Matthew 26:47-27:31
Evangelical Heritage Version
The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus
47 While Jesus was still speaking, suddenly Judas (one of the Twelve) arrived. With him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chief priests and elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign: “The one I kiss is the man. Arrest him.” 49 Immediately he went to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.
50 Jesus said to him, “Friend, why are you here?”
Then they advanced, took hold of Jesus, and arrested him. 51 Suddenly, one of the men with Jesus reached out his hand, drew his sword, and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place, because all who take the sword will die by the sword. 53 Do you not realize that I could call on my Father, and at once he would provide me with more than twelve legions[a] of angels? 54 But then how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?”
55 At that same time Jesus said to the crowd, “Have you come out to arrest me with swords and clubs as if I were a robber? Day after day I was sitting in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. 56 But all this has happened so that the writings of the prophets would be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.
Jesus’ First Trial in the Sanhedrin
57 Those who had arrested Jesus led him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the experts in the law and the elders were assembled. 58 Peter was following him at a distance and went as far as the courtyard of the high priest. He went inside and sat down with the guards to see how it would turn out.
59 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they could put him to death. 60 They found none, even though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward 61 and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”
62 The high priest stood up and said to him, “Have you no answer? What is this that these men are testifying against you?” 63 But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I place you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God!”
64 Jesus said to him, “It is as you have said. But I tell you, soon you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? See, you have just heard the blasphemy! 66 What do you think?”
They answered, “He is deserving of death!” 67 Then they spit in his face and punched him. Some slapped him 68 and said, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who hit you?”
Peter Denies Jesus
69 Meanwhile Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came to him and said, “You were also with Jesus the Galilean.”
70 But he denied it in front of everyone, saying, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
71 When Peter went out to the entryway, someone else saw him and said to those who were there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
72 Again Peter denied it with an oath and said, “I do not know the man.”
73 After a little while those who stood by came and said to Peter, “Surely you are also one of them because even your accent gives you away.”
74 Then he began to curse and to swear, “I do not know the man!” Just then the rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.
27 Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people reached the decision to put Jesus to death. 2 They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pontius Pilate, the governor.
The End of Judas
3 Then when Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he felt remorse. He brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders 4 and said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? That’s your problem.”
5 He threw the pieces of silver into the temple and left. Then he went out and hanged himself. 6 The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put these into the treasury, since it is blood money.” 7 They reached a decision to buy the potter’s field with the money, as a burial place for foreigners. 8 So that field has been called The Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price the sons of Israel had set for him, 10 and they gave them for the potter’s field, just as the Lord commanded me.[b]
Jesus’ Trial in Pilate’s Court
11 When Jesus stood in the presence of the governor, the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.”
12 When he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. 13 Then Pilate said to him, “Don’t you hear how many things they are testifying against you?”
14 But he did not answer him—not even one word, so that the governor was very surprised.
Barabbas or Jesus?
15 At the time of the Festival the governor had a custom to release to the crowd any one prisoner they wanted. 16 At that time they were holding a notorious prisoner named Barabbas. 17 So when they were assembled, Pilate said to them, “Which one do you want me to release to you? Barabbas—or Jesus, who is called Christ?” 18 For Pilate knew that they had handed Jesus over to him because of envy.
19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, Pilate’s wife sent him a message. “Have nothing to do with that righteous man,” she said, “since I have suffered many things today in a dream because of him.” 20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus put to death. 21 The governor asked them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?”
“Barabbas!” they said.
22 Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Jesus, who is called Christ?”
They all said to him, “Crucify him!”
23 But the governor said, “Why? What has he done wrong?”
But they kept shouting even louder: “Crucify him!”
24 When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing and that instead it was turning into a riot, he took water, washed his hands in front of the crowd, and said, “I am innocent of this righteous man’s blood. It is your responsibility.”
25 And all the people answered, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!”
26 Then he released Barabbas to them, but he had Jesus flogged and handed him over to be crucified.
Soldiers Mock Jesus
27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole cohort[c] of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. 29 They twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand, knelt in front of him, and mocked him by saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 They spit on him, took the staff, and hit him repeatedly on his head.
The Crucifixion
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.
Footnotes
- Matthew 26:53 A Roman legion contained as many as six thousand soldiers.
- Matthew 27:10 See Zechariah 11:12-13; Jeremiah 19:1-13; 32:6-9.
- Matthew 27:27 A Roman cohort was about six hundred soldiers.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.