Matthew 26
English Standard Version
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.”
Institution of the Lord's Supper
26 (AJ)Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and (AK)after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; (AL)this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he (AM)had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for (AN)this is my (AO)blood of the[c] covenant, which is poured out for (AP)many (AQ)for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you (AR)in my Father's kingdom.”
Jesus Foretells Peter's Denial
30 (AS)And when they had sung a hymn, (AT)they went out to (AU)the Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will (AV)strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But after I am raised up, (AW)I will go before you to Galilee.” 33 (AX)Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” 34 (AY)Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, (AZ)before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” 35 (BA)Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.
Jesus Prays in Gethsemane
36 (BB)Then Jesus went with them (BC)to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 And taking with him (BD)Peter and (BE)the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, (BF)“My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and (BG)watch[d] with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face (BH)and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let (BI)this cup pass from me; (BJ)nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 (BK)Watch and (BL)pray that you (BM)may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, (BN)your will be done.” 43 And again he came and found them sleeping, for (BO)their eyes were heavy. 44 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for (BP)the third time, saying the same words again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on.[e] See, (BQ)the hour is at hand, and (BR)the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”
Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus
47 (BS)While he was still speaking, (BT)Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” 49 And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, (BU)Rabbi!” And he kissed him. 50 Jesus said to him, (BV)“Friend, (BW)do what you came to do.”[f] Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. 51 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his (BX)sword and struck the servant[g] of the high priest and cut off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For (BY)all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 (BZ)Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me (CA)more than twelve (CB)legions of angels? 54 (CC)But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” 55 At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day (CD)I sat in the temple (CE)teaching, and you did not seize me. 56 But (CF)all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” (CG)Then all the disciples left him and fled.
Jesus Before Caiaphas and the Council
57 (CH)Then (CI)those who had seized Jesus led him to (CJ)Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. 58 And (CK)Peter was following him at a distance, as far as (CL)the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with (CM)the guards to see the end. 59 Now the chief priests and the whole council[h] (CN)were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, 60 but they found none, (CO)though many false witnesses came forward. At last (CP)two came forward 61 and said, “This man said, (CQ)‘I am able to (CR)destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’” 62 And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?”[i] 63 (CS)But Jesus remained silent. (CT)And the high priest said to him, (CU)“I adjure you by (CV)the living God, (CW)tell us if you are (CX)the Christ, (CY)the Son of God.” 64 Jesus said to him, (CZ)“You have said so. But I tell you, from now on (DA)you will see the Son of Man (DB)seated at the right hand of Power and (DC)coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65 Then the high priest (DD)tore his robes and said, (DE)“He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your judgment?” They answered, (DF)“He deserves death.” 67 Then (DG)they spit in his face (DH)and (DI)struck him. And some slapped him, 68 saying, “Prophesy to us, you (DJ)Christ! Who is it that struck you?”
Peter Denies Jesus
69 (DK)Now Peter was sitting outside (DL)in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” 71 And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus (DM)of Nazareth.” 72 And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” 73 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for (DN)your accent betrays you.” 74 Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, (DO)“Before the rooster crows, you will (DP)deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.
Footnotes
- Matthew 26:6 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13
- Matthew 26:20 Some manuscripts add disciples
- Matthew 26:28 Some manuscripts insert new
- Matthew 26:38 Or keep awake; also verses 40, 41
- Matthew 26:45 Or Are you still sleeping and taking your rest?
- Matthew 26:50 Or Friend, why are you here?
- Matthew 26:51 Or bondservant
- Matthew 26:59 Greek Sanhedrin
- Matthew 26:62 Or Have you no answer to what these men testify against you?
Matthew 26
Common English Bible
Plot to kill Jesus
26 When Jesus finished speaking all these words, he said to his disciples, 2 “You know that the Passover is two days from now. And the Human One[a] will be handed over to be crucified.”
3 Then the chief priests and elders of the people gathered in the courtyard of Caiaphas the high priest. 4 They were plotting to arrest Jesus by cunning tricks and to kill him. 5 But they agreed that it shouldn’t happen during the feast so there wouldn’t be an uproar among the people.
A woman pouring perfume on Jesus
6 When Jesus was at Bethany visiting the house of Simon, who had a skin disease, 7 a woman came to him with a vase made of alabaster containing very expensive perfume. She poured it on Jesus’ head while he was sitting at dinner. 8 Now when the disciples saw it they were angry and said, “Why this waste? 9 This perfume could have been sold for a lot of money and given to the poor.”
10 But Jesus knew what they were thinking. He said, “Why do you make trouble for the woman? She’s done a good thing for me. 11 You always have the poor with you, but you won’t always have me. 12 By pouring this perfume over my body she’s prepared me to be buried. 13 I tell you the truth that wherever in the whole world this good news is announced, what she’s done will also be told in memory of her.”
Judas betrays 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 turn Jesus over to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From that time on he was looking for an opportunity to turn him in.
Passover with the disciples
17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover meal?”
18 He replied, “Go into the city, to a certain man, and say, ‘The teacher says, “My time is near. I’m going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.”’” 19 The disciples did just as Jesus instructed them. They prepared the Passover.
20 That evening he took his place at the table with the twelve disciples. 21 As they were eating he said, “I assure you that one of you will betray me.”
