27:1 At dawn, a council convened with all the ruling priests and elders of the people to decide how to have Jesus executed.

27:2 Then they tied him up and handed him over to the governor.

27:3 When the traitor Judas saw this, he was filled with remorse and tried to return the thirty pieces of silver to the ruling priests and elders:

27:4 “I have betrayed innocent blood!” “What is that to us?” they retorted. “That’s your problem.”

27:5 So Judas flung the silver into the temple, then went off and hanged himself.

27:6 The ruling priests picked up the silver but said, “We can’t use this as a gift offering, because it’s blood money.”

27:7 So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field, which would then serve as a graveyard for foreigners.

27:8 So it was known from then on as The Field of Blood.

27:9 This fulfilled what was said by the prophet Jeremiah: “They took the thirty pieces of silver— the price agreed upon by the people of Israel—

27:10 and bought the potter’s field, as my Master instructed.”

27:11 Now Jesus was standing before the governor, and he asked him, “Are you the king of the Judeans?”“You said it yourself,” replied Jesus.

27:12 The ruing priests and elders were hurling many accusations, but Jesus made no responses.

27:13 So Pilate said, “Don’t you hear all the charges they’re making?”

27:14 Yet he still said nothing, which mystified the governor.

27:15 Now the governor had a custom of releasing one prisoner of the crowd’s choosing during the Festival.

27:16 There happened to be a notorious prisoner called Bar-Abbas,

27:17 so when everyone was assembled Pilate said to them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Bar-Abbas or Jesus who is called Anointed?”

27:18 He knew very well that it was out of envy that Jesus had been handed over.

27:19 And while Pilate was holding court, his wife sent a message to him: “Have nothing to do with that righteous person, because I have had suffered terribly in a dream about him!”

27:20 The ruling priests and elders had persuaded the crowd to ask for Bar-Abbas and have Jesus put to death.

27:21 So when the governor asked them, “Which of the two do you choose to be released to you?” they said, “Bar-Abbas!”

27:22 “So what should I do with Jesus who is called the Anointed?” asked Pilate.“Crucify him!” they replied.

27:23 “But why?” asked Pilate. “What crime has he committed?” Yet they only shouted louder, “Crucify him!”

27:24 And when Pilate saw that it was pointless and that the people were on the verge of rioting, he took some water and washed his hands in front of them all and said, “I hereby declare to you that I am not guilty of this person’s blood!”

27:25 And all the people said, “May his blood be on our hands, and on the hands of our children!”

27:26 Then he released Bar-Abbas to them and handed Jesus over to be scourged and crucified.

27:27 So the soldiers took Jesus from the governor to their headquarters. They got the whole company of soldiers together,

27:28 stripped him, dressed him in a crimson cloak,

27:29 and put a braided wreath of thorns on his head. Then they put a stick in his right hand and dropped to their knees and mocked, “Hail, King of the Judeans!”

27:30 And they spat on him, then took the stick and hit him in the head with it.

27:31 After they had their fun, they put his own clothes back on him and led him away to be crucified.

27:32 On their way out they conscripted a Cyrenian named Simon to carry Jesus’ cross.

27:33 When they got to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”),

27:34 they offered him wine with pain-killer mixed in. But after tasting it, he wouldn’t drink it.

27:35 So they crucified him, and they threw dice to see who would get which articles of his clothing.

27:36 Then they sat down to guard him,

27:37 and above his head they posted the charge against him: “This is Jesus, the King of the Judeans.”

27:38 Two robbers were also crucified with him, one to his right and the other to his left.

27:39 Those who passed by slandered him, shaking their heads

27:40 and saying, “So you were going to demolish the temple and then rebuild it in three days? Then save yourself, if you’re the God-Man! Come down off the cross!”

27:41 The ruling priests and scripture scholars jeered at him as well:

27:42 “He saved others, but he can’t save himself! If he’s the King of Israel, let him come down from the cross right now and we’ll put our trust in him!

27:43 Let God get him out of this if he wants. After all, he said, ‘I am the God-Man!’ ”

27:44 Then even the robbers being crucified joined in the shameful mockery.

27:45 Darkness came upon the whole land from about noon until three in the afternoon.

27:46 Then Jesus cried out loudly, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you deserted me?”).

27:47 Some standing there said, “Look, he’s calling for Elijah!”

27:48 So one of them immediately ran and soaked a sponge with wine-vinegar and put it on the end of a stick, then lifted it to him to drink.

27:49 And they said, “Now leave him alone; let’s see if Elijah comes to save him!”

27:50 Then Jesus gave one more loud shout and breathed his last.

27:51 Suddenly the curtain in the temple split in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook and the rocks split apart.

27:52 Then the graves opened up and the bodies of many righteous people woke from the dead.

27:53 After Jesus’ resurrection, they left their graves and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

27:54 When the Roman army captain and those guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and everything else, they were terrified and exclaimed, “Surely this was the God-Man!”

27:55 There were many women watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee and attended to his needs.

27:56 Among them were Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

27:57 When it was getting late, a rich person from Arimathea by the name of Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus,

27:58 approached Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate granted the request,

27:59 so Joseph took the body and wrapped it in clean linen,

27:60 then placed it in a new tomb that he had quarried out of rock. Then he rolled a very large stone in front of the tomb’s opening and went away.

27:61 Now Mary of Magdala and the other Mary were sitting in front of the tomb.

27:62 The next day following the Preparation, the ruling priests went with the Pharisees to Pilate

27:63 and said, “Sir, we remember that while he was still alive, that deceiver said, ‘I will arise after three days.’

27:64 So give the order to secure the grave until the three days are past. Then his disciples cannot steal his body and tell people he rose from the dead. The second con would be worse than the first!”

27:65 “You have guards,” replied Pilate. “Secure it to your satisfaction.”

27:66 So they went off and secured the grave by sealing it, and the guard was posted.