Matthew 26
Legacy Standard Bible
The Plot to Kill Jesus
26 [a](A)Now it happened that 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)delivered 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)lest a riot occur among the people.”
The Costly Perfume
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 jar of very costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table. 8 But when the disciples saw this, they were indignant, saying, “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 work 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 proclaimed in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”
Judas Looks to Betray Jesus
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 [b]to (R)deliver Him to you?” And (S)they weighed out [c]thirty pieces of silver to him. 16 And from then on he began looking for a good opportunity to [d]betray [e]Jesus.
The Passover Meal
17 (T)Now on the first day of (U)Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “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 keeping the Passover at your house with My disciples.”’” 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.
20 (X)Now when evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the twelve disciples. 21 And as they were eating, He said, “(Y)Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me.” 22 And being deeply grieved, they [f]each one began to say to Him, “Surely not I, Lord?” 23 And He answered and said, “(Z)He who dipped his hand with Me in the bowl is the one who will betray Me. 24 The Son of Man is going, (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, answered and said, “Surely not I, (AD)Rabbi?” Jesus *said to him, “(AE)You yourself said it.”
The Lord’s Supper
26 (AF)Now while they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and [h](AG)after a blessing, He broke it. And giving it to the disciples, He 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)And 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 answered and 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.
Jesus Prays in 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 And 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 go; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!”
The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus
47 (BF)And while He was still speaking, behold, (BG)Judas, one of the twelve, came up, and with him was 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 And immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, “Greetings, (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 stretched out his hand and drew out his (BK)sword and struck the (BL)slave of the high priest and [l]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 [m](BN)legions of (BO)angels? 54 Therefore, how 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 in order that (BR)the Scriptures of the prophets would be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left Him and fled.
Jesus Before Caiaphas
57 (BS)Now 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 [n](BW)officers to see the outcome.
59 Now the chief priests and the whole (BX)Sanhedrin kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death. 60 And 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 [o]sanctuary of God and to rebuild it [p]in three days.’” 62 And the high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You not answer? What are these men testifying against You?” 63 But (CA)Jesus kept silent. (CB)And the high priest said to Him, “(CC)I put You under oath by (CD)the living God, that You tell us whether You are the [q]Christ, (CE)the Son of God.” 64 Jesus *said to him, “(CF)You yourself said it; nevertheless I tell you, [r]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 garments 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 and said, “(CJ)He deserves death!”
67 (CK)Then they (CL)spat in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others [s]slapped Him, 68 and said, “(CM)Prophesy to us, O [t]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 And 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 [u]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 cried bitterly.
Footnotes
- Matthew 26:1 Lit And
- Matthew 26:15 Lit and I will
- Matthew 26:15 Silver shekels, approx. 120 days of a laborer’s wages
- Matthew 26:16 Or deliver
- Matthew 26:16 Lit Him
- Matthew 26:22 Or one after another
- Matthew 26:24 Lit for him if that man had not been born
- Matthew 26:26 Lit having blessed
- Matthew 26:31 Or stumble
- Matthew 26:33 Or stumble
- Matthew 26:45 Or Keep on sleeping therefore
- Matthew 26:51 Lit took off
- Matthew 26:53 A legion equaled 4,000-6,000 soldiers
- Matthew 26:58 Or servants
- Matthew 26:61 The inner part of the temple
- Matthew 26:61 Or after
- Matthew 26:63 Messiah
- Matthew 26:64 Or from now on
- Matthew 26:67 Or beat Him with rods
- Matthew 26:68 Messiah
- Matthew 26:73 Lit makes you evident
Matthew 26
Modern English Version
The Plot to Kill Jesus(A)
26 When Jesus had finished all these sayings, He said to His disciples, 2 “You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to be crucified.”
3 Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 4 and took counsel that they might take Jesus covertly and kill Him. 5 But they said, “Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.”
The Anointing at Bethany(B)
6 When Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster jar of very expensive ointment and poured it on His head as He sat at supper.
8 When His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “For what purpose is this waste? 9 This ointment might have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.”
10 When Jesus perceived it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? She has done a good work for Me. 11 For you have the poor always with you, but you do not always have Me. 12 In pouring this ointment on My body, she did it for My burial. 13 Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will be told in memory of her.”
Judas’ Agreement to Betray Jesus(C)
14 Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said to them, “What will you give me if I hand Him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From that moment he searched for an opportunity to betray Him.
The Passover With the Disciples(D)
17 On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will You have us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?”
18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.’ ” 19 The disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.
20 When evening came, He sat down with the twelve. 21 And as they were eating, He said, “Truly I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”
22 They were very sorrowful, and each of them began saying to Him, “Lord, is it I?”
23 He answered and said, “He who has dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. 24 The Son of Man goes as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.”
25 Then Judas, who betrayed Him, answered, “Master, is it I?”
He said to him, “You have said it.”
The Lord’s Supper(E)
26 As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take and eat. This is My body.”
27 Then He took the cup, and after He gave thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you. 28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 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 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Peter’s Denial Foretold(F)
31 Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will fall away on account of Me this night, for it is written:
‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered.’[a]
32 But after I have risen, I will go before you to Galilee.”
33 Peter answered, “Though all men will fall away on account of You, yet I will never fall away.”
34 Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you, this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”
35 Peter said to Him, “Though I should die with You, yet I will not deny You.” And all the disciples spoke in this manner.
The Prayer in Gethsemane(G)
36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray close by.” 37 He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then He said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Wait here, and keep watch with Me.”
39 He went a little farther, and falling on His face, He prayed, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “So, could you not keep watch with Me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 He went away a second time and prayed, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.”
43 Again, He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So leaving them again, He went away and prayed the third time, saying the same words.
45 Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Sleep on now, and take your rest. Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going. Look, he who betrays Me is at hand.”
The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus(H)
47 While He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, came. And with him was a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and elders of the people. 48 Now he who betrayed Him had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I shall kiss is the Man. Seize Him.” 49 He immediately came to Jesus and said, “Hail, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.
50 And Jesus said to him, “Friend, why have you come?”
Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him. 51 Immediately, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back in its place. For all those who take up the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will at once give Me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?”
55 At that same moment Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a thief to take Me with swords and clubs? Daily I sat with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me. 56 But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.
Jesus Before the Sanhedrin(I)
57 Those who had seized Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had assembled. 58 But Peter followed Him from afar to the high priest’s courtyard and went in, and sat with the servants to see the end.
59 The chief priests and the elders and the entire Sanhedrin searched for false witness against Jesus to put Him to death, 60 but they found none. Yes, though many false witnesses came forward, they found none.
At last two false witnesses came forward 61 and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’ ”
62 Then the high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?” 63 But Jesus remained silent.
The high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.”
64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
65 Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further need do we have for witnesses? See, now you have heard His blasphemy. 66 What do you think?”
They answered, “He is guilty unto death.”
67 Then they spat in His face and struck Him. And others slapped Him with the palms of their hands, 68 saying, “Prophesy to us, You Christ! Who is it that struck You?”
Peter’s Denial of Jesus(J)
69 Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a 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 Then when he went out onto the porch, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This man was also with Jesus of Nazareth.”
72 Again he denied with an oath, “I do not know the Man.”
73 After a while those who stood by came to Peter and said, “Surely you also are one of them, for your accent betrays you.”
74 Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and he swore, “I do not know the Man.”
Then immediately a rooster crowed. 75 Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken, “Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” Then he went out and wept bitterly.
Footnotes
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The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.