Matthew 27:45-56

Modern English Version

The Death of Jesus^(A)

⁴⁵ Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. ⁴⁶ About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”^[a]

⁴⁷ Some of those who stood there heard it and said, “This Man is calling for Elijah.”

⁴⁸ Immediately one of them ran, took a sponge, filled it with wine, and put it on a stick, and gave it to Him to drink. ⁴⁹ The rest said, “Leave Him alone. Let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”

⁵⁰ And Jesus, when He had cried out again with a loud voice, released His spirit.

⁵¹ At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from the top to the bottom. And the ground shook, and the rocks split apart. ⁵² The graves also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had died were raised, ⁵³ and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the Holy City and appeared to many.

⁵⁴ When the centurion and those with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they feared greatly and said, “Truly He was the Son of God!”

⁵⁵ Many women who were there watching from afar followed Jesus from Galilee, serving Him, ⁵⁶ among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.