The Holy Gospel

     47 And while he was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a multitude of people with swords and stakes, from the chief priests and the elders of the people.  48 And he who betrayed him made a sign to them, saying, 'Whom I will kiss, this is the one, take him.'  49 And straightway he came up to Jesus, and said, "Hail, Rabbi! And he kissed Him.  50 And Jesus said to him, 'Friend, why have you come?' Then they came and laid their hands on Jesus, and took Him.  51 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.  52 Then Jesus said to him, 'Put your sword back in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword;  53 Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will give Me more than twelve legions of Angels?  54 How then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?  55 And in that hour Jesus said to the people, 'As if you had gone out against a thief with swords and stakes to take me; I sat with you every day, teaching in the temple, and you did not take me.  56 And all these things were done, that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples, leaving Him, fled. 

     57 And those who took Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.  58 And Peter followed him from afar, to the court of the high priest; And going in, he sat down with the attendants to see the end.  59 The chief priests and the elders and all the Sanhedrin sought false witness against Jesus in order to put Him to death, 60 and did not find; And, although many false witnesses came, they did not find them. But at last two false witnesses came and said, "He said, 'I can destroy the temple of God, and build it in three days.'  62 And the high priest arose, and said to him, 'Why then do you answer nothing?' why do they bear witness against Thee?  E-63 Jesus was silent. And the high priest said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, tell us, art thou the Christ, the Son of God?  64 Jesus said to him, "You have spoken; even I say unto you, From henceforth ye shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.  65 Then the high priest tore his garments, and said, 'He blasphemes! What else do we have witnesses for? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy!  E-66 What do you think? And they answered and said, I am guilty of death.  67 Then they spat in His face, and shook Him; and others smote Him on the cheeks,68 and said, "Prophesy unto us, O Christ, who smote Thee?" 

     69 And Peter was setting outside in the courtyard. And a maidservant came to him, and said, "And thou wast with Jesus of Galilee."  70 But he denied it before all, saying, 'I do not know what you say.'  71 And as he was going out of the gate, another woman saw him, and said to those who were there, 'This one was also with Jesus of Nazareth.'  72 And again he denied with an oath that he did not know this man.  73 And it came to pass that those who stood there came near, and said unto Peter, Surely thou art also one of them, for thy speech also convicts thee.  74 Then he began to swear and swear that he did not know this man. And suddenly a rooster crowed.  75 And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had spoken to him, 'Before the crows, thou shalt deny me three times.' And when he went out, he wept bitterly. 

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     1 And it came to pass, when the morning came, that all the chief priests, and the elders of the people, took counsel concerning Jesus, that they might put him to death;  2 And having bound him, they led him away, and delivered him up to Pontius Pilate, the governor. 

     3 Then Judas, who had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented, returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, 'I have sinned in betraying innocent blood.' And they said to him, What have we to do with this? See for yourself.  5 And having cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, he went out, and went, and hanged himself.  6 And the chief priests took the pieces of silver, and said, It is not lawful to put them into the treasury of the church, for it is the price of blood.  7 And having taken counsel, they bought with them the potter's land for the burial of strangers;  8 Wherefore that land is called "the land of blood" to this day.  9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, who said, "And they took thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one who was valued, whom the children of Israel valued, 10 and gave them for the potter's land, as the Lord had told me." 

     11 And Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" Jesus said to him, "You speak."  12 And when the chief priests and the elders accused him, he answered nothing.  13 Then Pilate said to him, 'Do you not hear how many testify against you?'  14 And he answered him not one word, so that the governor was greatly astonished.  15 And on the feast of the Passover, it was the custom of the governor to release to the people one prisoner whom they wanted.  16 At that time there was among them a famous prisoner, called Barabbas;  17 So when they were assembled, Pilate said to them, 'Whom do you want me to release to you, Barabbas, or Jesus, who is called the Christ?'  18 for he knew that they had betrayed him out of envy.  19 And while he was sitting in the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Do nothing unto that righteous one, for I have suffered much this day in a dream for his sake.  20 But the chief priests and the elders stirred up the people to ask Barabbas, and to destroy Joshua.  21 Then the governor asked them, 'Which of the two do you want me to release to you?' They said, Barabbas.  22 Pilate said to them, "What then shall I do to Jesus, who is called Christ?" Everyone said to him: let him be crucified.  23 And the governor said, 'What evil has he done?' But they cried out even more loudly: let him be crucified.  24 And Pilate, seeing that nothing was of avail, but that the confusion was increasing, took some water, and washed his hands before the people, and said, 'I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man; See you.  25 And answering, all the people said, 'His blood be on us and on our children.'  26 Then he released Barabbas to them, and having beaten Jesus, he delivered him up to be crucified. 

     27 Then the soldiers of the governor, having taken Jesus into the praetorium, gathered the whole army against him, 28 and having undressed him, they put on him a scarlet robe;  29 And having wove a crown of thorns, they put it on his head, and gave him a reed in his right hand. and kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!  30 And they spat on him, and took a reed, and smote him on the head. 

     31 And when they mocked him, they took off his scarlet robe, and clothed him in his garments, and led him away to be crucified.  32 As they went out, they met a certain Cyrenean, named Simon; they compelled him to bear his cross.  33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means, the place of the skull, 34 they gave him vinegar mixed with gall to drink; and when he had tasted it, he would not drink.  35 And they that crucified him divided his garments, casting lots;  36 and sitting there, they kept watch over him;  37 And they put an inscription over his head, signifying his guilt: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.  38 Then two thieves were crucified with him, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.  39 And those who passed by cursed him, shaking their heads, 40 saying, 'He who destroys the temple, and in three days he who builds up! save thyself; if you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.  41 Likewise, the chief priests, with the scribes, and the elders, and the Pharisees, mocking, said, '42 He saved others, but he cannot save himself; if He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and let us believe in Him;  43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he is pleasing to him. For He said, I am the Son of God.  44 And also the thieves who were crucified with him reproached him. 

     45 And from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour;  46 and about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli! Lama Savakhfani? that is: My God, My God! why hast thou forsaken me?  47 And some of those who stood there, hearing this, said, 'He is calling Elijah.'  48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.  49 and others said, "Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to save him."  50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and gave up his spirit.  51 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom; and the earth shook; and the stones were scattered;  52 And the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were resurrected,53 and having come out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered into the holy city, and appeared to many.  54 And the centurion, and those who were with him, when they saw the earthquake and all that had happened, were greatly afraid, and said, 'Truly he was the Son of God.'  55 There were also there, and looked on from afar, many women who were following Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him;  56 among them were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Josiah, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. 

     57 And when evening came, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had also studied with Jesus;  58 and he came to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate gave orders to give up the body;  59 And Joseph took the body, and wrapped it in a clean shroud, 60 and laid it in his new sepulchre, which he had hewn out of the rock; and having rolled a large stone to the door of the tomb, he departed.  E-61 And there was Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, sitting against the sepulchre. 

     62 On the next day, which follows Friday, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, 63 and said, "Lord! We remembered that the deceiver, while still alive, said, "After three days I will rise;  64 Therefore command that the sepulchre be guarded until the third day, lest his disciples come by night and steal him, and say to the people, 'He is risen from the dead.' and the last deception will be worse than the first.  65 Pilate said to them, 'You have a guard; Go and guard as you know.  66 They went and set a guard by the tomb, and put a seal on the stone. 

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     1 And it came to pass, at the end of the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the sepulchre.