a woman came up to him who had an alabaster vase of very costly perfume, and poured it over his head, as he reclined at table.

But when Jesus understood it he said to them. "Why are you annoying the woman? This is a beautiful deed she has done for me;

It was then that one of the Twelve, he who was called Judas Iscariot,

and from that time he kept looking for a chance to betray him.

"Go into the city," he answered, "to a certain man, and tell him. "'The Teacher says. "My time is near. I am going to keep the Passover at your house, with my disciples."'"

When evening came he reclined at table with the Twelve;

and as they were eating, he said to them, "In solemn truth I tell you that one of you is going to betray me!"

In reply he said: "One who has dipped his hand with me in the dish will betray me.

"The Son of man is indeed to go as it is written concerning him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of man shall be betrayed. It were good for that man if he had never been born."

In answer, Judas, who betrayed him, said, "Surely it is not I, Rabbi?" He said to him, "Is it not?"

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread and, when he had blessed it, he broke it and gave to his disciples, saying, "Take, eat, this is my body."

And when he had taken the cup and given thanks, he gave it to them, saying.

And he took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with him, and began to be in anguish and sore distress,

and he said to them. "My soul is an anguish, even unto death! Stay here, and keep watch with me."

Then he went forward a short distance, and fell on his face and prayed. "O, my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt."

Then he came to his disciples, and found them asleep, and said to Peter. "So you were none of you strong enough to watch with me even one hour!

Then he went away again a second time and prayed, saying, "O, my Father, if this cup cannot pass except I drink it, Thy will be done."

He came again and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.

So he left them and went away again, and prayed the third time in the same words as before.

Then he came to the disciples and said: "Sleep on now, and take your rest. Look! the hour is at hand; the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of wicked men.

Barely had he spoken these words when Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared, accompanied by a great crowd of men with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people.

So he came straight up to Jesus and said, "Hail, Rabbi!" and kissed him eagerly.

And, behold, one of these who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, and smote the slave of the high priest, and cut off his ear.

"But if I did, how could the Scriptures be fulfilled that say that thus it must happen?"

Then all his disciples forsook him and fled; but those who had apprehended Jesus led him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had assembled.

Now Peter was following him, afar off, as far as the courtyard of the high priest; and when he got in, he was sitting with the officers, to see the end.

Rising to his feet the high priest asked Jesus. "Do you make no answer? What is it that these are testifying against you?"

But Jesus kept silence. Again the high priest addressed him, "I adjure you by the Living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God!"

"I am He," Jesus answered; "yet I tell you that from this time on you will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming upon the clouds of heaven."

Then the high priest tore his garments, saying. "He has spoken blasphemy! What further need have we of witnesses? For behold, now you have heard his blasphemy!

"What is your verdict?" "He ought to die," they answered.

But he denied it before them all; "I do not know what you mean," he said.

Soon afterward he went out into the porch, and another maid saw him, and said to those who were there, "This fellow certainly was with Jesus, the Nazarene!"

And again he denied it with an oath, saying, "I never knew the man."

Then he began to curse and swear, saying, "I never knew the man." Immediately the cock crew!

Then Peter recalled the word that Jesus had spoken, "Before the cock crow, you shall three times deny me"??nd he went out and broke out into bitter weeping.

And when the morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus, how they might put him to death.

Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that he was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders.

"I have sinned," he said, "in betraying innocent blood!" "What is that to us?" they answered; "you must see to that."

And flinging down the silver into the Sanctuary, he rushed out, and went and hanged himself.

Now Jesus stood before the Governor, and the Governor questioned him. "Are you the King of the Jews?" he asked.

"It is as you say," answered Jesus; but while he was being accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.

But he made no answer, not even to one charge; insomuch that the Governor was greatly astonished.

He knew well that it was because of enmity that they had brought Jesus before him.

And while he was seated upon the judgment-seat, his wife had sent to him, saying, "Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered many things today, in a dream, because of him."

But Pilate said, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they kept shouting the more fiercely, "Let him be crucified!"

So when Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but that on the contrary a riot was threatening, he took water and washed his hands in the presence of the crowd, saying. "I am innocent of the blood of this man; you must answer for it."

Then he released Barabbas to them, but Jesus he scourged, and delivered to be crucified.

they gave Jesus wine to drink, mingled with gall. But after tasting it he refused to drink it.

"He saved other," they said, "himself he cannot save. He, the King of Israel! Let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe on him!

He put his trust in God. let Him deliver him now, if He cares for him. For he said, 'I am the Son of God!'"

