Mark 14
English Standard Version
The Plot to Kill Jesus
14 (A)It was now two days before (B)the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes (C)were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, 2 for they said, “Not during the feast, (D)lest there be an uproar from the people.”
Jesus Anointed at Bethany
3 (E)And while he was at (F)Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,[a] as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. 4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii[b] and (G)given to the poor.” And they (H)scolded her. 6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 For (I)you always have the poor with you, and whenever (J)you want, you can do good for them. But (K)you will not always have me. 8 (L)She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand (M)for burial. 9 And truly, I say to you, wherever (N)the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told (O)in memory of her.”
Judas to Betray Jesus
10 (P)Then (Q)Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, (R)went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. 11 And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to (S)betray him.
The Passover with the Disciples
12 (T)And on (U)the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they (V)sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 13 And he sent (W)two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, 14 and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, (X)‘The Teacher says, Where is (Y)my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 15 And he will show you (Z)a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.” 16 And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.
17 (AA)And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. 18 And as they were reclining at table and eating, (AB)Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, (AC)one who is eating with me.” 19 They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, “Is it I?” 20 He said to them, “It is (AD)one of the twelve, (AE)one who is dipping bread into the dish with me. 21 For the Son of Man goes (AF)as it is written of him, but (AG)woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! (AH)It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”
Institution of the Lord's Supper
22 (AI)And as they were eating, he took bread, and after (AJ)blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; (AK)this is my body.” 23 And he took a cup, and when he had (AL)given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. 24 And he said to them, (AM)“This is my (AN)blood of the[c] covenant, which is poured out for (AO)many. 25 Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
Jesus Foretells Peter's Denial
26 (AP)And when they had sung a hymn, (AQ)they went out to (AR)the Mount of Olives. 27 And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will (AS)strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28 But after I am raised up, (AT)I will go before you to Galilee.” 29 (AU)Peter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.” 30 And (AV)Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before (AW)the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” 31 But (AX)he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same.
Jesus Prays in Gethsemane
32 (AY)And they went (AZ)to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 And he took with him (BA)Peter and James and John, and began (BB)to be greatly distressed and troubled. 34 And he said to them, (BC)“My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and (BD)watch.”[d] 35 And going a little farther, he fell on the ground (BE)and prayed that, if it were possible, (BF)the hour might pass from him. 36 And he said, (BG)“Abba, Father, (BH)all things are possible for you. Remove (BI)this cup from me. (BJ)Yet not what I will, but what you will.” 37 And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? 38 (BK)Watch and (BL)pray that you may not (BM)enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 And again he went away and prayed, (BN)saying the same words. 40 And again he came and found them sleeping, for (BO)their eyes were very heavy, and (BP)they did not know what to answer him. 41 And he came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? (BQ)It is enough; (BR)the hour has come. (BS)The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”
Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus
43 (BT)And immediately, while he was still speaking, (BU)Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 44 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard.” 45 And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, (BV)“Rabbi!” And he (BW)kissed him. 46 And they laid hands on him and seized him. 47 But one of those who stood by drew his (BX)sword and struck the servant[e] of the high priest and cut off his ear. 48 And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? 49 (BY)Day after day I was with you in the temple (BZ)teaching, and you did not seize me. But (CA)let the Scriptures be fulfilled.” 50 (CB)And they all left him and fled.
A Young Man Flees
51 And a young man followed him, with nothing but (CC)a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, 52 but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.
Jesus Before the Council
53 (CD)And (CE)they led Jesus to the high priest. And all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together. 54 (CF)And (CG)Peter had followed him at a distance, (CH)right into (CI)the courtyard of the high priest. And he was sitting with (CJ)the guards and (CK)warming himself at the fire. 55 Now the chief priests and the whole council[f] were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. 56 (CL)For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony (CM)did not agree. 57 And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying, 58 (CN)“We heard him say, (CO)‘I will destroy this temple (CP)that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, (CQ)not made with hands.’” 59 Yet even about this their testimony did not agree. 60 And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?”[g] 61 But (CR)he remained silent and made no answer. (CS)Again the high priest asked him, “Are you (CT)the Christ, the Son of (CU)the Blessed?” 62 And Jesus said, “I am, and (CV)you will see the Son of Man (CW)seated at the right hand of Power, and (CX)coming with the clouds of heaven.” 63 And the high priest (CY)tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? 64 You have heard (CZ)his blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they (DA)all condemned him as (DB)deserving death. 65 (DC)And some began (DD)to spit on him and (DE)to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, “Prophesy!” And the guards received him (DF)with blows.
Peter Denies Jesus
66 (DG)And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, 67 and seeing Peter (DH)warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.” 68 But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you mean.” And he went out into the gateway[h] and (DI)the rooster crowed.[i] 69 And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” 70 But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” 71 But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.” 72 And immediately the rooster crowed (DJ)a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, (DK)“Before the rooster crows twice, you will (DL)deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.[j]
Footnotes
- Mark 14:3 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13
- Mark 14:5 A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer
- Mark 14:24 Some manuscripts insert new
- Mark 14:34 Or keep awake; also verses 37, 38
- Mark 14:47 Or bondservant
- Mark 14:55 Greek Sanhedrin
- Mark 14:60 Or Have you no answer to what these men testify against you?
- Mark 14:68 Or forecourt
- Mark 14:68 Some manuscripts omit and the rooster crowed
- Mark 14:72 Or And when he had thought about it, he wept
Mark 14
Contemporary English Version
A Plot To Kill Jesus
(Matthew 26.1-5; Luke 22.1,2; John 11.45-53)
14 (A) It was now two days before Passover and the Festival of Thin Bread. The chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses were planning how they could sneak around and have Jesus arrested and put to death. 2 They were saying, “We must not do it during the festival, because the people will riot.”
At Bethany
(Matthew 26.6-13; John 12.1-8)
3 (B) Jesus was eating in Bethany at the home of Simon, who once had leprosy,[a] when a woman came in with a very expensive bottle of sweet-smelling perfume.[b] After breaking it open, she poured the perfume on Jesus' head. 4 This made some of the guests angry, and they complained, “Why such a waste? 5 We could have sold this perfume for more than 300 silver coins and given the money to the poor!” So they started saying cruel things to the woman.
6 But Jesus said:
Leave her alone! Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing for me. 7 (C) You will always have the poor with you. And whenever you want to, you can give to them. But you won't always have me here with you. 8 She has done all she could by pouring perfume on my body to prepare it for burial. 9 You may be sure that wherever the good news is told all over the world, people will remember what she has done. And they will tell others.
Judas and the Chief Priests
(Matthew 26.14-16; Luke 22.3-6)
10 Judas Iscariot[c] was one of the twelve disciples. He went to the chief priests and offered to help them arrest Jesus. 11 They were glad to hear this, and they promised to pay him. So Judas started looking for a good chance to betray Jesus.
Jesus Eats with His Disciples
(Matthew 26.17-25; Luke 22.7-14,21-23; John 13.21-30)
12 It was the first day of the Festival of Thin Bread, and the Passover lambs were being killed. Jesus' disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal?”
13 Jesus said to two of the disciples, “Go into the city, where you will meet a man carrying a jar of water.[d] Follow him, 14 and when he goes into a house, say to the owner, ‘Our teacher wants to know if you have a room where he can eat the Passover meal with his disciples.’ 15 The owner will take you upstairs and show you a large room furnished and ready for you to use. Prepare the meal there.”
16 The two disciples went into the city and found everything just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover meal.
17-18 (D) While Jesus and the twelve disciples were eating together that evening, he said, “The one who will betray me is now eating with me.”
19 This made the disciples sad, and one after another they said to Jesus, “You surely don't mean me!”
20 He answered, “It is one of you twelve men who is eating from this dish with me. 21 The Son of Man will die, just as the Scriptures say. But it is going to be terrible for the one who betrays me. That man would be better off if he had never been born.”
The Lord's Supper
(Matthew 26.26-30; Luke 22.14-23; 1 Corinthians 11.23-25)
22 During the meal Jesus took some bread in his hands. He blessed the bread and broke it. Then he gave it to his disciples and said, “Take this. It is my body.”
23 Jesus picked up a cup of wine and gave thanks to God. He gave it to his disciples, and they all drank some. 24 (E) Then he said, “This is my blood, which is poured out for many people, and with it God makes his agreement. 25 From now on I will not drink any wine, until I drink new wine in God's kingdom.” 26 Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.
Peter's Promise
(Matthew 26.31-35; Luke 22.31-34; John 13.36-38)
27 (F) Jesus said to his disciples, “All of you will reject me, as the Scriptures say,
‘I will strike down
the shepherd,
and the sheep
will be scattered.’
28 (G) But after I am raised to life, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”
29 Peter spoke up, “Even if all the others reject you, I never will!”
30 Jesus replied, “This very night before a rooster crows twice, you will say three times that you don't know me.”
31 But Peter was so sure of himself that he said, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never say I don't know you!”
All the others said the same thing.
Jesus Prays
(Matthew 26.36-46; Luke 22.39-46)
32 Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he told them, “Sit here while I pray.”
33 Jesus took along Peter, James, and John. He was sad and troubled and 34 told them, “I am so sad that I feel as if I am dying. Stay here and keep awake with me.”
35-36 Jesus walked on a little way. Then he knelt down on the ground and prayed, “Father,[e] if it is possible, don't let this happen to me! Father, you can do anything. Don't make me suffer by drinking from this cup.[f] But do what you want, and not what I want.”
37 When Jesus came back and found the disciples sleeping, he said to Simon Peter, “Are you asleep? Can't you stay awake for just one hour? 38 Stay awake and pray that you won't be tested. You want to do what is right, but you are weak.”
