his sword, and smote the servant of the high priest, and cut 52 off his ear. Thereupon Jesus saith to him, Return thy sword 53 to its place. For are all who have taken a sword to perish by a sword? Or dost thou think that I cannot now address my father, who can send to my assistance, more than twelve legi54 ons of angels? How then would the scriptures be fulfilled, 55 that thus it must be? At that instant Jesus was saying to the multitudes, Are you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs, to take me? Day after day I sat before you teach56 ing in the temple, and you did not lay hold on me. But all

this is done that the writings of the prophets may be confirm57 ed. Then all the disciples forsook him and fled. And they who had hold of Jesus led him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the Scribes and the elders of the people were assembled.

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Now Peter followed him at a distance, even to the court of 59 the high priest. And having gone in, he sat down with the at

tendants, to see the issue. And the chief priests and the elders, even the whole Sanhedrim, sought false testimony against Je60 sus that they might put him to death, but found it not. 61 Though many false witnesses came forward, they did not find

it. At last two false witnesses came, who said, This man said, 62 I can destroy the temple of God and in three days rebuild it.

Then the chief priest, standing up, said to him, Answerest thou 63 nothing to what these testify against thee? But Jesus was silent. Then the chief priest addressing him, said, I adjure thee 64 by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou art the Christ, the son of God. Jesus saith to him, It is as thou hast spoken. Moreover I say to you, Hereafter you shall see the son of man sitting at the right hand of that Power, and coming on the 65 clouds of heaven. Upon this the high priest rent his clothes,

saying, He hath blasphemed. What further need have we of witnesses? Behold you have now heard his blasphemy. What 66 think ye? Thereupon they, answering, said, He is guilty of 67 death. Then they spat in his face and struck him with their 68 fists, and smote him with staves, saying, Prophesy to us Christ. Who is he that smote thee?

69 Now when Peter was sitting without, in the court, a servant maid

came up to him and said, Thou also wast with Jesus the Ga

70 lilean. And he denied before them all, saying, I do not know 71 what thou sayest. And as he was going out into the porch

another maid saw him, and saith to them there, That man also 72 was with Jesus the Nazarene. And he again denied, with an 73 oath, I do not know the man. And a little after, some bye

standers came up and said to Peter, Thou also art certainly 74 one of them, for thy speech discovereth thee. Then he began 75 to curse and to swear, I do not know the man. And imme. diately a cock crowed. Whereupon Peter recollected the word which Jesus said to him, "Before cockcrowing thou wilt three times deny me;" and going out, he wept bitterly. XXVII. Now early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to have 2 him put to death. So, having bound him, they led him away 3 and delivered him up to Pontius Pilate the governor. Then Judas, who had delivered him up, finding that he was condemned, repented and carried back the thirty shekels of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, I have sinned in having be4 trayed innocent blood. To which they replied, What is that to 5 us? Look thou to that. Thereupon he threw down the money in the temple, and withdrew, and went and strangled himself. 6. And the chief priests, taking the money, said; It is not lawful to put it into the holy treasury, seeing it is the price of blood. 7 So, having consulted together, they bought with it the pot8 ter's field for the burial of strangers. Therefore that field is 9 ever since called the field of blood. Then was fulfilled that, which was spoken by the prophet Jeremias, saying, "So I took the thirty pieces of silver, as the Lord commanded 10 me." These being the price of him who was valued, whom some of the Israelites valued; these they gave for the potter's field.

11 Now when Jesus stood before the governor, the governor asked him, saying, Thou art the king of the Jews? And Jesus 12 said to him, as thou hast said, [I am.] But when he was accused 13 by the chief priests and the elders, he made no reply. Then 14 Pilate saith to him, Dost thou not hear what they testify against

* See the note on Zach. 9. 1. at the close of the preceding volume.

† Zach. 11. 13.

thee? But he made no reply to any charge; so that the governor was greatly surprised.

15 Now at a festival it was customary for the governor to re16 lease to the people any one prisoner whom they desired. And 17 they had then a noted prisoner named Barabbas. So when they

were assembled, Pilate said to them, Whom do you desire me to release to you? Barabbas; or Jesus who is called Christ? 18 For he knew that out of envy they had delivered him up. And 19 while he was sitting on the tribunal, his wife had sent to him,

saying, Have nothing to do with that righteous person; for I 20 have this day suffered much in a dream on his account. But

the chief priests and the elders had prevailed on the people that 21 they should demand Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. So when the governor, addressing them, said, Which of the two do you 22 desire me to release to you? They said, Barabbas. Pilate saith

to them, What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ? 23 They all say to him, Let him be crucified. Thereupon the go

vernor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they with 24 more vehemence cried, Let him be crucified. When Pilate saw that he could not in the least prevail, but that a tumult rather was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am clear from the blood of this innocent 25 person. Look ye to it. Upon which all the people, answering, 26 said, His blood be upon us and upon our children. Then he released to them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him up to be crucified.

