51 But Yeshua said, "Stop! That's enough of this." Then he touched the servant's ear and healed him.

52 Then Yeshua said to the chief priests, temple guards, and leaders who had come for him, "Have you come out with swords and clubs as if I were a criminal? 53 I was with you in the temple courtyard every day and you didn't try to arrest me. But this is your time, when darkness rules."

54 So they arrested Yeshua and led him away to the chief priest's house.

Peter Denies Jesus-Matthew 26:69-75; Mark 14:66-72; John 18:15-18, 25-27 Peter followed at a distance.

55 Some men had lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard. As they sat together, Peter sat among them. 56 A female servant saw him as he sat facing the glow of the fire. She stared at him and said, "This man was with Yeshua."

57 But Peter denied it by saying, "I don't know him, woman."

58 A little later someone else saw Peter and said, "You are one of them."

But Peter said, "Not me!"

59 About an hour later another person insisted, "It's obvious that this man was with him. He's a Galilean!"

60 But Peter said, "I don't know what you're talking about!"

Just then, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. 61 Then the Lord turned and looked directly at Peter. Peter remembered what the Lord had said: "Before a rooster crows today, you will say three times that you don't know me." 62 Then Peter went outside and cried bitterly.

The Trial in Front of the Jewish Council-Matthew 26:57-68; Mark 14:53-65 63 The men who were guarding Yeshua made fun of him as they beat him. 64 They blindfolded him and said to him, "Tell us who hityou." 65 They also insulted him in many other ways.

66 In the morning the council of the people's leaders, the chief priests and the experts in Moses' Teachings, gathered together. They brought Yeshua in front of their highest court and asked him, 67 "Tell us, are you the Messiah?"

Yeshua said to them, "If I tell you, you won't believe me. 68 And if I ask you, you won't answer. 69 But from now on, the Son of Man will be in the highest position in heaven."

70 Then all of them said, "So you're the Son of God?"

Yeshua answered them, 'You're right to say that I am."

71 Then they said, "Why do we need any more testimony? We've heard him say it ourselves."

Pilate Questions Jesus-Matthew 27:11-14; Mark 15:1-5; John 18:28-38 23 1 Then the entire assembly stood up and took him to Pilate.

2 They began to accuse Yeshua by saying, "We found that he stirs up trouble among our people: He keeps them from paying taxes to the emperor, and he says that he is Christ, a king."

3 Pilate asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"

"Yes, I am," Yeshua answered.

4 Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, "I can't find this man guilty of any crime."

Pilate Sends Jesus to Herod 5 The priests and the crowd became more forceful. They said, "He stirs up the people throughout Judea with his teachings. He started in Galilee and has come here."

6 When Pilate heard that, he asked if the man was from Galilee. 7 When Pilate found out that he was, he sent Yeshua to Herod. Herod ruled Galilee and was in Jerusalem at that time.

8 Herod was very pleased to see Yeshua. For a long time he had wanted to see him. He had heard about Yeshua and hoped to see him perform some kind of miracle. 9 Herod asked Yeshua many questions, but Yeshua wouldn't answer him. 10 Meanwhile, the chief priests and the experts in Moses' Teachings stood there and shouted their accusations against Yeshua.

11 Herod and his soldiers treated Yeshua with contempt and made fun of him. They put a colorful robe on him and sent him back to Pilate. 12 So Herod and Pilate became friends that day. They had been enemies before this.

13 Then Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people. 14 He told them, "You brought me this man as someone who turns the people against the government. I've questioned him in front of you and haven't found this man guilty of the crimes of which you accuse him. 15 Neither could Herod. So he sent this man back to us. This man hasn't done anything to deserve the death penalty. 16 So I'm going to have him whipped and set free."a The Crowd Rejects Jesus-Matthew 27:15-26; Mark 15:6-15; John 18:39-40 18 The whole crowd then shouted, "Take him away! Free Barabbas for us." 19 (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for his involvement in a riot that had taken place in the city and for murder.) 20 But because Pilate wanted to free Yeshua, he spoke to the people again.

21 They began yelling, "Crucify him! Crucify him!"

22 A third time Pilate spoke to them. He asked, "Why? What has he done wrong? I haven't found this man deserving of the death penalty. So I'm going to have him whipped and set free."

23 But the crowd pressured Pilate. They shouted that Yeshua had to be crucified, and they finally won. 24 Pilate decided to give in to their demand. 25 He freed Barabbas, who had been put in prison for rioting and murdering, because that's what they wanted. But he let them do what they wanted to Yeshua.

Jesus Is Led Away to Be Crucified 26 As the soldiers led Yeshua away, they grabbed a man named Simon, who was from the city of Cyrene. Simon was coming into Jerusalem. They laid the cross on him and made him carry it behind Yeshua.

