Mark 14
Good News Translation
The Plot against Jesus(A)
14 (B)It was now two days before the Festival of Passover and Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the teachers of the Law were looking for a way to arrest Jesus secretly and put him to death. 2 “We must not do it during the festival,” they said, “or the people might riot.”
Jesus Is Anointed at Bethany(C)
3 (D)Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon, a man who had suffered from a dreaded skin disease. While Jesus was eating, a woman came in with an alabaster jar full of a very expensive perfume made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on Jesus' head. 4 Some of the people there became angry and said to one another, “What was the use of wasting the perfume? 5 It could have been sold for more than three hundred silver coins[a] and the money given to the poor!” And they criticized her harshly.
6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone! Why are you bothering her? She has done a fine and beautiful thing for me. 7 (E)You will always have poor people with you, and any time you want to, you can help them. But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could; she poured perfume on my body to prepare it ahead of time for burial. 9 Now, I assure you that wherever the gospel is preached all over the world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”
Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus(F)
10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went off to the chief priests in order to betray Jesus to them. 11 They were pleased to hear what he had to say, and promised to give him money. So Judas started looking for a good chance to hand Jesus over to them.
Jesus Eats the Passover Meal with His Disciples(G)
12 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the day the lambs for the Passover meal were killed, Jesus' disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and get the Passover meal ready for you?”
13 Then Jesus sent two of them with these instructions: “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him 14 to the house he enters, and say to the owner of the house: ‘The Teacher says, Where is the room where my disciples and I will eat the Passover meal?’ 15 Then he will show you a large upstairs room, fixed up and furnished, where you will get everything ready for us.”
16 The disciples left, went to the city, and found everything just as Jesus had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal.
17 When it was evening, Jesus came with the twelve disciples. 18 (H)While they were at the table eating, Jesus said, “I tell you that one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.”
19 The disciples were upset and began to ask him, one after the other, “Surely you don't mean me, do you?”
20 Jesus answered, “It will be one of you twelve, one who dips his bread in the dish with me. 21 The Son of Man will die as the Scriptures say he will; but how terrible for that man who will betray the Son of Man! It would have been better for that man if he had never been born!”
The Lord's Supper(I)
22 While they were eating, Jesus took a piece of bread, gave a prayer of thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples. “Take it,” he said, “this is my body.”
23 Then he took a cup, gave thanks to God, and handed it to them; and they all drank from it. 24 (J)Jesus said, “This is my blood which is poured out for many, my blood which seals God's covenant. 25 I tell you, I will never again drink this wine until the day I drink the new wine in the Kingdom of God.”
26 Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.
Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial(K)
27 (L)Jesus said to them, “All of you will run away and leave me, for the scripture says, ‘God will kill the shepherd, and the sheep will all be scattered.’ 28 (M)But after I am raised to life, I will go to Galilee ahead of you.”
29 Peter answered, “I will never leave you, even though all the rest do!”
30 Jesus said to Peter, “I tell you that before the rooster crows two times tonight, you will say three times that you do not know me.”
31 Peter answered even more strongly, “I will never say that, even if I have to die with you!”
And all the other disciples said the same thing.
Jesus Prays in Gethsemane(N)
32 They came to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took Peter, James, and John with him. Distress and anguish came over him, 34 and he said to them, “The sorrow in my heart is so great that it almost crushes me. Stay here and keep watch.”
35 He went a little farther on, threw himself on the ground, and prayed that, if possible, he might not have to go through that time of suffering. 36 “Father,” he prayed, “my Father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet not what I want, but what you want.”
37 Then he returned and found the three disciples asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Weren't you able to stay awake for even one hour?” 38 And he said to them, “Keep watch, and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
39 He went away once more and prayed, saying the same words. 40 Then he came back to the disciples and found them asleep; they could not keep their eyes open. And they did not know what to say to him.
41 When he came back the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come! Look, the Son of Man is now being handed over to the power of sinners. 42 Get up, let us go. Look, here is the man who is betraying me!”
The Arrest of Jesus(O)
43 Jesus was still speaking when Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs and sent by the chief priests, the teachers of the Law, and the elders. 44 The traitor had given the crowd a signal: “The man I kiss is the one you want. Arrest him and take him away under guard.”
