The Plot to Kill Jesus

26 ^(A)When Jesus had finished all these words, He said to His disciples, ² “^(B)You know that after two days ^(C)the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be ^(D)handed over for crucifixion.”

^3 (E)Then the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in ^(F)the court of the high priest, named ^(G)Caiaphas; ⁴ and they ^(H)plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth and kill Him. ⁵ But they were saying, “Not during the festival, ^(I)otherwise a riot might occur among the people.”

The Precious Ointment

^6 (J)Now when Jesus was in ^(K)Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper, ^7 (L)a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table. ⁸ But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, “Why this waste? ⁹ For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.” ¹⁰ But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good deed to Me. ¹¹ For you always have ^(M)the poor with you; but you do not always have Me. ¹² For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it ^(N)to prepare Me for burial. ¹³ Truly I say to you, ^(O)wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”

Judas’s Bargain

^14 (P)Then one of the twelve, named ^(Q)Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and said, “What are you willing to give me ^[a]to ^[b](R)betray Him to you?” And ^(S)they weighed out thirty ^[c]pieces of silver to him. ¹⁶ From then on he began looking for a good opportunity to ^[d]betray ^[e]Jesus.

^17 (T)Now on the first day of ^(U)Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?” ¹⁸ And He said, “Go into the city to ^(V)a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “^(W)My time is near; I am to keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.”’” ¹⁹ The disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.

The Last Passover

^20 (X)Now when evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the twelve disciples. ²¹ As they were eating, He said, “^(Y)Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me.” ²² Being deeply grieved, they ^[f]each one began to say to Him, “Surely not I, Lord?” ²³ And He answered, “^(Z)He who dipped his hand with Me in the bowl is the one who will betray Me. ²⁴ The Son of Man is to go, ^(AA)just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! ^(AB)It would have been good ^[g]for that man if he had not been born.” ²⁵ And ^(AC)Judas, who was betraying Him, said, “Surely it is not I, ^(AD)Rabbi?” Jesus *said to him, “^(AE)You have said it yourself.”

The Lord’s Supper Instituted

^26 (AF)While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and ^[h](AG)after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” ²⁷ And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; ²⁸ for ^(AH)this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for ^(AI)many for forgiveness of sins. ²⁹ But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

^30 (AJ)After singing a hymn, they went out to ^(AK)the Mount of Olives.

³¹ Then Jesus *said to them, “You will all ^[i](AL)fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, ‘^(AM)I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be ^(AN)scattered.’ ³² But after I have been raised, ^(AO)I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” ³³ But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may ^[j]fall away because of You, I will never fall away.” ³⁴ Jesus said to him, “^(AP)Truly I say to you that ^(AQ)this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” ³⁵ Peter *said to Him, “^(AR)Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You.” All the disciples said the same thing too.

The Garden of Gethsemane

^36 (AS)Then Jesus *came with them to a place called ^(AT)Gethsemane, and *said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷ And He took with Him ^(AU)Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. ³⁸ Then He *said to them, “^(AV)My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and ^(AW)keep watch with Me.”

³⁹ And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let ^(AX)this cup pass from Me; ^(AY)yet not as I will, but as You will.” ⁴⁰ And He *came to the disciples and *found them sleeping, and *said to Peter, “So, you men could not ^(AZ)keep watch with Me for one hour? ^41 (BA)Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; ^(BB)the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

⁴² He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this ^(BC)cannot pass away unless I drink it, ^(BD)Your will be done.” ⁴³ Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. ⁴⁵ Then He *came to the disciples and *said to them, “^[k]Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, ^(BE)the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!”

Jesus’ Betrayal and Arrest

^47 (BF)While He was still speaking, behold, ^(BG)Judas, one of the twelve, came up ^[l]accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chief priests and elders of the people. ⁴⁸ Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him.” ⁴⁹ Immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, “Hail, ^(BH)Rabbi!” and kissed Him. ⁵⁰ And Jesus said to him, “^(BI)Friend, do what you have come for.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him.

⁵¹ And behold, ^(BJ)one of those who were with Jesus ^[m]reached and drew out his ^(BK)sword, and struck the ^(BL)slave of the high priest and ^[n]cut off his ear. ⁵² Then Jesus *said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for ^(BM)all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. ⁵³ Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve ^[o](BN)legions of ^(BO)angels? ⁵⁴ How then will ^(BP)the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?”