27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus to the pre28 torium,* and assembled about him the whole cohort.†And having stripped him, they threw around him a scarlet military 29 robe: and having platted a crown of thorns, they put it on his head, and a reed in his right hand; and falling on their knees before him, they mocked him, saying, Hail king of the Jews. 30 Then, having spit in his face, they took the reed and struck 31 him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they took

* Pretorium, the judgment hall, or hall of audience, where the Roman magistrates used to sit for the dispatch of public business. † Cohort, a body of soldiers--ten Cohorts make a legion.

off the robe, and put his own raiment on him, and led him out 32 to be crucified. And as they were going out, they met a man of

Cyrene, named Simon, and compelled him to carry the cross. 83 And having come to a place called Golgotha, (the meaning of 34 which is the place of a skull) they gave him to drink vinegar

mingled with a bitter drug, which, when he tasted, he would not 35 drink. Then, having crucified him, they parted his garments by lot, thus verifying what was spoken by the prophet, "They parted my garments among them; and for my vesture they 36 cast lots.*" And, sitting down, they guarded him there,

37

Now over his head they had placed this inscription, denoting the charge against him, This is Jesus the king of the Jews.

38 At the same time two robbers were crucified with him, 39 one on his right hand, and the other on his left. And they who 40 passed by reviled him, shaking their heads, and saying, Thou

the demolisher of the temple and the rebuilder of it in three 41 days, save thyself. If thou art the Son of God, come down from the cross. In like manner also the chief priests, and the Scribes, and the elders, deriding him, said, He saved others; 42 cannot he save himself? If he be the king of Israel, let him

now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. 43 He trusted in God; let him now deliver him, if he delighteth in 44 him:for, he said, I am the Son of God. Nay, 'even the robbers, who were crucified with him, upbraided him in the same

45

manner.

Now from the sixth hourt there was darkness over the 46 whole land till the ninth hourt And about the ninth hour Jesus cried, with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, Lama, Sabachthani, 47 that is, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Where

upon some of them who stood there, hearing this, said, He 48 calleth Elias. And immediately one of them ran, and having

taken a spunge, soaked it with vinegar, and having fixed it to 49 a reed, gave him to drink. But the rest said, Forbear, let us 50 see, whether Elias will come to save him. And Jesus, having 51 cried again with a loud voice, expired. And lo! the veil of the

temple was rent in two from top to bottom; and the earth quak52 ed; and the rocks were rent; and the tombs were opened. And

many bodies of saints, composed to rest, were awakened. 53 And, having come out of their tombs, after his resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

54

55

When the centurion, and they who were with him guarding Jesus, observed the earthquake, and what had happened, they were greatly terrified, and said, This was certainly a son of a God.

Now many women were there, looking on at a distance, who 56 had accompanied Jesus from Galilee to wait upon him. Among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James 57 and Joses, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. And in the

evening there came a rich man of Arimathea, whose name 58 was Joseph, and who himself was a disciple of Jesus. This

man having gone to Pilate had begged the body of Jesus; 59 and Pilate had ordered the body to be given to him. So Joseph, having taken the body, wrapped it up in a clean sindon* and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the 60 rock. And having rolled a great stone to the entrance of the 61 tomb, he went away. But Mary Magdalene and the other Mary continued sitting there over against the tomb.

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At the close of the day† succeeding the preparation, the 63 chief priests and the Pharisees went in a body to Pilate, and said, Sir, we have recollected that this impostor, when alive, 64 said, After three days I shall be raised up. Give orders therefore that the sepulchre be secured till the third day. Perhaps his disciples may come by night, and steal him away, and tell 65 the people, he is risen from the dead. So this last imposture will be worse than the first. Thereupon Pilate said to them, You have a guard. Go and secure it as you can. So they went and secured the sepulchre, sealing the stone and posting the guard.

*Sindon, the name of a robe, supposed to come from India, and to resemble what we call a shawl.

At the close of the day, that is after sun set on Saturday; at which time their sabbath ended and their first day began.