45 As soon as Judas arrived, he went up to Jesus and said, “Teacher!” and kissed him. 46 So they arrested Jesus and held him tight. 47 But one of those standing there drew his sword and struck at the High Priest's slave, cutting off his ear. 48 Then Jesus spoke up and said to them, “Did you have to come with swords and clubs to capture me, as though I were an outlaw? 49 (P)Day after day I was with you teaching in the Temple, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must come true.”
50 Then all the disciples left him and ran away.
51 A certain young man, dressed only in a linen cloth, was following Jesus. They tried to arrest him, 52 but he ran away naked, leaving the cloth behind.
Jesus before the Council(Q)
53 Then Jesus was taken to the High Priest's house, where all the chief priests, the elders, and the teachers of the Law were gathering. 54 Peter followed from a distance and went into the courtyard of the High Priest's house. There he sat down with the guards, keeping himself warm by the fire. 55 The chief priests and the whole Council tried to find some evidence against Jesus in order to put him to death, but they could not find any. 56 Many witnesses told lies against Jesus, but their stories did not agree.
57 Then some men stood up and told this lie against Jesus: 58 (R)“We heard him say, ‘I will tear down this Temple which men have made, and after three days I will build one that is not made by men.’” 59 Not even they, however, could make their stories agree.
60 The High Priest stood up in front of them all and questioned Jesus, “Have you no answer to the accusation they bring against you?”
61 But Jesus kept quiet and would not say a word. Again the High Priest questioned him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed God?”
62 (S)“I am,” answered Jesus, “and you will all see the Son of Man seated at the right side of the Almighty and coming with the clouds of heaven!”
63 The High Priest tore his robes and said, “We don't need any more witnesses! 64 (T)You heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?”
They all voted against him: he was guilty and should be put to death.
65 Some of them began to spit on Jesus, and they blindfolded him and hit him. “Guess who hit you!” they said. And the guards took him and slapped him.
Peter Denies Jesus(U)
66 Peter was still down in the courtyard when one of the High Priest's servant women came by. 67 When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked straight at him and said, “You, too, were with Jesus of Nazareth.”
68 But he denied it. “I don't know … I don't understand what you are talking about,” he answered, and went out into the passageway. Just then a rooster crowed.[b]
69 The servant woman saw him there and began to repeat to the bystanders, “He is one of them!” 70 But Peter denied it again.
A little while later the bystanders accused Peter again, “You can't deny that you are one of them, because you, too, are from Galilee.”
71 Then Peter said, “I swear that I am telling the truth! May God punish me if I am not! I do not know the man you are talking about!”
72 Just then a rooster crowed a second time, and Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows two times, you will say three times that you do not know me.” And he broke down and cried.
Footnotes
- Mark 14:5 See 6.37.
- Mark 14:68 Some manuscripts do not have Just then a rooster crowed.
Mark 14
New American Standard Bible
Death Plot and Anointing
14 (A)Now (B)the Passover and Festival of Unleavened Bread were two days away; and the chief priests and the scribes (C)were seeking how to arrest Him covertly and kill Him; 2 for they were saying, “Not during the festival, otherwise there will be a riot of the people.”
3 (D)While He was in (E)Bethany at the home of Simon [a]the Leper, He was reclining at the table, and a woman came with an alabaster vial of very (F)expensive perfume of pure [b]nard. She broke the vial and poured the perfume over His head. 4 But there were some indignantly remarking to one another, “Why has this perfume been wasted? 5 For this perfume could have been sold for over three hundred [c]denarii, and the money given to the poor.” And they were scolding her. 6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone! Why are you bothering her? She has done a good deed for Me. 7 For you always have (G)the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me. 8 She has done what she could; (H)she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial. 9 Truly I say to you, (I)wherever the gospel is preached in the entire world, what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her.”
10 (J)Then Judas Iscariot, (K)who was one of the twelve, went off to the chief priests in order to [d]betray Him to them. 11 They were delighted when they heard this, and promised to give him money. And he began seeking how to betray Him at an opportune time.
