26
When Jesus had finished all these words, he said to his disciples, “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”
Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people were gathered together in the court of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas. They took counsel together that they might take Jesus by deceit, and kill him. But they said, “Not during the feast, lest a riot occur among the people.”
Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to him having an alabaster jar of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table. But when his disciples saw this, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.”
10 However, knowing this, Jesus said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? Because she has done a good work for me. 11  For you always have the poor with you; but you don’t always have me. 12  For in pouring this ointment on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13  Most certainly I tell you, wherever this Good News is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of as a memorial of her.”
14 Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests, 15 and said, “What are you willing to give me, that I should deliver him to you?” They weighed out for him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From that time he sought opportunity to betray him.
17 Now on the first day of unleavened bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying to him, “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?”
18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain person, and tell him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.”’”
19 The disciples did as Jesus commanded them, and they prepared the Passover. 20 Now when evening had come, he was reclining at the table with the twelve disciples. 21 As they were eating, he said, “Most certainly I tell you that one of you will betray me.”
22 They were exceedingly sorrowful, and each began to ask him, “It isn’t me, is it, Lord?”
23 He answered, “He who dipped his hand with me in the dish, the same will betray me. 24  The Son of Man goes, even as it is written of him, but woe to that man through whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for that man if he had not been born.”
25 Judas, who betrayed him, answered, “It isn’t me, is it, Rabbi?”
He said to him, “You said it.”
26 As they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks for+ it, and broke it. He gave to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, “All of you drink it, 28  for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins. 29  But I tell you that I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on, until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s Kingdom.” 30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
31 Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of me tonight, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’+Zechariah 13:7 32  But after I am raised up, I will go before you into Galilee.”
33 But Peter answered him, “Even if all will be made to stumble because of you, I will never be made to stumble.”
34 Jesus said to him, “Most certainly I tell you that tonight, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”
35 Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you.” All of the disciples also said likewise.
36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go there and pray.” 37 He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and severely troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here, and watch with me.”
39 He went forward a little, fell on his face, and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; nevertheless, not what I desire, but what you desire.”
40 He came to the disciples, and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What, couldn’t you watch with me for one hour? 41  Watch and pray, that you don’t enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 Again, a second time he went away, and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cup can’t pass away from me unless I drink it, your desire be done.” 43 He came again and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 He left them again, went away, and prayed a third time, saying the same words. 45 Then he came to his disciples, and said to them, “Sleep on now, and take your rest. Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46  Arise, let’s be going. Behold, he who betrays me is at hand.”
47 While he was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and elders of the people. 48 Now he who betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, “Whoever I kiss, he is the one. Seize him.” 49 Immediately he came to Jesus, and said, “Hail, Rabbi!” and kissed him.
50 Jesus said to him, “Friend, why are you here?” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. 51 Behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck the servant of the high priest, and struck off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place, for all those who take the sword will die by the sword. 53  Or do you think that I couldn’t ask my Father, and he would even now send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54  How then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that it must be so?”
55 In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, “Have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs to seize me? I sat daily in the temple teaching, and you didn’t arrest me. 56  But all this has happened, that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.”
Then all the disciples left him, and fled. 57 Those who had taken Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together. 58 But Peter followed him from a distance, to the court of the high priest, and entered in and sat with the officers, to see the end. 59 Now the chief priests, the elders, and the whole council sought false testimony against Jesus, that they might put him to death; 60 and they found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward, 61 and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.’”
62 The high priest stood up, and said to him, “Have you no answer? What is this that these testify against you?” 63 But Jesus held his peace. The high priest answered him, “I adjure you by the living God, that you tell us whether you are the Christ, the Son of God.”
64 Jesus said to him, “You have said it. Nevertheless, I tell you, after this you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of the sky.”
65 Then the high priest tore his clothing, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Behold, now you have heard his blasphemy. 66 What do you think?”
They answered, “He is worthy of death!” 67 Then they spit in his face and beat him with their fists, and some slapped him, 68 saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who hit you?”
69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the court, and a maid came to him, saying, “You were also with Jesus, the Galilean!”
70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I don’t know what you are talking about.”
71 When he had gone out onto the porch, someone else saw him, and said to those who were there, “This man also was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
72 Again he denied it with an oath, “I don’t know the man.”
73 After a little while those who stood by came and said to Peter, “Surely you are also one of them, for your speech makes you known.”
74 Then he began to curse and to swear, “I don’t know the man!”
Immediately the rooster crowed. 75 Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” He went out and wept bitterly.
+1:1Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) both mean “Anointed One”+1:16“Jesus” means “Salvation”.+1:20“Behold”, from “ἰδοὺ”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.+2:1The word for “wise men” (magoi) can also mean teachers, scientists, physicians, astrologers, seers, interpreters of dreams, or sorcerers.+3:6or, immersed+3:7or, immersion+3:11or, immerse+3:11TR and NU add “and with fire”+3:13i.e., the Jordan River+4:10TR and NU read “Go away” instead of “Get behind me”+4:18TR reads “Jesus” instead of “he”+5:5or, land.+5:18literally, iota+5:18or, serif+5:22NU omits “without a cause”.+5:22“Raca” is an Aramaic insult, related to the word for “empty” and conveying the idea of empty-headedness.+5:22or, Hell+5:26literally, kodrantes. A kodrantes was a small copper coin worth about 2 lepta (widow’s mites)—not enough to buy very much of anything.+5:27TR adds “to the ancients”.+5:29or, Hell+5:30or, Hell+5:43Leviticus 19:18+5:43not in the Bible, but see Qumran Manual of Discipline Ix, 21-26+5:47NU reads “Gentiles” instead of “tax collectors”.+6:13NU omits “For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.”+6:27literally, cubit+7:14TR reads “Because” instead of “How”+8:15TR reads “them” instead of “him”+8:28NU reads “Gadarenes”+9:13NU omits “to repentance”.+9:20or, tassel+9:36TR reads “weary” instead of “harassed”+10:3NU omits “Lebbaeus, who was also called”+10:8TR adds “raise the dead,”+10:25Literally, Lord of the Flies, or the devil+10:28or, Hell.+10:29An assarion is a small coin worth one tenth of a drachma or a sixteenth of a denarius. An assarion is approximately the wages of one half hour of agricultural labor.+11:12or, plunder it.+11:19NU reads “actions” instead of “children”+11:23or, Hell+12:35TR adds “of the heart”+13:25darnel is a weed grass (probably bearded darnel or lolium temulentum) that looks very much like wheat until it is mature, when the difference becomes very apparent.+13:33literally, three sata 3 sata is about 39 liters or a bit more than a bushel+13:55or, Judah+14:25The night was equally divided into four watches, so the fourth watch is approximately 3:00 a.m. to sunrise.+14:27or, I AM!+14:36or, tassel+16:18Peter’s name, Petros in Greek, is the word for a specific rock or stone.+16:18Greek, petra, a rock mass or bedrock.+16:18or, Hell+17:21NU omits verse 21.+17:24A didrachma is a Greek silver coin worth 2 drachmas, about as much as 2 Roman denarii, or about 2 days’ wages. It was commonly used to pay the half-shekel temple tax, because 2 drachmas were worth one half shekel of silver. A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces.+17:27A stater is a silver coin equivalent to four Attic or two Alexandrian drachmas, or a Jewish shekel: just exactly enough to cover the half-shekel temple tax for two people. A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces, usually in the form of a silver coin.+18:9or, Hell+18:24Ten thousand talents (about 300 metric tons of silver) represents an extremely large sum of money, equivalent to about 60,000,000 denarii, where one denarius was typical of one day’s wages for agricultural labor.+18:28100 denarii was about one sixtieth of a talent, or about 500 grams (1.1 pounds) of silver.+19:17So MT and TR. NU reads “Why do you ask me about what is good?”+20:2A denarius is a silver Roman coin worth 1/25th of a Roman aureus. This was a common wage for a day of farm labor.+20:3Time was measured from sunrise to sunset, so the third hour would be about 9:00 a.m..+20:5noon and 3:00 p.m.+20:65:00 p.m.+20:26TR reads “let him be” instead of “shall be”+21:1TR & NU read “Bethphage” instead of “Bethsphage”+21:9“Hosanna” means “save us” or “help us, we pray”.+22:24or, seed+22:25or, seed+23:5phylacteries (tefillin in Hebrew) are small leather pouches that some Jewish men wear on their forehead and arm in prayer. They are used to carry a small scroll with some Scripture in it. See Deuteronomy 6:8.+23:5or, tassels+23:14Some Greek manuscripts reverse the order of verses 13 and 14, and some omit verse 13, numbering verse 14 as 13. NU omits verse 14.+23:15or, Hell+23:21NU reads “lives”+23:23cumin is an aromatic seed from Cuminum cyminum, resembling caraway in flavor and appearance. It is used as a spice.+23:25TR reads “self-indulgence” instead of “unrighteousness”+23:33or, Hell+24:28or, eagles+24:34The word for “generation” (genea) can also be translated as “race.”+24:36NU adds “nor the son”+25:7The end of the wick of an oil lamp needs to be cut off periodically to avoid having it become clogged with carbon deposits. The wick height is also adjusted so that the flame burns evenly and gives good light without producing a lot of smoke.+25:15A talent is about 30 kilograms or 66 pounds (usually used to weigh silver unless otherwise specified)+25:40The word for “brothers” here may be also correctly translated “brothers and sisters” or “siblings.”+26:26TR reads “blessed” instead of “gave thanks for”