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.

³ And while He was in Bethany, [a guest] in the house of Simon the leper, as He was reclining [at table], a woman came with an alabaster jar of ointment (^[a]perfume) of pure nard, very costly and precious; and she broke the jar and poured [the perfume] over His head.

⁴ But there were some who were moved with indignation and said to themselves, To what purpose was the ointment (^[b]perfume) thus wasted?

⁵ For it was possible to have sold this [perfume] for more than 300 denarii [a laboring man’s wages for a year] and to have given [the money] to the poor. And they censured and reproved her.

⁶ But Jesus said, Let her alone; why are you troubling her? She has done a good and beautiful thing to Me [praiseworthy and noble].

⁷ For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you will not always have Me.^(A)

⁸ She has done what she could; she came beforehand to anoint My body for the burial.

⁹ And surely I tell you, wherever the good news (the Gospel) is proclaimed in the entire world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.

³⁶ One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to dine with him, and He went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table.

³⁷ And behold, a woman of the town who was ^[a]an especially wicked sinner, when she learned that He was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment (perfume).

³⁸ And standing behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with [her] tears; and she wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed His feet [affectionately] and anointed them with the ointment (perfume).

³⁹ Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw it, he said to himself, If this Man were a prophet, He would surely know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching Him—for she is a notorious sinner (a social outcast, devoted to sin).

⁴⁰ And Jesus, replying, said to him, Simon, I have something to say to you. And he answered, Teacher, say it.

⁴¹ A certain lender of money [at interest] had two debtors: one owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.

⁴² When they had no means of paying, he freely forgave them both. Now which of them will love him more?

⁴³ Simon answered, The one, I take it, for whom he forgave and cancelled more. And Jesus said to him, You have decided correctly.

⁴⁴ Then turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, Do you see this woman? When I came into your house, you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

⁴⁵ You gave Me no kiss, but she from the moment I came in has not ceased [^[b]intermittently] to kiss My feet tenderly and caressingly.

⁴⁶ You did not anoint My head with ^[c][cheap, ordinary] oil, but she has anointed My feet with ^[d][costly, rare] perfume.

⁴⁷ Therefore I tell you, her sins, many [as they are], are forgiven her—because she has loved much. But he who is forgiven little loves little.

⁴⁸ And He said to her, Your sins are forgiven!

⁴⁹ Then those who were at table with Him began to say among themselves, Who is this Who even forgives sins?

⁵⁰ But Jesus said to the woman, Your faith has saved you; go (enter) ^[e]into peace [^[f]in freedom from all the distresses that are experienced as the result of sin].

12 So six days before the Passover Feast, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, who had died and whom He had raised from the dead.

² So they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those at the table with Him.

³ Mary took a pound of ointment of pure liquid nard [a rare perfume] that was very expensive, and she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair. And the whole house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

⁴ But Judas Iscariot, the one of His disciples who was about to betray Him, said,

⁵ Why was this perfume not sold for 300 denarii [a year’s wages for an ordinary workman] and that [money] given to the poor (the destitute)?

⁶ Now he did not say this because he cared for the poor but because he was a thief; and having the bag (the money box, the purse of the Twelve), he took for himself what was put into it [pilfering the collections].

⁷ But Jesus said, Let her alone. It was [intended] that she should keep it for the time of My preparation for burial. [She has kept it that she might have it for the time of My ^[a]embalming.]

⁸ You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.