Matthew 27
New King James Version
Jesus Handed Over to Pontius Pilate(A)
27 When morning came, (B)all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death. 2 And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and (C)delivered Him to [a]Pontius Pilate the governor.
Judas Hangs Himself(D)
3 (E)Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty (F)pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”
And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!”
5 Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and (G)departed, and went and hanged himself.
6 But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood.” 7 And they consulted together and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. 8 Therefore that field has been called (H)the Field of Blood to this day.
9 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, (I)“And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced, 10 and (J)gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.”
Jesus Faces Pilate(K)
11 Now Jesus stood before the governor. (L)And the governor asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
Jesus said to him, (M)“It is as you say.” 12 And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, (N)He answered nothing.
13 Then Pilate said to Him, (O)“Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” 14 But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.
Taking the Place of Barabbas(P)
15 (Q)Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. 16 And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called [b]Barabbas. 17 Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 For he knew that they had handed Him over because of (R)envy.
19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.”
20 (S)But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?”
They said, (T)“Barabbas!”
22 Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”
They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!”
23 Then the governor said, (U)“Why, what evil has He done?”
But they cried out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!”
24 When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a [c]tumult was rising, he (V)took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this [d]just Person. You see to it.”
25 And all the people answered and said, (W)“His blood be on us and on our children.”
26 Then he released Barabbas to them; and when (X)he had [e]scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.
The Soldiers Mock Jesus(Y)
27 (Z)Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the [f]Praetorium and gathered the whole [g]garrison around Him. 28 And they (AA)stripped Him and (AB)put a scarlet robe on Him. 29 (AC)When they had [h]twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 Then (AD)they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, (AE)and led Him away to be crucified.
The King on a Cross(AF)
32 (AG)Now as they came out, (AH)they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross. 33 (AI)And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, 34 (AJ)they gave Him [i]sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.
35 (AK)Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, [j]that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet:
(AL)“They divided My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots.”
36 (AM)Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. 37 And they (AN)put up over His head the accusation written against Him:
THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
38 (AO)Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left.
39 And (AP)those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, (AQ)“You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! (AR)If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”
41 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the [k]scribes and elders, said, 42 “He (AS)saved others; Himself He cannot save. [l]If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe [m]Him. 43 (AT)He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”
44 (AU)Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.
Jesus Dies on the Cross(AV)
45 (AW)Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 46 And about the ninth hour (AX)Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, (AY)“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
47 Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” 48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, (AZ)filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink.
49 The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”
50 And Jesus (BA)cried out again with a loud voice, and (BB)yielded up His spirit.
51 Then, behold, (BC)the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
54 (BD)So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, (BE)“Truly this was the Son of God!”
55 And many women (BF)who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, 56 (BG)among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and [n]Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
Jesus Buried in Joseph’s Tomb(BH)
57 Now (BI)when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. 58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. 59 When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and (BJ)laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed. 61 And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting [o]opposite the tomb.
Pilate Sets a Guard
62 On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, 63 saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, (BK)‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come [p]by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first.”
65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure, (BL)sealing the stone and setting the guard.
Footnotes
- Matthew 27:2 NU omits Pontius
- Matthew 27:16 NU Jesus Barabbas
- Matthew 27:24 an uproar
- Matthew 27:24 NU omits just
- Matthew 27:26 flogged with a Roman scourge
- Matthew 27:27 The governor’s headquarters
- Matthew 27:27 cohort
- Matthew 27:29 Lit. woven
- Matthew 27:34 NU omits sour
- Matthew 27:35 NU, M omit the rest of v. 35.
- Matthew 27:41 M scribes, the Pharisees, and the elders
- Matthew 27:42 NU omits If
- Matthew 27:42 NU, M in Him
- Matthew 27:56 NU Joseph
- Matthew 27:61 in front of
- Matthew 27:64 NU omits by night
Matthew 27
Tree of Life Version
Judah’s Remorse
27 When daybreak came, the ruling kohanim and elders of the people conspired against Yeshua to put Him to death. 2 And they tied Him up, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate, the governor. 3 Then Judah, His betrayer, saw that Yeshua had been condemned. Feeling remorse, he brought the thirty silver pieces back to the ruling kohanim and elders, 4 saying, “I’ve sinned, betraying innocent blood!”
But they said, “What’s that to us? You see to it yourself!” 5 After tossing the silver into the Temple sanctuary, he left. Then he went off and hanged himself. 6 But the ruling kohanim took the silver pieces and said, “It is not permitted to put these in the treasury, since it is blood money.” 7 So after they conferred, they bought with them the potter’s field, as a cemetery for strangers. 8 For this reason that field has been called the “Field of Blood” to this day. 9 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “And they took the thirty silver pieces, the price of Him on whom a price had been set by Bnei-Yisrael; 10 and they gave them for the potter’s field, just as Adonai arranged for me.”[a]
“Kill the King!”
11 Now Yeshua stood before the governor. The governor questioned Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
“You say so,” Yeshua said. 12 And while He was accused by the ruling kohanim and elders, He did not answer.
13 Then Pilate said to Him, “Don’t You hear how many things they testify against you?” 14 Yeshua did not answer, not even one word, so the governor was greatly amazed.
15 Now during the feast, the governor was accustomed to release to the crowd one prisoner, anyone they wanted. 16 At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Yeshua Bar-Abba. 17 So when they were gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Which one do you want me to release for you? Yeshua who is Bar-Abba, or Yeshua who is called Messiah?” [b] 18 For he knew that they had handed Him over out of envy.
