Matthew 28

¹When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could go and anoint the body of Jesus.

²Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they went to the tomb.

¹Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.

²So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,” she said, “and we do not know where they have put Him!”

⁵⁶Then they returned to prepare spices and perfumes. And they rested on the Sabbath, according to the commandment.

⁵⁶Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

²²Furthermore, some of our women astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning,

⁶¹Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

³They were asking one another, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance of the tomb?”

⁴But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, even though it was extremely large.

²They found the stone rolled away from the tomb,

³but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

¹²and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and the other at the feet.

¹³“Woman, why are you weeping?” they asked. “Because they have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I do not know where they have put Him.”

²⁶Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the foundations of the prison. At once all the doors flew open and everyone’s chains came loose.

⁵¹At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, and the rocks were split.

⁵²The tombs broke open, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised.

¹Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.

³His clothes became radiantly white, brighter than any launderer on earth could bleach them.

¹⁰They were looking intently into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.

⁵When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

¹²and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and the other at the feet.

¹After this I saw another angel descending from heaven with great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his glory.

²There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.

¹⁷When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. But He placed His right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last,

⁷Only I, Daniel, saw the vision; the men with me did not see it, but a great terror fell upon them, and they ran and hid themselves.

⁶⁵“You have a guard,” Pilate said. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.”

⁶⁶So they went and secured the tomb by sealing the stone and posting the guard.

¹¹While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened.

²⁹Calling for lights, the jailer rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.

⁶Trembling seized them there, anguish like a woman in labor.

¹⁴Are not the angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

¹⁷When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. But He placed His right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last,

¹⁸the Living One. I was dead, and behold, now I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of Death and of Hades.

¹⁰Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

⁵As the women bowed their faces to the ground in terror, the two men asked them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?

³⁰So the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

⁴Say to those with anxious hearts: “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance. With divine retribution He will come to save you.”

⁶But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here! See the place where they put Him.

⁴⁰For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

⁶He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you while He was still in Galilee:

⁷‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’”

²¹From that time on Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

²³but they did not find His body. They came and told us they had seen a vision of angels, who said that Jesus was alive.

⁴The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.

⁵He bent down and looked in at the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.

³²But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

²²Furthermore, some of our women astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning,

²³but they did not find His body. They came and told us they had seen a vision of angels, who said that Jesus was alive.

¹⁰“Do not be afraid,” said Jesus. “Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee. There they will see Me.”

⁴But I have told you these things so that when their hour comes, you will remember that I told you about them. I did not tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you.

⁷But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.’”

⁸So the women left the tomb and ran away, trembling and bewildered. And in their fear they did not say a word to anyone.

²¹Speak up and present your case—yes, let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago? Who announced it from ancient times? Was it not I, the Lord? There is no other God but Me, a righteous God and Savior; there is none but Me.

¹¹Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

⁸So the women left the tomb and ran away, trembling and bewildered. And in their fear they did not say a word to anyone.

³⁶While they were describing these events, Jesus Himself stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

³⁷But they were startled and frightened, thinking they had seen a spirit.

²⁰Truly, truly, I tell you, you will weep and wail while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.

¹²But many of the older priests, Levites, and family heads who had seen the first temple wept loudly when they saw the foundation of this temple. Still, many others shouted joyfully.

¹³The people could not distinguish the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people were making so much noise. And the sound was heard from afar.

²⁰After He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

²¹Again Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so also I am sending you.”

¹⁷When they saw Him, they worshiped Him, but some doubted.

³³Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God!”

¹⁴When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there. But she did not recognize that it was Jesus.

¹⁵“Woman, why are you weeping?” Jesus asked. “Whom are you seeking?” Thinking He was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried Him off, tell me where you have put Him, and I will get Him.”

²⁸Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!”

⁵²And they worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,

¹¹Then I looked, and I heard the voices of many angels encircling the throne, and the living creatures and the elders. And their number was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands.

¹²In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!”

²⁹For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.

¹⁷“Do not cling to Me,” Jesus said, “for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and tell My brothers, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.’”

⁷Then go quickly and tell His disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him.’ See, I have told you.”

⁷But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.’”

²⁷But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.”

⁵But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.

⁶⁵“You have a guard,” Pilate said. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.”

⁶⁶So they went and secured the tomb by sealing the stone and posting the guard.

⁴The guards trembled in fear of him and became like dead men.

⁵The next day the rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem,

⁶along with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and many others from the high priest’s family.

¹When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people conspired against Jesus to put Him to death.

²They bound Him, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate the governor.

³At that time the chief priests and elders of the people assembled in the courtyard of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas,

⁴and they conspired to arrest Jesus covertly and kill Him.

⁶²The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and Pharisees assembled before Pilate.

⁶³“Sir,” they said, “we remember that while He was alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’

⁴⁰At this, they yielded to Gamaliel. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and released them.

¹Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?

²The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the Lord and against His Anointed One:

⁶⁴“You have said it yourself,” Jesus answered. “But I say to all of you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

²They bound Him, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate the governor.

¹⁹After Herod had searched for him unsuccessfully, he examined the guards and ordered that they be executed. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent some time there.

⁸That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day.

¹⁰For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

¹⁵and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you?” And they set out for him thirty pieces of silver.

³²But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

¹⁰“Do not be afraid,” said Jesus. “Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee. There they will see Me.”

⁷Then go quickly and tell His disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him.’ See, I have told you.”

¹⁴Later, as they were eating, Jesus appeared to the Eleven and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.

¹³When they arrived, they went to the upper room where they were staying: Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.

¹⁴With one accord they all continued in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

¹¹and the king will desire your beauty; bow to him, for he is your lord.

⁹Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They came to Him, grasped His feet, and worshiped Him.

¹²Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you perish in your rebellion, when His wrath ignites in an instant. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.

²³so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

⁶After that, He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.

²⁸Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

³⁵The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in His hands.

²²who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to Him.

²⁷All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.

²⁰which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms,

²¹far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

⁸and placed everything under his feet.” When God subjected all things to him, He left nothing outside of his control. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him.

¹³In my vision in the night I continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence.

¹⁴And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

¹⁵And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

¹⁶Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

³⁸Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

³⁹This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off—to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

⁸But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

⁴⁷and in His name repentance and forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem.

⁴⁸You are witnesses of these things.

³“Into what, then, were you baptized?” Paul asked. “The baptism of John,” they replied.

⁴Paul explained: “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the One coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”

⁶He says: “It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”

¹⁰Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

⁵No one shall stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

⁹One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking; do not be silent.

¹⁰For I am with you and no one will lay a hand on you, because I have many people in this city.”

¹⁸I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

¹⁹In a little while the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you also will live.

⁷The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

³By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments.

⁴If anyone says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him.