Matthew 26:1-35

New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition

The Plot to Kill Jesus

26 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, ² ‘You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.’

³ Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, ⁴ and they conspired to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. ⁵ But they said, ‘Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people.’

The Anointing at Bethany

⁶ Now while Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,^{[a] 7} a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table. ⁸ But when the disciples saw it, they were angry and said, ‘Why this waste? ⁹ For this ointment could have been sold for a large sum, and the money given to the poor.’ ¹⁰ But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, ‘Why do you trouble the woman? She has performed a good service for me. ¹¹ For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. ¹² By pouring this ointment on my body she has prepared me for burial. ¹³ Truly I tell you, wherever this good news^[b] is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.’

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. 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.”’ ¹⁹ So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

²⁰ When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve;^{[c] 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. 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.’

The Institution of the Lord’s Supper

²⁶ While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ ²⁷ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you; ²⁸ for this is my blood of the^[d] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. ²⁹ I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.’

³⁰ When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Peter’s Denial Foretold

³¹ Then Jesus said to them, ‘You will all become deserters because of me this night; for it is written,

³² But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.’ ³³ Peter said to him, ‘Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert you.’ ³⁴ Jesus said to him, ‘Truly I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.’ ³⁵ Peter said to him, ‘Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you.’ And so said all the disciples.