Mark 14

¹ The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were two days away, and the chief priests and the scribes were scheming how to seize him by treachery and kill him.

² For they were saying, "Not during the festival, or the people may riot."

³ He was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the house of Simon the leper. A woman came with an alabaster jar of fragrant oil—pure nard, very costly. She shattered the jar and poured it over his head.

⁴ But some were indignant among themselves: "Why this waste of perfume?

⁵ "This perfume could have been sold for more than three hundred denariiᵃ and given to the poor." So they turned on her in anger.

⁶ But Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Why are you giving her trouble? She has done a beautiful deed for me.

⁷ You always have the poor with you, and you can help them whenever you want; but you will not always have me.

⁸ She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare it for burial.

⁹ Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told, in memory of her.

¹⁰ And Judas Iscariot, the one of the Twelve, went off to the chief priests to hand him over to them.

¹¹ When they heard this, they were delighted and promised to give him money. So he began looking for a good chance to hand him over.

¹² On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was sacrificed, his disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to go and prepare the Passover for you to eat?"

¹³ So he sent two of his disciples and told them, "Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him,

¹⁴ Wherever he goes in, say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?'

¹⁵ He will show you a large upstairs room, furnished and ready. Prepare for us there."

¹⁶ The disciples went out and came into the city. They found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

¹⁷ When evening came, he arrived with the Twelve.

¹⁸ While they were reclining at the meal, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, one of you will hand me overa: one who is eating with me."

¹⁹ They began to grieve, and one after another said to him, "Surely not I?"

²⁰ He answered, "It is one of the Twelve—one who is dipping bread into the bowl with me.

²¹ The Son of Man goes, just as it is written about him; but woe to that man through whom the Son of Man is handed over.ª Better for that man if he had not been born.

²² While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "Take; this is my body."

²³ Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it.

²⁴ Then he said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is being poured out for many.

²⁵ Truly I tell you, I will never again drink from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.

²⁶ After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

²⁷ Then Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away, for it is written: 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.'"

²⁸ But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.

²⁹ Peter said to him, "Even if everyone falls away, I will not."

³⁰ And Jesus said to him, "Truly I tell you, you yourself—today, this very night, before the rooster crows twice—will disown me three times."

³¹ But he kept insisting, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you." And they all said the same.

³² They came to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray."

³³ He took Peter, James, and John with him, and horror and anguish began to overwhelm him.

³⁴ He said to them, "My soul is crushed with grief, even to death. Stay here and stay awake."

³⁵ Going on a little farther, he kept falling to the ground and praying that, if possible, the hour might pass him by.

³⁶ And he said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."

³⁷ He came back and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? You couldn't keep watch one hour?"

³⁸ Keep watch and pray, so you don't fall into testing. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

³⁹ He went away again and prayed, saying the same words.

⁴⁰ When he came back, he found them sleeping again, because their eyes were heavy. And they did not know what to say to him.

⁴¹ He came a third time and said to them, "Sleep on now and take your rest. Enough—the hour has come. See, the Son of Man is being handed over to sinners.

⁴² Get up, let's go. Look—my betrayer is here.

⁴³ Just then, while he was still speaking, Judas—one of the Twelve—arrived, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders.

⁴⁴ The betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under close guard."

⁴⁵ Going straight up to him, he said, "Rabbi!" and kissed him.

⁴⁶ They seized him and arrested him.

⁴⁷ Then one of those standing nearby drew his sword and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his ear.

⁴⁸ Jesus answered them, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to seize me, as if I were a bandit?

⁴⁹ Every day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But this is so the Scriptures would be fulfilled.

⁵⁰ Then they all deserted him and fled.

⁵¹ A young man was following him, wrapped in a linen cloth over his bare body, and they seized him,

⁵² but he slipped out of the linen cloth and ran away naked.

⁵³ They led Jesus away to the high priest, and all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes came together.

⁵⁴ Peter followed him at a distance, all the way into the courtyard of the high priest. He sat with the officers, warming himself at the firelight.

⁵⁵ The chief priests and the whole council kept trying to find testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they could not find any.

⁵⁶ Many gave false testimony against him, but their statements didn't agree.

⁵⁷ Then some stood up and gave false testimony against him, saying,

⁵⁸ "We heard him say, 'I will tear down this temple made by human hands, and in three days I will build another not made by human hands.'"

⁵⁹ But even on this their testimony did not agree.

⁶⁰ Then the high priest stood up in the middle and questioned Jesus, "Aren't you going to answer? What are these men testifying against you?"

⁶¹ But he kept silent and made no reply. Again the high priest pressed him: "Are you the Christ,a the Son of the Blessed One?"b

⁶² And Jesus said, "I am. And you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."

⁶³ The high priest tore his clothes and said, "Why do we still need witnesses?

⁶⁴ "You have heard the blasphemy. What is your judgment?" They all condemned him as liable to death.

⁶⁵ Some began to spit on him; they covered his face, struck him with their fists, and said, "Prophesy!" And the guards took him with slaps.

⁶⁶ While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the high priest's servant girls came by,

⁶⁷ When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him and said, "You were with that Nazarene, Jesus, too."

⁶⁸ But he denied it: "I don't know him, and I don't understand what you mean." Then he went out to the gateway, and a rooster crowed.

⁶⁹ The servant girl saw him there and started telling the bystanders again, "This man is one of them."

⁷⁰ But he denied it again. A little later, those standing there said to Peter again, "You really are one of them, because you're a Galilean."

⁷¹ But he started cursing and swearing, "I don't know this man you're talking about!"

⁷² And immediately, a second time, a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word — how Jesus had said to him, "Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times." And breaking down, he wept.