Matthew 26:20–35

²⁰When it was evening, Jesus and the twelve disciples sat down to eat. ²¹During the meal Jesus said, “I tell you, one of you will betray me.”

²²The disciples were very upset and began to ask him, one after the other, “Surely, Lord, you don’t mean me?”

^23*Jesus answered, “One who dips his bread in the dish with me will betray me. ²⁴The Son of Man will die as the Scriptures say he will, but how terrible for that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would have been better for that man if he had never been born!”

²⁵Judas, the traitor, spoke up. “Surely, Teacher, you don’t mean me?” he asked.

Jesus answered, “So you say.”

The Lord’s Supper

²⁶While they were eating, Jesus took a piece of bread, gave a prayer of thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples. “Take and eat it,” he said; “this is my body.”

²⁷Then he took a cup, gave thanks to God, and gave it to them. “Drink it, all of you,” he said; ^28*“this is my blood, which seals God’s covenant, my blood poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. ²⁹I tell you, I will never again drink this wine until the day I drink the new wine with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”

³⁰Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

^31*Then Jesus said to them, “This very night all of you will run away and leave me, for the scripture says, ‘God will kill the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ ^32*But after I am raised to life, I will go to Galilee ahead of you.”

³³Peter spoke up and said to Jesus, “I will never leave you, even though all the rest do!”

³⁴Jesus said to Peter, “I tell you that before the cock crows tonight, you will say three times that you do not know me.”

³⁵Peter answered, “I will never say that, even if I have to die with you!”

And all the other disciples said the same thing.