Mark 14
New Living Translation
Jesus Anointed at Bethany
14 It was now two days before Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The leading priests and the teachers of religious law were still looking for an opportunity to capture Jesus secretly and kill him. 2 “But not during the Passover celebration,” they agreed, “or the people may riot.”
3 Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating,[a] a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard. She broke open the jar and poured the perfume over his head.
4 Some of those at the table were indignant. “Why waste such expensive perfume?” they asked. 5 “It could have been sold for a year’s wages[b] and the money given to the poor!” So they scolded her harshly.
6 But Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. Why criticize her for doing such a good thing to me? 7 You will always have the poor among you, and you can help them whenever you want to. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could and has anointed my body for burial ahead of time. 9 I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.”
Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus
10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests to arrange to betray Jesus to them. 11 They were delighted when they heard why he had come, and they promised to give him money. So he began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.
The Last Supper
12 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go to prepare the Passover meal for you?”
13 So Jesus sent two of them into Jerusalem with these instructions: “As you go into the city, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him. 14 At the house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’ 15 He will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal.” 16 So the two disciples went into the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared the Passover meal there.
17 In the evening Jesus arrived with the Twelve. 18 As they were at the table[c] eating, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, one of you eating with me here will betray me.”
19 Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one?”
20 He replied, “It is one of you twelve who is eating from this bowl with me. 21 For the Son of Man[d] must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!”
22 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take it, for this is my body.”
23 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 And he said to them, “This is my blood, which confirms the covenant[e] between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice for many. 25 I tell you the truth, I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.”
26 Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial
27 On the way, Jesus told them, “All of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say,
‘God will strike[f] the Shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered.’
28 But after I am raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.”
29 Peter said to him, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will.”
30 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.”
31 “No!” Peter declared emphatically. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the others vowed the same.
Jesus Prays in Gethsemane
32 They went to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and Jesus said, “Sit here while I go and pray.” 33 He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed. 34 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
35 He went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. 36 “Abba, Father,”[g] he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
37 Then he returned and found the disciples asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? 38 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
39 Then Jesus left them again and prayed the same prayer as before. 40 When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open. And they didn’t know what to say.
41 When he returned to them the third time, he said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But no—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!”
Jesus Is Betrayed and Arrested
43 And immediately, even as Jesus said this, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent by the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders. 44 The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss. Then you can take him away under guard.” 45 As soon as they arrived, Judas walked up to Jesus. “Rabbi!” he exclaimed, and gave him the kiss.
46 Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him. 47 But one of the men with Jesus pulled out his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, slashing off his ear.
48 Jesus asked them, “Am I some dangerous revolutionary, that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? 49 Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there among you teaching every day. But these things are happening to fulfill what the Scriptures say about me.”
50 Then all his disciples deserted him and ran away. 51 One young man following behind was clothed only in a long linen shirt. When the mob tried to grab him, 52 he slipped out of his shirt and ran away naked.
Jesus before the Council
53 They took Jesus to the high priest’s home where the leading priests, the elders, and the teachers of religious law had gathered. 54 Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and went right into the high priest’s courtyard. There he sat with the guards, warming himself by the fire.
55 Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council[h] were trying to find evidence against Jesus, so they could put him to death. But they couldn’t find any. 56 Many false witnesses spoke against him, but they contradicted each other. 57 Finally, some men stood up and gave this false testimony: 58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this Temple made with human hands, and in three days I will build another, made without human hands.’” 59 But even then they didn’t get their stories straight!
60 Then the high priest stood up before the others and asked Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” 61 But Jesus was silent and made no reply. Then the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”
62 Jesus said, “I am.[i] And you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand[j] and coming on the clouds of heaven.[k]”
63 Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Why do we need other witnesses? 64 You have all heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?”
“Guilty!” they all cried. “He deserves to die!”
65 Then some of them began to spit at him, and they blindfolded him and beat him with their fists. “Prophesy to us,” they jeered. And the guards slapped him as they took him away.
Peter Denies Jesus
66 Meanwhile, Peter was in the courtyard below. One of the servant girls who worked for the high priest came by 67 and noticed Peter warming himself at the fire. She looked at him closely and said, “You were one of those with Jesus of Nazareth.[l]”
68 But Peter denied it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, and he went out into the entryway. Just then, a rooster crowed.[m]
69 When the servant girl saw him standing there, she began telling the others, “This man is definitely one of them!” 70 But Peter denied it again.
A little later some of the other bystanders confronted Peter and said, “You must be one of them, because you are a Galilean.”
71 Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know this man you’re talking about!” 72 And immediately the rooster crowed the second time.
Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he broke down and wept.
Footnotes
- 14:3 Or reclining.
- 14:5 Greek for 300 denarii. A denarius was equivalent to a laborer’s full day’s wage.
- 14:18 Or As they reclined.
- 14:21 “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.
