Matthew 26
New American Standard Bible
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)At that time the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in (F)the courtyard of the high priest named (G)Caiaphas; 4 and they (H)plotted together to arrest Jesus covertly 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 [a]the Leper, 7 (L)a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very expensive perfume, and she poured it on His head as He was reclining at the table. 8 But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, “Why this waste? 9 For this perfume could have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.” 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you bothering the woman? For she has done a good deed for 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 told in memory of her.”
Judas’ 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 [b]to [c](R)betray Him to you?” And (S)they set out for him thirty [d]pieces of silver. 16 And from then on he looked for a good opportunity to [e]betray [f]Jesus.
17 (T)Now on the first day of [g](U)Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus and [h]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 keeping 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 [i]twelve. 21 And as they were eating, He said, “(Y)Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me.” 22 Being deeply grieved, they began saying to Him, each one: “Surely it is 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 going away (AA)just as it is written about Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! (AB)It would have been good [j]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)Now while they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and [k](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 being 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 with you, new, in My Father’s kingdom.”
30 (AJ)And after singing a [l]hymn, they went out to (AK)the Mount of Olives.
31 Then Jesus *said to them, “You will all [m](AL)fall away because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘(AM)I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be (AN)scattered.’ 32 But after I have been raised, (AO)I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” 33 But Peter replied to Him, “Even if they all [n]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 as well.
The Garden of Gethsemane
36 (AS)Then Jesus *came with them to a place called [o](AT)Gethsemane, and *told His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 And He took (AU)Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with Him, 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 He *said to Peter, “So, you men could not (AZ)keep watch with Me for one hour? 41 (BA)Keep watching and praying, so that you do not come into temptation; (BB)the spirit is [p]willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cup (BC)cannot pass away unless I drink from 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, “[q]Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, (BE)the hour [r]is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Get up, let’s go; behold, the one who is betraying Me is near!”
Jesus’ Betrayal and Arrest
47 (BF)And while He was still speaking, behold, (BG)Judas, one of the twelve, came [s]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 previously, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; arrest Him.” 49 And immediately Judas went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, (BH)Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 50 But Jesus said to him, “(BI)Friend, do what you have come for.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested Him.
51 And behold, (BJ)one of those who were with Jesus [t]reached and drew his (BK)sword, and struck the (BL)slave of the high priest and [u]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 will 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 [v](BN)legions of (BO)angels? 54 How then would (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 man inciting a revolt? (BQ)Every day I used to sit within the temple grounds teaching, and you did not arrest Me. 56 But all this has taken place so that (BR)the Scriptures of the prophets will be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left Him and fled.
Jesus before Caiaphas
57 (BS)Those who had arrested 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 he came inside and sat down with the [w](BW)officers to see the outcome.
59 Now the chief priests and the entire [x](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 [y]temple of God and to rebuild it [z]in three days.’” 62 The high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You offer no answer for what these men are testifying against You?” 63 But (CA)Jesus kept silent. (CB)And the high priest said to Him, “I (CC)place You under oath by (CD)the living God, to tell us whether You are the [aa]Christ, (CE)the Son of God.” 64 Jesus *said to him, “(CF)You have said it yourself. But I tell you, from now on 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 [ab]robes and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? See, you have now heard the blasphemy; 66 what do you think?” They answered, “(CJ)He deserves death!”
67 (CK)Then they (CL)spit in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others [ac]slapped Him, 68 and said, “(CM)Prophesy to us, You [ad]Christ; who is the one who hit You?”
Peter’s Denials
69 (CN)Now Peter was sitting outside in the (CO)courtyard, and a slave woman 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 slave woman 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, “You really are one of them as well, (CP)since even the way you talk [ae]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 statement that Jesus had [af]made: “(CQ)Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.
