1 Now the feast of the Passover and of Unleavened Bread was two days later. So the high priests and scribes kept looking for some way to arrest Him by stratagem and have Him put to death, 2 for they kept saying, "It must not be at the feast, for there might be a riot."
3 While He was in Bethany, He was a guest in the home of Simon the leper, and as He was sitting at table, a woman came in with an alabaster bottle of pure nard perfume, very costly; she broke the bottle and poured the perfume on His head. 4 But some of the guests were indignantly saying to themselves, "Why was such a waste of the perfume made? 5 It might have been sold for more than sixty dollars, and the money have been given to the poor." So they kept on grumbling at her.
6 But Jesus said, "Let her alone; why do you embarrass her? She has done a good deed to me. 7 For you always have the poor among you, and whenever you please you can do them good, but you will not always have me. 8 She has done all she could; she has beforehand perfumed my body for my burial. 9 I solemnly say to you, all over the world wherever this good news is proclaimed, the deed that she has done will also be told, in memory of her."
10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the high priests to betray Him to them. 11 They were delighted to hear it, and promised to pay him for it. So he kept looking for a good opportunity to betray Him to them.
12 On the first day of the feast of Unleavened Bread, the usual time for killing the Passover lamb, Jesus' disciples asked Him, "Where do you want us to go and get the Passover supper ready for you to eat?"
13 So He sent off two of His disciples, and said to them, "Go into the city and you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him, 14 and whatever house he goes into, tell the owner that the Teacher asks, 'Where is my room where I may eat the Passover supper with my disciples?' 15 Then he will show you a large upstairs room, furnished and ready; get everything ready for us there." 16 So off the disciples went; they reached the city, found everything just as He had told them, and they got the Passover supper ready.
17 When evening came, He went with the Twelve. 18 And while they were sitting at table and eating, Jesus said, "I solemnly say to you, one of you, one who is now eating with me, is going to betray me."
19 And they began to show that they were hurt and to ask Him one by one, "It cannot be I, can it?"
20 He answered them, "It is one of the Twelve, the one who is dipping his bread in the dish with me. 21 For the Son of Man is going away, as the Scriptures say of Him, but a curse will be on that man by whom He is betrayed. It would have been better for that man, if he had never been born."
22 While they were eating, He took a loaf and blessed it and broke it in pieces and gave it to them, saying, "Take this; it is my body."
23 He also took the cup of wine and gave thanks and gave it to them, and they all drank some of it. 24 Then He said to them, "This is my blood which ratifies the covenant, the blood which is to be poured out for many. 25 I solemnly say to you, I will never again drink the product of the vine till the day when I drink the new wine in the kingdom of God." 26 After singing a hymn they went out of the city and up the Mount of Olives.
27 Then Jesus said to them, "You will all stumble over me, for the Scripture says, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.'
28 But after I am raised from the dead, I will go back to Galilee to meet you."
29 Then Peter said to Him, "Although all the rest of them stumble over you, yet I will never do so myself."
30 Then Jesus said to him, "I solemnly say to you, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you, yes, you, will disown me three times."
31 But Peter kept on emphatically saying, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." And they all kept saying the same thing.
32 Then they came to the place called Gethsemane, and He said to His disciples, "Sit down here while I pray." 33 And he took Peter, James, and John along with Him, and He began to feel completely dazed and to realize His anguish of heart, 34 and so He said to them, "My heart is breaking, it almost kills me! You must stay here and keep watching." 35 Then He walked on a few steps and threw Himself upon the ground and kept praying that if it were possible He might escape the hour of agony, 36 and He was saying, "Abba [which means 'Father'], anything is possible for you! Take this cup away from me! Yet, I pray, not what I want but what you want!"
37 And He went back and found them asleep, and He said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch a single hour? 38 You must all keep watching and praying that you may not be exposed to temptation. Man's spirit is willing but human nature is weak."
39 He went away again and prayed in the same words. 40 When He went back again, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were so heavy they could hardly hold them open; and they did not know what answer to make Him. 41 He came back the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? No more of that! The hour has come. See! The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinful men. 42 Get up, let us be going. Look! here comes my betrayer!"
43 At that very moment, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, came up, and with him a crowd of men with swords and clubs, from the high priests, scribes, and elders. 44 Now His betrayer had given them a signal, saying, "The one I kiss is He; seize Him and lead Him safely away." 45 So when he came he went straight up to Jesus, and said, "Rabbi," and with much affection kissed Him. 46 Then they laid hands on Him and arrested Him. 47 But one of the bystanders drew his sword and struck at the high priest's slave and cut his ear off.
48 And Jesus spoke and said to them, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me, as though I were a robber? 49 Day after day I used to be with you teaching in the temple, and you never laid hands on me. But this is so to fulfill the Scriptures." 50 Then all His disciples forsook Him and made their escape.
51 And a young man was following Him, with only a linen sheet thrown about his body; and they seized him, 52 but he left the linen sheet behind and fled away naked.
53 They took Jesus away to the high priest, and all the high priests, elders, and scribes met there. 54 And Peter followed Him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest; he was sitting with the attendants and warming himself before the fire.
55 The high priests and the whole council were trying to get evidence against Jesus to put Him to death, but they could find none, 56 for although many men gave false testimony against Him, their testimonies did not agree. 57 Some took the witness stand and gave this false testimony against Him: 58 "We ourselves have heard Him say, 'I will tear down this temple built by men's hands, and in three days I will build another, made without hands.'" 59 But even in this matter their testimony did not agree.
60 Then the high priest arose in the midst and asked Jesus, "Have you no answer to make? What about this testimony they are giving against you?" 61 But He kept silent and made no answer at all. So the high priest again questioned Him in these words, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?"
62 Jesus said, "Yes, I am, and you will all see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Almighty and coming in the clouds of the sky!"
63 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "What more evidence do we need now? 64 Did you hear His own blasphemy? What do you think now?" And they all condemned Him as deserving to die. 65 And some of them started to spit on Him and to blindfold Him and to hit Him with their fists, and say to Him, "Now play the prophet!" Even the attendants took charge of Him with slaps at Him.
66 While Peter was down in the courtyard, one of the high priest's waiting girls came up, 67 and when she saw that Peter was warming himself, she looked at him and said, "You were with Jesus of Nazareth too!"
68 But he denied it, saying, "I do not know or understand what you mean." Then he went out of the courtyard and was in the gateway to it.
69 And the waiting girl saw him there and began again to tell the bystanders, "This fellow is one of them!"
70 But he denied it again. And again a few minutes later the bystanders began to say to Peter, "You are surely one of them, for you are a Galilean too."
71 Then he commenced cursing and swearing, "I do not know this man that you are talking about."
72 At that moment for the second time a Cock crowed. Then Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, "Before the cock crows twice, you will disown me three times!" And when he remembered that, he burst into tears.