1 Early on the first day of the week,* i.e. Sunday. while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been moved from the entrance. 2 So she ran to tell Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, “They've taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they've put him.” 3 Then Peter and the other disciple went to the tomb. 4 The two of them were running together, but the other disciple ran faster and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent down, and looking in he saw the grave-clothes lying there, but he didn't go in.

6 Then Simon Peter arrived after him and went right into the tomb. He saw the linen grave-clothes lying there, 7 and that the cloth that had been on Jesus' head wasn't with the other grave-clothes but had been folded and placed on its own.

8 Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first went inside as well. 9 He looked around and believed it was true† That Jesus had risen from the dead.—for up till then they hadn't understood the Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

11 But Mary stayed outside the tomb crying, and as she was crying, she bent down and looked into the tomb. 12 She saw two angels in white, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of where Jesus' body had been lying.

13 “Why are you crying?” they asked her.

She answered, “Because they've taken my Lord away, and I don't know where they've put him.” 14 After she'd said this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she didn't realize it was Jesus.

15 “Why are you crying?” he asked her. “Who are you looking for?”

Assuming he was the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you've taken him away, tell me where you've put him so I can go and get him.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!”

She turned to him and said, “Rabboni,” which means “Teacher” in Hebrew.

17 “Don't hold onto me,”‡ Meaning “don't detain me by holding me back.” Jesus said to her, “for I haven't yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brothers and tell them I am ascending to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.” 18 So Mary Magdalene went and told the disciples, “I've seen the Lord,” and she explained to them what he had said to her.

19 That evening, on the first day of the week, as the disciples were meeting together behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “May you have peace.” 20 After this greeting he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were full of joy to see the Lord.

21 “May you have peace!” Jesus told them again. “In the same way the Father sent me, so I'm sending you.” 22 Saying this, he breathed on them, and told them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven; if you hold them unforgiven, unforgiven they remain.”

24 One of the twelve disciples, Thomas, who was called the Twin, wasn't with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We've seen the Lord.”

But he replied, “I won't believe it unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger in them, and put my hand in his side.”

26 One week later the disciples were together inside the house; and Thomas was with them. The doors were closed, and Jesus came and stood among them.

“May you have peace!” he said. 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand in the wound on my side. Stop doubting and trust in me!”

28 “My Lord and my God!” Thomas responded.

29 “You trust in me because you've seen me,” Jesus told him. “Happy are those that haven't seen me yet still trust in me.”

30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs while he was with his disciples that are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written down here so that you may trust that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by trusting in him as he is§ Literally, “in his name.” you will have life.