Matthew 27:51–66

⁵¹Suddenly, the curtain of the sanctuaryⁿ was torn in two from top to bottom, the earth quaked, and the rocks were split. ⁵²The tombs were also opened^o and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. ⁵³And they came out of the tombs after his resurrection, entered the holy city, and appeared to many.

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!”^p

⁵⁵Many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and looked after him were there, watching from a distance.^{q 56}Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.^r

THE BURIAL OF JESUS

⁵⁷When it was evening,^s a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph came, who himself had also become a disciple^t of Jesus. ⁵⁸He approached Pilate and asked for Jesus’s body. Then Pilate ordered that it^A be released. ⁵⁹So Joseph took the body, wrapped it in clean, fine linen, 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.^{u 61}Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were seated there, facing the tomb.

THE CLOSELY GUARDED TOMB

⁶²The next day, which followed the preparation day, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate^{v 63}and said, “Sir, we remember that while this deceiver was still alive he said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’^{w 64}So give orders that the tomb be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples^x 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.”

⁶⁵“You have^B a guard of soldiers,” Pilate told them. “Go and make it as secure as you know how.” ⁶⁶They went and secured the tomb by setting a seal on the stone and placing the guards.^y