22 Deeply saddened, each one said to him, “I’m not the one, am I, Lord?”
23 He replied, “The one who will betray me is the one who dips his hand with me into this bowl. 24 The Human One[b] goes to his death just as it is written about him. But how terrible it is for that person who betrays the Human One![c] It would have been better for him if he had never been born.”
25 Now Judas, who would betray him, replied, “It’s not me, is it, Rabbi?”
Jesus answered, “You said it.”
Last supper
26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take and eat. This is my body.” 27 He took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from this, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many so that their sins may be forgiven. 29 I tell you, I won’t drink wine again until that day when I drink it in a new way with you in my Father’s kingdom.” 30 Then, after singing songs of praise, they went to the Mount of Olives.
Predictions about disciples leaving Jesus
31 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Tonight you will all fall away because of me. This is because it is written, I will hit the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will go off in all directions.[d] 32 But after I’m raised up, I’ll go before you to Galilee.”
33 Peter replied, “If everyone else stumbles because of you, I’ll never stumble.”
34 Jesus said to him, “I assure you that, before the rooster crows tonight, you will deny me three times.”
35 Peter said, “Even if I must die alongside you, I won’t deny you.” All the disciples said the same thing.
Jesus in prayer
36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane. He said to the disciples, “Stay here while I go and pray over there.” 37 When he took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, he began to feel sad and anxious. 38 Then he said to them, “I’m very sad. It’s as if I’m dying. Stay here and keep alert with me.” 39 Then he went a short distance farther and fell on his face and prayed, “My Father, if it’s possible, take this cup of suffering away from me. However—not what I want but what you want.”
40 He came back to the disciples and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you stay alert one hour with me? 41 Stay alert and pray so that you won’t give in to temptation. The spirit is eager, but the flesh is weak.” 42 A second time he went away and prayed, “My Father, if it’s not possible that this cup be taken away unless I drink it, then let it be what you want.”
43 Again he came and found them sleeping. Their eyes were heavy with sleep. 44 But he left them and again went and prayed the same words for the third time. 45 Then he came to his disciples and said to them, “Will you sleep and rest all night? Look, the time has come for the Human One[e] to be betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Get up. Let’s go. Look, here comes my betrayer.”
Arrest
47 While Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, came. With him was a large crowd carrying swords and clubs. They had been sent by the chief priests and elders of the people. 48 His betrayer had given them a sign: “Arrest the man I kiss.” 49 Just then he came to Jesus and said, “Hello, Rabbi.” Then he kissed him.
50 But Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they came and grabbed Jesus and arrested him.
51 One of those with Jesus reached for his sword. Striking the high priest’s slave, he cut off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put the sword back into its place. All those who use the sword will die by the sword. 53 Or do you think that I’m not able to ask my Father and he will send to me more than twelve battle groups[f] of angels right away? 54 But if I did that, how would the scriptures be fulfilled that say this must happen?” 55 Then Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come with swords and clubs to arrest me, like a thief? Day after day, I sat in the temple teaching, but you didn’t arrest me. 56 But all this has happened so that what the prophets said in the scriptures might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left Jesus and ran away.
Jesus before the council
57 Those who arrested Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest. The legal experts and the elders had gathered there. 58 Peter followed him from a distance until he came to the high priest’s courtyard. He entered that area and sat outside with the officers to see how it would turn out.
59 The chief priests and the whole council were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they could put him to death. 60 They didn’t find anything they could use from the many false witnesses who were willing to come forward. But finally they found two 61 who said, “This man said, ‘I can destroy God’s temple and rebuild it in three days.’”
62 Then the high priest stood and said to Jesus, “Aren’t you going to respond to the testimony these people have brought against you?”
63 But Jesus was silent.
The high priest said, “By the living God, I demand that you tell us whether you are the Christ, God’s Son.”
64 “You said it,” Jesus replied. “But I say to you that from now on you’ll see the Human One[g] sitting on the right side of the Almighty[h] and coming on the heavenly clouds.”[i]
65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He’s insulting God! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, you’ve heard his insult against God. 66 What do you think?”
And they answered, “He deserves to die!” 67 Then they spit in his face and beat him. They hit him 68 and said, “Prophesy for us, Christ! Who hit you?”
Peter’s denial
69 Meanwhile, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant woman came and said to him, “You were also with Jesus the Galilean.”
70 But he denied it in front of all of them, saying, “I don’t know what you are talking about.”
71 When he went over to the gate, another woman saw him and said to those who were there, “This man was with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.”
72 With a solemn pledge, he denied it again, saying, “I don’t know the man.”
73 A short time later those standing there came and said to Peter, “You must be one of them. The way you talk gives you away.”
74 Then he cursed and swore, “I don’t know the man!” At that very moment the rooster crowed. 75 Peter remembered Jesus’ words, “Before the rooster crows you will deny me three times.”And Peter went out and cried uncontrollably.
Footnotes
- Matthew 26:2 Or Son of Man
- Matthew 26:24 Or Son of Man
- Matthew 26:24 Or Son of Man
- Matthew 26:31 Zech 13:7
- Matthew 26:45 Or Son of Man
- Matthew 26:53 Or legions (of the Roman army, about five thousand soldiers each)
- Matthew 26:64 Or Son of Man
- Matthew 26:64 Or the Power
- Matthew 26:64 Dan 7:13
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible