Matthew 27:22–28:6
22 “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”w Pilate asked.
They all answered, “Crucify him!”
23 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”
24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproarx was starting, he took water and washed his handsy in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,”z he said. “It is your responsibility!”a
25 All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!”b
26 Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged,c and handed him over to be crucified.
27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetoriumd and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,e 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said.f 30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.g 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.h
27:33–44pp—Mk 15:22–32; Lk 23:33–43; Jn 19:17–24
32 As they were going out,i they met a man from Cyrene,j named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.k 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”).l 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall;m but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.n 36 And sitting down, they kept watcho over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.
38 Two rebels were crucified with him,p one on his right and one on his left. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their headsq 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days,r save yourself!s Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”t 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel!u Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believev in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue himw now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” 44 In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
27:45–56pp—Mk 15:33–41; Lk 23:44–49; Jn 19:29–30
45 From noon until three in the afternoon darknessx came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,c lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).d y
47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”
48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar,z put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”
50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.a
51 At that moment the curtain of the templeb was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks splitc 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection ande went into the holy cityd and appeared to many people.
54 When the centurion and those with him who were guardinge Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”f
55 Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs.g 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph,f and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.h
27:57–61pp—Mk 15:42–47; Lk 23:50–56; Jn 19:38–42
57 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. 58 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and placed it in his own new tombi that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.
62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’j 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the bodyk and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”
65 “Take a guard,”l Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a sealm on the stonen and posting the guard.o
28:1–8pp—Mk 16:1–8; Lk 24:1–10; Jn 20:1–8
28 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalenep and the other Maryq went to look at the tomb.
2 There was a violent earthquake,r for an angels of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stonet and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.u 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid,v for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.w Come and see the place where he lay.