Chronological
The Magdalene anoints Christ. They eat the Passover lamb and the supper of the Lord. Christ prays in the garden. Judas betrays him. Peter strikes off Malcus’ ear. Christ is accused by false witnesses. Peter denies him.
26 And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, 2 You know that after two days will be the Passover. And the Son of man will be delivered to be crucified.
3 Then the chief priests, scribes, and elders of the people assembled together at the palace of the high priest called Caiaphas 4 and held a council, how they might take Jesus by subtlety and kill him. 5 But, they said, not on the holy day, lest any uproar arise among the people.
6 When Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, 7 there came to him a woman who had an alabaster jar of precious anointing oil, and poured it on his head as he sat at the board. 8 When his disciples saw that, they were indignant, saying, Why this waste? 9 This oyntment might well have been sold, and the money given to the poor. 10 When Jesus understood this he said to them, Why do you trouble the woman? She has wrought a good work upon me. 11 For you will have poor folk always with you, but me you will not have always. 12 And in that she poured this oyntment on my body, she did it to bury me with. 13 Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout all the world, there also will this that she has done be told, for a memorial of her.
14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, What will you give me, and I will deliver him to you? And they agreed with him for thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that time, he sought an opportunity to betray him.
17 On the first day of sweet bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to him, Where would you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover lamb? 18 And he said, Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, The Master says, My time is at hand; I will keep my Passover at your place with my disciples.
19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and made ready the Passover lamb.
20 When the evening was come, he sat down with the twelve. 21 And as they were eating he said, Truly I say to you that one of you will betray me. 22 And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say to him, Is it I, Master? 23 He answered and said, He who dips his hand with me in the dish, the same will betray me. 24 The Son of man goes as it is written of him. But woe is to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed. It would have been good for that man if he had never been born.
25 Then Judas who betrayed him answered and said, Is it I, Master? Jesus said to him, You have said it.
26 As they were eating, Jesus took bread and gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And he took the cup, and thanked, and gave it to them, saying, Drink of it, everyone. 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 I say to you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine until that day when I shall drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.
30 And when they had sung praises, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus said to them, You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written: I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered abroad. 32 But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.
33 Peter answered and said to him, Even if everyone were to fall away because of you, yet I would never fall away. 34 Jesus said to him, Truly I say to you that this same night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times. 35 Peter said to him, If I had to die with you, yet I would not deny you. Likewise also said all the disciples.
36 Then Jesus went with them to a place which is called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, Sit here while I go and pray yonder. 37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful, and to be in an agony. 38 Then said Jesus to them, My soul is heavy, even unto death. You stay here, and watch with me.
39 And he went a little apart and fell flat on his face and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.
40 And he came back to the disciples and found them asleep, and said to Peter, What, could you not watch with me for one hour? 41 Watch, and pray that you do not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
42 He went away once more and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup cannot pass away from me but that I drink of it, thy will be fulfilled. 43 And he came and found his disciples asleep again. For their eyes were heavy. 44 And he left them and went again 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! Take heed: the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Arise, let us be going. Behold, he who betrays me is at hand.
47 While he was yet speaking, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a large band of men bearing swords and clubs, sent by the chief priests and elders of the people. 48 And he who betrayed him had arranged a sign, saying, Whomever I kiss, he is the one; lay hands on him. 49 And at once he went up to Jesus and said, Hail, Master! 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 And at that, one of the men who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. 52 Then said Jesus to him, Put your sword back in its sheath. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Or do you think I cannot now pray to my Father, and he would send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled? For this is how it must be.
55 At the same time Jesus said to the throng, You have come out as if against a thief, with swords and clubs to take me. I sat daily teaching in the temple among you, and you did not take me. 56 All this was done so that the scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled.
57 Then all the disciples forsook him and fled.
And they took Jesus and led him to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. 58 And Peter followed him from afar off to the high priest’s palace, and went in and sat with the servants, to see the end of it.
59 The chief priests and the elders and all the council sought false witness against Jesus in order to put him to death, 60 but found none. Though many false witnesses came forward, yet they found none. At the last came two false witnesses, 61 and said, This fellow said, I can destroy the temple of God and build it again in three days.
62 And the chief priest arose and said to Jesus, Do you answer nothing? How is it that these men bear witness against you? 63 But Jesus held his peace. And the chief priest spoke and said to him, I charge you in the name of the living God to tell us if you are Christ, the Son of God.
64 Jesus said to him, It is as you have said. But I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and come in the clouds of the sky.
65 Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, He has blasphemed! Why do we need any more witnesses? Here, now you have heard his blasphemy. 66 What do you think? They answered and said, He is worthy to die. 67 Then they spat in his face and buffeted him with fists. And others struck him with the palm of their hands on the face, 68 saying, Tell us, Christ, who is it that hit you?
69 Peter was sitting out in the centre courtyard. And a maidservant came to him, saying, You also were with Jesus of Galilee. 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, I don’t know what you are saying. 71 When he had gone out into the porch, another servant girl saw him and said to the people who were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. 72 And again Peter denied with an oath that he knew the man. 73 And after a while, some people standing nearby came up and said to Peter, Surely you are also one of them, for your speech gives you away.
74 Then he began to curse, and to swear that he did not know the man. And immediately the cock crew. 75 And Peter remembered the words of Jesus, who had said to him, Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times. And he went out at the doors and wept bitterly.
Mary Magdalene anoints Christ. The Passover lamb is eaten. Christ is taken. Peter denies him, with many other things that were demanded of Christ.
14 After two days followed Passover, and the days of sweet bread. And the high priests and the scribes were seeking means to apprehend Jesus by craft and put him to death. 2 But, they said, not in the feast day, lest any uproar arise among the people.
