Matthew 27 - Lexham English Bible (LEB)

Jesus Taken to Pilate

27 Now when it^[a] was early morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus in order to put him to death. ² And after^[b] tying him up, they led him^[c] away and handed him^[d] over to Pilate the governor.

The Suicide of Judas Iscariot

³ Then when^[e] Judas, the one who had betrayed him, saw that he had been condemned, he regretted what he had done^[f] and^[g] returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and elders, ⁴ saying, “I have sinned by^[h] betraying innocent blood!” But they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!”^{[i] 5} And throwing the silver coins into the temple he departed. And he went away and^[j] hanged himself. ⁶ But the chief priests took the silver coins and^[k] said, “It is not permitted to put them into the temple treasury, because it is blood money.”^{[l] 7} And after^[m] taking counsel, they purchased with^[n] them the Potter’s Field, for a burial place for strangers. ⁸ (For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood until today.) ⁹ Then what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled, who said, “And they took the thirty silver coins, the price of the one who had been priced, on whom a price had been set by the sons of Israel, ¹⁰ and they gave them for the potter’s field, just as the Lord directed me.”^[o]

Jesus Before Pilate

¹¹ So Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, saying, “Are you the king of the Jews?” And Jesus said, “You say so.” ¹² And when he was being accused^[p] by the chief priests and elders he answered nothing. ¹³ Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they are testifying against you?” ¹⁴ And he did not reply to him, not even with reference to one statement, so that the governor was very astonished.

Pilate Releases Barabbas

¹⁵ Now at each feast, the governor was accustomed to release one prisoner to the crowd—the one whom they wanted. ¹⁶ And at that time they had a notorious prisoner named Jesus^[q] Barabbas.^{[r] 17} So after^[s] they had assembled, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you—Jesus^[t] Barabbas or Jesus who is called Christ?” ¹⁸ (For he knew that they had handed him over because of envy. ¹⁹ And while^[u] he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent a message^[v] to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man,^[w] for I have suffered much as a result of a dream today because of him.”) ²⁰ But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds that they should ask for Barabbas and put Jesus to death. ²¹ So the governor answered and^[x] said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas!” ²² Pilate said to them, “What then should I do with Jesus, the one who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” ²³ And he said, “Why? What wrong has he done?” But they began to shout^[y] even louder, saying, “Let him be crucified!”

²⁴ So Pilate, when he^[z] saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but instead an uproar was developing, took water and^[aa] washed his^[ab] hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this man. You see to it!”^{[ac] 25} And all the people answered and^[ad] said, “His blood be on us and on our children!” ²⁶ Then he released Barabbas for them, but after^[ae] he had Jesus flogged, he handed him^[af] over so that he could be crucified.

Jesus Is Mocked

²⁷ Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s residence and^[ag] gathered the whole cohort to him. ²⁸ And they stripped him and^[ah] put a scarlet military cloak around him, ²⁹ and weaving a crown of thorns, they put it^[ai] on his head, and put^[aj] a reed in his right hand. And kneeling down before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” ³⁰ And they spat on him and^[ak] took the reed and repeatedly struck^[al] him^[am] on his head. ³¹ And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the military cloak and put his own clothes on him, and led him away in order to crucify him.^[an]

Jesus Is Crucified

³² And as they^[ao] were going out, they found a man of Cyrene named^[ap] Simon. They forced this man to carry his cross. ³³ And when they^[aq] came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull),^{[ar] 34} they gave him wine mixed with gall to drink, and when he^[as] tasted it^[at] he did not want to drink it.^{[au] 35} And when they^[av] had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves^[aw] by^[ax] casting lots. ³⁶ And they sat down and^[ay] were watching over him there. ³⁷ And they put above his head the charge against him in writing:^[az] “This is Jesus, the king of the Jews.” ³⁸ Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. ³⁹ And those who passed by reviled him, shaking their heads ⁴⁰ and saying, “The one who would destroy the temple and rebuild it^[ba] in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!” ⁴¹ In the same way also the chief priests, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him,^[bb] saying, ⁴² “He saved others; he is not able to save himself! He is the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him! ⁴³ He trusts in God; let him deliver him now if he wants to,^[bc] because he said, ‘I am the Son of God’!” ⁴⁴ And in the same way even the robbers who were crucified with him were reviling him.

Jesus Dies on the Cross

⁴⁵ Now from the sixth hour, darkness came 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?”)^{[bd] 47} And some of those who were standing there, when they^[be] heard it,^[bf] said, “This man is summoning Elijah!” ⁴⁸ And immediately one of them ran and took a sponge and filled it^[bg] with sour wine and put it^[bh] on a reed and^[bi] gave it^[bj] to him to drink. ⁴⁹ But the others said, “Leave him^[bk] alone! let us see if Elijah is coming to save him.” ⁵⁰ And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and^[bl] gave up his^[bm] spirit. ⁵¹ And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook and the rocks were split. ⁵² And the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, ⁵³ and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

⁵⁴ Now the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus, when they^[bn] saw the earthquake and the things that took place, were extremely frightened, saying, “Truly this man was God’s Son!” ⁵⁵ And there were many women there, observing from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, serving him, ⁵⁶ among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

