Matthew 26
New King James Version
The Plot to Kill Jesus(A)
26 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, 2 (B)“You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”
3 (C)Then the chief priests, [a]the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 4 and (D)plotted to take Jesus by [b]trickery and kill Him. 5 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the (E)people.”
The Anointing at Bethany(F)
6 And when Jesus was in (G)Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. 8 (H)But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.”
10 But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. 11 (I)For you have the poor with you always, but (J)Me you do not have always. 12 For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My (K)burial. 13 Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”
Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus(L)
14 (M)Then one of the twelve, called (N)Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, (O)“What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. 16 So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.
Jesus Celebrates Passover with His Disciples(P)
17 (Q)Now on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?”
18 And He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, (R)“My time is at hand; 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.
20 (S)When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve. 21 Now as they were eating, He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will (T)betray Me.”
22 And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, “Lord, is it I?”
23 He answered and said, (U)“He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. 24 The Son of Man indeed goes just (V)as it is written of Him, but (W)woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! (X)It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.”
25 Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, “Rabbi, is it I?”
He said to him, “You have said it.”
Jesus Institutes the Lord’s Supper(Y)
26 (Z)And as they were eating, (AA)Jesus took bread, [c]blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; (AB)this is My body.”
27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, (AC)“Drink from it, all of you. 28 For (AD)this is My blood (AE)of the [d]new covenant, which is shed (AF)for many for the [e]remission of sins. 29 But (AG)I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on (AH)until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”
30 (AI)And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial(AJ)
31 Then Jesus said to them, (AK)“All of you will (AL)be [f]made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:
(AM)‘I will strike the Shepherd,
And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
32 But after I have been raised, (AN)I will go before you to Galilee.”
33 Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are [g]made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.”
34 Jesus said to him, (AO)“Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”
35 Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!”
And so said all the disciples.
The Prayer in the Garden(AP)
36 (AQ)Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” 37 And He took with Him Peter and (AR)the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 38 Then He said to them, (AS)“My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”
39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and (AT)prayed, saying, (AU)“O My Father, if it is possible, (AV)let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, (AW)not as I will, but as You will.”
40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? 41 (AX)Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. (AY)The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, [h]if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” 43 And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.
44 So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. 45 Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour [i]is at hand, and the Son of Man is being (AZ)betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”
Betrayal and Arrest in Gethsemane(BA)
47 And (BB)while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people.
48 Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him.” 49 Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” (BC)and kissed Him.
50 But Jesus said to him, (BD)“Friend, why have you come?”
Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him. 51 And suddenly, (BE)one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
52 But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, (BF)for all who take the sword will [j]perish by the sword. 53 Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with (BG)more than twelve legions of angels? 54 How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, (BH)that it must happen thus?”
55 In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me. 56 But all this was done that the (BI)Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.”
Then (BJ)all the disciples forsook Him and fled.
Jesus Faces the Sanhedrin(BK)
57 (BL)And those who had laid hold of Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. 58 But (BM)Peter followed Him at a distance to the high priest’s courtyard. And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end.
59 Now the chief priests, [k]the elders, and all the council sought (BN)false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, 60 [l]but found none. Even though (BO)many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last (BP)two [m]false witnesses came forward 61 and said, “This fellow said, (BQ)‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’ ”
62 (BR)And the high priest arose and said to Him, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?” 63 But (BS)Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, (BT)“I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!”
64 Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, (BU)hereafter you will see the Son of Man (BV)sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
65 (BW)Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His (BX)blasphemy! 66 What do you think?”
They answered and said, (BY)“He is deserving of death.”
67 (BZ)Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and (CA)others struck Him with [n]the palms of their hands, 68 saying, (CB)“Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?”
Peter Denies Jesus, and Weeps Bitterly(CC)
69 (CD)Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.”
70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are saying.”
71 And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
72 But again he denied with an oath, “I do not know the Man!”
73 And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, “Surely you also are one of them, for your (CE)speech betrays you.”
74 Then (CF)he began to [o]curse and [p]swear, saying, “I do not know the Man!”
Immediately a rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, (CG)“Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So he went out and wept bitterly.
