1 Joseph's escape.
2 The soldiers relate Christ's resurrection.
18 Christ is seen preaching in Galilee.
21 The Jews repent of their cruelty to him.
WHEN all the assembly heard
this (about Joseph's escape),
they admired and were astonished,
because they found the same seal
upon the lock of the chamber, and
could not find Joseph.
2 Then Annas and Caiaphas went
forth, and while they were all
admiring at Joseph's being gone,
behold one of the soldiers, who
kept the sepulchre of Jesus, spake
in the assembly,
3 That while they were guarding
the sepulchre of Jesus, there was
an earthquake; and we saw an angel
of God roll away the stone of the
sepulchre and sit upon it;
4 And his countenance was like
lightning and his garment like
snow; and we became through fear
like persons dead.
5 And we heard an angel saying
to the women at the sepulchre of
Jesus, Do not fear; I know that
you seek Jesus who was crucified;
he is risen as he foretold;
6 Come and see the place where
he was laid; and go presently, and
tell his disciples that he is risen
from the dead; and he will go before
you into Galilee; there ye shall
see him as he told you.
7 Then the Jews called together
all the soldiers who kept the sepulchre
of Jesus, and said to them, Who are
those women, to whom the angel spoke?
Why did ye not seize them.
8 The soldiers answered and said,
We know not who the women were;
besides we became as dead persons
through fear, and how could we
seize those women?
9 The Jews said to them, As the
Lord liveth, we do not believe you;
10 The soldiers answering said to
the Jews, when ye saw and heard
Jesus working so many miracles,
and did not believe him, how should
ye believe us? Ye well said,
As the Lord liveth, for the Lord
truly does live.
11 We have heard that ye shut
up Joseph, who buried the body of
Jesus, in a chamber, under a lock
which was sealed; and when ye
opened it, found him not there.
12 Do ye then produce Joseph
whom ye put under guard in the
chamber, and we will produce
Jesus whom we guarded in the
sepulchre.
13 The Jews answered and said,
We will produce Joseph, do ye
produce Jesus. But Joseph is in
his own city of Arimathaea.
14 The soldiers replied,
If Joseph be in Arimathaea,
and Jesus in Galilee, we heard
the angel inform the women.
15 The Jews hearing this, were
afraid, and said among themselves,
If by any means these things
should become public, then
everybody will believe in Jesus.
16 Then they gathered a large
sum of money, and gave it to the
soldiers, saying, Do ye tell the
people that the disciples of Jesus
came in the night when ye were
asleep, and stole away the body of
Jesus; and if Pilate the governor
should hear of this, we will satisfy
him and secure you.
17 The soldiers accordingly took
the money, and said as they were
instructed by the Jews; and their
report was spread abroad among
all the people.
18 But a certain priest Phinees,
Ada a schoolmaster, and a Levite,
named Ageus, they three came from
Galilee to Jerusalem, and told
the chief priests and all who
were in the synagogues, saying,
19 We have seen Jesus, whom
ye crucified, talking with his
eleven disciples, and sitting in the
midst of them in Mount Olivet,
and saying to them,
20 Go forth into the whole world,
preach the Gospel to all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and the Son, and the Holy
Ghost; and whosoever shall believe
and be baptized, shall be saved.
21 And when he had said these
things to his disciples, we saw him
ascending up to heaven.
22 When the chief priests and
elders, and Levites heard these
things, they said to these three
men, Give glory to the God of
Israel, and make confession to
him, whether those things are true,
which ye say ye have seen and heard.
23 They answering said, As the
Lord of our fathers liveth, the
God of Abraham, and the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob,
according as we heard Jesus talking
with his disciples, and according
as we saw him ascending up to
heaven, so we have related the
truth to you.
24 And the three men farther
answered, and said, adding these
words, If we should not own the
words which we heard Jesus speak,
and that we saw him ascending
into heaven, we should be guilty
of sin.
25 Then the chief priests
immediately rose up, and holding
the book of the law in their hands,
conjured these men, saying, Ye
shall no more hereafter declare
those things which ye have spoken
concerning Jesus.
26 And they gave them a large
sum of money, and sent other
persons along with them, who
should conduct them to their own
country, that they might not by any
means make any stay at Jerusalem.
27 Then the Jews did assemble
all together, and having expressed
the most lamentable concern said,
What is this extraordinary thing
which is come to pass in Jerusalem?
28 But Annas and Caiaphas comforted
them, saying, Why should we believe
the soldiers who guarded the sepulchre
of Jesus, in telling us, that an angel
rolled away the stone from the door
of the sepulchre?
29 Perhaps his own disciples told
them this, and gave them money
that they should say so, and they
themselves took away the body of Jesus.
30 Besides, consider this, that
there is no credit to be given to
foreigners, because they also took
a large sum of us, and they have
declared to us according to the
instructions which we gave them.
They must either be faithful to us
or to the disciples of Jesus.