Read the Bible

¹ Now when morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:² and they bound him, and led him away, and delivered him up to Pilate the governor.³ Then Judas, the one betraying him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,⁴ saying, I have sinned in that I betrayed innocent blood. But they said, What is that to us? you see [to it].⁵ And he cast down the pieces of silver into the sanctuary, and departed; and he went away and hanged himself.⁶ And the chief priests took the pieces of silver, and said, It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is the price of blood.⁷ And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.⁸ Therefore that field was called, the field of blood, to this day.⁹ Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was priced, whom [certain] of the sons of Israel priced;¹⁰ and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me.

¹¹ Now Jesus was standing before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Are you the King of the Jews? And Jesus said, You say.¹² And when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.¹³ Then Pilate says to him, Don't you hear how many things they witness against you?¹⁴ And he gave him no answer, not even to one word: insomuch that the governor marveled greatly.¹⁵ Now at the feast the governor would usually release to the multitude one prisoner, whom they wanted.¹⁶ And they had then a notable prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas.¹⁷ When therefore they were gathered together, Pilate said to them, Whom do you want that I release to you? Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?¹⁸ For he knew that for envy they had delivered him up.¹⁹ And while he was sitting on the judgment-seat, his wife sent to him, saying, Have nothing to do with that righteous man; for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.²⁰ Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.²¹ But the governor answered and said to them, Which of the two do you want that I release to you? And they said, Barabbas.²² Pilate says to them, What then shall I do to Jesus who is called Christ? They all say, Let him be crucified.²³ And he said, Why, what evil has he done? But they cried out exceedingly, saying, Let him be crucified.²⁴ So when Pilate saw that he prevailed nothing, but rather that a tumult was arising, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this man; you see [to it].²⁵ And all the people answered and said, His blood [be] on us, and on our children.

²⁶ Then he released to them Barabbas; but Jesus he scourged and delivered to be crucified.²⁷ Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium, and gathered to him the whole battalion.²⁸ And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.²⁹ And they platted a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and a reed in his right hand; and they knelt down before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!³⁰ And they spat on him, and took the reed and smote him on the head.³¹ And when they had mocked him, they took off from him the robe, and put on him his garments, and led him away to crucify him.³² And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: they compelled him to go [with them], that he might bear his cross.

³³ And they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, The place of a skull,³⁴ they gave him wine to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted it, he would not drink.³⁵ And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments among them, casting lots;³⁶ and they sat and watched him there.³⁷ And they set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.³⁸ Then there are crucified with him two robbers, one on the right hand and one on the left.³⁹ And those that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads,⁴⁰ and saying, You that destroy the temple, and build it in three days: save yourself, if you are the Son of God, and come down from the cross.⁴¹ In like manner also the chief priests mocking [him], with the scribes and elders, said,⁴² He saved others; himself he can't save. He is the King of Israel; let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe on him.⁴³ He trusts on God; let him deliver [him] now, if he desires him: for he said, I am the Son of God.⁴⁴ And the robbers also that were crucified with him cast on him the same reproach.⁴⁵ Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.⁴⁶ And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani? that is, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?⁴⁷ And some of them stood there, when they heard it, said, This man calls Elijah.⁴⁸ And immediately one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.⁴⁹ And the rest said, Let [him] be; let us see whether Elijah comes to save him.

⁵⁰ And Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit.⁵¹ And look, the veil of the temple was rent from top to bottom in two; and the earth quaked; and the rocks were rent;⁵² and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints that had fallen asleep were raised;⁵³ and coming forth out of the tombs after his resurrection they entered into the holy city and appeared to many.⁵⁴ Now the captain, and those that were with him watching Jesus, when they saw the earthquake, and the things that were done, feared exceedingly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.⁵⁵ And many women were there watching from far, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, serving him:⁵⁶ among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

⁵⁷ And when evening came, there came a rich man from Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:⁵⁸ this man went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded it to be given up.⁵⁹ And Joseph took the body, and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,⁶⁰ and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb, and departed.⁶¹ And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting across from the tomb.⁶² Now on the next day, which is [the day] after the Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered together to Pilate,⁶³ saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said while he was yet alive, After three days I rise again.⁶⁴ Command therefore that the tomb be made sure until the third day, lest perhaps his disciples come and steal him away, and say to the people, He is risen from the dead: and the last error will be worse than the first.⁶⁵ Pilate said to them, You have a guard: go, make it [as] sure as you can.⁶⁶ So they went, and made the tomb sure, sealing the stone, the guard being with them.