Footnotes
- Matthew 26:6 I.e., a nickname; the man no doubt was cured
- Matthew 26:15 Lit and I will
- Matthew 26:15 Or hand Him over to
- Matthew 26:15 I.e., silver shekels
- Matthew 26:16 Or hand over
- Matthew 26:16 Lit Him
- Matthew 26:17 I.e., Passover week
- Matthew 26:17 Lit said
- Matthew 26:20 One early ms twelve disciples
- Matthew 26:24 Lit for him if that man had not
- Matthew 26:26 Lit having blessed
- Matthew 26:30 Ps 113-118 were traditionally sung at Passover
- Matthew 26:31 I.e., have a lapse in faith
- Matthew 26:33 I.e., from the faith
- Matthew 26:36 I.e., oil press
- Matthew 26:41 Or eager
- Matthew 26:45 Or Keep on sleeping for the time remaining and
- Matthew 26:45 Or has approached
- Matthew 26:47 Lit and with him
- Matthew 26:51 Lit extended the hand
- Matthew 26:51 Lit took off
- Matthew 26:53 A legion equaled 6,000 troops
- Matthew 26:58 Or servants
- Matthew 26:59 Or Sanhedrin
- Matthew 26:61 Or sanctuary
- Matthew 26:61 Or after
- Matthew 26:63 I.e., Messiah
- Matthew 26:65 Or outer garments
- Matthew 26:67 Or possibly beat Him with rods
- Matthew 26:68 I.e., Messiah
- Matthew 26:73 Lit makes you evident
- Matthew 26:75 Lit said
Matthew 26
GOD’S WORD Translation
The Plot to Kill Jesus(A)
26 When Jesus finished saying all these things, he told his disciples, 2 “You know that the Passover will take place in two days. At that time the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
3 Then the chief priests and the leaders of the people gathered in the palace of the chief priest Caiaphas. 4 They made plans to arrest Jesus in an underhanded way and to kill him. 5 But they said, “We shouldn’t arrest him during the festival, or else there may be a riot among the people.”
A Woman Prepares Jesus’ Body for the Tomb(B)
6 Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon, a man who had suffered from a skin disease. 7 While Jesus was sitting there, a woman went to him with a bottle of very expensive perfume and poured it on his head.
8 The disciples were irritated when they saw this. They asked, “Why did she waste it like this? 9 It could have been sold for a high price, and the money could have been given to the poor.”
10 Since Jesus knew what was going on, he said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing for me. 11 You will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me with you. 12 She poured this perfume on my body before it is placed in a tomb. 13 I can guarantee this truth: Wherever this Good News is spoken in the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
Judas Plans to Betray Jesus(C)
14 Then one of the twelve apostles, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests. 15 He asked, “What will you pay me if I hand him over to you?”
They offered him 30 silver coins. 16 From then on, he looked for a chance to betray Jesus.
Preparations for the Passover(D)
17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples went to Jesus. They asked, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal for you?”
18 He said, “Go to a certain man in the city, and tell him that the teacher says, ‘My time is near. I will celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’ ”
19 The disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.
20 When evening came, Jesus was at the table with the twelve apostles.
Jesus Knows Who Will Betray Him(E)
21 While they were eating, he said, “I can guarantee this truth: One of you is going to betray me.”
22 Feeling deeply hurt, they asked him one by one, “You don’t mean me, do you, Lord?”
23 Jesus answered, “Someone who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man is going to die as the Scriptures say he will. But how horrible it will be for that person who betrays the Son of Man. It would have been better for that person if he had never been born.”
25 Then Judas, who betrayed him, asked, “You don’t mean me, do you, Rabbi?”
“Yes, I do,” Jesus replied.
The Lord’s Supper(F)
26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it. He broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take this, and eat it. This is my body.”
27 Then he took a cup and spoke a prayer of thanksgiving. He gave it to them and said, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood, the blood of the promise.[a] It is poured out for many people so that sins are forgiven.
29 “I can guarantee that I won’t drink this wine again until that day when I drink new wine with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
30 After they sang a hymn, they went to the Mount of Olives.
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial(G)
31 Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will abandon me tonight. Scripture says,
‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep in the flock will be scattered.’
32 “But after I am brought back to life, I will go to Galilee ahead of you.”
33 Peter said to him, “Even if everyone else abandons you, I never will.”
34 Jesus replied to Peter, “I can guarantee this truth: Before a rooster crows tonight, you will say three times that you don’t know me.”
35 Peter told him, “Even if I have to die with you, I’ll never say that I don’t know you!” All the other disciples said the same thing.