Footnotes
- Matthew 26:3 NU omits the scribes
- Matthew 26:4 deception
- Matthew 26:26 M gave thanks for
- Matthew 26:28 NU omits new
- Matthew 26:28 forgiveness
- Matthew 26:31 caused to take offense at Me
- Matthew 26:33 caused to take offense at You
- Matthew 26:42 NU if this may not pass away unless
- Matthew 26:45 has drawn near
- Matthew 26:52 M die
- Matthew 26:59 NU omits the elders
- Matthew 26:60 NU but found none, even though many false witnesses came forward.
- Matthew 26:60 NU omits false witnesses
- Matthew 26:67 Or rods,
- Matthew 26:74 call down curses
- Matthew 26:74 Swear oaths
Matthew 26
Tree of Life Version
The Conspiracy Grows
26 Now it happened that when Yeshua had finished all these words, He said to His disciples, 2 “You know that Passover comes in two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be executed.”
3 Then the ruling kohanim and elders of the people were gathered together in the court of the kohen gadol named Caiaphas. 4 They plotted together in order that they might seize Yeshua by stealth and kill Him. 5 “But not during the festival,” they were saying, “so there won’t be a riot among the people.”
A Woman Anoints Yeshua for Burial
6 Now while Yeshua was in Bethany at the house of Simon ha-Metzora, 7 a woman came up to Him with an alabaster jar of very expensive oil. And she poured it on His head as He was reclining at the table. 8 But when the disciples saw this, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 It could have been sold for a lot, and the money given to the poor!”
10 But Yeshua, knowing this, said to them, “Why do you cause trouble for this woman? She’s done Me a mitzvah. 11 You always have the poor with you,[a] but you won’t always have Me. 12 For when she poured this oil on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial. 13 Amen, I tell you, wherever this Good News is proclaimed in all the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
Betrayed and Sold for Silver
14 Then one of the Twelve, the one called Judah of Kriot, went to the ruling kohanim 15 and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you?” And they weighed out thirty shekels[b] of silver for him. 16 From then on, Judah began looking for a chance to hand Him over.
17 Now on the first day of matzah,[c] the disciples came to Yeshua, saying, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?”
18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and tell him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is near; at your house I am to keep the Passover with My disciples.”’” 19 The disciples did as Yeshua had ordered them, and they prepared the Passover.[d]
20 Now when it was evening, Yeshua was reclining at the table with the Twelve. 21 As they were eating, He said, “Amen, I tell you, one of you will betray Me.”
22 And being very sorrowful, they began, each one, to say to Him, “I’m not the one, am I, Master?”
23 And He replied, “The one who dipped his hand in the bowl with Me, he’s the one who will betray Me. [e] 24 The Son of Man indeed goes, just as it is written about Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed![f] It would have been better for that man if he had not been born!”
25 And Judah, the one betraying Him, replied, “I’m not the one, am I, Rabbi?”
Yeshua said to him, “You’ve said it yourself.”
26 Now while they were eating, Yeshua took matzah;[g] and after He offered the bracha, He broke and gave to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 27 And He took a cup; and after giving thanks, He gave to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the removal of sins. [h] 29 But I say to you, I will never drink of this fruit of the vine from now on, until that day when I drink it anew with you in My Father’s kingdom.”
30 After singing the Hallel,[i] they went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 Then Yeshua said to them, “This night you will all fall away because of Me; for it is written,
‘I will strike the Shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’[j]
32 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to the Galilee.”
33 But Peter replied to Him, “Though all fall away because of You, I’ll never fall away.”
34 Yeshua said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”
35 “Even if I must die with You,” Peter says to Him, “I’ll never deny You!” And so said all the disciples.
“Your Will Be Done”
36 Then Yeshua comes with them to a place called Gethsemane, and He tells the disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 And He took along Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, and He began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then He tells them, “My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.” 39 Going a little farther, He fell face down and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me! Yet not as I will, but as You will.”
40 Then He comes to the disciples and finds them sleeping; and He tells Peter, “So couldn’t you keep watch with Me for one hour? 41 Keep watching and praying, so that you won’t enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again for a second time He went away and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, let Your will be done.” 43 And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So He left them again and prayed a third time, saying the same words once more. 45 Then He comes to the disciples and says to them, “Still sleeping? Taking your rest? Look, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Get up, let’s go! Look, My betrayer is near.”
