1When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made a plan against Jesus, to put him to death.
2They tied him up, led him away, and handed him over to Pontius Pilate the governor.
3Then Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned. He was full of regret, and he brought the thirty pieces of silver back to the chief priests and elders.
4He said, "I have sinned. I have betrayed innocent blood." And they said, "What is that to us? You see to that."
5He threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and left. Then he went and hanged himself.
6The chief priests picked up the pieces of silver and said, "It is not lawful to put this money into the treasury, because it is the price of blood."
7So they talked it over, and with the money they bought the potter's field, as a burial place for strangers.
8That is why that field is called The Field of Blood to this day.
9So the word spoken by Jeremy the prophet came true: "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him, the price the children of Israel set on him;"
10"and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord told me."
11Jesus stood before the governor. The governor asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus said to him, "You say so."
12When the chief priests and elders accused him, he answered nothing.
13Then Pilate said to him, "Do you not hear how many things they say against you?"
14But Jesus did not answer him one word, so that the governor was greatly amazed.
15Now at that feast it was the governor's custom to set free for the people any one prisoner they chose.
16At that time they had a well-known prisoner called Barabbas.
17So when the people were gathered together, Pilate said to them, "Which one do you want me to set free for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?"
18For he knew that they had handed Jesus over because they envied him.
19While Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message: "Have nothing to do with that just man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of him."
20But the chief priests and elders talked the crowd into asking for Barabbas, and into destroying Jesus.
21The governor said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to set free for you?" They said, "Barabbas."
22Pilate said to them, "Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all said to him, "Let him be crucified."
23The governor said, "Why? What evil has he done?" But they shouted even louder, "Let him be crucified."
24Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, and that instead a riot was starting. So he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, and said, "I am innocent of the blood of this just person. You see to it."
25Then all the people answered, "Let his blood be on us, and on our children."
26So he set Barabbas free for them. And when he had Jesus whipped, he handed him over to be crucified.
27Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the hall, and gathered the whole company of soldiers round him.
28They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him.
29They wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put a reed in his right hand. They knelt down in front of him and mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"
30They spat on him, and took the reed and hit him on the head.
31After they had mocked him, they took the robe off him and put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.
32As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon. They forced him to carry the cross of Jesus.
33They came to a place called Golgotha, which means the place of a skull.
34There they gave him vinegar to drink, mixed with gall. When he had tasted it, he would not drink it.
35They crucified him, and divided his clothes among them by throwing lots. So the word spoken by the prophet came true: "They divided my clothes among them, and for my robe they threw lots."
36Then they sat down and kept watch over him there.
37Over his head they put up the charge against him, written out: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
38Two thieves were crucified with him, one on his right hand and one on his left.
39The people who passed by insulted him, shaking their heads
40and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself. If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross."
41In the same way the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him and said,
42"He saved others, but he cannot save himself. If he is the King of Israel, let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe him."
43"He trusted in God. Let God save him now, if he wants him. For he said, 'I am the Son of God.'"
44The thieves who were crucified with him said the same insults to his face.
45From the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.
46About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" That means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
47Some of those standing there heard it and said, "This man is calling for Elias."
48At once one of them ran and took a sponge. He filled it with vinegar, put it on a reed, and gave it to him to drink.
49The rest said, "Leave him alone. Let us see whether Elias will come to save him."
50Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and gave up his spirit.
51Look, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from the top to the bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks split.
52The graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints who slept were raised up.
53They came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared to many people.
54Now the centurion and those with him, who were watching Jesus, saw the earthquake and all that happened. They were very afraid, and said, "Truly this was the Son of God."
55Many women were there, watching from far off. They had followed Jesus from Galilee and cared for him.
56Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children.
57When evening came, a rich man from Arimathaea named Joseph arrived. He was himself a disciple of Jesus.
58He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate gave orders for the body to be handed over.
59Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth.
60He laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut out of the rock. Then he rolled a great stone against the door of the tomb and went away.
61Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
62The next day, the day after the day of preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together to Pilate.
63They said, "Sir, we remember that while that deceiver was still alive he said, 'After three days I will rise again.'"
64"So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise his disciples may come by night and steal him away, and tell the people, 'He is risen from the dead.' Then the last lie will be worse than the first."
65Pilate said to them, "You have a guard. Go your way, and make it as secure as you can."
66So they went and made the tomb secure. They sealed the stone and set a guard.