3 When he was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, even as he sat at food, there came a woman having an alabaster jar of anointing oil called nard, which was pure and costly. And she broke the jar and poured it on his head. 4 And there were some who were displeased in themselves and said, Why this waste of oyntment? 5 For it could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor. And they grudged against her.
6 And Jesus said, Let her be in rest. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work on me. 7 For you will have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish, you may do them good. But me you will not have always. 8 She has done what she could: she came beforehand to anoint my body for the burial. 9 Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the whole world, this also that she has done will be told, in remembrance of her.
10 And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went away to the high priests, to betray him to them. 11 When they heard that, they were glad, and promised that they would give him money. And he sought an opportune way to betray him.
12 And the first day of sweet bread, when people offer the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples said to him, Where would you like us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover lamb? 13 And he sent forth two of his disciples and said to them, Go into the city, and there a man will meet you bearing a pitcher of water. Follow him. 14 And wherever he goes in, say to the head of the house, The Teacher asks, Where is the guest chamber where I may eat the Passover lamb with my disciples? 15 And he will show you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us.
16 And his disciples went forth, and came to the city, and found things as he had said to them, and made ready the Passover lamb.
17 And in the evening, he came with the twelve. 18 And as they sat at the table and ate, Jesus said, Truly I say to you that one of you who eats with me will betray me. 19 And they began to mourn, and to say to him one by one, Is it I? And another said, Is it I?
20 He answered and said to them, It is one of the twelve, and the same dips with me in the platter. 21 The Son of man goes as it is written of him. But woe is to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed. It would have been good for that man if he had never been born.
22 And as they ate, Jesus took bread, blessed, and broke, and gave to them and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 23 And he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank of it. 24 And he said to them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. 25 Truly I say to you, I will drink no more of this fruit of the vine until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.
26 And when they had sung praises, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 27 And Jesus said to them, All of you will fall away because of me this night. For it is written: I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered. 28 But after I am risen up again, I will go into Galilee ahead of you. 29 But Peter said to him, Even if all were to fall away, yet I would not. 30 And Jesus said to him, Truly I say to you, this day – even this night, before the cock crows twice – you will deny me three times. 31 And Peter spoke more boldly: No; if I must die with you, I will not deny you. Likewise also said all the others.
32 And they came to a place named Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, Sit here, while I go apart and pray. 33 And he took with him Peter, James, and John. And he began to be horrified, and to be in an agony, 34 and said to them, My soul is very heavy, even to the death. You stay here and watch. 35 And he went forward a little, and fell down on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible to you; take away this cup from me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what you will, be done.
37 And he came and found them sleeping and said to Peter, Simon, are you sleeping? Could not you watch with me one hour? 38 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit is ready, but the flesh is weak.
39 And again he went away and prayed, and spoke the same words. 40 And he returned and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy; neither did they know what to answer him. 41 And he came the third time, and said to them, Sleep on now, and take your ease! It is enough. The hour has come. Behold, the Son of man will be delivered into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise up, let us go. Lo, he who betrays me is at hand.
43 And immediately, while he yet spoke, came Judas, one of the twelve. With him was a large band of people with swords and clubs, sent from the high priests and scribes and elders. 44 And he who betrayed him had arranged a sign, saying, Whomever I kiss, he it is; take him and lead him away warily.
45 And as soon as Judas had come, he went straightaway to Jesus and said to him, Master, Master! and kissed him. 46 And they laid their hands on him and took him. 47 And one of those who stood by drew out a sword and struck a servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
48 And Jesus spoke and said to them, You have come out as if to a thief, with swords and with clubs to capture me. 49 I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you did not take me. But the scriptures must be fulfilled.
50 And they all forsook him, and ran away. 51 And he had a follower, a certain young man clothed in linen upon the bare. And the young men caught him, 52 but he left his linen cloth and fled from them naked.
53 And they led Jesus away to the highest priest of all, and to him came all the high priests and the elders and the scribes. 54 And Peter followed him a great way off, right into the palace courtyard of the high priest, and sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire.
55 And the high priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus, to put him to death, and found none. 56 Yet many bore false witness against him, but their testimonies did not agree together. 57 And certain men arose and brought false witness against him, saying, 58 We heard him say, I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands. 59 But their testimonies did not agree together.
60 And the highest priest stood up amongst them and asked Jesus, saying, Do you answer nothing? How is it that these men bear witness against you? 61 And he held his peace and answered nothing. Again the highest priest asked him and said to him, Are you Christ, the Son of the Blessed? 62 And Jesus said, I am; and you will see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven.
63 Then the highest priest tore his clothes and said, Why do we need any further witnesses? 64 You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?
And they all gave sentence that he was worthy of death. 65 And some began to spit at him, and to cover his face, and to beat him with fists, and to say to him, Prophesy to us! And the servants struck him on the face.
66 And as Peter was below in the interior courtyard, there came one of the servant girls of the highest priest. 67 When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked on him and said, Were you not also with Jesus of Nazareth? 68 And he denied it, saying, I do not know him, or understand what you are saying. And he went out into the porch, and the cock crew. 69 And a maidservant saw him and again began to say to those who stood by, This is one of them. 70 And he denied it again. And soon after, those standing by said again to Peter, Surely you are one of them, for you are from Galilee and your speech is the same. 71 And he began to curse and to swear, saying, I do not know this man of whom you speak. 72 And again the cock crew. And Peter remembered the word that Jesus had said to him – Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times – and he began to weep.
Copyright © 2016 by Ruth Magnusson (Davis). Includes emendations to February 2022. All rights reserved.