1. After these things, a secret disciple of Jesus, named Joseph, received permission from Pilate to take Jesus' body down and bury Him in his own private tomb.
2. And Nicodemus, who had once come to Him in the night, brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes for His burial, and together they took Jesus and wrapped His body in fine linen and applied the spices and laid Him in Joseph's tomb.
3. Then Joseph and Nicodemus rolled a great stone in front of the tomb to seal the entrance, and Mary observed from a distance so that she might tell the others where Jesus had been laid to rest.
4. The next day, the Chief Priest and the Pharisees gathered with Pilate and said, "We remember that while He lived, He lied and said that He would rise again on the third day after His death.
5. "Therefore we ask that you have guards secure the tomb until the third day has passed, otherwise His disciples will surely steal the body and say to all that He has risen from the dead.
6. "Then this last deception will be worse than all His others."
7. So Pilate agreed and gave them a guard, and they went with the guard and secured the tomb and put a seal on the stone at the entrance.
8. Now on the first day of the week, as the sun was just rising, it being the third day after His death, Mary came to the tomb to anoint the body of the Lord.
9. And she worried that no one would help her roll away the large stone, but when she arrived, she saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance, and the guard was absent.
10. So she ran away to where Peter and Thomas were staying and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and I do not know where they have taken Him!"
11. Then Peter, Thomas, and Mary ran back to the tomb, and when they entered it, they saw only the linen wrappings lying there. And the face cloth that covered His head was rolled up and lying by itself.
12. And the disciples were grieved for they did not understand what Jesus had told them, and how it was that He would rise again on the third day. So Peter and Thomas left to go to their separate homes.
13. But Mary remained outside the tomb weeping, and as she did, she looked back in the tomb and immediately saw two men in dazzling white garments sitting on the stone bed where Jesus was laid.
14. And the angels spoke to Mary saying, "Why are you weeping? And she said to them, "Because they have taken my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him."
15. Then they said to her, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but rather, He has risen from the dead. Behold, the place where they laid Him is empty. Do you not remember what He spoke to you while He was with you?
16. "Do you not remember that He told you the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinners, and be crucified, and then rise again on the third day?"
17. When they had finished saying this, Mary turned around and Jesus was standing next to her, and the angels were gone, but she did not recognize Him. Then Jesus said to her, "Why are you weeping?"
18. And Mary, supposing it was the keeper of the grounds, said to Him, "Sir, if you have taken my Lord away, please tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away."
19. But Jesus said to her, "Mary." And when He had spoken her name, she suddenly saw Him for who He was, and said, "Teacher!" Then she fell to His feet and hugged Him.
20. But He said to her, "Do not hold on to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.
21. "But go to the others and say, 'I ascend to My Father, and your Father, and My God, and your God.'"
22. And Mary ran from that place and announced to all the disciples, "I have seen the Christ, and He is risen!"
23. But to many of the disciples, the words that Mary spoke were nonsense, and they did not believe her.
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