27 1 The next morning, all the chief priests and elders met to plan Jesus's death.
2 They tied him up, lead him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
3-4 Judas felt bad about betraying Jesus, so he returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and elders, saying, "I was wrong to betray Jesus." They said to him, "What's that to us? That’s your problem."
5 So Judas threw down the silver coins in the temple and went to hang himself.
6 The chief priests took the silver coins, and said, "We can't put these in the treasury because they are blood money."
7 So they bought the potter's field to bury strangers in.
8 So the field was called, the "Field of Blood." It is still called that today.
9-10 This was to fulfill Jeremiah's prophecy, saying, "They took thirty silver coins, the price of a person, as valued by the Israelites. and spent them on a potter's field, as the Lord commanded me."
11 Jesus stood in front of the governor, who asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?"
Jesus answered, "You say that I am. "
12 When Jesus was accused by the chief priests and elders, he didn't say anything.
13 Pilate said to him, “Do you hear what the witnesses have said against you?”
14 Jesus didn't say a single word. Pilate wondered why.
15 At the feast of Passover, the governor liked to release a prisoner to please the people.
16 Barabbas was a well-known prisoner.
17 So Pilate asked the people, which should I release? Barabbas or Jesus who is called Christ?
19 Pilate's wife said to him,
Don't have anything to do with this just man. I had a bad dream about him.
20 But the chief priests and elders convinced the crowd to ask for Barabbas instead of Jesus.
21 Pilate asked the crowd, "Which should I release for you?"
The crowd answered, "Barabbas."
22 Pilate asked them, "What should I do with Jesus who is called Christ?"
The crowd all said to him, "Crucify him!"
23 Pilate said, "Why? What did he do that was wrong?"
But the crowd shouted even louder, "Crucify him!"
24 When Pilate saw that he couldn't change their minds, he washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, "I am not responsible for this just man's death. It's your fault."
25 Then all the people said, "We are responsible for his death, we and our children."
26 Pilate then released Barabbas to the crowd, had Jesus whipped and delivered him to be crucified.
27 The soldiers stripped Jesus and dressed him in a scarlet robe.
29 Then they put a crown of thorns on his head, a stick in his hand, and bowed to him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"
30 Then they spit on him, and hit him on the head with the reed.
31 After mocking Jesus, they took off the robe, put his own clothes back on him, and led him away to be crucified.
32 As they went out, they found a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry Jesus's cross.
33-34 When they came to a place called Golgotha, meaning "a place of a skull," they gave Jesus vinegar, mixed with gall, to drink. But when Jesus tasted it, he refused to drink.
35 Then they crucified him, dividing his clothes among them.
37 They put up a sign over his head, saying, "THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS."
38 Two thieves were crucified next to Jesus, one on the right and one on the left.
39-40 Everyone that passed by mocked Jesus, saying,
You said you could destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days.
If you're the Son of God, come down from the cross.
41 The priests, scribes, and elders also mocked him, saying,
42 He saved others, but can't save himself.
We’ll believe he is the King of Israel if he comes down from the cross.
43 He said, "I am the Son of God". So he should ask God to save him now.
44 The two thieves also mocked him.
45 The land was dark for three hours that afternoon.
46 Then Jesus cried out, saying, "My God, why have you forsaken me?"
47 Some who were nearby said, "He's calling for Elijah."
48 Someone took a sponge filled with vinegar, put it on a reed, and gave it to him to drink.
49 Everyone else said, "Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."
50 Jesus cried out again and died.
51 The veil of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. There was an earthquake and the rocks split.
52-53 Graves opened and dead people roamed the streets of Jerusalem.
54 The centurion saw the earthquake, was afraid, and said, "Truly, this was the Son of God."
55 Many women who were followers of Jesus watched from far away.
56 Among these were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
57-58 A rich follower of Jesus named Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for Jesus's body. Pilate agreed to give it to him.
59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in a new tomb that was carved into a rock.
60 He then rolled a large stone over the entrance and left.
62 The next day, the chief priests and Pharisees said to Pilate,
63 Jesus said while he was still alive, “After three days I will rise again.”
64 So please place guards at the tomb to make sure his followers don't steal the body and claim he rose from the dead.
65 Pilate said to them, "You have guards. Watch it yourselves."
66 So they set a guard at the tomb.
28 1 Around dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to the sepulcher.
2 When they arrived, there was a big earthquake. An angel of the Lord rolled back the stone that closed the tomb and sat on it.
3 He looked like lightning and his clothes were white as snow.
4 When the guards saw him they shook with fear and looked like dead men.
5-6 The angel said,
He's not here. He has risen from the dead. Come see where his body was.
7 Run and tell his disciples that he has risen. He'll meet them in Galilee.
8-9 As they ran to tell his disciples, Jesus met them and said, "Hello everyone!"
They grabbed him by his feet and worshiped him.
10 He said to them, "Don't be afraid. Tell my brothers to go to Galilee and they'll see me there."
11-13 When the guards told the chief priests what happened, the priests bribed them to say that Jesus's disciples came and stole his body while they slept.
16 The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to a mountain where Jesus had told them to go to.
17 When the disciples saw Jesus, they worshiped him. But some doubted.
18 Jesus said to them,
I have power over everything in heaven and on earth.
19 Go teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
20 Teach them to obey whatever I have commanded you. I'm with you always, even until the end of the world. Amen.
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The Skeptic's Annotated Bible
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