Mark 14

THE PLOT TO KILL JESUS

14It^bo was two days before the Passover^bp and the Festival^bq of Unleavened Bread.^br The chief priests and the scribes^bs were looking for a cunning^bt way to arrest Jesus and kill him.^{bu 2}“Not during the festival,” they said, “so that there won’t be a riot among the people.”

THE ANOINTING AT BETHANY

³While^a he was in Bethany^b at the house of Simon the leper,^c as he was reclining at the table,^d a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured it on his head.^{e 4}But some were expressing indignation to one another: “Why has this perfume been wasted? ⁵For this perfume might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii^Bf and given to the poor.”^g And they began to scold her.

⁶Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a noble thing^h for me. ⁷You always have the poorⁱ with you, and you can do what is good for them whenever you want, but you do not always have me.^{j 8}She has done what she could; she has anointed my body^k in advance for burial.^{l 9}Truly I tell you,^m wherever the gospelⁿ is proclaimed in the whole world,^o what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

¹⁰Then^p Judas Iscariot,^q one of the Twelve,^r went to the chief priests^s to betray Jesus^t to them. ¹¹And when they heard this, they were glad and promised to give him money.^u So he started looking for a good opportunity to betray^v him.

PREPARATION FOR PASSOVER

¹²On^w the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrifice the Passover lamb,^x his disciples^y asked him, “Where do you want us to go and prepare the Passover so that you may eat it?”

¹³So he sent two of his disciples and told them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. ¹⁴Wherever he enters, tell the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher^z says, “Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?” ’ ¹⁵He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there.” ¹⁶So the disciples^aa went out, entered the city, and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

BETRAYAL AT THE PASSOVER

¹⁷When^ab evening came, he arrived with the Twelve.^{ac 18}While 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 distressed and to say to him one by one, “Surely not I?”

²⁰He said to them, “It is one of the Twelve—the one who is dipping bread in the bowl with me. ²¹For the Son of Man^ad will go just as it is written^ae about him,^af but woe^ag to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him if he had not been born.”

THE FIRST LORD’S SUPPER

²²As^ah they were eating, he took bread,^ai blessed and broke^aj it, gave it to them,^ak and said, “Take it; this is my body.”^{al 23}Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks,^am he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. ²⁴He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant,^Aan which is poured out^ao for many.^{ap 25}Truly I tell you,^aq I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine^ar until that day when I drink it new^Bas in the kingdom of God.”^at

²⁶After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.^au

PETER’S DENIAL PREDICTED

²⁷Then^av Jesus said to them, “All of you will fall away,^C because it is written:^aw

I will strike the shepherd,

and the sheep^ax will be scattered.^Day

²⁸But after I have risen,^az I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”^ba

²⁹Peter^bb told him, “Even if everyone falls away, I will not.”

³⁰“Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to him, “today, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.”^bc

³¹But he kept insisting, “If I have to die with you, I will never deny you.” And they all said the same thing.

THE PRAYER IN THE GARDEN

³²Then^bd they came to a place named Gethsemane, and he told his disciples,^be “Sit here while I pray.”^{bf 33}He took Peter,^bg James,^bh and John^bi with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. ³⁴He said to them, “I am deeply grieved^E to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake.”^{bj 35}He went a little farther, fell to the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour^a might pass from him. ³⁶And he said, “Abba,^F Father!^b All things are possible^c for you. Take this cup^d away from me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what you will.” ³⁷Then he came and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, “Simon,^e are you sleeping?^f Couldn’t you stay awake one hour? ³⁸Stay awake and pray^g so that you won’t enter into temptation.^Gh The spiritⁱ is willing, but the flesh^j is weak.” ³⁹Once again he went away and prayed, saying the same thing. ⁴⁰And again he came and found them sleeping, because they could not keep their eyes open. They did not know what to say to him.^{k 41}Then he came a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The time has come. See, the Son of Man^l is betrayed into the hands of sinners.^{m 42}Get up;ⁿ let’s go. See, my betrayer is near.”

JUDAS’S BETRAYAL OF JESUS

⁴³While^o he was still speaking, Judas,^p one of the Twelve,^q suddenly arrived. With him was a mob, with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes,^r and the elders.^{s 44}His betrayer had given them a signal. “The one I kiss,” he said, “he’s the one; arrest him and take him away under guard.” ⁴⁵So when he came, immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Rabbi!”^t and kissed him. ⁴⁶They took hold of him and arrested him. ⁴⁷One of those who stood by drew his sword, struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his ear.

⁴⁸Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs, as if I were a criminal,^H to capture me? ⁴⁹Every day I was among you, teaching in the temple,^u and you didn’t arrest me. But the Scriptures^v must be fulfilled.”^w

⁵⁰Then they all deserted him and ran away.^{x 51}Now a certain young man, wearing nothing but a linen cloth, was following him. They caught hold of him, ⁵²but he left the linen cloth behind and ran away naked.^y

JESUS FACES THE SANHEDRIN

⁵³They^z led Jesus away to the high priest,^aa and all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes^ab assembled.^{ac 54}Peter^ad followed him at a distance, right into the high priest’s courtyard. He was sitting with the servants,^ae warming himself by the fire.

⁵⁵The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin^af were looking for testimony against Jesus to put him to death,^ag but they could not find any. ⁵⁶For many were giving false testimony^ah against him, and the testimonies did not agree. ⁵⁷Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, stating, ⁵⁸“We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands,^ai and in three days I will build another not made by hands.’ ” ⁵⁹Yet their testimony did not agree^aj even on this.

⁶⁰Then the high priest stood up before them all and questioned Jesus, “Don’t you have an answer to what these men are testifying against you?” ⁶¹But he kept silent and did not answer.^ak Again the high priest questioned him, “Are you the Messiah,^al the Son^am of the Blessed^an One?”

⁶²“I am,”^ao said Jesus, “and you will see the Son of Man^ap seated at the right hand^aq of Power and coming with the clouds^ar of heaven.”^Bas

⁶³Then the high priest^at tore his robes^au and said, “Why do we still need witnesses?^{av 64}You have heard the blasphemy.^aw What is your decision?” They all condemned him as deserving death.^ax

⁶⁵Then some began to spit on him, to blindfold him, and to beat him, saying, “Prophesy!”^ay The temple servants^az also took him and slapped him.

PETER DENIES HIS LORD

⁶⁶While^ba Peter^bb was in the courtyard below, one of the high priest’s maidservants came. ⁶⁷When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.”^bc

⁶⁸But he denied it: “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about.” Then he went out to the entryway,^C and a rooster crowed.^D

⁶⁹When the maidservant saw him again, she began to tell those standing nearby, “This man is one of them.”

⁷⁰But again he denied it. After a little while those standing there said to Peter again, “You certainly are one of them, since you’re also a Galilean.”^Ebd

⁷¹Then he started to curse and swear,^be “I don’t know this man you’re talking about!”

⁷²Immediately a rooster crowed a second time,^a and Peter remembered when Jesus had spoken the word to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.