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.
Matthew 26
New Living Translation
The Plot to Kill Jesus
26 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2 “As you know, Passover begins in two days, and the Son of Man[a] will be handed over to be crucified.”
3 At that same time the leading priests and elders were meeting at the residence of Caiaphas, the high priest, 4 plotting how to capture Jesus secretly and kill him. 5 “But not during the Passover celebration,” they agreed, “or the people may riot.”
Jesus Anointed at Bethany
6 Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. 7 While he was eating,[b] a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it over his head.
8 The disciples were indignant when they saw this. “What a waste!” they said. 9 “It could have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.”
10 But Jesus, aware of this, replied, “Why criticize this woman for doing such a good thing to me? 11 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me. 12 She has poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial. 13 I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.”
Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus
14 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests 15 and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.
The Last Supper
17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal for you?”
18 “As you go into the city,” he told them, “you will see a certain man. Tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My time has come, and I will eat the Passover meal with my disciples at your house.’” 19 So the disciples did as Jesus told them and prepared the Passover meal there.
20 When it was evening, Jesus sat down at the table[c] with the Twelve. 21 While they were eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.”
22 Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one, Lord?”
23 He replied, “One of you who has just eaten from this bowl with me will betray me. 24 For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!”
25 Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked, “Rabbi, am I the one?”
And Jesus told him, “You have said it.”
26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.”
27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant[d] between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. 29 Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”
30 Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial
31 On the way, Jesus told them, “Tonight all of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say,
‘God will strike[e] the Shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
32 But after I have been raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.”
33 Peter declared, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.”
34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.”
35 “No!” Peter insisted. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the other disciples vowed the same.
Jesus Prays in Gethsemane
36 Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” 37 He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. 38 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
40 Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? 41 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”
42 Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away[f] unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open.
44 So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!”
Jesus Is Betrayed and Arrested
47 And even as Jesus said this, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent by the leading priests and elders of the people. 48 The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss.” 49 So Judas came straight to Jesus. “Greetings, Rabbi!” he exclaimed and gave him the kiss.
50 Jesus said, “My friend, go ahead and do what you have come for.”
Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him. 51 But one of the men with Jesus pulled out his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, slashing off his ear.
52 “Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword. 53 Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands[g] of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? 54 But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?”
55 Then Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I some dangerous revolutionary, that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there teaching every day. 56 But this is all happening to fulfill the words of the prophets as recorded in the Scriptures.” At that point, all the disciples deserted him and fled.
Jesus before the Council
57 Then the people who had arrested Jesus led him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of religious law and the elders had gathered. 58 Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and came to the high priest’s courtyard. He went in and sat with the guards and waited to see how it would all end.
59 Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council[h] were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. 60 But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they could not use anyone’s testimony. Finally, two men came forward 61 who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”
62 Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” 63 But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
64 Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand[i] and coming on the clouds of heaven.”[j]
65 Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your verdict?”
“Guilty!” they shouted. “He deserves to die!”
67 Then they began to spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. And some slapped him, 68 jeering, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who hit you that time?”
Peter Denies Jesus
69 Meanwhile, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came over and said to him, “You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean.”
70 But Peter denied it in front of everyone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.
71 Later, out by the gate, another servant girl noticed him and said to those standing around, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.[k]”
72 Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. “I don’t even know the man,” he said.
73 A little later some of the other bystanders came over to Peter and said, “You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent.”
74 Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know the man!” And immediately the rooster crowed.
75 Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he went away, weeping bitterly.
Footnotes
- 26:2 “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.
- 26:7 Or reclining.
- 26:20 Or Jesus reclined.
- 26:28 Some manuscripts read the new covenant.
- 26:31 Greek I will strike. Zech 13:7.
- 26:42 Greek If this cannot pass.
- 26:53 Greek twelve legions.
- 26:59 Greek the Sanhedrin.
- 26:64a Greek seated at the right hand of the power. See Ps 110:1.
- 26:64b See Dan 7:13.
- 26:71 Or Jesus the Nazarene.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
