1. WHEN IT was morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people held a consultation against Jesus to put Him to death;
2. And they bound Him and led Him away and handed Him over to Pilate the governor.
3. When Judas, His betrayer, saw that [Jesus] was condemned, [Judas was afflicted in mind and troubled for his former folly; and] with remorse [with little more than a selfish dread of the consequences] he brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, [Exod. 21:32.]
4. Saying, I have sinned in betraying innocent blood. They replied, What is that to us? See to that yourself.
5. And casting the pieces of silver [forward] into the [Holy Place of the sanctuary of the] temple, he departed; and he went off and hanged himself.
6. But the chief priests, picking up the pieces of silver, said, It is not legal to put these in the [consecrated] treasury, for it is the price of blood.
7. So after consultation they bought with them [the pieces of silver] the potter's field [as a place] in which to bury strangers.
8. Therefore that piece of ground has been called the Field of Blood to the present day.
9. Then were fulfilled the words spoken by Jeremiah the prophet when he said, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of Him on Whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, [Zech. 11:12, 13.]
10. And they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me.
11. Now Jesus stood before the governor [Pilate], and the governor asked Him, Are you the King of the Jews? Jesus said to him, You have stated [the fact].
12. But when the charges were made against Him by the chief priests and elders, He made no answer. [Isa. 53:7.]
13. Then Pilate said to Him, Do You not hear how many and how serious are the things they are testifying against You?
14. But He made no reply to him, not even to a single accusation, so that the governor marveled greatly.
15. Now at the Feast [of the Passover] the governor was in the habit of setting free for the people any one prisoner whom they chose.
16. And at that time they had a notorious prisoner whose name was Barabbas.