The Last Passover
12 (L)On the first day of [e](M)Unleavened Bread, when [f]the Passover lamb was being (N)sacrificed, His disciples *said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare for You to eat the Passover?” 13 And He *sent two of His disciples and *said to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you; follow him; 14 and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is My (O)guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ 15 And he himself will show you a large upstairs room furnished and ready; prepare for us there.” 16 The disciples left and came to the city, and found everything just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.
17 (P)When it was evening He *came with the twelve. 18 And as they were reclining at the table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly I say to you that one of you will [g]betray Me—[h]one who is eating with Me.” 19 They began to be grieved and to say to Him one by one, “Surely not I?” 20 But He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, the one who dips bread with Me in the bowl. 21 For the Son of Man is going away just as it is written about Him; but woe to that man [i]by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good [j]for that man if he had not been born.”
The Lord’s Supper
22 (Q)While they were eating, He took some bread, and [k]after a (R)blessing He broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is My body.” 23 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 And He said to them, “This is My (S)blood of the (T)covenant, which is being poured out for many. 25 Truly I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine again, until that day when I drink it, new, in the kingdom of God.”
26 (U)And after singing a [l]hymn, they went out to (V)the Mount of Olives.
27 (W)And Jesus *said to them, “You will all [m]fall away, because it is written: ‘(X)I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28 But after I am raised, (Y)I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” 29 But Peter said to Him, “Even if they all [n]fall away, yet I will not!” 30 And Jesus *said to him, “Truly I say to you, that [o](Z)this very night, before (AA)a rooster crows twice, you yourself will deny Me three times.” 31 But [p]Peter repeatedly said insistently, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And they all were saying the same thing as well.
Jesus in Gethsemane
32 (AB)They *came to a place named [q]Gethsemane; and He *said to His disciples, “Sit here until I have prayed.” 33 And He *took with Him Peter, [r]James, and John, and began to be very (AC)distressed and troubled. 34 And He *said to them, “(AD)My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and [s]keep watch.” 35 And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began praying that if it were possible, (AE)the hour might [t]pass Him by. 36 And He was saying, “(AF)Abba! [u]Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; (AG)yet not what I will, but what You will.” 37 And He *came and *found them sleeping, and *said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not [v]keep watch for one hour? 38 [w](AH)Keep watching and praying, so that you will not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 And again He went away and prayed, saying the same [x]words. 40 And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to say in reply to Him. 41 And He *came the third time, and *said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? That is enough. (AI)The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being [y]betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Get up, let’s go; behold, the one who is betraying Me is near!”
Betrayal and Arrest
43 (AJ)And immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, *came up, [z]accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs who were from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. 44 Now he who was betraying Him had given them a signal, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; arrest Him and lead Him away [aa]under guard.” 45 And after coming, Judas immediately went to Him and *said, “(AK)Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 46 And they laid hands on Him and arrested Him. 47 But one of those who stood by drew his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and [ab]cut off his ear. 48 And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me, as you would against a man inciting a revolt? 49 Every day I was with you (AL)within the temple grounds teaching, and you did not arrest Me; but this has taken place so that the Scriptures will be fulfilled.” 50 And [ac]His disciples all left Him and fled.
51 A young man was following Him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body; and they *seized him. 52 But he [ad]pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped naked.
Jesus before His Accusers
53 (AM)They led Jesus away to the high priest; and all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes *gathered together. 54 And Peter had followed Him at a distance, (AN)right into (AO)the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the [ae]officers and (AP)warming himself at the [af]fire. 55 Now the chief priests and the entire [ag](AQ)Council were trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and they were not finding any. 56 For many people were giving false testimony against Him, and so their testimonies were not consistent. 57 And then some stood up and began giving false testimony against Him, saying, 58 “We heard Him say, ‘(AR)I will destroy this [ah]temple that was made by hands, and in three days I will build another, made without hands.’” 59 And not even in this respect was their testimony consistent. 60 And then the high priest stood up and came forward and questioned Jesus, saying, “Do You not offer any answer for what these men are testifying against You?” 61 (AS)But He kept silent and did not offer any answer. (AT)Again the high priest was questioning Him, and *said to Him, “Are You the [ai]Christ, the Son of [aj]the Blessed One?” 62 And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see (AU)the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and (AV)coming with the clouds of heaven.” 63 (AW)Tearing his clothes, the high priest *said, “What further need do we have of witnesses? 64 You have heard the (AX)blasphemy; how does it seem to you?” And they all condemned Him as deserving of death. 65 And some began to (AY)spit on Him, and [ak](AZ)to blindfold Him, and to beat Him with their fists and say to Him, “(BA)Prophesy!” Then the officers took custody of Him [al]and slapped Him in the face.
