Chapter Fourteen
And it was the Passover and the unleavened bread after two days, and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how, by craft, getting hold of him they might kill him. But they said,
“Not during the feast, in case there’s an uproar of the people.”
And he, being in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining, a woman came having an alabaster jar of ointment of pure spikenard, very expensive, and having broken open the jar, she poured it on his head. And some were indignant in themselves, even saying,
“Why has this waste of the ointment been made? For this could have been sold for over three hundred pence and have been given to the poor!”
And they murmured against her.
But Jesus said,
“Leave her alone! Why are you causing her trouble? She has done a good work for me. For the poor you always have with you, and whenever you want you can do good to them, but you don’t always have me. She’s done what she could. She’s come beforehand to anoint my body for the burial. Truly I’m telling you, wherever this joyful news is proclaimed in the whole world, this that she has done will also be spoken of as a memorial of her!”
And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went away to the chief priests, so that he might hand him over to them. And they, having heard, rejoiced and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might hand him over conveniently.
And on the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples say to him,
“Where do you want us to go and get ready so that you may eat the passover?”
And he sends out two of his disciples and says to them,
“Go off into the city and a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him, and wherever he goes in say to the head of the household - the teacher says ‘Where is the guest chamber where I may eat the passover with my disciples?’ - And he will show you a large upper room furnished, ready. There get ready for us.”
And his disciples went away and came into the city, and found as he had told them, and they got the passover ready.
And evening being come, he comes with the twelve. And as they were reclining and eating Jesus said,
“Truly I’m telling you that one of you who is eating with me will hand me over!”
And they began to be grieved and to say to him one by one,
“Is it I?”
And another,
“Is it I?”
But he, answering, said to them,
“One of the twelve who is dipping with me in the dish! The Son of man is going indeed, as it has been written about him, but alas for that man by whom the Son of man is handed over, it were good for that man if he had not been born!”
And as they were eating, Jesus, having taken a loaf, having blessed, broke it and gave to them and said,
“Take, eat, this is my body.”
And having taken the cup, having given thanks he gave to them, and they all drank from it.
And he said to them,
“This is my blood of the new covenant,which is poured out for many. Truly I’m telling you that I will no more drink of the vine’s fruit until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
And having sung a hymn they went out to the mount of Olives.
And Jesus says to them,
“You will all be offended because of me tonight: for it has been written, ‘I will strike down the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered abroad.’ But after my arising I’ll go before you into Galilee.”
But Peter said to him,
“Even if all will be offended, yet not I!”
And Jesus says to him,
“Truly I’m telling you that today, in this night, before the cockerel crows twice, you will deny me three times.”
But he more exceedingly said,
“If I must die with you I will definitely not deny you at all!”
And they all also spoke like this.
And they come to a place whose name is Gethsemane, and he says to his disciples,
“Sit here, while I pray.”
And he takes along Peter and James and John with him, and he began to be very amazed and deeply depressed. And he says to them,
“My soul is very sad even to death. Stay here and keep awake!”
And having gone forward a little, he fell upon the earth and prayed that, if it is possible, the hour might pass from him.
And he said,
“Abba, Father, all things are possible to you, take away this cup from me, but not what I want but what you want!”
And he comes and finds them sleeping, and he says to Peter,
“Simon, are you sleeping? Couldn’t you stay awake one hour? Stay awake and pray so that you don’t enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
And again, having gone apart, he prayed saying the same words. And having returned he found them sleeping again, for their eyes were heavy, and they did not know what to answer him. And he comes the third time and says to them,
“Sleep on now and take rest. It’s enough. The hour has come. See, the Son of man is handed over into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let’s go! Look, he who is betraying me has come near!”
And immediately, as he is still speaking, Judas comes up, being one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd, with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. Now he who was handing him over had given them a sign saying,
“Whoever I shall kiss: he it is! Seize him and lead him away safely.”
And on arriving, at once coming up to him he says,
“Rabbi, Rabbi!”
And kissed him earnestly.
And they laid their hands on him and seized him. But a certain one of those standing by, having drawn the sword struck the high priest’s servant and took off his ear. And answering, Jesus said to them,
“As against a thief have you come out with swords and clubs to take me? Every day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you didn’t seize me; but so that the scriptures may be fulfilled.....”
And leaving him they all fled away. And a certain young man was following him, having put a sheet about his naked body, and the young men seized him, but he, leaving behind the sheet, got away from them naked.
And they led Jesus away to the high priest. And there come together to him all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes. And Peter followed him from far off, as far as to inside the court of the high priest, and he was sitting with the officers and warming himself at the fire.
And the chief priests and all the sanhedrin looked for testimony against Jesus so as to put him to death, and did not find any. For many bore false witness against him, and their testimonies were not the same. And some bore lying witness against him saying,
“We heard him saying, ‘I will destroy this temple which is made with hands, and in three days I’ll build another made without hands!’”
And neither so was their testimony consistent.
And having stood up in the midst, the high priest questioned Jesus saying,
“Aren’t you answering anything to what these are testifying against you?”
But he was silent and answered nothing.
Again the high priest was questioning him and says to him,
“Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”
And Jesus said,
“I am. And you will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming with the clouds of heaven!”
And the high priest, having torn his garments says,
“What need do we have any more of witnesses? You heard the blaphemy! How does it seem to you?”
And they all judged him to be worthy of death. And some began to spit on him and to cover up his face, and to punch him, and they said to him,
“Prophesy!”
And the officers slapped him.
And Peter being in the court below, one of the high priest’s maids comes, and seeing Peter warming himself, having looked at him carefully, says,
“You too were with the Nazarene Jesus!”
But he denied saying,
“I don’t know or understand what you’re saying!”
And he went out into the porch.
And a cockerel crowed.
And the maid, seeing him again, began to say to those standing by,
“This is one of them!”
And again he denied.
And after a little while again, those standing by said to Peter,
“Surely you’re one of them, for you’re a Galilean and you speak like one!”
But he began to curse and to swear,
“I don’t know this man you’re talking about!”
And a cockerel crowed a second time, and Peter remembered the word that Jesus had said to him, ‘Before the cockerel crows twice you will deny me three times!’ And having thought about that, he wept.