- 14:24 Some manuscripts read the new covenant.
- 14:27 Greek I will strike. Zech 13:7.
- 14:36 Abba is an Aramaic term for “father.”
- 14:55 Greek the Sanhedrin.
- 14:62a Or The ‘I am’ is here; or I am the Lord. See Exod 3:14.
- 14:62b Greek seated at the right hand of the power. See Ps 110:1.
- 14:62c See Dan 7:13.
- 14:67 Or Jesus the Nazarene.
- 14:68 Some manuscripts do not include Just then, a rooster crowed.
Mark 14
International Standard Version
The Plot to Kill Jesus(A)
14 Now it was two days before the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The high priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus secretly and to have him put to death, 2 because they kept saying, “This must not happen during the festival. Otherwise, there’ll be a riot among the people.”
A Woman Anoints Jesus(B)
3 While Jesus[a] was in Bethany sitting at the table in the home of Simon the leper, a woman arrived with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume made from pure nard. She broke open the jar and poured the perfume on his head. 4 Irritated, some who were there asked one another, “Why was the perfume wasted like this? 5 This perfume could have been sold for more than 300 denarii[b] and the money[c] given to the destitute.” So they got extremely angry with her.
6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing for me, 7 because you’ll always have the destitute with you and can help them whenever you want, but you won’t always have me. 8 She has done what she could. She poured perfume on my body in preparation for my burial. 9 I tell all of you[d] with certainty, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”
Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus(C)
10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the high priests to betray Jesus[e] to them. 11 After they had listened to him,[f] they were delighted and promised to give him money. So he began to look for a good opportunity to betray him.
The Passover with the Disciples(D)
12 On the first day of the Festival[g] of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, Jesus’[h] disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover meal?”
13 He sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and you will meet a man carrying a jug of water. Follow him. 14 When he goes into a house,[i] say to its owner that the Teacher asks, ‘Where is my room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’ 15 Then he will show you a large upstairs room that is furnished and ready. Get everything ready for us there.” 16 So the disciples left and went into the city. They found everything just as Jesus[j] had told them, and they prepared the Passover meal.
17 When evening came, Jesus[k] arrived with the Twelve. 18 While they were at the table eating, Jesus said, “I tell all of you[l] with certainty, one of you is going to betray me, one who is eating with me.”
19 They began to be very sad and asked him, one after the other, “Surely I am not the one, am I?”
20 He told them, “It’s one of you Twelve, the one who is dipping his bread into the bowl with me. 21 For the Son of Man is going away, just as it has been written about him, but how terrible it will be for that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him if he had never been born.”
The Lord’s Supper(E)
22 While they were eating, Jesus[m] took a loaf of bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and handed it to them, saying, “Take some. This is my body.” 23 Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 He told them, “This is my blood of the covenant that is being poured out for many people. 25 I tell all of you[n] with certainty, I’ll never again drink the product 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.
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial(F)
27 Then Jesus told them, “All of you will turn against me, because it is written,
‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered.’[o]
28 However, after I’ve been raised, I’ll go to Galilee ahead of you.”
29 But Peter told him, “Even if everyone else turns against you, I certainly won’t.”
30 Jesus told him, “I tell you[p] with certainty, today, this very night, before a rooster crows twice, you’ll deny me three times.”
31 But Peter[q] kept saying emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I’ll never deny you!” And all the others kept saying the same thing.
Jesus Prays in the Garden of Gethsemane(G)
32 Then they came to a place called Gethsemane, and he told his disciples, “Sit down here while I pray.” 33 He took Peter, James, and John along with him, and he began to feel distressed and troubled. 34 So he told them, “I’m deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Wait here and stay awake.”
35 Going on a little farther, he fell to the ground and kept praying that if it were possible the hour might pass from him. 36 He kept repeating, “Abba![r] Father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Yet not what I want but what you want.”
37 When he went back, he found his disciples[s] asleep. “Simon, are you asleep?” he asked Peter. “You couldn’t stay awake for one hour, could you? 38 All of you must stay awake and pray that you won’t be tempted. The spirit is indeed willing, but the body[t] is weak.”
39 He went away again and prayed the same prayer as before.[u] 40 Again he came back and found them asleep, because they could not keep their eyes open. They didn’t even know what they should say to him.
41 He came back a third time. “Are you still sleeping and resting?”[v] he asked. “Enough of that! The time has come. Look! The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Get up! Let’s go! See, the one who is betraying me is near!”
Jesus is Arrested(H)
43 Just then, while Jesus[w] was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. A crowd armed with swords and clubs was with him. They were from the high priests, the scribes, and the elders. 44 Now the betrayer personally had given them a signal, saying, “The one I kiss[x] is the man. Arrest him, and lead him safely away.” 45 So Judas[y] immediately went up to Jesus[z] and said, “Rabbi,”[aa] and kissed him tenderly.