Jesus Prays in the Garden of Gethsemane(H)
36 Then Jesus went with the disciples to a place called Gethsemane. He said to them, “Stay here while I go over there and pray.”
37 He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons with him. He was beginning to feel deep anguish. 38 Then he said to them, “My anguish is so great that I feel as if I’m dying. Wait here, and stay awake with me.”
39 After walking a little farther, he quickly bowed with his face to the ground and prayed, “Father, if it’s possible, let this cup ⌞of suffering⌟ be taken away from me. But let your will be done rather than mine.”
40 When he went back to the disciples, he found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you stay awake with me for one hour? 41 Stay awake, and pray that you won’t be tempted. You want to do what’s right, but you’re weak.”
42 Then he went away a second time and prayed, “Father, if this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, let your will be done.”
43 He found them asleep again because they couldn’t keep their eyes open.
44 After leaving them again, he went away and prayed the same prayer a third time. 45 Then he came back to the disciples and said to them, “You might as well sleep now. The time is near for the Son of Man to be handed over to sinners. 46 Get up! Let’s go! The one who is betraying me is near.”
Jesus Is Arrested(I)
47 Just then, while Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve apostles, arrived. A large crowd carrying swords and clubs was with him. They were from the chief priests and leaders of the people. 48 Now, the traitor had given them a signal. He said, “The one I kiss is the man you want. Arrest him!”
49 Then Judas quickly stepped up to Jesus and said, “Hello, Rabbi!” and kissed him.
50 Jesus said to him, “Friend, why are you here?”
Then some men came forward, took hold of Jesus, and arrested him. 51 Suddenly, one of the men with Jesus pulled out his sword and cut off the ear of the chief priest’s servant. 52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword away! All who use a sword will be killed by a sword. 53 Don’t you think that I could call on my Father to send more than twelve legions of angels to help me now? 54 How, then, are the Scriptures to be fulfilled that say this must happen?”
55 At that time Jesus said to the crowd, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as if I were a criminal? I used to sit teaching in the temple courtyard every day. But you didn’t arrest me then. 56 All of this has happened so that what the prophets have written would come true.”
Then all the disciples abandoned him and ran away.
The Trial in Front of the Jewish Council(J)
57 Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas, the chief priest, where the experts in Moses’ Teachings and the leaders had gathered together. 58 Peter followed at a distance until he came to the chief priest’s courtyard. He went inside and sat with the guards to see how this would turn out.
59 The chief priests and the whole council were searching for false testimony to use against Jesus in order to execute him. 60 But they did not find any, although many came forward with false testimony. At last two men came forward. 61 They stated, “This man said, ‘I can tear down God’s temple and rebuild it in three days.’ ”
62 The chief priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Don’t you have any answer to what these men testify against you?”
63 But Jesus was silent.
Then the chief priest said to him, “Swear an oath in front of the living God and tell us, are you the Messiah, the Son of God?”
64 Jesus answered him, “Yes, I am. But I alone can guarantee that from now on you will see the Son of Man in the honored position—the one next to God the Father on the heavenly throne [b]. He will be coming on the clouds of heaven.”
65 Then the chief priest tore his robes in horror and said, “He has dishonored God! Why do we need any more witnesses? You’ve just heard him dishonor God! 66 What’s your verdict?”
They answered, “He deserves the death penalty!”
67 Then they spit in his face, hit him with their fists, and some of them slapped him. 68 They said, “You Christ, if you’re a prophet, tell us who hit you.”
Peter Denies Jesus(K)
69 Peter was sitting in the courtyard. A female servant came to him and said, “You, too, were with Jesus the Galilean.”
70 But Peter denied it in front of them all by saying, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
71 As he went to the entrance, another female servant saw him. She told those who were there, “This man was with Jesus from Nazareth.”
72 Again Peter denied it and swore with an oath, “I don’t know the man!”
73 After a little while the men standing there approached Peter and said, “It’s obvious you’re also one of them. Your accent gives you away!”
74 Then Peter began to curse and swear with an oath, “I don’t know the man!” Just then a rooster crowed. 75 Peter remembered what Jesus had said: “Before a rooster crows, you will say three times that you don’t know me.” Then Peter went outside and cried bitterly.
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