Taken into Custody
47 While Yeshua was still speaking, here came Judah, one of the Twelve, and with him a big crowd with swords and clubs, from the ruling kohanim and elders of the people. 48 Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, ‘The One I kiss, He’s the One—seize Him!’ 49 And immediately Judah drew near[k] to Yeshua and said, “Shalom, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.
50 “Friend,” Yeshua said to him, “do what you’ve come to do.” Then they came up and threw their hands on Yeshua and seized Him. 51 And suddenly, one of those with Yeshua stretched out his hand and drew his sword, and he struck the kohen gadol’s servant and cut off his ear.
52 Then Yeshua said to him, “Put your sword back in its place! For all who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. [l] 53 Or do you suppose that I cannot call on My Father, and at once He will place at My side twelve legions[m] of angels? 54 How then would the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?”
55 At that hour Yeshua said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs, to capture Me as you would a revolutionary?[n] Every day I sat teaching in the Temple, and you didn’t seize Me. 56 But all this has happened so that the writings of the prophets would be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples fled, abandoning Him.
57 Now those who had seized Yeshua led Him away to Caiaphas, the kohen gadol, where the Torah scholars and elders had gathered. 58 Peter was following Him from a distance as far as the courtyard of the kohen gadol. And after going inside, he was sitting with the guards, to see the outcome.
Yeshua’s Trial Begins
59 Now the ruling kohanim and all the Sanhedrin kept trying to get false testimony against Yeshua so they could put Him to death. 60 But they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward 61 and said, “This fellow said, ‘I’m able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days!’”
62 The kohen gadol stood up and said to Yeshua, “Have You no answer? What’s this they’re testifying against You?” 63 But Yeshua kept silent.
The kohen gadol said to Him, “I charge You under oath by the living God, tell us if You are Mashiach Ben-Elohim!”[o]
64 “As you have said,” replied Yeshua. “Besides that, I tell you, soon after you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”[p]
65 Then the kohen gadol tore his clothes and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, you’ve heard the blasphemy. 66 What’s your verdict?”[q]
“Guilty,” they answered. “He deserves death!” 67 Then they spat in His face and pounded Him with their fists.[r] Others slapped Him and demanded, 68 “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Which one hit You?”
Peter Denies Yeshua
69 Meanwhile, Peter was sitting in the courtyard. A servant girl came over to him and said, “You also were with Yeshua of the Galilee.”
70 But he denied it before everyone, saying, “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
71 When he went onto the porch, another servant girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This man was with Yeshua ha-Natzrati.”
72 Again he denied it with an oath: “I don’t know the Man!”
73 A little while later, some of the bystanders approached Peter and said to him, “Surely you’re one of them, too—your accent gives you away.”
74 Then he began to curse[s] and to swear an oath: “I do not know the Man!” Right then, a rooster crowed. 75 Then Peter reminded himself of the word Yeshua had said: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went away and wept bitterly.
Footnotes
- Matthew 26:11 cf. Deut. 15:11.
- Matthew 26:15 cf. Exod. 21:32; Zech. 11:12.
- Matthew 26:17 cf. Exod. 12:15.
- Matthew 26:19 cf. Deut. 16:5-8.
- Matthew 26:24 cf. Exod. 12:8; Ps. 41:10(9).
- Matthew 26:24 cf. Ps. 41:10(9).
- Matthew 26:26 Lit. bread (at Passover, unleavened bread).
- Matthew 26:29 cf. Exod. 24:8; Jer. 31:31; Heb. 9:22; 10:16-18. Some mss. say: new covenant.
- Matthew 26:30 Ps. 113-118; Ps. 115-118 was sung after the last cup.
- Matthew 26:31 Zech. 13:7.
- Matthew 26:49 cf. Gen. 44:18.
- Matthew 26:53 cf. Gen. 9:6.
- Matthew 26:53 1 legion = 6000 soldiers.
- Matthew 26:55 Or robber.
- Matthew 26:63 cf. Jn. 20:31.
- Matthew 26:64 cf. Dan. 7:13; Ps. 110:1; Isa. 9:6(7).
- Matthew 26:66 cf. Lev. 24:16.
- Matthew 26:67 cf. Isa. 50:6.
- Matthew 26:74 cf. Mk. 14:71.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.