Peter’s Denials
66 (BB)And while Peter was below in (BC)the courtyard, one of the slave women of the high priest *came, 67 and seeing Peter (BD)warming himself, she looked at him and *said, “You were with Jesus the (BE)Nazarene as well.” 68 But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are talking about.” And he (BF)went out onto the [am]porch.[an] 69 The slave woman saw him, and began once more to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them!” 70 But again (BG)he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders were again saying to Peter, “You really are one of them, (BH)for you are a Galilean as well.” 71 But he began to [ao]curse himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak!” 72 And immediately a rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had made the remark to him, “Before (BI)a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And [ap]he hurried on and began to weep.
Footnotes
- Mark 14:3 I.e., a nickname; the man no doubt was cured
- Mark 14:3 An aromatic oil extracted from an East Indian plant
- Mark 14:5 The denarius was a day’s wages for a laborer
- Mark 14:10 Or hand Him over
- Mark 14:12 I.e., Passover week
- Mark 14:12 Lit they were sacrificing
- Mark 14:18 Or deliver Me over
- Mark 14:18 Or the one
- Mark 14:21 Or through
- Mark 14:21 Lit for him if that man had not
- Mark 14:22 Lit having blessed
- Mark 14:26 Ps 113-118 were traditionally sung at Passover
- Mark 14:27 I.e., have a lapse in faith
- Mark 14:29 I.e., have a lapse in faith
- Mark 14:30 Lit today, on this night
- Mark 14:31 Lit he
- Mark 14:32 I.e., oil press
- Mark 14:33 Or Jacob
- Mark 14:34 Or stay awake
- Mark 14:35 Lit pass from Him
- Mark 14:36 A translation of Aramaic Abba, prob. added by Mark
- Mark 14:37 Or stay awake
- Mark 14:38 Or Stay awake and keep praying
- Mark 14:39 Lit word
- Mark 14:41 Or delivered
- Mark 14:43 Lit and with him
- Mark 14:44 Lit safely
- Mark 14:47 Lit took off
- Mark 14:50 Lit they
- Mark 14:52 Lit left behind
- Mark 14:54 Or servants
- Mark 14:54 Lit light
- Mark 14:55 Or Sanhedrin
- Mark 14:58 Or sanctuary
- Mark 14:61 I.e., Messiah
- Mark 14:61 A common way for the Jewish leaders to refer to God
- Mark 14:65 Or cover over His face
- Mark 14:65 Or with blows inflicted by rods
- Mark 14:68 Or forecourt, gateway
- Mark 14:68 Later mss add and a rooster crowed
- Mark 14:71 Lit put himself under a curse
- Mark 14:72 Or after thinking of this, he began
Mark 14
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
14 Now the feast of the pasch, and of the Azymes was after two days; and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might by some wile lay hold on him, and kill him.
2 But they said: Not on the festival day, lest there should be a tumult among the people.
3 And when he was in Bethania, in the house of Simon the leper, and was at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of precious spikenard: and breaking the alabaster box, she poured it out upon his head.
4 Now there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said: Why was this waste of the ointment made?
5 For this ointment might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and given to the poor. And they murmured against her.
6 But Jesus said: Let her alone, why do you molest her? She hath wrought a good work upon me.
7 For the poor you have always with you: and whensoever you will, you may do them good: but me you have not always.
8 She hath done what she could: she is come beforehand to anoint my body for burial.
9 Amen, I say to you, wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, that also which she hath done, shall be told for a memorial of her.
10 And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests, to betray him to them.
11 Who hearing it were glad; and they promised him they would give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him.
