the Fourth Week of Advent
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Bishop's Bible
Matthew 27
1 When the mornyng was come, all the chiefe priestes, and the elders of the people, helde a councell agaynst Iesus to put hym to death.2 And brought hym bounde, and deliuered hym to Pontius Pilate the deputie.3 Then Iudas, whiche had betrayed hym, seyng that he was condempned, repented hym selfe, and brought agayne the thirtie peeces of syluer, to the chiefe priestes and elders,4 Saying: I haue synned, betraying the innocent blood. And they said: what is that to vs? see thou to that.5 And he cast downe the peeces of siluer in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged hym selfe.6 And the chiefe priestes toke the peeces of syluer, and sayde: It is not lawfull for to put the into the treasurie, because it is the price of blood.7 And they toke councell, and bought with them a potters fielde, to burye straungers in.8 Wherfore that fielde is called the fielde of blood, vntyll this day.9 (Then was fulfylled that, which was spoken by Ieremie the prophet, saying: And they toke thirtie siluer peeces, the price of hym that was valued, whom they bought of the children of Israel:10 And gaue them for the potters fielde, as the Lorde appoynted me.)
11 Iesus stode before the deputie, and the deputie asked him, saying: Art thou the king of the Iewes? Iesus saith vnto hym: thou sayest.12 And when he was accused of the chiefe priestes and elders, he aunswered nothyng.13 Then sayth Pilate vnto him: hearest thou not how many witnesses they lay agaynst thee?14 And he aunswered hym to neuer a worde: insomuch, that the deputie marueyled greatly.15 At that feast, the deputie was wont to delyuer vnto the people a prysoner, whom they woulde desire.16 He had then a notable prysoner, called Barabbas.17 Therfore, when they were gathered together, Pilate saide vnto them: whether wyll ye that I geue loose vnto you Barabbas, or Iesus, whiche is called Christe?18 For he knewe, that for enuy they had delyuered hym.19 When he was set downe to geue iudgment, his wyfe sent vnto hym, saying: haue thou nothing to do with that iuste man: For I haue suffred many thynges this day in a dreame because of him.20 But the chiefe priestes & elders perswaded the people, that they shoulde aske Barabbas, and destroy Iesus.21 The deputie aunswered, and saide vnto them: Whether of the twayne wyll ye that I let loose vnto you? They saide, Barabbas.22 Pilate sayde vnto them: What shall I do then with Iesus, whiche is called Christe? They all sayde vnto hym: let hym be crucified.23 The deputie sayde: What euyll hath he done? But they cryed the more, saying: let hym be crucified.24 When Pilate sawe that he coulde preuayle nothyng, but that more busynesse was made, he toke water, and washed his handes before the people, saying: I am innocent of the blood of this iust person, see ye to it.25 Then aunswered all the people, and sayde: His blood be on vs, and on our chyldren.
26 Then let he Barabbas loose vnto them, and scourged Iesus, and deliuered hym to be crucified.27 Then the souldiours of the deputie toke Iesus in the common hall, and gathered vnto hym all the bande [of souldiours.]28 And they stripped hym, and put on hym a skarlet robe:29 And platted a crowne of thornes, and put vppon his head, and a reede in his right hande, and bowed the knee before hym, and mocked hym, saying: Hayle kyng of the Iewes.30 And when they had spyt vpon hym, they toke the reede, and smote hym on the head.31 And after that they had mocked him, they toke the robe of hym agayne, and put his owne rayment on hym, and led hym away, to crucifie hym.32 And as they came out, they founde a man of Cyrene, named Simon: hym they compelled to beare his crosse.
33 And they came vnto the place, which is called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of [dead mens] skulles.34 And gaue him vineger to drinke, mingled with gall: And when he had tasted therof, he woulde not drynke.35 When they had crucified hym, they parted his garmentes, & did cast lottes, that it myght be fulfylled whiche was spoken by the prophete: They departed my garmentes among them, & vpon my vesture dyd they cast lottes.36 And they sate, & watched him there.37 And set vp ouer his head, the cause [of his death] written: This is Iesus, the king of the Iewes.38 Then were there two thieues crucified with hym: one on the ryght hande, and another on the left.39 They that passed by, reuyled hym, waggyng their heades,40 And saying: Thou that destroyedst the temple, & buyldest it in three dayes, saue thy selfe. If thou be the sonne of God, come downe from the crosse.41 Lykewyse also the hye priestes, mockyng hym, with the scribes, and elders, [and pharisees] sayde:42 He saued other, hym selfe can he not saue. If he be the kyng of Israel, let him nowe come downe from the crosse, and we wyll beleue hym.43 He trusted in God, let hym delyuer hym nowe, yf he wyll haue hym: for he sayde, I am the sonne of God.44 The thieues also which were crucified with hym, cast the same in his teeth.45 Fro the sixth houre, was there darknesse ouer all the lande, vnto the nynth houre.46 And about the nynth houre, Iesus cried with a loude voyce, saying: Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani, that is to say: My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?47 Some of them that stode there, when they hearde that, saide: This man calleth for Elias.48 And straightway one of them ranne, and toke a sponge, and when he had filled it full of vineger, he put it on a reede, and gaue hym to drynke.49 Other sayde, let be, let vs see whether Elias wyll come and saue hym.
50 Iesus, when he had cryed agayne with a loude voyce, yeelded vp ye ghost.51 And beholde, the vayle of the temple dyd rent into two partes, fro the toppe to the bottome, and the earth did quake and the stones rent.52 And graues dyd open, and many bodyes of saintes which slept, arose:53 And went out of the graues, after his resurrection, and came into the holy citie, and appeared vnto many.54 When the Centurion, and they that were with hym watchyng Iesus, sawe the earthquake, and those thynges that were done, they feared greatly, saying: truely, this was the sonne of God.55 And many wome were there (beholdyng hym a farre of) whiche folowed Iesus fro Galilee, ministring vnto him.56 Among which, was Marie Magdalene, and Marie the mother of Iames and Ioses, & the mother of Zebedees chyldren.
57 When the euen was come, there came a ryche man of Aramathia, named Ioseph, which also hym selfe was Iesus disciple.58 He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Iesus. Then Pilate comaunded the body to be delyuered.59 And when Ioseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a cleane lynnen cloth:60 And layde it in his newe tombe, which he had hewen out, euen in the rocke, and rolled a great stone to the dore of the sepulchre, and departed.61 And there was Marie Magdalene, & the other Marie, syttyng ouer against the sepulchre.62 The next day that folowed the day of preparyng, the hye priestes and pharisees came together vnto Pilate,63 Saying. Sir, we remember that this deceauer sayde whyle he was yet aliue: After three dayes I wil arise agayne.64 Commaunde therfore, that the sepulchre be made sure, vntyll the thirde day: lest his disciples come by nyght & steale hym away, and say vnto the people, he is rysen from the dead: & the last error shalbe worse then the first.65 Pilate sayde vnto them: Ye haue the watche, go your way, make it as sure as ye knowe.66 So they went, and made the sepulchre sure with the watch, and sealed the stone.
