Matthew 26:14–27:66 (NRSV)

Read Matthew 26:14–27:66 on biblegateway.com

Verse ¹⁴Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests Verse ¹⁵and said, "What will you give me if I betray him to you?" They paid him thirty pieces of silver. Verse ¹⁶And from that moment he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.

Verse ¹⁷On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?" Verse ¹⁸He said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, 'The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.'" Verse ¹⁹So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal. Verse ²⁰When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve; Verse ²¹and while they were eating, he said, "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me." Verse ²²And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, "Surely not I, Lord?" Verse ²³He answered, "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. Verse ²⁴The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born." Verse ²⁵Judas, who betrayed him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?" He replied, "You have said so."

Verse ²⁶While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body." Verse ²⁷Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you; Verse ²⁸for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Verse ²⁹I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom." Verse ³⁰When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Verse ³¹Then Jesus said to them, "You will all become deserters because of me this night; for it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' Verse ³²But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee." Verse ³³Peter said to him, "Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert you." Verse ³⁴Jesus said to him, "Truly I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times." Verse ³⁵Peter said to him, "Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you." And so said all the disciples.

Verse ³⁶Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." Verse ³⁷He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated. Verse ³⁸Then he said to them, "I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me." Verse ³⁹And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want." Verse ⁴⁰Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, "So, could you not stay awake with me one hour? Verse ⁴¹Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Verse ⁴²Again he went away for the second time and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done." Verse ⁴³Again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. Verse ⁴⁴So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words. Verse ⁴⁵Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Verse ⁴⁶Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand."

Verse ⁴⁷While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Verse ⁴⁸Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him." Verse ⁴⁹At once he came up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him. Verse ⁵⁰Jesus said to him, "Friend, do what you are here to do." Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested him. Verse ⁵¹Suddenly, one of those with Jesus put his hand on his sword, drew it, and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear. Verse ⁵²Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Verse ⁵³Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? Verse ⁵⁴But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, which say it must happen in this way?" Verse ⁵⁵At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. Verse ⁵⁶But all this has taken place, so that the scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled." Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.

Verse ⁵⁷Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, in whose house the scribes and the elders had gathered. Verse ⁵⁸But Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest; and going inside, he sat with the guards in order to see how this would end. Verse ⁵⁹Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they might put him to death, Verse ⁶⁰but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward Verse ⁶¹and said, "This fellow said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.'" Verse ⁶²The high priest stood up and said, "Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?" Verse ⁶³But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest said to him, "I put you under oath before the living God, tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God." Verse ⁶⁴Jesus said to him, "You have said so. But I tell you, From now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven." Verse ⁶⁵Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? You have now heard his blasphemy. Verse ⁶⁶What is your verdict?" They answered, "He deserves death." Verse ⁶⁷Then they spat in his face and struck him; and some slapped him, Verse ⁶⁸saying, "Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who is it that struck you?"

Verse ⁶⁹Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant-girl came to him and said, "You also were with Jesus the Galilean." Verse ⁷⁰But he denied it before all of them, saying, "I do not know what you are talking about." Verse ⁷¹When he went out to the porch, another servant-girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth." Verse ⁷²Again he denied it with an oath, "I do not know the man." Verse ⁷³After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, "Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you." Verse ⁷⁴Then he began to curse, and he swore an oath, "I do not know the man!" At that moment the cock crowed. Verse ⁷⁵Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: "Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly.

Chapter 27When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about his death. Verse ²They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor. Verse ³When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. Verse ⁴He said, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." But they said, "What is that to us? See to it yourself." Verse ⁵Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself. Verse ⁶But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since they are blood money." Verse ⁷After conferring together, they used them to buy the potter's field as a place to bury foreigners. Verse ⁸For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Verse ⁹Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one on whom a price had been set, on whom some of the people of Israel had set a price, Verse ¹⁰and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord commanded me."

Verse ¹¹Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus said, "You say so." Verse ¹²But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not answer. Verse ¹³Then Pilate said to him, "Do you not hear how many accusations they make against you?" Verse ¹⁴But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed. Verse ¹⁵Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. Verse ¹⁶At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas. Verse ¹⁷So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?" Verse ¹⁸For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. Verse ¹⁹While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, "Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about him." Verse ²⁰Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. Verse ²¹The governor again said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas." Verse ²²Pilate said to them, "Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?" All of them said, "Let him be crucified!" Verse ²³Then he asked, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Let him be crucified!" Verse ²⁴So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves." Verse ²⁵Then the people as a whole answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!"

Verse ²⁶So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified. Verse ²⁷Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him. Verse ²⁸They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, Verse ²⁹and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" Verse ³⁰They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. Verse ³¹After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him. Verse ³²As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry his cross.

Verse ³³And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), Verse ³⁴they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. Verse ³⁵And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots; Verse ³⁶then they sat down there and kept watch over him. Verse ³⁷Over his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews." Verse ³⁸Then two bandits were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Verse ³⁹Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads Verse 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." Verse ⁴¹In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying, Verse ⁴²"He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. Verse ⁴³He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to; for he said, 'I am God's Son.'" Verse ⁴⁴The bandits who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way. Verse ⁴⁵From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. Verse ⁴⁶And about three o'clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Verse ⁴⁷When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, "This man is calling for Elijah." Verse ⁴⁸At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. Verse ⁴⁹But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him."

Verse ⁵⁰Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. Verse ⁵¹At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. Verse ⁵²The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. Verse ⁵³After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. Verse ⁵⁴Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, "Truly this man was God's Son!" Verse ⁵⁵Many women were also there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and had provided for him. Verse ⁵⁶Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

Verse ⁵⁷When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. Verse ⁵⁸He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. Verse ⁵⁹So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth Verse ⁶⁰and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. Verse ⁶¹Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb. Verse ⁶²The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate Verse ⁶³and said, "Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, 'After three days I will rise again.' Verse ⁶⁴Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, 'He has been raised from the dead,' and the last deception would be worse than the first." Verse ⁶⁵Pilate said to them, "You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can." Verse ⁶⁶So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.