Matthew Twenty-Six

   When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, You know that after two days will be the passover, and the Son of man will be betrayed to be crucified. Then the high priests and the scribes and the elders of the people assembled in the court yard of the high priest, who is called
Caiaphas. And they took counsel concerning Jesus, to arrest him by a snare and kill him. And they said, Not on the feast day, so as not to cause a riot among the people.

   ¶ And when Jesus was at Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, A woman came up to him with an alabaster vessel of precious perfume, and she poured it upon the head of Jesus, while he was reclining. When his disciples saw it, they were displeased, and said, Why is this loss? For it could have been sold for a great deal, and given to the poor. But Jesus understood it and said to them, Why are you troubling the woman? She has done a good work to me. For you always have the poor with you,
but you will not have me always. But this one who poured the perfume on my body, did it as for my burial. And truly I say to you, Wherever this my gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told as a memorial to her.

   ¶ Then one of the twelve, called Judas of Iscariot, went to the high priests; And he said to them, What are you willing to give me, and I will deliver him to you? And they promised him thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought an opportunity to betray him.

   ¶ On the first day of unleavened bread, the disciples came up to Jesus and said to him, Where do you wish that we may prepare the passover for you to eat? And he said to them, Go into the city to a
certain man, and say to him, Our Master says, My time has come, I will observe the passover with my disciples at your house. And his disciples did as Jesus had commanded them; and they prepared the passover. And when it was evening, he was reclining with his twelve disciples. And while they were eating he said, Truly I say to you, that one of you will betray me. And they felt very sad, and began to say to him one by one, Why, is it I, my Lord? And he answered and said, He who dips his hand with me in the dish, he will betray me. The Son of man is going through, just as it is written concerning him; but woe to the man by whose hand the Son of man is betrayed! it would have been far better for that man never to have been born. Then Judas the traitor answered and said, Master, perhaps it is I? Jesus said to him, You say that.

   ¶ While they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it, and he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and he said, Take, eat; this is my body. Then he took the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them and said, Take, drink of it, all of you. This is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, from now on I shall not drink from this fruit of the vine, until the day when I drink it anew with you in the kingdom of God. And they offered praise, and went out to the Mount of Olives.

   ¶ Then Jesus said to them, All of you will deny me this night; for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of his flock will be scattered. But after I am risen, I will be in Galilee before you. Peter answered and said to him, Even if every man should deny you, I will never deny you. Jesus said to him, Truly I say to you, that in this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times. Peter said to him, Even if I must die with you, I will never deny you. All the disciples said likewise.

   ¶ Then Jesus came with them to a place which is called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, Sit down here, while I go to pray. And he took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and he began to be sorrowful and oppressed. He said to them, My soul is sorrowful even to death; wait for me here, and watch with me. And he went a little further and fell on his face, and prayed saying, O my Father, if
it be possible, let this cup pass from me; but let it be, not as I will, but as you. Then he came to his disciples and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, So, you were not able to watch with me even for one hour? Awake and pray, that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit indeed is ready,
but the body is weak. He went away again the second time and prayed and said, O my Father, if this cup cannot pass, and if I have to drink it, let it be according to your will. He came again and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. And he left them and went away again and prayed the third time, and he said the same word. Then he came to his disciples and said to them, Sleep from now on and get your rest; behold, the hour has come, and the Son of man will be delivered into the hands of sinners. Arise, let us go; behold, he who is to deliver me has arrived.

   ¶ While he was speaking, behold, Judas the traitor, one of the twelve, came and with him a large crowd with swords and staves, from the high priests and the elders of the people. Now Judas the traitor had given them a sign, saying, He whom I kiss, it is he, arrest him. And immediately he came up to Jesus and said, Peace, Master; and he kissed him. Jesus said to him, Is it for this that you have come, my friend? Then they came near and laid hands on Jesus, and arrested him. And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew a sword, and struck it at the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, Return the sword to its place; for all who take swords will die by swords. Or do you think that I cannot ask of my Father, and he will now raise up for me more than twelve legions of angels? How then could the scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so? At that very hour Jesus said to the people, Have you come out with swords and staves to arrest me like a bandit? I sat with you every day, teaching in the temple, and you did not arrest me. But this has happened so that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples left him, and fled.

   ¶ And those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had assembled. But Simon Peter followed him afar off, up to the courtyard of the high priest, and he went inside and sat with the soldiers, to see the end. Now the high priests and the elders and
the whole council were seeking witnesses against Jesus, so that they might put him to death. But they could not find any; then there came a great many false witnesses; but at the end two came forward, And said, This man said, I can tear down the temple of God, and build it in three days. And the high priest stood up and said to him, You are not answering anything. What is it that these men testify against you? But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest answered and said to him, I adjure you by the living God, to tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God? Jesus said to him, You say that. But I say
to you that from henceforth you will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of the power, and coming upon the clouds of the sky. The high priest then rent his clothes and said, Behold, he is blaspheming; why therefore do we need witnesses? behold, you have now heard his blasphemy. What else do you want? They answered and said, He is guilty of death. Then they spat in his face, and struck him on his head, and others beat him, Saying, O Christ, prophesy to us; who smote you?

   ¶ Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard; and a maidservant came up to him, and said to him, You also were with Jesus the Nazarene. But he denied it before all of them, and said, I do not understand what you are saying. And as he was going to the porch, another one saw him, and she said to them, This man was also there with Jesus the Nazarene. Again he denied it with oaths, I do not know the man. After a while, those who were standing came up, and said to Peter, Truly you also are one of them, for even your speech proves it. Then he began to curse and to swear, I do not know the man. At that very hour the cock crowed. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which he had said to him, Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times. And he went outside and wept bitterly.