The Plot to Kill Jesus

26 When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, ^2 (A)“You know that after two days ^(B)the Passover is coming, and ^(C)the Son of Man ^(D)will be delivered up to be crucified.”

^3 (E)Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in ^(F)the palace of the high priest, whose name was ^(G)Caiaphas, ^4 (H)and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. ⁵ But they said, “Not during the feast, ^(I)lest there be an uproar among the people.”

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

^6 (J)Now when Jesus was at ^(K)Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,^{[a] 7} a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. ⁸ And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? ⁹ For this could have been sold for a large sum and ^(L)given to the poor.” ¹⁰ But ^(M)Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. ¹¹ For ^(N)you always have the poor with you, but ^(O)you will not always have me. ¹² In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it ^(P)to prepare me for burial. ¹³ Truly, I say to you, wherever ^(Q)this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told ^(R)in memory of her.”

Judas to Betray Jesus

^14 (S)Then one of the twelve, whose name was ^(T)Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they ^(U)paid him ^(V)thirty pieces of silver. ¹⁶ And from that moment he sought an opportunity ^(W)to betray him.

The Passover with the Disciples

^17 (X)Now on ^(Y)the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” ¹⁸ He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ^(Z)‘The Teacher says, ^(AA)My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” ¹⁹ And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.

^20 (AB)When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve.^{[b] 21} And as they were eating, ^(AC)he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” ²² And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” ²³ He answered, ^(AD)“He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. ²⁴ The Son of Man goes ^(AE)as it is written of him, but ^(AF)woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! ^(AG)It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” ²⁵ Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, ^(AH)Rabbi?” He said to him, ^(AI)“You have said so.”

Judas Hangs Himself

³ Then when ^(A)Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus^[a] was condemned, ^(B)he changed his mind and brought back ^(C)the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, ⁴ saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? ^(D)See to it yourself.” ⁵ And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, ^(E)he departed, and he went and hanged himself. ⁶ But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into ^(F)the treasury, since it is blood money.” ⁷ So they took counsel and bought with them the potter's field as a burial place for strangers. ⁸ Therefore ^(G)that field has been called the Field of Blood ^(H)to this day. ^9 (I)Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, ^(J)“And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, ¹⁰ and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me.”