³ Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the courtyard of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,^{(A) 4} and they conspired to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him.^{(B) 5} But they said, “Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people.”^(C)

Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

¹⁴ Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and said, “What will you give me if I betray him to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver.^{(A) 16} And from that moment he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.

The Passover with the Disciples

¹⁷ On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?” ¹⁸ He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’ ”^{(B) 19} So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal.^(C)

²⁰ When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve disciples,^{[a] 21} and while they were eating he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” ²² And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?” ²³ He answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me.^{(D) 24} The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.” ²⁵ Judas, who betrayed him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” He replied, “You have said so.”

³⁰ When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.^(A)

Peter’s Denial Foretold

³¹ Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away^[a] because of me this night, for it is written,

³² “But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”^{(C) 33} Peter said to him, “Even if all fall away^[b] because of you, I will never fall away.”^{[c] 34} Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.”^{(D) 35} Peter said to him, “Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And so said all the disciples.^(E)

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

³⁶ Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷ He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be grieved and agitated.^{(A) 38} Then he said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me.”^{(B) 39} And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me, yet not what I want but what you want.”^{(C) 40} Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “So, could you not stay awake with me one hour?^{(D) 41} Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial;^[a] the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”^{(E) 42} Again he went away for the second time and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”^{(F) 43} Again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words. ⁴⁵ Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Now the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.^(G)

Peter’s Denial of Jesus

⁶⁹ Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A female servant came to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” ⁷⁰ But he denied it before all of them, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.” ⁷¹ When he went out to the porch, another female servant saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus the Nazarene.”^{[a] 72} Again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man.” ⁷³ After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you.” ⁷⁴ Then he began to curse, and he swore an oath, “I do not know the man!” At that moment the cock crowed. ⁷⁵ Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: “Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.^(A)