The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah^(A)(B)(C)

1 This is the genealogy^[a] of Jesus the Messiah^[b] the son of David,^(D) the son of Abraham:^(E)

¹⁷ Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.

Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son

¹⁸ This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about^[d]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.^{(S) 19} Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet^[e] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce^(T) her quietly.

²⁰ But after he had considered this, an angel^(U) of the Lord appeared to him in a dream^(V) and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,^[f](W) because he will save his people from their sins.”^(X)

²² All this took place to fulfill^(Y) what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³ “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”^[g](Z) (which means “God with us”).

²⁴ When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel^(AA) of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. ²⁵ But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.^(AB)

The Magi Visit the Messiah

2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea,^(A) during the time of King Herod,^(B) Magi^[a] from the east came to Jerusalem ² and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?^(C) We saw his star^(D) when it rose and have come to worship him.”

³ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵ “In Bethlehem^(E) in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

⁷ Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸ He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

⁹ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.^(G) Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts^(H) of gold, frankincense and myrrh. ¹² And having been warned^(I) in a dream^(J) not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

The Escape to Egypt

¹³ When they had gone, an angel^(K) of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.^(L) “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”^(M)

¹⁴ So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, ¹⁵ where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled^(N) what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”^[c](O)

¹⁶ When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. ¹⁷ Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:^(P)

The Return to Nazareth

¹⁹ After Herod died, an angel^(S) of the Lord appeared in a dream^(T) to Joseph in Egypt ²⁰ and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”^(U)

²¹ So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. ²² But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream,^(V) he withdrew to the district of Galilee,^{(W) 23} and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth.^(X) So was fulfilled^(Y) what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.^(Z)

Judas Hangs Himself

27 Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed.^{(A) 2} So they bound him, led him away and handed him over^(B) to Pilate the governor.^(C)

³ When Judas, who had betrayed him,^(D) saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver^(E) to the chief priests and the elders. ⁴ “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”

“What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”^(F)

⁵ So Judas threw the money into the temple^(G) and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.^(H)

⁶ The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” ⁷ So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. ⁸ That is why it has been called the Field of Blood^(I) to this day. ⁹ Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:^(J) “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, ¹⁰ and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”^[a](K)

Jesus Before Pilate^(L)

¹¹ Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”^(M)

“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

¹² When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer.^{(N) 13} Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?”^{(O) 14} But Jesus made no reply,^(P) not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.

¹⁵ Now it was the governor’s custom at the festival to release a prisoner^(Q) chosen by the crowd. ¹⁶ At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose name was Jesus^[b] Barabbas. ¹⁷ So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?”^{(R) 18} For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him.

¹⁹ While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat,^(S) his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent^(T) man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream^(U) because of him.”

²⁰ But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.^(V)

²¹ “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.

“Barabbas,” they answered.

²² “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”^(W) Pilate asked.

They all answered, “Crucify him!”

²³ “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

²⁴ When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar^(X) was starting, he took water and washed his hands^(Y) in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,”^(Z) he said. “It is your responsibility!”^(AA)

²⁵ All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!”^(AB)

²⁶ Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged,^(AC) and handed him over to be crucified.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus^(AD)

²⁷ Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium^(AE) and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. ²⁸ They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,^{(AF) 29} and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said.^{(AG) 30} They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.^{(AH) 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.^(AI)

The Crucifixion of Jesus^(AJ)

³² As they were going out,^(AK) they met a man from Cyrene,^(AL) named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.^{(AM) 33} They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”).^{(AN) 34} There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall;^(AO) but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. ³⁵ When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.^{(AP) 36} And sitting down, they kept watch^(AQ) over him there. ³⁷ Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.

³⁸ Two rebels were crucified with him,^(AR) one on his right and one on his left. ³⁹ Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads^{(AS) 40} and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days,^(AT) save yourself!^(AU) Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”^{(AV) 41} In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. ⁴² “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel!^(AW) Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe^(AX) in him. ⁴³ He trusts in God. Let God rescue him^(AY) now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” ⁴⁴ In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

The Death of Jesus^(AZ)

⁴⁵ From noon until three in the afternoon darkness^(BA) came over all the land. ⁴⁶ About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,^[c] lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).^[d](BB)

⁴⁷ When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”

⁴⁸ Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar,^(BC) put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. ⁴⁹ The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

⁵⁰ And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.^(BD)

⁵¹ At that moment the curtain of the temple^(BE) was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split^{(BF) 52} and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. ⁵³ They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and^[e] went into the holy city^(BG) and appeared to many people.

⁵⁴ When the centurion and those with him who were guarding^(BH) Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”^(BI)

⁵⁵ Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs.^{(BJ) 56} Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph,^[f] and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.^(BK)

The Burial of Jesus^(BL)

⁵⁷ As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸ Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. ⁵⁹ Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, ⁶⁰ and placed it in his own new tomb^(BM) that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. ⁶¹ Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

The Guard at the Tomb

⁶² The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. ⁶³ “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’^{(BN) 64} So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body^(BO) and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”

⁶⁵ “Take a guard,”^(BP) Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” ⁶⁶ So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal^(BQ) on the stone^(BR) and posting the guard.^(BS)