When they heard this, some of the bystanders said "He is calling for Elijah!"

So Joseph took the body, and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock; and after rolling a great stone against the opening of the tomb, he went away.

The day after??hat is, the day following the Preparation??he chief priests and Pharisees went in a body to Pilate and said:

"We recollect, Sir, that when he was living this imposter said, 'I will rise again after three days.'

Now therefore give order to have the sepulcher securely guarded until the third day, for fear his disciples may come and steal him away, and then tell the people, 'He is risen from the dead'; and so the last error will be worse than the first."

He is not here; for he is risen, even as he said. Come, see the place where the Master was lying!

And go quickly and tell his disciples. 'He is risen from the dead; he goes before you into Galilee; you will see him there.' Remember, I have told you."

Now while they were on their way, some of the guard went into the city and told the high priest all that had happened.

And John was clothed with camel's hair, and he had a leather girdle round his loins, and he ate locusts, and "honey of the wood."

He made proclamation. "There is One mightier than I coming after me, and I am not worthy to stoop down and unfasten his sandal strap;

I have baptized you in water, but he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit."

and as soon as he rose from the water he saw the sky cleft asunder, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him,

and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was among the wild beasts, but the angels were ministering to him.

"The time is now come," he said, "and the kingdom of God is near! Repent and believe the gospel."

And as he was passing along by the sea of Galilee he saw Simon and Andrew, Simon's brother, casting their net into the sea, for they were fishermen;

As he went a little farther on he saw James, the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in their boat mending the nets.

Straightway he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants and went after him.

So they came to Capernaum, and as soon as the Sabbath Day came he went into the synagogue and began to teach.

They were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them with authority, not like the Scribes.

and every one was amazed so that they began questioning among themselves. "What does this mean? A new teaching with authority? He lays commands even upon unclean spirits and they obey him."

So he came and took her hand and raised her up. The fever left her at once, and she began to wait upon them.

He cured many who were ill with various diseases, and drove out many demons. But he did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew who he was.

In the morning he rose a great while before day and went out to a desert place, and there prayed.

"Let us go away," he answered, "to the neighboring country towns, that I may preach there, too; because for that purpose I came forth."

So he went throughout Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and driving out demons.

One day a leper cane to him and besought him as he knelt down to him, saying, "If you choose, you are able to cleanse me."

The leprosy at once left him, and he was made clean.

But he went out and began to tell every one and to publish it broadcast, so that Jesus could no longer enter any town openly; but he had to remain outside in lonely places, and people kept coming to him from every quarter.

Some days later when Jesus entered Capernaum again the news spread, "He is in the house";

While he was speaking his message, they came bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four men.

When they could not get him near to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof under which he stood, and after making an opening, they let down the cot on which the paralytic was lying.

Then Jesus, when he perceived their faith, said to the paralytic, "Son your sins are forgiven."

"Why does this man speak like this? He blasphemes. Who is able to forgive sins but One, God himself?"

Then Jesus went again to the seaside, and the whole crowd kept coming to him, and he taught them.

As he was passing by he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting in the tax-office; and he said to him, "Follow me." So he rose and followed him.

But when some scribes of the Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax-gatherers, they said to his disciples, "Is he eating and drinking with tax-gatherers and sinners?"

Now the disciples of John and the Pharisees were keeping a fast, and people came to ask him, "How is it that the disciples of John and the Pharisees are fasting, but your disciples are not?"

"Can friends of the bridegroom fast while he is still with them?" asked Jesus. "As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

No one ever sews a piece of unshrunk cloth onto an old garment, otherwise the patch tears away from it??he new from the old??nd a worse tear is made.

One Sabbath he was walking along through the wheat-fields, and his disciples, as they began to make their way across, were pulling the heads of wheat.

He answered them. "Have you never read what David did when he was needy and hungry, he and his men?

How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which none but priests may eat, and gave some to his men?

"The Sabbath," he told them, "was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath;

Again he went into a synagogue where there was a man with his hand withered.

And they kept watching Jesus to see whether he would cure him on the Sabbath; so as to have some charge to bring against him.

Then he asked them. "Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath Day, or to do harm? to save a life, or to destroy it?"

They were silent. Then looking around upon them with anger, and deeply grieved by the hardening of their hearts, he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand!" He stretched it out, and the hand was at once completely restored.

From Judea, too, and Jerusalem, and Idumea, and from beyond Jordan, and from the district of Tyre and Sidon, they came to him a vast multitude, because they heard what he was doing.

So he directed his disciples to keep a little boat in readiness for him, because of the crowd, to prevent their crushing him.