⁵⁵ At that time Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would against a robber? ^(BQ)Every day I used to sit in the temple teaching and you did not seize Me. ⁵⁶ But all this has taken place to fulfill ^(BR)the Scriptures of the prophets.” Then all the disciples left Him and fled.

Jesus before Caiaphas

^57 (BS)Those who had seized Jesus led Him away to ^(BT)Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together. ⁵⁸ But ^(BU)Peter was following Him at a distance as far as the ^(BV)courtyard of the high priest, and entered in, and sat down with the ^[p](BW)officers to see the outcome.

⁵⁹ Now the chief priests and the whole ^[q](BX)Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death. ⁶⁰ They did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on ^(BY)two came forward, ⁶¹ and said, “This man stated, ‘^(BZ)I am able to destroy the ^[r]temple of God and to rebuild it ^[s]in three days.’” ⁶² The high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?” ⁶³ But ^(CA)Jesus kept silent. ^(CB)And the high priest said to Him, “I ^[t](CC)adjure You by ^(CD)the living God, that You tell us whether You are ^[u]the Christ, ^(CE)the Son of God.” ⁶⁴ Jesus *said to him, “^(CF)You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, ^[v]hereafter you will see ^(CG)the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and ^(CH)coming on the clouds of heaven.”

⁶⁵ Then the high priest ^(CI)tore his ^[w]robes and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy; ⁶⁶ what do you think?” They answered, “^(CJ)He deserves death!”

^67 (CK)Then they ^(CL)spat in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others ^[x]slapped Him, ⁶⁸ and said, “^(CM)Prophesy to us, You ^[y]Christ; who is the one who hit You?”

Peter’s Denials

^69 (CN)Now Peter was sitting outside in the ^(CO)courtyard, and a servant-girl came to him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.” ⁷⁰ But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.” ⁷¹ When he had gone out to the gateway, another servant-girl saw him and *said to those who were there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” ⁷² And again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man.” ⁷³ A little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Surely you too are one of them; ^(CP)for even the way you talk ^[z]gives you away.” ⁷⁴ Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed. ⁷⁵ And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, “^(CQ)Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Death Plot and Anointing

14 ^(A)Now ^(B)the Passover and Unleavened Bread were two days away; and the chief priests and the scribes ^(C)were seeking how to seize Him by stealth and kill Him; ² for they were saying, “Not during the festival, otherwise there might be a riot of the people.”

^3 (D)While He was in ^(E)Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very ^(F)costly perfume of pure ^[a]nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head. ⁴ But some were indignantly remarking to one another, “Why has this perfume been wasted? ⁵ For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred ^[b]denarii, and the money given to the poor.” And they were scolding her. ⁶ But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me. ⁷ For you always have ^(G)the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me. ⁸ She has done what she could; ^(H)she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial. ⁹ Truly I say to you, ^(I)wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”

^10 (J)Then Judas Iscariot, ^(K)who was one of the twelve, went off to the chief priests in order to ^[c]betray Him to them. ¹¹ They were glad when they heard this, and promised to give him money. And he began seeking how to betray Him at an opportune time.

The Last Passover

^12 (L)On the first day of ^(M)Unleavened Bread, when ^[d]the Passover lamb was being ^(N)sacrificed, His disciples *said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare for You to eat the Passover?” ¹³ And He *sent two of His disciples and *said to them, “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him; ¹⁴ and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is My ^(O)guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ ¹⁵ And he himself will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; prepare for us there.” ¹⁶ The disciples went out and came to the city, and found it just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.

^17 (P)When it was evening He *came with the twelve. ¹⁸ As they were reclining at the table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly I say to you that one of you will ^[e]betray Me—^[f]one who is eating with Me.” ¹⁹ They began to be grieved and to say to Him one by one, “Surely not I?” ²⁰ And He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, ^[g]one who dips with Me in the bowl. ²¹ For the Son of Man is to go just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man ^[h]by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good ^[i]for that man if he had not been born.”

The Lord’s Supper

^22 (Q)While they were eating, He took some bread, and ^[j]after a ^(R)blessing He broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is My body.” ²³ And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. ²⁴ And He said to them, “This is My ^(S)blood of the ^(T)covenant, which is poured out for many. ²⁵ Truly I say to you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

^26 (U)After singing a hymn, they went out to ^(V)the Mount of Olives.