27 A large crowd followed Yeshua. The women in the crowd cried and sang funeral songs for him. 28 Yeshua turned to them and said, "You women of Jerusalem, don't cry for me! Rather, cry for yourselves and your children! 29 The time is coming when people will say, 'Blessed are the women who couldn't get pregnant, who couldn't give birth, and who couldn't nurse a child.' 30 Then people will say to the mountains, 'Fall on us!' and to the hills, 'Cover us!' 31 If people do this to a green tree, what will happen to a dry one?"

32 Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be executed with him.

The Crucifixion-Matthew 27:31-44; Mark 15:20-32; John 19:16b-24 33 When they came to the place called The Skull, they crucified him. The criminals were also crucified, one on his right and the other on his left.

34 Then Yeshua said, "Father, forgive them. They don't know what they're doing."a Meanwhile, the soldiers divided his clothes among themselves by throwing dice.

35 The people stood there watching. But the rulers were making sarcastic remarks. They said, "He saved others. If he's the Messiah that God has chosen, let him save himself!" 36 The soldiers also made fun of him. They would go up to him, offer him some vinegar, 37 and say, "If you're the king of the Jews, save yourself!"

38 A written notice was placed above him. It said, "This is the king of the Jews."

Criminals Talk to Jesus 39 One of the criminals hanging there insulted Yeshua by saying, "So you're really the Messiah, are you? Well, save yourself and us!"

40 But the other criminal scolded him: "Don't you fear God at all? Can't you see that you're condemned in the same way that he is? 41 Our punishment is fair. We're getting what we deserve. But this man hasn't done anything wrong."

42 Then he said, "Yeshua, remember me when you enter your kingdom."

43 Yeshua said to him, "I can guarantee this truth: Today you will be with me in paradise."

Jesus Dies on the Cross-Matthew 27:45-56; Mark 15:33-41; John 19:28-30 44 Around noon darkness came over the entire land and lasted until three in the afternoon. 45 The sun had stopped shining. The curtain in the temple was split in two.

46 Yeshua cried out in a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit." After he said this, he died.

47 When an army officer saw what had happened, he praised God and said, "Certainly, this man was innocent!" 48 Crowds had gathered to see the sight. But when all of them saw what had happened, they cried and returned to the city. 49 All his friends, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance and watched everything.

Jesus Is Placed in a Tomb-Matthew 27:57-61; Mark 15:42-47; John 19:38-42 50 There was a good man who had God's approval. His name was Joseph. He was a member of the Jewish council, 51 but he had not agreed with what they had done. He was from the Jewish city of Arimathea, and he was waiting for the kingdom of God.

52 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Yeshua. 53 After he took it down from the cross, he wrapped it in linen. Then he laid the body in a tomb cut in rock, a tomb in which no one had ever been buried. 54 It was Friday, and the day of worship was just beginning.

55 The women who had come with Yeshua from Galilee followed closely behind Joseph. They observed the tomb and how his body was laid in it. 56 Then they went back to the city and prepared spices and perfumes. But on the day of worship they rested according to the commandment.

Jesus Comes Back to Life-Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-8; John 20:1-10 24 1 Very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb. They were carrying the spices that they had prepared. 2 They found that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb. 3 When they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Yeshua. 4 While they were puzzled about this, two men in clothes that were as bright as lightning suddenly stood beside them. 5 The women were terrified and bowed to the ground.

The men asked the women, "Why are you looking among the dead for the living one? 6 He's not here. He has been brought back to life! Remember what he told you while he was still in Galilee. 7 He said, 'The Son of Man must be handed over to sinful people, be crucified, and come back to life on the third day.'" 8 Then the women remembered what Yeshua had told them.

9 The women left the tomb and went back to the city. They told everything to the eleven apostles and all the others. 10 The women were Mary from Magdala, Joanna, and Mary (the mother of James). There were also other women with them. They told the apostles everything.

11 The apostles thought that the women's story didn't make any sense, and they didn't believe them.

12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. He bent down to look inside and saw only the strips of linen. Then he went away, wondering what had happened.

Jesus Appears to Disciples on a Road to Emmaus 13 On the same day, two of Yeshua's disciples were going to a village called Emmaus. It was about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking to each other about everything that had happened.

15 While they were talking, Yeshua approached them and began walking with them. 16 Although they saw him, they didn't recognize him.

17 He asked them, "What are you discussing?"

They stopped and looked very sad. 18 One of them, Cleopas, replied, "Are you the only one in Jerusalem who doesn't know what has happened recently?"

19 "What happened?" he asked.

They said to him, "We were discussing what happened to Yeshua from Nazareth. He was a powerful prophet in what he did and said in the sight of God and all the people. 20 Our chief priests and rulers had him condemned to death and crucified. 21 We were hoping that he was the one who would free Israel. What's more, this is now the third day since everything happened. 22 Some of the women from our group startled us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 and didn't find his body. They told us that they had seen angels who said that he's alive. 24 Some of our men went to the tomb and found it empty, as the women had said, but they didn't see him."

