Old/New Testament

14 The Passover Feast and the feast with bread that has no yeast in it was two days later. The chief priests and the scribes planned how to catch Jesus by some trick. They wanted to kill him.

² But they said, `Let us not do it on the day of the feast. We do not want the people to start fighting about it.'

³ When Jesus was in the town of Bethany, he was in Simon's house. Simon had leprosy. While Jesus sat at the table, a woman came to him. She had a bottle of oil. It smelled very nice and cost much money. She broke the bottle and poured the oil on Jesus' head.

⁴ Some people there were angry. They said, `Why was this oil wasted like that?

⁵ The oil might have been sold for a lot of money. Then the money could have been given to poor people.' They said to the woman, `You should not have done this!'

⁶ But Jesus said, `Leave the woman alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good thing to me.

⁷ You will always have poor people with you. Any time you want to, you can do good to them. But I will not always be with you.

⁸ She has done what she could. She has put oil on my body to make me ready to be buried.

⁹ I tell you the truth. Any place in the whole world where people tell the good news, people will also tell what she has done. People will remember her because of it.'

¹⁰ Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the chief priests. He told them how he could help them catch Jesus.

¹¹ They were glad when they heard that. They promised to give him money. So he watched for a good way to help them catch Jesus.

¹² It was the first day of the feast with bread that has no yeast in it. The sheep had to be killed for the Passover Feast. His disciples asked Jesus `Where do you want us to make ready for you to eat the Passover Feast?'

¹³ He sent two of his disciples and said to them, `Go into the city. There you will meet a man who is carrying a pot of water. Follow him.

¹⁴ When he goes into a house, talk to the master of the house. Say to him, "The Teacher says, `Where is my room where I can eat the Passover Feast with my disciples?' "

¹⁵ The man will show you a large room upstairs. It will be all fixed up and ready. Get the Passover food ready for us there.'

¹⁶ The disciples went to the city. They found everything just as he had said. There they made the Passover food ready.

¹⁷ In the evening he came with the twelve disciples.

¹⁸ While they were sitting at the table eating, Jesus said, `I tell you the truth. One of you who is eating with me will give me over to people who hate me.'

¹⁹ They were sad and troubled. One after the other began to say to him, `Lord, is it I?'

²⁰ Jesus answered them, `It is one of you twelve. It is the one who puts his hand in the same dish with me.

²¹ The Son of Man will go just as the holy writings tell about him. But the man who gives him over will have trouble. It would have been better for that man if he had not been born!'

²² As they were eating, Jesus took some bread. He thanked God for it and broke it. Then he gave it to the disciples and said, `Take this bread and eat it. It is my body.'

²³ He also took a cup. He thanked God for it. Then he gave it to them. They all drank some of it.

²⁴ Then he said to them, `This is my blood. It is given for many people. It makes the agreement strong.

²⁵ I tell you the truth. I will not drink any of the fruit of the vine again until I drink some of it new in the kingdom of God.'

²⁶ They sang a song and then went out to the hill called Olives.