Matthew 26:1–29

The Plot to Kill Jesus

26When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, ^2m“You know that after two days ⁿthe Passover is coming, and ^othe Son of Man ^pwill be delivered up to be crucified.”

^3qThen the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in ^rthe palace of the high priest, whose name was ^sCaiaphas, ^4tand plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. ⁵But they said, “Not during the feast, ^ulest there be an uproar among the people.”

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

^6vNow when Jesus was at ^wBethany in the house of Simon the leper,^{1 7}a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. ⁸And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? ⁹For this could have been sold for a large sum and ^xgiven to the poor.” ¹⁰But ^yJesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. ¹¹For ^zyou always have the poor with you, but ^ayou will not always have me. ¹²In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it ^bto prepare me for burial. ¹³Truly, I say to you, wherever ^cthis gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told ^din memory of her.”

Judas to Betray Jesus

^14eThen one of the twelve, whose name was ^fJudas Iscariot, went to the chief priests ¹⁵and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they ^gpaid him ^hthirty pieces of silver. ¹⁶And from that moment he sought an opportunity ⁱto betray him.

The Passover with the Disciples

^17jNow on ^kthe first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” ¹⁸He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ^l‘The Teacher says, ^mMy time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’ ” ¹⁹And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.

²⁰ⁿWhen it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve.^{2 21}And as they were eating, ^ohe said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” ²²And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” ²³He answered, ^p“He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. ²⁴The Son of Man goes ^qas it is written of him, but ^rwoe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! ^sIt would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” ²⁵Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, ^tRabbi?” He said to him, ^u“You have said so.”

Institution of the Lord’s Supper

^26vNow as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and ^wafter blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; ^xthis is my body.” ²⁷And he took a cup, and when he ^yhad given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, ²⁸for ^xthis is my ^zblood of the³ covenant, which is poured out for ^amany ^bfor the forgiveness of sins. ²⁹I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you ^cin my Father’s kingdom.”