^27 (W)And Jesus *said to them, “You will all ^[k]fall away, because it is written, ‘^(X)I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.’ ²⁸ But after I have been raised, ^(Y)I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” ²⁹ But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may ^[l]fall away, yet I will not.” ³⁰ And Jesus *said to him, “Truly I say to you, that ^[m](Z)this very night, before ^(AA)a rooster crows twice, you yourself will deny Me three times.” ³¹ But Peter kept saying insistently, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And they all were saying the same thing also.

Jesus in Gethsemane

^32 (AB)They *came to a place named Gethsemane; and He *said to His disciples, “Sit here until I have prayed.” ³³ And He *took with Him Peter and ^[n]James and John, and began to be very ^(AC)distressed and troubled. ³⁴ And He *said to them, “^(AD)My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch.” ³⁵ And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, ^(AE)the hour might ^[o]pass Him by. ³⁶ And He was saying, “^(AF)Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; ^(AG)yet not what I will, but what You will.” ³⁷ And He *came and *found them sleeping, and *said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? ^38 (AH)Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ³⁹ Again He went away and prayed, saying the same ^[p]words. ⁴⁰ And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him. ⁴¹ And He *came the third time, and *said to them, “^[q]Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough; ^(AI)the hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being ^[r]betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴² Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!”

Betrayal and Arrest

^43 (AJ)Immediately while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, *came up ^[s]accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs, who were from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. ⁴⁴ Now he who was betraying Him had given them a signal, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him and lead Him away ^[t]under guard.” ⁴⁵ After coming, Judas immediately went to Him, saying, “^(AK)Rabbi!” and kissed Him. ⁴⁶ They laid hands on Him and seized Him. ⁴⁷ But one of those who stood by drew his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and ^[u]cut off his ear. ⁴⁸ And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me, as you would against a robber? ⁴⁹ Every day I was with you ^(AL)in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me; but this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures.” ⁵⁰ And they all left Him and fled.

⁵¹ A young man was following Him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body; and they *seized him. ⁵² But he ^[v]pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped naked.

Jesus before His Accusers

^53 (AM)They led Jesus away to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes *gathered together. ⁵⁴ Peter had followed Him at a distance, ^(AN)right into ^(AO)the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the ^[w]officers and ^(AP)warming himself at the ^[x]fire. ⁵⁵ Now the chief priests and the whole ^[y](AQ)Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and they were not finding any. ⁵⁶ For many were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimony was not consistent. ⁵⁷ Some stood up and began to give false testimony against Him, saying, ⁵⁸ “We heard Him say, ‘^(AR)I will destroy this ^[z]temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.’” ⁵⁹ Not even in this respect was their testimony consistent. ⁶⁰ The high priest stood up and came forward and questioned Jesus, saying, “Do You not answer? ^[aa]What is it that these men are testifying against You?” ^61 (AS)But He kept silent and did not answer. ^(AT)Again the high priest was questioning Him, and ^[ab]saying to Him, “Are You ^[ac]the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” ⁶² And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see ^(AU)the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and ^(AV)coming with the clouds of heaven.” ^63 (AW)Tearing his clothes, the high priest *said, “What further need do we have of witnesses? ⁶⁴ You have heard the ^(AX)blasphemy; how does it seem to you?” And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death. ⁶⁵ Some began to ^(AY)spit at Him, and ^[ad](AZ)to blindfold Him, and to beat Him with their fists, and to say to Him, “^(BA)Prophesy!” And the officers ^[ae]received Him with ^[af]slaps in the face.

Peter’s Denials

^66 (BB)As Peter was below in ^(BC)the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest *came, ⁶⁷ and seeing Peter ^(BD)warming himself, she looked at him and *said, “You also were with Jesus the ^(BE)Nazarene.” ⁶⁸ But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are talking about.” And he ^(BF)went out onto the ^[ag]porch.^{[ah] 69} The servant-girl saw him, and began once more to say to the bystanders, “This is one of them!” ⁷⁰ But again ^(BG)he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders were again saying to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, ^(BH)for you are a Galilean too.” ⁷¹ But he began to ^[ai]curse and swear, “I do not know this man you are talking about!” ⁷² Immediately a rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had made the remark to him, “Before ^(BI)a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” ^[aj]And he began to weep.