12 Now on the first day of the unleavened bread, when they sacrificed the pasch, the disciples say to him: Whither wilt thou that we go, and prepare for thee to eat the pasch?
13 And he sendeth two of his disciples, and saith to them: Go ye into the city; and there shall meet you a man carrying a pitcher of water, follow him;
14 And whithersoever he shall go in, say to the master of the house, The master saith, Where is my refectory, where I may eat the pasch with my disciples?
15 And he will shew you a large dining room furnished; and there prepare ye for us.
16 And his disciples went their way, and came into the city; and they found as he had told them, and they prepared the pasch.
17 And when evening was come, he cometh with the twelve.
18 And when they were at table and eating, Jesus saith: Amen I say to you, one of you that eateth with me shall betray me.
19 But they began to be sorrowful, and to say to him one by one: Is it I?
20 Who saith to them: One of the twelve, who dippeth with me his hand in the dish.
21 And the Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man shall be betrayed. It were better for him, if that man had not been born.
22 And whilst they were eating, Jesus took bread; and blessing, broke, and gave to them, and said: Take ye. This is my body.
23 And having taken the chalice, giving thanks, he gave it to them. And they all drank of it.
24 And he said to them: This is my blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for many.
25 Amen I say to you, that I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day when I shall drink it new in the kingdom of God.
26 And when they had said an hymn, they went forth to the mount of Olives.
27 And Jesus saith to them: You will all be scandalized in my regard this night; for it is written, I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep shall be dispersed.
28 But after I shall be risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.
29 But Peter saith to him: Although all shall be scandalized in thee, yet not I.
30 And Jesus saith to him: Amen I say to thee, to day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shall deny me thrice.
31 But he spoke the more vehemently: Although I should die together with thee, I will not deny thee. And in like manner also said they all.
32 And they came to a farm called Gethsemani. And he saith to his disciples: Sit you here, while I pray.
33 And he taketh Peter and James and John with him; and he began to fear and to be heavy.
34 And he saith to them: My soul is sorrowful even unto death; stay you here, and watch.
35 And when he was gone forward a little, he fell flat on the ground; and he prayed, that if it might be, the hour might pass from him.
36 And he saith: Abba, Father, all things are possible to thee: remove this chalice from me; but not what I will, but what thou wilt.
37 And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping. And he saith to Peter: Simon, sleepest thou? couldst thou not watch one hour?
38 Watch ye, and pray that you enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
39 And going away again, he prayed, saying the same words.
40 And when he returned, he found them again asleep, (for their eyes were heavy,) and they knew not what to answer him.
41 And he cometh the third time, and saith to them: Sleep ye now, and take your rest. It is enough: the hour is come: behold the Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of sinners.
42 Rise up, let us go. Behold, he that will betray me is at hand.
43 And while he was yet speaking, cometh Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve: and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the ancients.
44 And he that betrayed him, had given them a sign, saying: Whomsoever I shall kiss, that is he; lay hold on him, and lead him away carefully.
45 And when he was come, immediately going up to him, he saith: Hail, Rabbi; and he kissed him.
46 But they laid hands on him, and held him.
47 And one of them that stood by, drawing a sword, struck a servant of the chief priest, and cut off his ear.
48 And Jesus answering, said to them: Are you come out as to a robber, with swords and staves to apprehend me?
49 I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you did not lay hands on me. But that the scriptures may be fulfilled.
50 Then his disciples leaving him, all fled away.
51 And a certain young man followed him, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and they laid hold on him.
52 But he, casting off the linen cloth, fled from them naked.
53 And they brought Jesus to the high priest; and all the priests and the scribes and the ancients assembled together.
54 And Peter followed him from afar off, even into the court of the high priest; and he sat with the servants at the fire, and warmed himself.
55 And the chief priests and all the council sought for evidence against Jesus, that they might put him to death, and found none.
56 For many bore false witness against him, and their evidences were not agreeing.
57 And some rising up, bore false witness against him, saying:
58 We heard him say, I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another not made with hands.
59 And their witness did not agree.
60 And the high priest rising up in the midst, asked Jesus, saying: Answerest thou nothing to the things that are laid to thy charge by these men?
