Mark 14

¹It was now two days before the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the scholars were searching for a way to seize Jesus by stealth and kill him, ²for they were saying, “Not during the festival, otherwise there might be a riot among the people.”

³While he was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of genuine, expensive ointment of nard. She broke the jar and poured the ointment over his head. ⁴But some were expressing indignation to one another: “Why has this ointment been wasted like this? ⁵This ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor!” And they scolded her harshly.

⁶But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why are you causing her trouble? She has done a noble thing for me. ⁷For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want you can do good for them, but you do not always have me. ⁸She did what she could; she anointed my body in advance for burial. ⁹Truly I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”

¹⁰Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to hand Jesus over to them. ¹¹When they heard this, they were delighted and promised to give him silver. So he began looking for an opportunistic way to hand him over.

¹²On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when it was custom to sacrifice the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”

¹³He sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a ceramic jar of water will meet you. Follow him. ¹⁴Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ ¹⁵He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.” ¹⁶The disciples left, went into the city, and found everything just as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover.

¹⁷When evening came, he arrived with the twelve. ¹⁸As they were reclining and eating, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.” ¹⁹They began to be grieved and to say to him one by one, “Surely not I?” ²⁰He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, the one dipping bread into the bowl with me. ²¹For the Son of Man goes just as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had never been born.”

²²While they were eating, he took bread, and after giving a blessing, he broke it and gave it to them and said, “Take; this is my body.” ²³Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. ²⁴And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. ²⁵Truly I tell you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.” ²⁶After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

²⁷And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ ²⁸But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”

²⁹Peter said to him, “Even if everyone else falls away, I will not.” ³⁰Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, today—this very night—before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” ³¹But Peter kept insisting vehemently, “Even if I must die with you, I will never deny you!” And they all said the same thing.

³²They came to a place named Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” ³³He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and in anguish. ³⁴He said to them, “My soul is consumed with sorrow, even to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch.” ³⁵Going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. ³⁶He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Yet not what I want, but what you want.”

³⁷He came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Did you not have the strength to keep watch for one hour? ³⁸Keep watch and pray so that you do not enter into the trial. The spirit is eager, but the flesh is weak.” ³⁹Again he went away and prayed, saying the same thing. ⁴⁰And once more he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to answer him.

⁴¹He came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? The account is settled. The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴²Get up, let us go. See, my betrayer is near.”

⁴³Immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived, and with him a mob with swords and clubs from the chief priests, the scholars, and the elders. ⁴⁴Now the betrayer had given them a prearranged signal, saying, “The one I kiss is the man; seize him and lead him away securely.” ⁴⁵So when he arrived, he went up to Jesus at once and said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him fervently. ⁴⁶Then they seized him and took him into custody. ⁴⁷But one of those standing by drew his sword and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear.

⁴⁸Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to capture me as if I were an insurgent? ⁴⁹Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled.” ⁵⁰Then they all abandoned him and fled. ⁵¹A certain young man was following him, wearing nothing but a linen cloth. They tried to seize him, ⁵²but he left the linen cloth behind and fled naked.

⁵³They led Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, the elders, and the scholars assembled. ⁵⁴Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. He was sitting with the attendants and warming himself by the light of the fire.

⁵⁵The chief priests and the whole Council were looking for testimony against Jesus so they could put him to death, but they were finding none. ⁵⁶For many were giving false testimony against him, but their testimonies were not consistent. ⁵⁷Then some stood up and gave false testimony against him, saying, ⁵⁸“We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made by human hands, and in three days I will build another, not made by hands.’” ⁵⁹But even on this point, their testimony was not consistent.

⁶⁰Then the high priest stood up in their midst and questioned Jesus, saying, “Have you no answer? What is this they are testifying against you?” ⁶¹But he remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest questioned him and said to him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?”

⁶²Jesus said, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

⁶³The high priest tore his robes and said, “Why do we still need witnesses? ⁶⁴You heard the blasphemy! What is your verdict?” And they all condemned him as deserving death. ⁶⁵Some began to spit on him, to blindfold him, and to strike him with their fists, saying to him, “Prophesy!” And the attendants received him with slaps.

⁶⁶While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the maidservants of the high priest came by. ⁶⁷Seeing Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him and said, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.” ⁶⁸But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are talking about.” And he went out into the forecourt, and a rooster crowed. ⁶⁹The maidservant saw him there and began to say again to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” ⁷⁰But again he denied it. A little later, the bystanders said to Peter again, “Truly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean and your accent gives you away.” ⁷¹But he began to call down curses and to swear, “I do not know this man you are talking about!” ⁷²Immediately, for the second time, a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.