Jesus Is Buried

⁵⁷ Now when it was evening, a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph came, who also was a disciple of Jesus himself. ⁵⁸ This man approached Pilate and^[bo] asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it^[bp] to be given to him.^{[bq] 59} And Joseph took the body and^[br] wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, ⁶⁰ and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a large stone to the entrance of the tomb and^[bs] went away. ⁶¹ Now Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

The Tomb Is Sealed and Guarded

⁶² Now on the next day, which is after the day of preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees assembled before Pilate, ⁶³ saying, “Sir, we remember that while^[bt] that deceiver was still alive he said, ‘After three days I will rise.’ ⁶⁴ Therefore give orders that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples come and^[bu] steal him and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.” ⁶⁵ Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it^[bv] as secure as you know how.” ⁶⁶ So they went with the guard of soldiers and^[bw] made the tomb secure by^[bx] sealing the stone.

Footnotes

1. Matthew 27:1 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“was”)
2. Matthew 27:2 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“tying”) which is understood as temporal
3. Matthew 27:2 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
4. Matthew 27:2 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
5. Matthew 27:3 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal
6. Matthew 27:3 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
7. Matthew 27:3 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“regretted”) has been translated as a finite verb
8. Matthew 27:4 Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“betraying”) which is understood as means
9. Matthew 27:4 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
10. Matthew 27:5 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“went away”) has been translated as a finite verb
11. Matthew 27:6 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“took”) has been translated as a finite verb
12. Matthew 27:6 Literally “the price of blood”
13. Matthew 27:7 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“taking”) which is understood as temporal
14. Matthew 27:7 Literally “for”
15. Matthew 27:10 A quotation from various passages in Jeremiah including 18:2–6; 19:1–13; 32:6–15; see also Zech 11:12–13
16. Matthew 27:12 Literally “in the him being accused”
17. Matthew 27:16 Although many manuscripts omit “Jesus” here, it is so hard to explain why a scribe would have added it that the reading is probably original
18. Matthew 27:16 “Barabbas” means “son of the father” in Aramaic
19. Matthew 27:17 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“had assembled”)
20. Matthew 27:17 Although many manuscripts omit “Jesus” here, it is so hard to explain why a scribe would have added it that the reading is probably original
21. Matthew 27:19 Here “while” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“was sitting”)
22. Matthew 27:19 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
23. Matthew 27:19 Literally “nothing to you and to that righteous man”
24. Matthew 27:21 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb
25. Matthew 27:23 The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to shout”)
26. Matthew 27:24 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal
27. Matthew 27:24 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“took”) has been translated as a finite verb
28. Matthew 27:24 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
29. Matthew 27:24 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
30. Matthew 27:25 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb
31. Matthew 27:26 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“flogged”) which is understood as temporal
32. Matthew 27:26 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
33. Matthew 27:27 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“took”) has been translated as a finite verb
34. Matthew 27:28 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“stripped”) has been translated as a finite verb
35. Matthew 27:29 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
36. Matthew 27:29 This is an understood repetition of the verb from earlier in the verse
37. Matthew 27:30 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“spat”) has been translated as a finite verb
38. Matthew 27:30 The imperfect tense has been translated as iterative here (“repeatedly struck”)
39. Matthew 27:30 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
40. Matthew 27:31 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
41. Matthew 27:32 Here “as” is supplied as a component of the participle (“were going out”) which is understood as temporal
42. Matthew 27:32 Literally “by name”
43. Matthew 27:33 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“came”) which is understood as temporal
44. Matthew 27:33 Literally “is called Place of a Skull”
45. Matthew 27:34 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“tasted”) which is understood as temporal
46. Matthew 27:34 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
47. Matthew 27:34 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
48. Matthew 27:35 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“had crucified”) which is understood as temporal
49. Matthew 27:35 Here “among themselves” reflects the middle voice of the verb “divided”
50. Matthew 27:35 Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“casting”) which is understood as means
51. Matthew 27:36 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“sat down”) has been translated as a finite verb
52. Matthew 27:37 Literally “written”
53. Matthew 27:40 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
54. Matthew 27:41 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
55. Matthew 27:43 Or “let him deliver him now if he wants him”
56. Matthew 27:46 A quotation from Ps 22:1
57. Matthew 27:47 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal
58. Matthew 27:47 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
59. Matthew 27:48 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
60. Matthew 27:48 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
61. Matthew 27:48 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participles (“ran … took … filled … put”) have been translated as finite verbs
62. Matthew 27:48 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
63. Matthew 27:49 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
64. Matthew 27:50 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“cried out”) has been translated as a finite verb
65. Matthew 27:50 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
66. Matthew 27:54 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal
67. Matthew 27:58 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“approached”) has been translated as a finite verb
68. Matthew 27:58 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
69. Matthew 27:58 *The words “to him” are not in the Greek text but are implied
70. Matthew 27:59 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“took”) has been translated as a finite verb
71. Matthew 27:60 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“rolled”) has been translated as a finite verb
72. Matthew 27:63 Here “while” is supplied as a component of the participle (“alive”) which is understood as temporal
73. Matthew 27:64 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“come”) has been translated as a finite verb
74. Matthew 27:65 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
75. Matthew 27:66 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“went”) has been translated as a finite verb
76. Matthew 27:66 Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“sealing”) which is understood as means