61 But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said to him: Art thou the Christ the Son of the blessed God?
62 And Jesus said to him: I am. And you shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of the power of God, and coming with the clouds of heaven.
63 Then the high priest rending his garments, saith: What need we any further witnesses?
64 You have heard the blasphemy. What think you? Who all condemned him to be guilty of death.
65 And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him: Prophesy: and the servants struck him with the palms of their hands.
66 Now when Peter was in the court below, there cometh one of the maidservants of the high priest.
67 And when she had seen Peter warming himself, looking on him she saith: Thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth.
68 But he denied, saying: I neither know nor understand what thou sayest. And he went forth before the court; and the cock crew.
69 And again a maidservant seeing him, began to say to the standers by: This is one of them.
70 But he denied again. And after a while they that stood by said again to Peter: Surely thou art one of them; for thou art also a Galilean.
71 But he began to curse and to swear, saying; I know not this man of whom you speak.
72 And immediately the cock crew again. And Peter remembered the word that Jesus had said unto him: Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt thrice deny me. And he began to weep.
Mark 14
The Message
Anointing His Head
14 1-2 In only two days the eight-day Festival of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread would begin. The high priests and religion scholars were looking for a way they could seize Jesus by stealth and kill him. They agreed that it should not be done during Passover Week. “We don’t want the crowds up in arms,” they said.
3-5 Jesus was at Bethany, a guest of Simon the Leper. While he was eating dinner, a woman came up carrying a bottle of very expensive perfume. Opening the bottle, she poured it on his head. Some of the guests became furious among themselves. “That’s criminal! A sheer waste! This perfume could have been sold for well over a year’s wages and handed out to the poor.” They swelled up in anger, nearly bursting with indignation over her.
6-9 But Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why are you giving her a hard time? She has just done something wonderfully significant for me. You will have the poor with you every day for the rest of your lives. Whenever you feel like it, you can do something for them. Not so with me. She did what she could when she could—she pre-anointed my body for burial. And you can be sure that wherever in the whole world the Message is preached, what she just did is going to be talked about admiringly.”
10-11 Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the cabal of high priests, determined to betray him. They couldn’t believe their ears, and promised to pay him well. He started looking for just the right moment to hand him over.
Traitor to the Son of Man
12 On the first of the Days of Unleavened Bread, the day they prepare the Passover sacrifice, his disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations so you can eat the Passover meal?”
13-15 He directed two of his disciples, “Go into the city. A man carrying a water jug will meet you. Follow him. Ask the owner of whichever house he enters, ‘The Teacher wants to know, Where is my guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’ He will show you a spacious second-story room, swept and ready. Prepare for us there.”
16 The disciples left, came to the city, found everything just as he had told them, and prepared the Passover meal.
17-18 After sunset he came with the Twelve. As they were at the supper table eating, Jesus said, “I have something hard but important to say to you: One of you is going to hand me over to the conspirators, one who at this moment is eating with me.”
19 Stunned, they started asking, one after another, “It isn’t me, is it?”
20-21 He said, “It’s one of the Twelve, one who eats with me out of the same bowl. In one sense, it turns out that the Son of Man is entering into a way of treachery well-marked by the Scriptures—no surprises here. In another sense, the man who turns him in, turns traitor to the Son of Man—better never to have been born than do this!”
“This Is My Body”
22 In the course of their meal, having taken and blessed the bread, he broke it and gave it to them. Then he said,
Take, this is my body.
23-24 Taking the chalice, he gave it to them, thanking God, and they all drank from it. He said,
This is my blood,
God’s new covenant,
Poured out for many people.
25 “I’ll not be drinking wine again until the new day when I drink it in the kingdom of God.”
26 They sang a hymn and then went directly to Mount Olives.
* * *
27-28 Jesus told them, “You’re all going to feel that your world is falling apart and that it’s my fault. There’s a Scripture that says,
I will strike the shepherd;
The sheep will scatter.
“But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you, leading the way to Galilee.”
29 Peter blurted out, “Even if everyone else is ashamed of you when things fall to pieces, I won’t be.”
30 Jesus said, “Don’t be so sure. Today, this very night in fact, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.”
31 He blustered in protest, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you.” All the others said the same thing.
