Matthew 26:1-39 ▼

1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he told his disciples,

2 |You know that the Passover will take place in two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.|

3 Then the high priests and the elders of the people assembled in the courtyard of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas.

4 They conspired to arrest Jesus by treachery and to kill him.

5 But they kept saying, |This must not happen during the festival. Otherwise, there'll be a riot among the people.|

6 While Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper,

7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume and poured it on his head while he sat at the table.

8 But when the disciples saw this, they became irritated and said, |Why this waste?

9 Surely this perfume could've been sold for a high price and the money given to the destitute.|

10 But knowing this, Jesus asked them, |Why are you bothering the woman? She has done a beautiful thing for me.

11 You'll always have the destitute with you, but you'll not always have me.

12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she was preparing me for burial.

13 I tell all of you with certainty, wherever this gospel is proclaimed throughout the whole world, what she has done will also be told as a memorial to her.|

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

15 and inquired, |What are you willing to give me if I betray Jesus to you?| They offered him 30 pieces of silver,

16 and from then on he began to look for an opportunity to betray Jesus.

17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples approached Jesus and asked, |Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover meal?|

18 He said, |Go to a certain man in the city and say to him, 'The Teacher says, |My time is near. I will celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.|'|

19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

20 When evening came, Jesus was sitting at the table with the Twelve.

21 While they were eating, he said, |I tell all of you with certainty, one of you is going to betray me.|

22 Feeling deeply distressed, each one began to ask him, |Surely I am not the one, Lord?|

23 He replied, |The man who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me.

24 The Son of Man is going away, just as it has been written about him. How terrible it will be for that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him if he had never been born.|

25 Then Judas, who was going to betray him, asked, |Rabbi, I'm not the one, am I?| Jesus told him, |You have said so.|

26 While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and handed it to the disciples, saying, |Take this and eat it. This is my body.|

27 Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, |Drink from it, all of you,

28 because this is my blood of the new covenant that is being poured out for many people for the forgiveness of sins.

29 I tell all of you I will never again drink the product of the vine until that day when I drink it with you once again in my Father's kingdom.|

30 After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

31 Then Jesus told them, |All of you will turn against me this very night, because it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'

32 However, after I have been raised, I will go to Galilee ahead of you.|

33 But Peter told him, |Even if everyone else turns against you, I certainly won't!|

34 Jesus told him, |I tell you with certainty, before a rooster crows this very night, you will deny me three times.|

35 Peter told him, |Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!| And all the disciples said the same thing.

36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane. He told the disciples, |Sit down here while I go over there and pray.|

37 Taking Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with him, he began to be grieved and troubled.

38 Then he told them, |I'm so deeply grieved that I feel I'm about to die. Wait here and stay awake with me.|

39 Going on a little farther, he fell on his face and prayed, |O my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not what I want but what you want.|