Mark 14

¹Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread was two days away. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to seize him by stealth and kill him. ²For they were saying, "Not during the festival, or there will be an uproar among the people."

³While he was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very costly perfume of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured it over his head. ⁴But some were indignant among themselves: "Why has this waste of the perfume happened? ⁵This perfume could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor!" And they were rebuking her harshly.

⁶But Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Why are you troubling her? She has done a beautiful deed for me. ⁷For the poor you always have with you, and whenever you wish you can do good for them. But you do not always have me. ⁸What she could, she did—she anointed my body beforehand for burial. ⁹Truly I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be spoken of as a memorial to her."

¹⁰And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went away to the chief priests in order to hand him over to them. ¹¹When they heard this, they were delighted and promised to give him money. And he began seeking how to hand him over at an opportune time.

¹²On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they were sacrificing the Passover lamb, his disciples say to him, "Where do you want us to go and prepare so that you may eat the Passover?" ¹³And he sends two of his disciples and says to them, "Go into the city, and a man carrying a water jar will meet you. Follow him. ¹⁴And wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says: Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' ¹⁵And he will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Prepare for us there." ¹⁶The disciples went out and came into the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

¹⁷When evening came, he arrives with the twelve. ¹⁸While they were reclining and eating, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, one of you will hand me over—one who is eating with me." ¹⁹They began to be distressed and to say to him one by one, "Surely not I?" ²⁰He said to them, "One of the twelve—the one dipping with me into the dish. ²¹For the Son of Man goes as it has been written concerning him, but woe to that man through whom the Son of Man is handed over! It would be better for that man if he had not been born."

²²While they were eating, he took bread, spoke a blessing, broke it, and gave it to them and said, "Take; this is my body." ²³And taking a cup, he gave thanks and 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 certainly not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."

²⁶And after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

²⁷And Jesus says 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, I will go before you to Galilee." ²⁹But Peter said to him, "Even if all fall away, I will not." ³⁰And Jesus says to him, "Truly I tell you, today—this very night—before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times." ³¹But he kept saying vehemently, "Even if I must die with you, I will never deny you!" And they all were saying the same.

³²They come to a place called Gethsemane, and he says to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." ³³And he takes Peter and James and John with him, and he began to be deeply alarmed and troubled. ³⁴And he says to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with grief to the point of death. Remain here and keep watch."

³⁵And going forward a little, he fell upon the ground and was praying that if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. ³⁶And he was saying, "Abba—Father—all things are possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."

³⁷And he comes and finds them sleeping, and says to Peter, "Simon, are you sleeping? Were you not strong enough to keep watch one hour? ³⁸Keep watch and pray so that you may not enter into testing. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

³⁹And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. ⁴⁰And coming back again, he found them sleeping, for their eyes were weighed down. And they did not know what to answer him. ⁴¹He comes a third time and says to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? It is finished. The hour has come. Look—the Son of Man is being handed over into the hands of sinners. ⁴²Get up, let us go. Look—the one handing me over has drawn near."

⁴³And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas arrives—one of the twelve—and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. ⁴⁴Now the one handing him over had given them a signal, saying, "The one I kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard." ⁴⁵And arriving, he immediately went up to him and says, "Rabbi!"—and kissed him fervently. ⁴⁶And they laid hands on him and seized him.

⁴⁷But one of those standing by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. ⁴⁸And Jesus responded and said to them, "Have you come out as against a revolutionary, with swords and clubs to arrest me? ⁴⁹Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the scriptures be fulfilled." ⁵⁰And leaving him, they all fled.

⁵¹And a certain young man was following him, wearing only a linen cloth over his naked body. They seized him, ⁵²but leaving the linen cloth behind, he fled naked.

⁵³They led Jesus away to the high priest, and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes assembled. ⁵⁴And Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he was sitting with the guards and warming himself by the fire.

⁵⁵Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they could not find any. ⁵⁶For many were testifying falsely against him, but their testimonies did not agree. ⁵⁷And some stood up and testified falsely against him, saying, ⁵⁸"We heard him say, 'I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another not made with hands.'" ⁵⁹Yet even so their testimony did not agree.

⁶⁰And the high priest stood up in the midst and questioned Jesus, saying, "Do you answer nothing? What is this these men testify against you?" ⁶¹But he was silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest questioned him and says to him, "Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?" ⁶²And Jesus said, "I am. And you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of