Christian Standard Bible

New Living Translation

1When daybreak came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put him to death.

1Very early in the morning the leading priests and the elders of the people met again to lay plans for putting Jesus to death.

2After tying him up, they led him away and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.

2Then they bound him, led him away, and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor.

3Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that Jesus had been condemned, was full of remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders.

3When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and the elders.

4"I have sinned by betraying innocent blood," he said. "What's that to us?" they said. "See to it yourself!"

4“I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.” “What do we care?” they retorted. “That’s your problem.”

5So he threw the silver into the temple and departed. Then he went and hanged himself.

5Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself.

6The chief priests took the silver and said, "It's not permitted to put it into the temple treasury, since it is blood money."

6The leading priests picked up the coins. “It wouldn’t be right to put this money in the Temple treasury,” they said, “since it was payment for murder.”

7They conferred together and bought the potter's field with it as a burial place for foreigners.

7After some discussion they finally decided to buy the potter’s field, and they made it into a cemetery for foreigners.

8Therefore that field has been called "Blood Field" to this day.

8That is why the field is still called the Field of Blood.

9Then what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him whose price was set by the Israelites,

9This fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah that says, “They took the thirty pieces of silver— the price at which he was valued by the people of Israel,

10and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me.

10and purchased the potter’s field, as the LORD directed. ” Jesus’ Trial before Pilate

11Now Jesus stood before the governor. "Are you the King of the Jews?" the governor asked him. Jesus answered, "You say so."

11Now Jesus was standing before Pilate, the Roman governor. “Are you the king of the Jews?” the governor asked him. Jesus replied, “You have said it.”

12While he was being accused by the chief priests and elders, he didn't answer.

12But when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against him, Jesus remained silent.

13Then Pilate said to him, "Don't you hear how much they are testifying against you?"

13“Don’t you hear all these charges they are bringing against you?” Pilate demanded.

14But he didn't answer him on even one charge, so that the governor was quite amazed.

14But Jesus made no response to any of the charges, much to the governor’s surprise.

15At the festival the governor's custom was to release to the crowd a prisoner they wanted.

15Now it was the governor’s custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner to the crowd—anyone they wanted.

16At that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.

16This year there was a notorious prisoner, a man named Barabbas.

17So when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, "Who is it you want me to release for you--Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?"

17As the crowds gathered before Pilate’s house that morning, he asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you—Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?”

18For he knew it was because of envy that they had handed him over.

18(He knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.)

19While he was sitting on the judge's bench, his wife sent word to him, "Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for today I've suffered terribly in a dream because of him."

19Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night.”

20The chief priests and the elders, however, persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to execute Jesus.

20Meanwhile, the leading priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be put to death.

21The governor asked them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" "Barabbas!" they answered.

21So the governor asked again, “Which of these two do you want me to release to you?” The crowd shouted back, “Barabbas!”

22Pilate asked them, "What should I do then with Jesus, who is called Christ?" They all answered, "Crucify him!"

22Pilate responded, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” They shouted back, “Crucify him!”

23Then he said, "Why? What has he done wrong?" But they kept shouting all the more, "Crucify him!"

23“Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?” But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”

24When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that a riot was starting instead, he took some water, washed his hands in front of the crowd, and said, "I am innocent of this man's blood. See to it yourselves!"

24Pilate saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere and that a riot was developing. So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. The responsibility is yours!”

25All the people answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!"

25And all the people yelled back, “We will take responsibility for his death—we and our children!”

26Then he released Barabbas to them and, after having Jesus flogged, handed him over to be crucified.

26So Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified. The Soldiers Mock Jesus

27Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the governor's residence and gathered the whole company around him.

27Some of the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into their headquarters and called out the entire regiment.

28They stripped him and dressed him in a scarlet robe.

28They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him.

29They twisted together a crown of thorns, put it on his head, and placed a staff in his right hand. And they knelt down before him and mocked him: "Hail, King of the Jews!"

29They wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head, and they placed a reed stick in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mockery and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!”

30Then they spat on him, took the staff, and kept hitting him on the head.

30And they spit on him and grabbed the stick and struck him on the head with it.

31After they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe, put his own clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him.

31When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified. The Crucifixion

32As they were going out, they found a Cyrenian man named Simon. They forced him to carry his cross.

32Along the way, they came across a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross.

33When they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of the Skull),

33And they went out to a place called Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”).

34they gave him wine mixed with gall to drink. But when he tasted it, he refused to drink it.

34The soldiers gave Jesus wine mixed with bitter gall, but when he had tasted it, he refused to drink it.

35After crucifying him, they divided his clothes by casting lots.

35After they had nailed him to the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.

36Then they sat down and were guarding him there.

36Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there.

37Above his head they put up the charge against him in writing: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

37A sign was fastened above Jesus’ head, announcing the charge against him. It read: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”

38Then two criminals were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left.

38Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.

39Those who passed by were yelling insults at him, shaking their heads

39The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery.

40and 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!"

40“Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!”

41In the same way the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him and said,

41The leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders also mocked Jesus.

42"He saved others, but he cannot save himself! He is the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.

42“He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! So he is the King of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him!

43He trusts in God; let God rescue him now--if he takes pleasure in him! For he said, 'I am the Son of God.'"

43He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”

44In the same way even the criminals who were crucified with him taunted him.

44Even the revolutionaries who were crucified with him ridiculed him in the same way. The Death of Jesus

45From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over the whole land.

45At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock.

46About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani ? " that is, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?"

46At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

47When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling for Elijah."

47Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah.

48Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and offered him a drink.

48One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink.

49But the rest said, "Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."

49But the rest said, “Wait! Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.”

50But Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and gave up his spirit.

50Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit.

51Suddenly, the curtain of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom, the earth quaked, and the rocks were split.

51At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart,

52The tombs were also opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.

52and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead.

53And they came out of the tombs after his resurrection, entered the holy city, and appeared to many.

53They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.

54When the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they were terrified and said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!"

54The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

55Many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and looked after him were there, watching from a distance.

55And many women who had come from Galilee with Jesus to care for him were watching from a distance.

56Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.

56Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James and Joseph), and the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee. The Burial of Jesus

57When it was evening, a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph came, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.

57As evening approached, Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea who had become a follower of Jesus,

58He approached Pilate and asked for Jesus's body. Then Pilate ordered that it be released.

58went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. And Pilate issued an order to release it to him.

59So Joseph took the body, wrapped it in clean, fine linen,

59Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a long sheet of clean linen cloth.

60and placed it in his new tomb, which he had cut into the rock. He left after rolling a great stone against the entrance of the tomb.

60He placed it in his own new tomb, which had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance and left.

61Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were seated there, facing the tomb.

61Both Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting across from the tomb and watching. The Guard at the Tomb

62The next day, which followed the preparation day, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate

62The next day, on the Sabbath, the leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate.

63and said, "Sir, we remember that while this deceiver was still alive he said, 'After three days I will rise again.'

63They told him, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’

64So give orders that the tomb be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come, steal him, and tell the people, 'He has been raised from the dead,' and the last deception will be worse than the first."

64So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we’ll be worse off than we were at first.”

65"You have a guard of soldiers," Pilate told them. "Go and make it as secure as you know how."

65Pilate replied, “Take guards and secure it the best you can.”

66They went and secured the tomb by setting a seal on the stone and placing the guard.

66So they sealed the tomb and posted guards to protect it.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.