19 While Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “Don’t have anything to do with that righteous Man, for today I’ve suffered many things in a dream because of Him.”
20 Now the ruling kohanim and elders persuaded the crowds that they should ask for Bar-Abba and destroy Yeshua. 21 But the governor responded, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?”
And they said, “Bar-Abba!”
22 Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do with Yeshua, who is called Messiah?”
“Execute Him!” all of them say.
23 But Pilate said, “Why? What evil has He done?”
But they kept shouting all the more, saying, “Let Him be executed!”
24 When Pilate saw he was accomplishing nothing, but instead a riot was starting, he took some water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this blood,”[c] he said. “You see to it yourselves!”
25 All the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children!”[d]
26 Then he released to them Bar-Abba. And after he had Yeshua scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.
Nailed to a Stake
27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Yeshua into the Praetorium and gathered the whole cohort around Him. 28 They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe around Him. 29 And after braiding a crown of thorns, they placed it on His head and put a staff in His right hand. And falling on their knees before Him, they mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 They spat on Him, and they took the staff and beat Him over and over on the head. 31 When they finished mocking Him, they stripped the robe off Him and put His own clothes back on Him. And they led Him away to crucify Him.
32 As they came out, they found a man from Cyrene, Simon by name. They forced him into service, to carry Yeshua’s cross-beam. [e] 33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (that is to say, Place of a Skull), 34 they offered Him wine mixed with gall to drink;[f] but after tasting, He was unwilling to drink it. 35 And when they had crucified Him, they divided His clothing among themselves by casting lots. [g] 36 And they sat down and kept guard over Him there. 37 Over His head they put the charge against Him, which read: “THIS IS YESHUA, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
38 Then two outlaws were executed with Him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 Those passing by were jeering at Him,[h] shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If you are Ben-Elohim, come down from the stake!”
41 Likewise the ruling kohanim, along with the Torah scholars and elders, were also mocking Him. 42 “He saved others,” they were saying, “but He can’t save Himself? He’s the King of Israel! Let Him come down now from the stake, and we’ll believe in Him! 43 He trusts in God; let God rescue Him now, if He wants Him.[i] For He said, ‘I am Ben-Elohim.’” 44 Even the outlaws who were executed with Him were ridiculing Him in the same way.[j]
Yeshua Lays Down His Life
45 Now from the sixth hour, darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. [k] 46 About the ninth hour Yeshua cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?”[l] that is, “My God, My God, why have You abandoned Me?”
47 When some of those standing there heard it, they began saying, “This Man is calling for Elijah.” 48 Right away one of them ran and took a sponge. He filled it with sour wine and put it on a stick, and was offering it to Yeshua to drink. [m] 49 But the rest were saying, “Leave Him alone! Let’s see if Elijah comes to save Him.” 50 And Yeshua cried out again with a loud voice and gave up His spirit.
51 And behold, the curtain[n] of the Temple was split in two, from top to bottom. And the earth quaked and rocks were split apart. 52 And the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the kedoshim who were sleeping were raised to life. 53 And coming forth out of the tombs after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
54 Now the centurion, and those with him keeping guard over Yeshua, when they saw the earthquake and what was happening, they became terribly frightened and said, “This really was the Son of God!”
The Tomb Is Sealed
55 Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Yeshua from the Galilee, serving Him. 56 Among them were Miriam from Magdala, Miriam the mother of Jacob and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
57 Now when it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had also become a disciple of Yeshua. 58 This man went to Pilate and asked for Yeshua’s body. Then Pilate ordered it to be given up. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. 60 And he laid it in his own new tomb,[o] which he had cut in the rock. Then he rolled a large stone up to the door of the tomb and went away. 61 Now Miriam from Magdala was there, and the other Miriam, sitting opposite the tomb.
Guarding the Tomb
62 Now on the next day, which is after the preparation, the ruling kohanim and Pharisees were gathered before Pilate. 63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember how that deceiver said while He was still alive, ‘After three days I’m to be raised.’ 64 Therefore, order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, so His disciples do not come and steal Him away. They will tell the people, ‘He is risen from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first!”
65 “You have a guard,” Pilate said to them. “Go, make it as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone along with the soldiers of the guard.
Footnotes
- Matthew 27:10 cf. Zech. 11:12-13; Jer. 18:2-6; 32:6-15; 19:1-13.
- Matthew 27:18 Most mss. omit Yeshua before Bar-Abba. Bar-Abba is Aramaic for Son of the Father.
- Matthew 27:24 Some mss. say this righteous blood or this righteous Man’s blood.
- Matthew 27:25 cf. Josh. 2:19.
- Matthew 27:33 Probably the patibulum, the horizontal piece of the execution stake, weighing about 100 lbs.
- Matthew 27:34 cf. Ps. 69:22(21).
- Matthew 27:36 Ps. 22:19(18).
- Matthew 27:39 cf. Ps. 22:8(7).
- Matthew 27:43 cf. Ps. 22:8.
- Matthew 27:44 cf. Isa. 53:3.
- Matthew 27:46 From noon until 3 p.m.; cf. Job 5:14; Ps. 105:28.
- Matthew 27:46 Ps. 22:2(1); cf. Deut. 32:20.
- Matthew 27:49 cf. Ps. 69:22(21).
- Matthew 27:51 Heb. parokhet, veil or inner curtain; cf. Exod. 26:33; 2 Chr. 3:14; Heb. 9:3.
- Matthew 27:60 cf. Isa. 53:9.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.