1 And it happened that when Jesus had finished all these words, he said to his disciples,
2 "You know that in two days the Passover takes place, and the Son of Man is being handed over to be crucified."
3 At that time the chief priests and the scribes and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, the man called Caiaphas,
4 and they conspired to arrest Jesus by trickery and put him to death.
5 But they kept saying, "Not during the festival, so that there will not be a riot among the people."
6 While Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,
7 a woman approached him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfumed oil, and she poured it over his head as he was reclining at table.
8 Seeing this, his disciples were indignant and said, "What is the point of this waste?
9 This perfumed oil could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor."
10 Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why are you causing the woman trouble? It is a fine deed that she has done for me.
11 For the poor you always have with you, but me you do not always have.
12 In pouring this oil on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.
13 Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in all the world, what she has done will also be spoken of in memory of her."
14 Then one of the twelve, the one called Judas Iscariot, went off to the chief priests
15 and said, "What will you give me if I hand him over to you?" And they weighed out for him thirty silver coins.
16 From then on he was looking for a good opportunity to betray him.
17 On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Where do you want us to get the Passover ready for you to eat?"
18 He said, "Go into the city to so-and-so and tell him, 'The Teacher says, "My time is near; I am keeping the Passover at your place with my disciples."'"
19 The disciples did as Jesus had instructed them, and they got the Passover ready.
20 When evening had come, he was reclining at table with the twelve.
21 And while they were eating, he said, "Truly I say to you that one of you will betray me."
22 They were deeply grieved, and one after another they began to say to him, "Surely it is not I, Lord?"
23 He answered, "The one who dipped his hand into the dish with me is the one who will betray me.
24 The Son of Man is going away just as it has been written about him, but woe to that man through whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had never been born."
25 Judas, the one betraying him, responded, "Surely it is not I, Rabbi?" He told him, "You have said so."
26 While they were eating, Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."
27 Then he took the cup, gave thanks, and handed it to them, saying, "All of you, drink from it.
28 For this is my blood of the new covenant, which is being poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
29 I say to you, from now on I will certainly not drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in the kingdom of my Father."
30 After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
31 Then Jesus told them, "All of you will stumble because of me this night; for it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'
32 But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you into Galilee."
33 Peter answered him, "Even if all stumble because of you, I will never stumble."
34 Jesus told him, "Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny me three times."
35 Peter said to him, "Even if I have to die with you, I will certainly not deny you!" And all the disciples said the same thing.
36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he told the disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."
37 Taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be grieved and greatly troubled.
38 Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow, to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."
39 Going on a little farther, he fell on his face and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."
40 Then he came to the disciples and found them asleep, and he said to Peter, "So you were not able to keep watch with me for one hour?
41 Keep watching and praying, so that you will not come into temptation. The spirit is eager, but the flesh is weak."
42 He went away again a second time and prayed, "My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from me unless I drink it, let your will be done."
43 Coming back, he again found them asleep, because their eyes were weighed down.
44 Leaving them, he went away once more and prayed a third time, saying the same thing again.
45 Then he came to his disciples and told them, "Sleep on now, and take your rest. Look, the hour has drawn near, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.
46 Get up, let us go. Look, the one betraying me has drawn near."
47 While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived, and with him a large crowd with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and elders of the people.
48 His betrayer had given them a signal: "Whomever I kiss, he is the one; arrest him."
49 He went straight up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him warmly.
50 Jesus said to him, "Friend, why have you come?" Then they came forward, laid their hands on Jesus, and arrested him.
51 And one of those with Jesus reached out his hand, drew his sword, struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his ear.
52 Then Jesus said to him, "Return your sword to its place, for all who take up the sword will perish by the sword.
53 Or do you suppose that I cannot call on my Father now, and he would put at my side more than twelve legions of angels?
54 How, then, would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it has to happen in this way?"
55 At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to capture me as though I were a robber? Day after day I sat teaching in the temple with you, and you did not arrest me.
56 But all this has happened so that the writings of the prophets would be fulfilled." Then the disciples all deserted him and fled.
57 Those who had arrested Jesus took him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had assembled.
58 Peter followed him from a distance as far as the high priest's courtyard, and he went in and sat down with the attendants to see how it would end.
59 The chief priests, the elders, and the whole Council kept looking for false testimony against Jesus in order to put him to death,
60 but they found none. Though many false witnesses came forward, they found none.
61 At last two false witnesses came forward and said, "This fellow said, 'I am able to tear down the temple of God and build it within three days.'"
62 The high priest stood up and said to him, "Have you no answer to give? What are these men testifying against you?"
63 But Jesus kept silent. The high priest said to him, "I put you under oath by the living God: tell us whether you are the Christ, the Son of God."
64 Jesus told him, "You have said so. But I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven."
65 Then the high priest ripped his garments and said, "He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? See, you have now heard his blasphemy.
66 What is your verdict?" They answered, "He deserves death."
67 Then they spat in his face and beat him with their fists, and some slapped him,
68 saying, "Prophesy to us, Christ! Who was it that hit you?"
69 Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a servant girl came up to him and said, "You too were with Jesus the Galilean."
70 But he denied it in front of everyone, saying, "I do not know what you are talking about."
71 When he had gone out to the entryway, another girl saw him and said to the people there, "This man was with Jesus the Nazarene."
72 Again he denied it, with an oath: "I do not know the man!"
73 A little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter, "You certainly are one of them too; even your way of speaking gives you away."
74 Then he began to call down curses and to swear, "I do not know the man!" And at once a rooster crowed.
75 Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: "Before a rooster crows, you will deny me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly.