Chapter 26

¹When Jesus had finished this discourse he said to his disciples,

²“You know that in two days the Passover Festival will come, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

³Then the high priests and the elders of the people gathered in the house of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, ⁴and plotted to arrest Jesus by stealth and put him to death. ⁵But they said,

“It must not be during the festival, or there may be a riot.”

⁶When Jesus got back to Bethany, to the house of Simon the leper, ⁷a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive perfume and poured it upon his head, while he was at table. ⁸When his disciples saw it, they said indignantly,

“What was the use of wasting it like that? ⁹It might have been sold for a large sum, and the money given to the poor.”

¹⁰But Jesus observed this and said to them,

“Why do you bother the woman? It is a fine thing that she has done to me. ¹¹For you always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me. ¹²In pouring this perfume on me she has done something to prepare me for burial. ¹³I tell you, wherever this good news is preached all over the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

¹⁴Then one of the Twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the high priests, ¹⁵and said,

“What will you give me if I hand him over to you?”

And they counted him out thirty silver pieces. ¹⁶And from that time he watched for a good opportunity to hand him over to them.

¹⁷On the first day of the festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and said,

“Where do you wish us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover supper?”

¹⁸And he said,

“Go into the city, to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Master says, “My time is near. I am going to keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.*#“)”

¹⁹So the disciples did as Jesus directed them, and prepared the Passover supper.

²⁰When evening came, he took his place at table with the twelve disciples. ²¹And as they were eating, he said,

“I tell you, one of you will betray me!”

²²They were deeply hurt and began to say to him one after another,

“Can it be I, Master?”

²³He answered,

“The man who just dipped his hand in the same dish with me is going to betray me. ²⁴The Son of Man is to go away as the Scriptures say of him, but alas for the man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had never been born!”

²⁵Judas, who betrayed him, said,

“Can it be I, Master?”

He said to him,

“You are right!”

²⁶As they were eating Jesus took a loaf and blessed it, and he broke it in pieces and gave it to his disciples, saying,

“Take this and eat it. It is my body!”

²⁷And he took the wine-cup and gave thanks and gave it to them, saying,

²⁸“You must all drink from it, for this is my blood which ratifies the agreement, and is to be poured out for many people, for the forgiveness of their sins. ²⁹And I tell you I will never drink this product of the vine again till the day when I shall drink the new wine with you in my Father’s kingdom!”

³⁰After singing the hymn, they went out of the city and up the Mount of Olives.

³¹Then Jesus said to them,

“You will all desert me tonight, for the Scriptures say, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ ³²But after I am raised to life again, I will go back to Galilee before you.”

³³Peter answered,

“If they all desert you, I will never do it!”

³⁴Jesus said to him,

“I tell you, tonight, before a cock crows, you will disown me three times!”

³⁵Peter said to him,

“Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you!” All the disciples said so too.

³⁶Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to the disciples,

“Sit down here while I go over yonder and pray.”

³⁷And he took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons with him, and he began to show grief and distress of mind. ³⁸Then he said to them,

“My heart is almost breaking. You must stay here and keep watch with me.”

³⁹And he went on a little way, and threw himself on his face, and prayed, saying,

“My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass by me. Yet not as I please but as you do!”

⁴⁰When he went back to the disciples he found them asleep. And he said to Peter,

“Then were you not able to watch with me for one hour? ⁴¹You must all watch, and pray that you may not be exposed to trial! One’s spirit is eager, but flesh and blood are weak!”

⁴²He went away again a second time and prayed, saying,

“My Father, if it cannot pass by me without my drinking it, your will be done!”

⁴³When he came back he found them asleep again, for they could hardly keep their eyes open. ⁴⁴And he left them and went away again and prayed a third time, in the same words as before. ⁴⁵Then he came back to the disciples and said to them,

“Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the time has come for the Son of Man to be handed over to wicked men! ⁴⁶Get up! Let us be going! Look! Here comes my betrayer!”

⁴⁷Just as he was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, came up, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the high priests and the elders of the people. ⁴⁸Now the man who betrayed him gave them a signal, saying,

“The one I kiss is the man. Seize him!”

⁴⁹And he went straight up to Jesus and said,

“Good evening, Master!” and kissed him affectionately.

⁵⁰Jesus said to him,

“My friend, what are you here for?”

Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and secured him. ⁵¹One of the men with Jesus put out his hand and drew his sword, and striking at the high priest’s slave, cut his ear off. ⁵²Then Jesus said to him,

“Put your sword back where it belongs! For all who draw the sword will die by the sword. ⁵³Do you suppose I cannot appeal to my Father, and he would at once furnish me more than twelve legions of angels? ⁵⁴But then how are the Scriptures to be fulfilled, which say that this must happen?”

⁵⁵At that same time Jesus said to the crowd,

“Have you come out to arrest me with swords and clubs, as though I were a robber? Day after day I have sat in the Temple preaching, and you never seized me. ⁵⁶But this has all taken place in fulfilment of the writings of the prophets.”

Then all the disciples left him and made their escape.

⁵⁷The men who had seized Jesus took him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, at whose house the scribes and elders had gathered. ⁵⁸And Peter followed him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the high priest’s house, and he went inside and sat down among the attendants to see how it came out. ⁵⁹Now the high priests and the whole council were trying to get false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put him to death. ⁶⁰And they could not, although many false witnesses presented themselves. But finally two came forward ⁶¹and said,

“This man said, ‘I can tear down the sanctuary of God, and build it up in three days.’ ”

⁶²And the high priest got up and said to him,

“Have you no answer to make? What about their evidence against you?”

⁶³But Jesus was silent. And the high priest said to him,

“I charge you, on your oath, by the living God, tell us whether you are the Christ, the son of God.”

⁶⁴Jesus said to him,

“It is true. But I tell you you will soon see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Almighty and coming upon the clouds of the sky!”

⁶⁵Then the high priest tore his clothing and said,

“He has uttered blasphemy! What do we want of witnesses now? Here you have heard his blasphemy! ⁶⁶What is your decision?”

They answered,

“He deserves death.”

⁶⁷Then they spat in his face and struck him, and others slapped him, ⁶⁸saying,

“Show us you are a prophet, you Christ! Who was it that struck you?”

⁶⁹Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a maid came up to him, and said,

“You were with Jesus the Galilean, too!”

⁷⁰But he denied it before them all, and said,

“I do not know what you mean.”

⁷¹And he went out into the gateway, and another maid saw him, and said to the men there,

“This fellow was with Jesus the Nazarene!”

⁷²He denied it again, with an oath, and said,

“I do not know the man!”

⁷³A little while after the bystanders came up to Peter and said,

“You are certainly one of them too, for your accent shows it!”

⁷⁴Then he started to swear with the strongest oaths,

“I do not know the man!”

And at that moment a cock crowed.

⁷⁵And Peter remembered Jesus’ words when he had said,

“Before a cock crows, you will disown me three times!” And he went outside and wept bitterly.