Gethsemane
32-34 They came to an area called Gethsemane. Jesus told his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James, and John with him. He sank into a pit of suffocating darkness. He told them, “I feel bad enough right now to die. Stay here and keep vigil with me.”
35-36 Going a little ahead, he fell to the ground and prayed for a way out: “Papa, Father, you can—can’t you?—get me out of this. Take this cup away from me. But please, not what I want—what do you want?”
37-38 He came back and found them sound asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, you went to sleep on me? Can’t you stick it out with me a single hour? Stay alert, be in prayer, so you don’t enter the danger zone without even knowing it. Don’t be naive. Part of you is eager, ready for anything in God; but another part is as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire.”
39-40 He then went back and prayed the same prayer. Returning, he again found them sound asleep. They simply couldn’t keep their eyes open, and they didn’t have a plausible excuse.
41-42 He came back a third time and said, “Are you going to sleep all night? No—you’ve slept long enough. Time’s up. The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up. Let’s get going. My betrayer has arrived.”
A Bunch of Thugs
43-47 No sooner were the words out of his mouth when Judas, the one out of the Twelve, showed up, and with him a bunch of thugs, sent by the high priests, religion scholars, and leaders, brandishing swords and clubs. The betrayer had worked out a signal with them: “The one I kiss, that’s the one—seize him. Make sure he doesn’t get away.” He went straight to Jesus and said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. The others then grabbed him and roughed him up. One of the men standing there unsheathed his sword, swung, and came down on the Chief Priest’s servant, lopping off the man’s ear.
48-50 Jesus said to them, “What is this, coming after me with swords and clubs as if I were a dangerous criminal? Day after day I’ve been sitting in the Temple teaching, and you never so much as lifted a hand against me. What you in fact have done is confirm the prophetic writings.” All the disciples bailed on him.
51-52 A young man was following along. All he had on was a bedsheet. Some of the men grabbed him but he got away, running off naked, leaving them holding the sheet.
Condemned to Death
53-54 They led Jesus to the Chief Priest, where the high priests, religious leaders, and scholars had gathered together. Peter followed at a safe distance until they got to the Chief Priest’s courtyard, where he mingled with the servants and warmed himself at the fire.
55-59 The high priests conspiring with the Jewish Council looked high and low for evidence against Jesus by which they could sentence him to death. They found nothing. Plenty of people were willing to bring in false charges, but nothing added up, and they ended up canceling each other out. Then a few of them stood up and lied: “We heard him say, ‘I am going to tear down this Temple, built by hard labor, and in three days build another without lifting a hand.’” But even they couldn’t agree exactly.
60-61 In the middle of this, the Chief Priest stood up and asked Jesus, “What do you have to say to the accusation?” Jesus was silent. He said nothing.
The Chief Priest tried again, this time asking, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed?”
62 Jesus said, “Yes, I am, and you’ll see it yourself:
The Son of Man seated
At the right hand of the Mighty One,
Arriving on the clouds of heaven.”
63-64 The Chief Priest lost his temper. Ripping his clothes, he yelled, “Did you hear that? After that do we need witnesses? You heard the blasphemy. Are you going to stand for it?”
They condemned him, one and all. The sentence: death.
65 Some of them started spitting at him. They blindfolded his eyes, then hit him, saying, “Who hit you? Prophesy!” The guards, punching and slapping, took him away.
The Rooster Crowed
66-67 While all this was going on, Peter was down in the courtyard. One of the Chief Priest’s servant girls came in and, seeing Peter warming himself there, looked hard at him and said, “You were with the Nazarene, Jesus.”
68 He denied it: “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He went out on the porch. A rooster crowed.
69-70 The girl spotted him and began telling the people standing around, “He’s one of them.” He denied it again.
After a little while, the bystanders brought it up again. “You’ve got to be one of them. You’ve got ‘Galilean’ written all over you.”
71-72 Now Peter got really nervous and swore, “I never laid eyes on this man you’re talking about.” Just then the rooster crowed a second time. Peter remembered how Jesus had said, “Before a rooster crows twice, you’ll deny me three times.” He collapsed in tears.
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson