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While he was at Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster jar of ointment of pure nard—very costly. She broke the jar, and poured it over his head. But there were some who were indignant among themselves, saying, “Why has this ointment been wasted? For this might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii,[a] and given to the poor.” So they grumbled against her.

But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want to, you can do them good; but you will not always have me. She has done what she could. She has anointed my body beforehand for the burying. Most certainly I tell you, wherever this Good News may be preached throughout the whole world, that which this woman has done will also be spoken of for a memorial of her.”

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Footnotes

  1. 14:5 300 denarii was about a year’s wages for an agricultural laborer.

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

(A)And while he was at (B)Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,[a] as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii[b] and (C)given to the poor.” And they (D)scolded her. But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For (E)you always have the poor with you, and whenever (F)you want, you can do good for them. But (G)you will not always have me. (H)She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand (I)for burial. And truly, I say to you, wherever (J)the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told (K)in memory of her.”

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 14:3 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13
  2. Mark 14:5 A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer