Matthew 26:1-16 ▼

1 When Jesus finished all these words, he said to his disciples,

2 “You know that in two days’ time it will be Passover, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,

4 and they consulted together to arrest Jesus by treachery and put him to death.

5 But they said, “Not during the festival, that there may not be a riot among the people.”

6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,

7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster jar of costly perfumed oil, and poured it on his head while he was reclining at table.

8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant and said, “Why this waste?

9 It could have been sold for much, and the money given to the poor.”

10 Since Jesus knew this, he said to them, “Why do you make trouble for the woman? She has done a good thing for me.

11 The poor you will always have with you; but you will not always have me.

12 In pouring this perfumed oil upon my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.

13 Amen, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be spoken of, in memory of her.”

14 Then one of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests

15 and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver,

16 and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.