The Costly Perfume

^3 (A)And while He was in ^(B)Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster jar of perfume of very ^(C)costly pure ^[a]nard; and she broke the jar and poured it over His head. ⁴ But some were indignantly remarking to one another, “Why has this perfume been wasted? ⁵ For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred ^[b]denarii and given to the poor.” And they were scolding her. ⁶ But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you bother her? She did a good work to Me. ⁷ For you always have ^(D)the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me. ⁸ She has done what she could; ^(E)she anointed My body beforehand for the burial. ⁹ And truly I say to you, ^(F)wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what this woman did will also be spoken of in memory of her.”

The Costly Perfume

^6 (A)Now when Jesus was in ^(B)Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper, ^7 (C)a woman came to Him with an alabaster jar of very costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table. ⁸ But when the disciples saw this, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? ⁹ For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.” ¹⁰ But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good work to Me. ¹¹ For you always have ^(D)the poor with you; but you do not always have Me. ¹² For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it ^(E)to prepare Me for burial. ¹³ Truly I say to you, ^(F)wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”

^37 (A)And behold, there was a woman in the city who was a ^[a]sinner. And when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume. ³⁸ And standing behind Him at His feet, crying, she began to wet His feet with her tears. And she kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. ³⁹ Now when the Pharisee, who had invited Him, saw this, he said to himself, saying, “If this man were ^(B)a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.”

Mary Anoints Jesus with Costly Perfume

12 ^(A)Jesus, therefore, six days before ^(B)the Passover, came to ^(C)Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. ² So they made Him a supper there, and ^(D)Martha was serving; and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. ^3 (E)Mary then took a ^[a]litra of ^(F)perfume of very costly pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. ⁴ But ^(G)Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was going to ^[b]betray Him, *said, ⁵ “Why was this perfume not sold for ^[c]three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” ⁶ Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he ^(H)had the money box, he used to take from ^(I)what was put into it. ⁷ Therefore Jesus said, “Let her alone, so that she may keep it for ^(J)the day of My burial. ^8 (K)For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.”