39 Jesus went back and prayed the same prayer. 40 But when he returned to the disciples, he found them sleeping again. They simply could not keep their eyes open, and they did not know what to say.
41 When Jesus returned to the disciples the third time, he said, “Are you still sleeping and resting?[g] Enough of this! The time has come for the Son of Man to be handed over to sinners. 42 Get up! Let's go. The one who will betray me is already here.”
Jesus Is Arrested
(Matthew 26.47-56; Luke 22.47-53; John 18.3-12)
43 Jesus was still speaking, when Judas the betrayer came up. He was one of the twelve disciples, and a mob of men armed with swords and clubs were with him. They had been sent by the chief priests, the nation's leaders, and the teachers of the Law of Moses. 44 Judas had told them ahead of time, “Arrest the man I greet with a kiss.[h] Tie him up tight and lead him away.”
45 Judas walked right up to Jesus and said, “Teacher!” Then Judas kissed him, 46 and the men grabbed Jesus and arrested him.
47 Someone standing there pulled out a sword. He struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.
48 Jesus said to the mob, “Why do you come with swords and clubs to arrest me like a criminal? 49 (H) Day after day I was with you and taught in the temple, and you didn't arrest me. But what the Scriptures say must come true.”
50 All of Jesus' disciples ran off and left him. 51 One of them was a young man who was wearing only a linen cloth. And when the men grabbed him, 52 he left the cloth behind and ran away naked.
Jesus Is Questioned by the Council
(Matthew 26.57-68; Luke 22.54,55,63-71; John 18.13,14,19-24)
53 Jesus was led off to the high priest. Then the chief priests, the nation's leaders, and the teachers of the Law of Moses all met together. 54 Peter had followed at a distance, and when he reached the courtyard of the high priest's house, he sat down with the guards to warm himself beside a fire.
55 The chief priests and the whole council tried to find someone to accuse Jesus of a crime, so they could put him to death. But they could not find anyone to accuse him. 56 Many people did tell lies against Jesus, but they did not agree on what they said. 57 Finally, some men stood up and lied about him. They said, 58 (I) “We heard him say he would tear down this temple that we built. He also claimed that in three days he would build another one without any help.” 59 But even then they did not agree on what they said.
60 The high priest stood up in the council and asked Jesus, “Why don't you say something in your own defense? Don't you hear the charges they are making against you?” 61 But Jesus kept quiet and did not say a word. The high priest asked him another question, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the glorious God?”[i]
62 (J) “Yes, I am!” Jesus answered.
“Soon you will see
the Son of Man
sitting at the right side[j]
of God All-Powerful,
and coming with the clouds
of heaven.”
63 At once the high priest ripped his robe apart and shouted, “Why do we need more witnesses? 64 (K) You heard him claim to be God! What is your decision?” They all agreed he should be put to death.
65 Some of the people started spitting on Jesus. They blindfolded him, hit him with their fists, and said, “Tell us who hit you!” Then the guards took charge of Jesus and beat him.
Peter Says He Doesn't Know Jesus
(Matthew 26.69-75; Luke 22.56-62; John 18.15-18,25-27)
66 While Peter was still in the courtyard, a servant girl of the high priest came up 67 and saw Peter warming himself by the fire. She stared at him and said, “You were with Jesus from Nazareth!”
68 Peter replied, “That isn't true! I don't know what you're talking about. I don't have any idea what you mean.” He went out to the gate, and a rooster crowed.[k]
69 The servant girl saw Peter again and said to the people standing there, “This man is one of them!”
70 “No, I'm not!” Peter replied.
A little while later some of the people said to Peter, “You certainly are one of them. You're a Galilean!”
71 This time Peter began to curse and swear, “I don't even know the man you're talking about!”
72 At once the rooster crowed a second time. Then Peter remembered that Jesus had told him, “Before a rooster crows twice, you will say three times that you don't know me.” So Peter started crying.
Footnotes
- 14.3 leprosy: In biblical times the word “leprosy” was used for many different skin diseases.
- 14.3 sweet-smelling perfume: The Greek text has “perfume made of pure spikenard,” a plant used to make perfume.
- 14.10 Iscariot: See the note at 3.19.
- 14.13 a man carrying a jar of water: A male slave carrying water could mean that the family was rich.
- 14.35,36 Father: The Greek text has “Abba,” which is an Aramaic word meaning “father.”
- 14.35,36 by drinking from this cup: See the note at 10.38.
- 14.41 Are you still sleeping and resting: Or “You may as well keep on sleeping and resting.”
- 14.44 greet with a kiss: It was the custom for people to greet each other with a kiss on the cheek.
- 14.61 Son of the glorious God: “Son of God” was one of the titles used for the kings of Israel.
- 14.62 right side: See the note at 12.36.
- 14.68 a rooster crowed: These words are not in some manuscripts.
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