Then the chief priests and the elders met together in the palace of Caiaphas, the High Priest,

The time was near for the Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover.

The whole group rose up and took Jesus before Pilate,

Herod was very pleased when he saw Jesus, because he had heard about him and had been wanting to see him for a long time. He was hoping to see Jesus perform some miracle.

The chief priests and the teachers of the Law stepped forward and made strong accusations against Jesus.

On that very day Herod and Pilate became friends; before this they had been enemies.

Reach out your hand to heal, and grant that wonders and miracles may be performed through the name of your holy Servant Jesus."

because you will not abandon me in the world of the dead; you will not allow your faithful servant to rot in the grave.

He was holy and good, but you rejected him, and instead you asked Pilate to do you the favor of turning loose a murderer.

Nothing clean can ever come from anything as unclean as human beings.

Can any human being be really pure? Can anyone be right with God?

Can anyone be righteous or pure in God's sight?

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and God's power will rest upon you. For this reason the holy child will be called the Son of God.

Jesus, then, is the High Priest that meets our needs. He is holy; he has no fault or sin in him; he has been set apart from sinners and raised above the heavens.

You know about Jesus of Nazareth and how God poured out on him the Holy Spirit and power. He went everywhere, doing good and healing all who were under the power of the Devil, for God was with him.

Their kings revolt, their rulers plot together against the LORD and against the king he chose.

"On Zion, my sacred hill," he says, "I have installed my king."

you love what is right and hate what is evil. That is why God, your God, has chosen you and has poured out more happiness on you than on any other king.

The Sovereign LORD has filled me with his Spirit. He has chosen me and sent me To bring good news to the poor, To heal the broken-hearted, To announce release to captives And freedom to those in prison.

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed

As for me, the Father chose me and sent me into the world. How, then, can you say that I blaspheme because I said that I am the Son of God?

After they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph and said, "Herod will be looking for the child in order to kill him. So get up, take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you to leave."

where he stayed until Herod died. This was done to make come true what the Lord had said through the prophet, "I called my Son out of Egypt."

At that same time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, "You must get out of here and go somewhere else, because Herod wants to kill you."

Yet I must be on my way today, tomorrow, and the next day; it is not right for a prophet to be killed anywhere except in Jerusalem.

When he learned that Jesus was from the region ruled by Herod, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.

So Herod asked Jesus many questions, but Jesus made no answer.

Herod and his soldiers made fun of Jesus and treated him with contempt; then they put a fine robe on him and sent him back to Pilate.

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has given divine glory to his Servant Jesus. But you handed him over to the authorities, and you rejected him in Pilate's presence, even after Pilate had decided to set him free.

They put him in chains, led him off, and handed him over to Pilate, the Roman governor.

Jesus stood before the Roman governor, who questioned him. "Are you the king of the Jews?" he asked. "So you say," answered Jesus.

So Pilate said to him, "Don't you hear all these things they accuse you of ?"

At every Passover Festival the Roman governor was in the habit of setting free any one prisoner the crowd asked for.

So when the crowd gathered, Pilate asked them, "Which one do you want me to set free for you? Jesus Barabbas or Jesus called the Messiah?"

While Pilate was sitting in the judgment hall, his wife sent him a message: "Have nothing to do with that innocent man, because in a dream last night I suffered much on account of him."

But Pilate asked the crowd, "Which one of these two do you want me to set free for you?" "Barabbas!" they answered.

But Pilate asked, "What crime has he committed?" Then they started shouting at the top of their voices: "Crucify him!"

The whole crowd answered, "Let the responsibility for his death fall on us and on our children!"

Then Pilate's soldiers took Jesus into the governor's palace, and the whole company gathered around him.

Then they made a crown out of thorny branches and placed it on his head, and put a stick in his right hand; then they knelt before him and made fun of him. "Long live the King of the Jews!" they said.

When they had finished making fun of him, they took the robe off and put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.

They came to a place called Golgotha, which means, "The Place of the Skull."

They crucified him and then divided his clothes among them by throwing dice.

Early in the morning the chief priests met hurriedly with the elders, the teachers of the Law, and the whole Council, and made their plans. They put Jesus in chains, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.

The chief priests were accusing Jesus of many things,

Again Jesus refused to say a word, and Pilate was amazed.

At that time a man named Barabbas was in prison with the rebels who had committed murder in the riot.

he asked them, "Do you want me to set free for you the king of the Jews?"

But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to ask, instead, that Pilate set Barabbas free for them.

They shouted back, "Crucify him!"

Pilate wanted to please the crowd, so he set Barabbas free for them. Then he had Jesus whipped and handed him over to be crucified.

They put a purple robe on Jesus, made a crown out of thorny branches, and put it on his head.

