the
rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and
went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting
opposite the tomb.
The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief
priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we
remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After
three days I will rise.’ Therefore order the tomb to be made secure
until the third day, 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.” Pilate said to them, “You have a
guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” So they went
and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.
