³ Then ^(A)Mary took a pound of very costly oil of ^(B)spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

^2 (A)It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.

The Anointing at Bethany^(A)

^3 (B)And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly ^[a]oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head. ⁴ But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted? ⁵ For it might have been sold for more than three hundred ^(C)denarii and given to the poor.” And they ^(D)criticized^[b] her sharply.

⁶ But Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. ^7 (E)For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; ^(F)but Me you do not have always. ⁸ She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. ⁹ Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is ^(G)preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”

Mary and Martha Worship and Serve

³⁸ Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named ^(A)Martha welcomed Him into her house. ³⁹ And she had a sister called Mary, ^(B)who also ^(C)sat at ^[a]Jesus’ feet and heard His word.

³⁷ And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, ³⁸ and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.

³² Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she ^(A)fell down at His feet, saying to Him, ^(B)“Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

^46 (A)You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.

The Anointing at Bethany^(A)

⁶ And when Jesus was in ^(B)Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, ⁷ a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. ^8 (C)But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? ⁹ For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.”

¹⁰ But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. ^11 (D)For you have the poor with you always, but ^(E)Me you do not have always. ¹² For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My ^(F)burial. ¹³ Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”

Jesus and Death, the Last Enemy

²⁸ And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.”