They beat him over the head with a stick, spat on him, fell on their knees, and bowed down to him.

On the way they met a man named Simon, who was coming into the city from the country, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus' cross. (Simon was from Cyrene and was the father of Alexander and Rufus.)

There they tried to give him wine mixed with a drug called myrrh, but Jesus would not drink it.

It was nine o'clock in the morning when they crucified him.

They also crucified two bandits with Jesus, one on his right and the other on his left.

Jesus took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, "Listen! We are going to Jerusalem where everything the prophets wrote about the Son of Man will come true.

They will whip him and kill him, but three days later he will rise to life."

Pilate called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people,

Nor did Herod find him guilty, for he sent him back to us. There is nothing this man has done to deserve death.

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(Barabbas had been put in prison for a riot that had taken place in the city, and for murder.)

But they shouted back, "Crucify him! Crucify him!"

But they kept on shouting at the top of their voices that Jesus should be crucified, and finally their shouting succeeded.

He set free the man they wanted, the one who had been put in prison for riot and murder, and he handed Jesus over for them to do as they wished.

A large crowd of people followed him; among them were some women who were weeping and wailing for him.

For the days are coming when people will say, 'How lucky are the women who never had children, who never bore babies, who never nursed them!'

For if such things as these are done when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?"

When they came to the place called "The Skull," they crucified Jesus there, and the two criminals, one on his right and the other on his left.

The people stood there watching while the Jewish leaders made fun of him: "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah whom God has chosen!"

and said, "Save yourself if you are the king of the Jews!"

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him whipped.

and came to him and said, "Long live the King of the Jews!" And they went up and slapped him.

So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Look! Here is the man!"

The crowd answered back, "We have a law that says he ought to die, because he claimed to be the Son of God."

He went back into the palace and asked Jesus, "Where do you come from?" But Jesus did not answer.

Jesus answered, "You have authority over me only because it was given to you by God. So the man who handed me over to you is guilty of a worse sin."

When Pilate heard these words, he took Jesus outside and sat down on the judge's seat in the place called "The Stone Pavement." (In Hebrew the name is "Gabbatha.")

They shouted back, "Kill him! Kill him! Crucify him!" Pilate asked them, "Do you want me to crucify your king?" The chief priests answered, "The only king we have is the Emperor!"

He went out, carrying his cross, and came to "The Place of the Skull," as it is called. (In Hebrew it is called "Golgotha.")

Pilate wrote a notice and had it put on the cross. "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews," is what he wrote.

The chief priests said to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but rather, 'This man said, I am the King of the Jews.' "

After the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier. They also took the robe, which was made of one piece of woven cloth without any seams in it.

Israel's holy God and savior says to the one who is deeply despised, who is hated by the nations and is the servant of rulers: "Kings will see you released and will rise to show their respect; princes also will see it, and they will bow low to honor you." This will happen because the LORD has chosen his servant; the holy God of Israel keeps his promises.

We despised him and rejected him; he endured suffering and pain. No one would even look at him--- we ignored him as if he were nothing.

Those who bought and sold the sheep hired me, and I became the shepherd of the sheep that were going to be butchered. I took two sticks: one I called "Favor" and the other "Unity." And I took care of the flock.

I lost patience with three other shepherds, who hated me, and I got rid of them all in a single month.

"Listen," he told them, "we are going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the teachers of the Law. They will condemn him to death

and then hand him over to the Gentiles, who will make fun of him, whip him, and crucify him; but three days later he will be raised to life."

"Now, what do you think? There was once a man who had two sons. He went to the older one and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.'

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone the messengers God has sent you! How many times I wanted to put my arms around all your people, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not let me!

Then the chief priests and the elders met together in the palace of Caiaphas, the High Priest,

and made plans to arrest Jesus secretly and put him to death.

The chief priests and the whole Council tried to find some false evidence against Jesus to put him to death;

and said, "This man said, 'I am able to tear down God's Temple and three days later build it back up.' "

But Jesus kept quiet. Again the High Priest spoke to him, "In the name of the living God I now put you under oath: tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God."

At this the High Priest tore his clothes and said, "Blasphemy! We don't need any more witnesses! You have just heard his blasphemy!

Then they spat in his face and beat him; and those who slapped him

The whole crowd answered, "Let the responsibility for his death fall on us and on our children!"

"You were going to tear down the Temple and build it back up in three days! Save yourself if you are God's Son! Come on down from the cross!"

"He saved others, but he cannot save himself ! Isn't he the king of Israel? If he will come down off the cross now, we will believe in him!

"Listen," he told them, "we are going up to Jerusalem where the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the teachers of the Law. They will condemn him to death and then hand him over to the Gentiles,

It was now two days before the Festival of Passover and Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the teachers of the Law were looking for a way to arrest Jesus secretly and put him to death.

