Matthew 26
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
26 When Jesus had ended this discourse, He said to His disciples,
2 You know that the Passover is in two days—and the Son of Man will be delivered up [a]treacherously to be crucified.
3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the [[b]open] court of the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas,
4 And consulted together in order to arrest Jesus by stratagem secretly and put Him to death.
5 But they said, It must not be during the Feast, for fear that there will be a riot among the people.
6 Now when Jesus came back to Bethany and was in the house of Simon the leper,
7 A woman came up to Him with an alabaster flask of very precious perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at table.
8 And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, For what purpose is all this waste?
9 For this perfume might have been sold for a large sum and the money given to the poor.
10 But Jesus, fully aware of this, said to them, Why do you bother the woman? She has done a noble (praiseworthy and beautiful) thing to Me.
11 For you always have the poor among you, but you will not always have Me.(A)
12 In pouring this perfume on My body she has done something to prepare Me for My burial.
13 Truly I tell you, wherever this good news (the Gospel) is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will be told also, in memory of her.
14 Then one of the Twelve [apostles], who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests
15 And said, What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you? And they weighed out for and paid to him thirty pieces of silver [about twenty-one dollars and sixty cents].(B)
16 And from that moment he sought a fitting opportunity to betray Him.
17 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread [Passover week], the disciples came to Jesus and said to Him, Where do You wish us to prepare for You to eat the Passover supper?
18 He said, Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, The Master says: My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.
19 And accordingly the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they made ready the Passover supper.(C)
20 When it was evening, He was reclining at table with the twelve disciples.
21 And as they were eating, He said, Solemnly I say to you, one of you will betray Me!
22 They were exceedingly pained and distressed and deeply hurt and sorrowful and began to say to Him one after another, [c]Surely it cannot be I, Lord, can it?
23 He replied, He who has [just] dipped his hand in the same dish with Me will betray Me!
24 The Son of Man is going just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better (more profitable and wholesome) for that man if he had never been born!(D)
25 Judas, the betrayer, said, [d]Surely it is not I, is it, Master? He said to him, You have stated [the fact].
26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread and, [e]praising God, gave thanks and asked Him to bless it to their use, and when He had broken it, He gave it to the disciples and said, Take, eat; this is My body.
27 And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, Drink of it, all of you;
28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which [[f]ratifies the agreement and] is [g]being poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.(E)
29 I say to you, I shall not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it with you new and [h]of superior quality in My Father’s kingdom.
30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
31 Then Jesus said to them, You will all be offended and stumble and fall away because of Me this night [distrusting and deserting Me], for it is written, I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.(F)
32 But after I am raised up [to life again], I will go ahead of you to Galilee.
33 Peter declared to Him, Though they all are offended and stumble and fall away because of You [and distrust and desert You], I will never do so.
34 Jesus said to him, Solemnly I declare to you, this very night, before a [i]single rooster crows, you will deny and disown Me three times.
35 Peter said to Him, Even if I must die with You, I will not deny or disown You! And all the disciples said the same thing.
36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and He told His disciples, Sit down here while I go over yonder and pray.
37 And taking with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, He began to [j]show grief and distress of mind and was [k]deeply depressed.
38 Then He said to them, My soul is very sad and deeply grieved, so that [l]I am almost dying of sorrow. Stay here and keep awake and keep watch with Me.
39 And going a little farther, He threw Himself upon the ground on His face and prayed saying, My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will [not what I desire], but as You will and desire.
40 And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and He said to Peter, What! Are you so utterly unable to stay awake and keep watch with Me for one hour?
41 All of you must keep awake (give strict attention, be cautious and active) and watch and pray, that you may not come into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
42 Again a second time He went away and prayed, My Father, if this cannot pass by unless I drink it, Your will be done.
43 And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were weighed down with sleep.
44 So, leaving them again, He went away and prayed for the third time, using the same words.
45 Then He returned to the disciples and said to them, Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of [m]especially wicked sinners [[n]whose way or nature it is to act in opposition to God].
46 Get up, let us be going! See, My betrayer is at hand!
47 As He was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve [apostles], came up, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and elders of the people.
48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, The One I shall kiss is the Man; seize Him.
49 And he came up to Jesus at once and said, Hail (greetings, good health to You, long life to You), Master! And he [o]embraced Him and kissed Him [p]with [pretended] warmth and devotion.
50 Jesus said to him, Friend, for what are you here? Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and arrested Him.
51 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus reached out his hand and drew his sword and, striking the body servant of the high priest, cut off his ear.
52 Then Jesus said to him, Put your sword back into its place, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.(G)
53 Do you suppose that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will immediately provide Me with more than twelve legions [[q]more than 80,000] of angels?
54 But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must come about this way?
55 At that moment Jesus said to the crowds, Have you come out with swords and clubs as [you would] against a robber to capture Me? Day after day I was [r]accustomed to sit in the [s]porches and courts of the temple teaching, and you did not arrest Me.
56 But all this has taken place in order that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples deserted Him and, fleeing, escaped.
57 But those who had seized Jesus took Him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had assembled.
58 But Peter followed Him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest’s home; he even went inside and sat with the guards to see the end.
59 Now the chief priests and the whole council (the Sanhedrin) sought to get false witnesses to testify against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death;
60 But they found none, though many witnesses came forward [to testify]. At last two men came forward
61 And testified, This [t]Fellow said, I am able to tear down the [u]sanctuary of the temple of God and to build it up again in three days.
62 And the high priest stood up and said, Have You no answer to make? What about this that these men testify against You?
63 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, [v]I call upon you to swear by the living God, and tell us whether you are the Christ, the Son of God.
64 Jesus said to him, [w]You have stated [the fact]. More than that, I tell you: You will in the future see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of [x]the Almighty and coming on the clouds of the sky.(H)
65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and exclaimed, He has uttered blasphemy! What need have we of further evidence? You have now heard His blasphemy.(I)
66 What do you think now? They answered, He deserves to be put to death.
67 Then they spat in His face and struck Him with their fists; and some [y]slapped Him in the face,(J)
68 Saying, Prophesy to us, You Christ (the Messiah)! Who was it that struck You?
69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and [z]one maid came up to him and said, You were also with Jesus the Galilean!
70 But he denied it [aa]falsely before them all, saying, I do not know what you mean.
71 And when he had gone out to the porch, another maid saw him, and she said to the bystanders, This fellow was with Jesus the Nazarene!
72 And again he denied it and [ab]disowned Him with an oath, saying, I do not know the Man!
73 After a little while, the bystanders came up and said to Peter, You certainly are one of them too, for even your accent betrays you.
74 Then Peter began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, I do not even know the Man! And at that moment a rooster crowed.
75 And Peter remembered Jesus’ words, when He had said, Before a [ac]single rooster crows, you will deny and disown Me three times. And he went outside and wept bitterly.
Footnotes
- Matthew 26:2 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
- Matthew 26:3 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
- Matthew 26:22 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
- Matthew 26:25 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
- Matthew 26:26 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
- Matthew 26:28 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
- Matthew 26:28 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
- Matthew 26:29 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
- Matthew 26:34 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
- Matthew 26:37 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
- Matthew 26:37 George R. Berry, Greek-English New Testament Lexicon.
- Matthew 26:38 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
- Matthew 26:45 G. Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon.
- Matthew 26:45 Hermann Cremer, Biblico-Theological Lexicon.
- Matthew 26:49 H.A.W. Meyer, Critical and Exegetical Handbook to the Gospel of Matthew.
- Matthew 26:49 Kenneth Wuest, Word Studies.
- Matthew 26:53 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
- Matthew 26:55 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
- Matthew 26:55 Richard Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament.
- Matthew 26:61 Capitalized because of what He is, the spotless Son of God, not what the speakers may have thought He was.
- Matthew 26:61 Richard Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament.
- Matthew 26:63 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
- Matthew 26:64 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
- Matthew 26:64 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
- Matthew 26:67 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
- Matthew 26:69 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
- Matthew 26:70 Hermann Cremer, Biblico-Theological Lexicon.
- Matthew 26:72 Hermann Cremer, Biblico-Theological Lexicon.
- Matthew 26:75 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
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
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