Mark 14

The Plot to Kill Jesus

14After ^ftwo days it was the Passover ^gand the Festival ^hof Unleavened Bread. ⁱThe chief priests and the scribes ^jwere looking for a treacherous ^kway to arrest and kill Him. ^l2“Not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be rioting among the people.”

The Anointing at Bethany

³While ^mHe was in Bethany ⁿat the house of Simon who had a serious skin disease, ^oas He was reclining at the table, ^pa woman came with an alabaster jar of pure and expensive fragrant oil of nard. She broke the jar and poured it on His head. ^q4But some were expressing indignation to one another: “Why has this fragrant oil been wasted? ⁵For this oil might have been sold for more than 300 denarii ^rand given to the poor.” ^sAnd they began to scold her.

⁶Then Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a noble thing ^tfor Me. ⁷You always have the poor ^uwith you, and you can do what is good for them whenever you want, but you do not always have Me. ^v8She has done what she could; she has anointed My body ^win advance for burial. ^x9•I assure you: ^yWherever the gospel ^zis proclaimed in the whole world, ^awhat this woman has done will also be told in memory of her.”

¹⁰Then ^bJudas Iscariot, ^cone of the Twelve, ^dwent to the chief priests ^eto hand Him over ^fto them. ¹¹And when they heard this, they were glad and promised to give him silver. ^ghSo he started looking for a good opportunity to betray ⁱHim.

Preparation for Passover

¹²On ^jthe first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrifice the Passover lamb, ^kHis disciples ^lasked Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare the Passover so You may eat it?”

¹³So He sent two of His disciples and told them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a water jug will meet you. Follow him. ¹⁴Wherever he enters, tell the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher ^msays, “Where is the guest room for Me to 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 ⁿwent out, entered the city, and found it just as He had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

Betrayal at the Passover

¹⁷When ^oevening came, He arrived with the Twelve. ^p18While they were reclining and eating, Jesus said, “I assure 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 with Me in the bowl. ²¹For the ^•Son of Man ^qwill go just as it is written ^rabout Him, ^sbut woe ^tto that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”

The First Lord’s Supper

²²As ^uthey were eating, He took bread, ^vblessed and broke ^wit, gave it to them, ^xand said, “Take it; ^ythis is My body.” ^z

²³Then He took a cup, and after giving thanks, ^aHe gave it to them, and so they all drank from it. ²⁴He said to them, “This is My blood that establishes the covenant; ^bcit is shed ^dfor many. ^e25I assure you: ^fI will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine ^guntil that day when I drink it in a new ^hway ⁱin the kingdom of God.” ^j26After singing psalms, ^kthey went out to the Mount of Olives. ^l

Peter’s Denial Predicted

²⁷Then ^mJesus said to them, “All of you will run away, ^nobecause it is written: ^p

I will strike the shepherd,

and the sheep ^qwill be scattered. ^rs

²⁸But after I have been resurrected, ^tI will go ahead of you to Galilee.” ^u

²⁹Peter ^vtold Him, “Even if everyone runs away, I will certainly not!”

³⁰“I assure you,” Jesus said to him, “today, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times!” ^w

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 ^xthey came to a place named Gethsemane, and He told His disciples, ^y“Sit here while I pray.” ^z33He took Peter, ^aJames, ^band John ^cwith Him, and He began to be deeply distressed and horrified. ³⁴Then He said to them, “My soul is swallowed up in sorrow ^d—to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake.” ^e35Then He went a little farther, fell to the ground, and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour ^fmight pass from Him. ³⁶And He said, “Abba, ^gFather! ^hAll things are possible ⁱfor You. Take this cup ^jaway from Me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”

³⁷Then He came and found them sleeping. “Simon, ^kare you sleeping?” He asked Peter. ^l“Couldn’t you stay awake one hour? ³⁸Stay awake and pray ^mso that you won’t enter into temptation. ⁿThe spirit ^ois willing, but the flesh ^pis weak.”

³⁹Once again He went away and prayed, saying the same thing. ⁴⁰And He came again and found them sleeping, because they could not keep their eyes open. ^qThey did not know what to say to Him. ^r41Then He came a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The time has come. Look, the Son of Man ^sis being betrayed into the hands of sinners. ^t42Get up; ^ulet’s go! See—My betrayer is near.”

The Judas Kiss

⁴³While ^vHe was still speaking, Judas, ^wone of the Twelve, ^xsuddenly arrived. With him was a mob, with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, ^yand the elders. ^z44His 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, he went right up to Him and said, “Rabbi!” ^a—and kissed Him. ⁴⁶Then they took hold of Him and arrested Him. ⁴⁷And one of those who stood by drew his sword, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his ear.

⁴⁸But Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs, as though I were a criminal, ^bto capture Me? ⁴⁹Every day I was among you, teaching in the ^•temple complex, ^cand you didn’t arrest Me. But the Scriptures ^dmust be fulfilled.” ^e50Then they all deserted Him and ran away. ^f

⁵¹Now a certain young man, ^ghaving a linen cloth wrapped around his naked body, was following Him. They caught hold of him, ⁵²but he left the linen cloth behind and ran away naked. ^h

Jesus Faces the Sanhedrin

⁵³They ⁱled Jesus away to the high priest, ^jand all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes ^kconvened. ^l54Peter ^mfollowed Him at a distance, right into the high priest’s courtyard. He was sitting with the temple police, ^nowarming himself by the fire. ^p

⁵⁵The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin ^qwere looking for testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, ^rbut they could find none. ⁵⁶For many were giving false testimony ^sagainst Him, but the testimonies did not agree. ⁵⁷Some stood up and were giving false testimony against Him, stating, ⁵⁸“We heard Him say, ‘I will demolish this sanctuary made by human hands, ^tand in three days I will build another not made by hands.’ ” ⁵⁹Yet their testimony did not agree ^ueven 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 anything. ^vAgain the high priest questioned Him, “Are You the Messiah, ^wthe Son ^xof the Blessed ^yOne?”

⁶²“I am,” ^zsaid Jesus, “and all of you ^awill see the Son of Man ^bseated at the right hand ^cof the Power and coming with the clouds ^dof heaven.” ^ef

⁶³Then the high priest ^gtore his robes ^hand said, “Why do we still need witnesses? ⁱ⁶⁴You have heard the blasphemy! ^jWhat is your decision?” ^k

And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death. ^l65Then some began to spit on Him, to blindfold Him, and to beat Him, saying, “Prophesy!” ^mThe temple police ⁿalso took Him and slapped Him.

Peter Denies His Lord

⁶⁶While ^oPeter ^pwas in the courtyard below, one of the high priest’s servants came. ⁶⁷When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with that Nazarene, ^qJesus.”

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

⁶⁹When the servant 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!” ^st

⁷¹Then he started to curse ^uand to swear with an oath, ^v“I don’t know this man you’re talking about!”

⁷²Immediately a rooster crowed a second time, ^wand Peter remembered when Jesus had spoken the word to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” When he thought about it, he began to weep. ^x