"We must not do it during the festival," they said, "or the people might riot."

Jesus was still speaking when Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs and sent by the chief priests, the teachers of the Law, and the elders.

As soon as Judas arrived, he went up to Jesus and said, "Teacher!" and kissed him.

But one of those standing there drew his sword and struck at the High Priest's slave, cutting off his ear.

Day after day I was with you teaching in the Temple, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must come true."

A certain young man, dressed only in a linen cloth, was following Jesus. They tried to arrest him,

Then Jesus was taken to the High Priest's house, where all the chief priests, the elders, and the teachers of the Law were gathering.

The chief priests and the whole Council tried to find some evidence against Jesus in order to put him to death, but they could not find any.

Then some men stood up and told this lie against Jesus:

Not even they, however, could make their stories agree.

But Jesus kept quiet and would not say a word. Again the High Priest questioned him, "Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed God?"

The High Priest tore his robes and said, "We don't need any more witnesses!

Some of them began to spit on Jesus, and they blindfolded him and hit him. "Guess who hit you!" they said. And the guards took him and slapped him.

Early in the morning the chief priests met hurriedly with the elders, the teachers of the Law, and the whole Council, and made their plans. They put Jesus in chains, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.

The chief priests were accusing Jesus of many things,

He also told them, "The Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law. He will be put to death, but three days later he will be raised to life."

Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my own dear son; surely they will respect him!'

So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. "What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do to the tenants?" Jesus asked.

Jesus looked at them and asked, "What, then, does this scripture mean? 'The stone which the builders rejected as worthless turned out to be the most important of all.'

The teachers of the Law and the chief priests tried to arrest Jesus on the spot, because they knew that he had told this parable against them; but they were afraid of the people.

The chief priests and the teachers of the Law were afraid of the people, and so they were trying to find a way of putting Jesus to death secretly.

So Judas went off and spoke with the chief priests and the officers of the Temple guard about how he could betray Jesus to them.

Judas agreed to it and started looking for a good chance to hand Jesus over to them without the people knowing about it.

Jesus was still speaking when a crowd arrived, led by Judas, one of the twelve disciples. He came up to Jesus to kiss him.

When the disciples who were with Jesus saw what was going to happen, they asked, "Shall we use our swords, Lord?"

But Jesus said, "Enough of this!" He touched the man's ear and healed him.

The men who were guarding Jesus made fun of him and beat him.

And they said many other insulting things to him.

"Tell us," they said, "are you the Messiah?" He answered, "If I tell you, you will not believe me;

But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right side of Almighty God."

And they said, "We don't need any witnesses! We ourselves have heard what he said!"

The whole group rose up and took Jesus before Pilate,

Pilate asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" "So you say," answered Jesus.

But they insisted even more strongly, "With his teaching he is starting a riot among the people all through Judea. He began in Galilee and now has come here."

He came to his own country, but his own people did not receive him.

After Jesus had said this prayer, he left with his disciples and went across Kidron Brook. There was a garden in that place, and Jesus and his disciples went in.

So Judas went to the garden, taking with him a group of Roman soldiers, and some Temple guards sent by the chief priests and the Pharisees; they were armed and carried lanterns and torches.

"Jesus of Nazareth," they answered. "I am he," he said. Judas, the traitor, was standing there with them.

Again Jesus asked them, "Who is it you are looking for?" "Jesus of Nazareth," they said.

(He said this so that what he had said might come true: "Father, I have not lost even one of those you gave me.")

Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword back in its place! Do you think that I will not drink the cup of suffering which my Father has given me?"

and took him first to Annas. He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was High Priest that year.

The High Priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching.

Why, then, do you question me? Question the people who heard me. Ask them what I told them---they know what I said."

Jesus answered him, "If I have said anything wrong, tell everyone here what it was. But if I am right in what I have said, why do you hit me?"

Early in the morning Jesus was taken from Caiaphas' house to the governor's palace. The Jewish authorities did not go inside the palace, for they wanted to keep themselves ritually clean, in order to be able to eat the Passover meal.

Their answer was, "We would not have brought him to you if he had not committed a crime."

(This happened in order to make come true what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he would die.)

Jesus answered, "Does this question come from you or have others told you about me?"

Jesus said, "My kingdom does not belong to this world; if my kingdom belonged to this world, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish authorities. No, my kingdom does not belong here!"

"And what is truth?" Pilate asked. Then Pilate went back outside to the people and said to them, "I cannot find any reason to condemn him.

They answered him with a shout, "No, not him! We want Barabbas!" (Barabbas was a bandit.)

They shouted back, "Kill him! Kill him! Crucify him!" Pilate asked them, "Do you want me to crucify your king?" The chief priests answered, "The only king we have is the Emperor!"