46 Then the men[ab] took hold of Jesus[ac] and arrested him. 47 But one of those standing there drew his sword and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his ear. 48 Jesus asked them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as if I were a bandit?[ad] 49 Day after day I was with you in the Temple teaching, yet you didn’t arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.” 50 Then all the disciples[ae] deserted Jesus[af] and ran away.
The Young Man who Ran Away
51 A certain young man, who was wearing nothing but a linen sheet, was following Jesus.[ag] When the men[ah] grabbed him, 52 he left the linen sheet behind and ran away naked.
Jesus is Tried before the High Priest(I)
53 Then they took Jesus to the high priest. All the high priests, elders, and scribes had gathered together. 54 Peter followed Jesus[ai] at a distance as far as the high priest’s courtyard. He was sitting with the servants and warming himself at the fire. 55 Meanwhile, the high priests and the whole Council[aj] were looking for some testimony against Jesus in order to have him put to death, but they couldn’t find any. 56 Although many people gave false testimony against him, their testimony didn’t agree.
57 Then some men stood up and gave false testimony against him, saying, 58 “We ourselves heard him say, ‘I will destroy this sanctuary made by human[ak] hands, and in three days I will build another one not made by human[al] hands.’” 59 But even on this point their testimony didn’t agree.
60 Then the high priest stood up before them[am] and asked Jesus, “Don’t you have any answer to what these men are testifying against you?” 61 But he kept silent and didn’t answer at all. The high priest asked him again, “Are you the Messiah,[an] the Son of the Blessed One?”
62 Jesus said, “I AM, and
‘you will see the Son of Man
seated at the right hand of the Power’[ao]
and ‘coming with the clouds of heaven.’”[ap]
63 Then the high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we still need witnesses?” he asked. 64 “You have heard his blasphemy! What is your verdict?” All of them condemned him as deserving death.
65 Some of them began to spit on him. They blindfolded him and kept hitting him with their fists and telling him, “Prophesy!” Even the servants took him and slapped him around.
Peter Denies Jesus(J)
66 While Peter was down in the courtyard, one of the high priest’s servant girls came by. 67 When she saw Peter warming himself, she glared at him and said, “You, too, were with Jesus from Nazareth.”
68 But he denied it, saying, “I don’t know—or even understand—what you’re talking about!” Then he went out into the entryway. Just then a rooster crowed.[aq]
69 The servant girl saw him and again told those who were standing around, “This man is one of them!” 70 Again he denied it.
After a little while, the people who were standing there began to say to Peter again, “Obviously you’re one of them, because you are a Galilean!”
71 Then he began to invoke a divine curse and to swear with an oath, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about!” 72 Just then a rooster crowed a second time.
Peter remembered that Jesus told him, “Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” Then he broke down and cried.
Footnotes
- Mark 14:3 Lit. he
- Mark 14:5 A denarius was the average day’s wage for a laborer.
- Mark 14:5 The Gk. lacks the money
- Mark 14:9 The Gk. pronoun you is pl.
- Mark 14:10 Lit. him
- Mark 14:11 The Gk. lacks to him
- Mark 14:12 The Gk. lacks of the Festival
- Mark 14:12 Lit. his
- Mark 14:14 Lit. Wherever he enters
- Mark 14:16 Lit. he
- Mark 14:17 Lit. he
- Mark 14:18 The Gk. pronoun you is pl.
- Mark 14:22 Lit. he
- Mark 14:25 The Gk. pronoun you is pl.
- Mark 14:27 Cf. Zech 13:7
- Mark 14:30 The Gk. pronoun you is sing.
- Mark 14:31 Lit. he
- Mark 14:36 Abba is Heb./Aram. for Father
- Mark 14:37 Lit. found them
- Mark 14:38 Lit. flesh
- Mark 14:39 Lit. the same word
- Mark 14:41 Or You might as well keep on sleeping and resting.
- Mark 14:43 Lit. he
- Mark 14:44 People customarily greeted their friends with a kiss.
- Mark 14:45 Lit. he
- Mark 14:45 Lit. him
- Mark 14:45 Other mss. read Rabbi, Rabbi. The word is Heb. for Master and/or Teacher
- Mark 14:46 Lit. they
- Mark 14:46 Lit. him
- Mark 14:48 Or revolutionary
- Mark 14:50 Lit. all of them
- Mark 14:50 Lit. him
- Mark 14:51 Lit. him
- Mark 14:51 Lit. they
- Mark 14:54 Lit. him
- Mark 14:55 Or Sanhedrin
- Mark 14:58 The Gk. lacks human
- Mark 14:58 The Gk. lacks human
- Mark 14:60 Lit. in the middle
- Mark 14:61 Or Christ
- Mark 14:62 Cf. Ps 110:1
- Mark 14:62 Cf. Dan 7:13
- Mark 14:68 Other mss. lack Just then a rooster crowed
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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