25 Then Yeshua said to them, "How foolish you are! You're so slow to believe everything the prophets said! 26 Didn't the Messiah have to suffer these things and enter into his glory?" 27 Then he began with Moses' Teachings and the Prophets to explain to them what was said about him throughout the Scriptures.

28 When they came near the village where they were going, Yeshua acted as if he were going farther. 29 They urged him, "Stay with us! It's getting late, and the day is almost over." So he went to stay with them.

30 While he was at the table with them, he took bread and blessed it. He broke the bread and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. But he vanished from their sight.

32 They said to each other, "Weren't we excited when he talked with us on the road and opened up the meaning of the Scriptures for us?"

33 That same hour they went back to Jerusalem. They found the eleven apostles and those who were with them gathered together. 34 They were saying, "The Lord has really come back to life and has appeared to Simon."

35 Then the two disciples told what had happened on the road and how they had recognized Yeshua when he broke the bread.

Jesus Appears to the Apostles-John 20:19-23 36 While they were talking about what had happened, Yeshua stood among them. He said to them, "Peace be with you!" 37 They were terrified, and thought they were seeing a ghost.

38 He asked them, "Why are you afraid? Why do you have doubts? 39 Look at my hands and feet, and see that it's really me. Touch me, and see for yourselves. Ghosts don't have flesh and bones, but you can see that I do." 40 As he said this, he showed them his hands and feet.

41 The disciples were overcome with joy and amazement because this seemed too good to be true. Then Yeshua asked them, "Do you have anything to eat?" 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish. 43 He took it and ate it while they watched him.

44 Then he said to them, "These are the words I spoke to you while I was still with you. I told you that everything written about me in Moses' Teachings, the Prophets, and the Psalms had to come true." 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46 He said to them, "Scripture says that the Messiah would suffer and that he would come back to life on the third day. 47 Scripture also says that by the authority of Yeshua people would be told to turn to God and change the way they think and act so that their sins will be forgiven. This would be told to people from all nations, beginning in the city of Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses to these things.

49 "I'm sending you what my Father promised. Wait here in the city until you receive power from heaven."

50 Then Yeshua took them to a place near Bethany. There he raised his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken to heaven.

52 The disciples worshiped him and were overjoyed as they went back to Jerusalem. 53 They were always in the temple, where they praised God.

a Bianca Bosker, "April Becker-Antoniou: Woman Finds Dad by Googling Herself," http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/11/aprilbecker-antoniouwom_n_354541.html (accessed December 11, 2009).

a 1:30 Or "grace."

a 1:72 Or "covenant."

a 2:22 "Clean" refers to anything that Moses' Teachings say is presentable to God.

b 2:40 Or "grace."

a 3:3 Repentance is turning to God with a complete change in the way a person thinks and acts.

a 3:17 Winnowing is the process of separating husks from grain.

b 3:17 A threshing floor is an outdoor area where grain is separated from its husks.

a 4:4 Some manuscripts and translations add "but on every word of God."

b 4:12 Or "Never put the Lord your God to any test."

c 4:18 Some manuscripts and translations add "to heal those who are brokenhearted."

a 4:44 Some manuscripts read "in the synagogues of Galilee."

a 5:12 "Clean" refers to anything that Moses' Teachings say is presentable to God.

a 7:22 "Clean" refers to anything that Moses' Teachings say is presentable to God.

a 9:55 Some manuscripts and translations add "'You don't know the kind of spirit that is influencing you. The Son of Man didn't come to destroy people's lives but to save them,' he said."

b 10:1 Some manuscripts have "72."

a 10:42 Some manuscripts and translations read, "But of the few things worth worrying about, there is only one thing you need."

a 11:41 "Clean" refers to anything that Moses' Teachings say is presentable to God.

a 15:21 Some manuscripts and translations add "Make me one of your hired hands."

a 16:21 The last sentence in verse 20 (in Greek) has been moved to verse 21 to express the complex Greek paragraph structure more clearly in English.

a 17:14 "Clean" refers to anything that Moses' Teachings say is presentable to God.

b 17:21 Or "among."

c 17:24 Some manuscripts and translations omit "The day of."

a 17:35 Some manuscripts and translations add verse 36: "Two will be in a field. One will be taken, and the other will be left." See Matthew 24:40.

a 22:20 Or "testament," or "covenant."

a 22:44 Some manuscripts and translations omit verses 43 and 44.

a 23:16 Some manuscripts and translations add verse 17: "At every Passover festival the governor had to set someone free for them."

a 23:34 Some manuscripts and translations omit "Then . . . doing."