Gospel of Saint Mark - The New Testament

¹ It was two days before the Passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread, and the chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus by some trick and have him put to death.

² For they said, 'It must not be during the festivities, or there will be a disturbance among the people.'

³ He was at Bethany in the house of Simon, a man who had suffered from a virulent skin-disease; he was at table when a woman came in with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the ointment on his head.

⁴ Some who were there said to one another indignantly, 'Why this waste of ointment?

⁵ Ointment like this could have been sold for over three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor'; and they were angry with her.

⁶ But Jesus said, 'Leave her alone. Why are you upsetting her? What she has done for me is a good work.

⁷ You have the poor with you always, and you can be kind to them whenever you wish, but you will not always have me.

⁸ She has done what she could: she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial.

⁹ In truth I tell you, wherever throughout all the world the gospel is proclaimed, what she has done will be told as well, in remembrance of her.'

¹⁰ Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, approached the chief priests with an offer to hand Jesus over to them.

¹¹ They were delighted to hear it, and promised to give him money; and he began to look for a way of betraying him when the opportunity should occur.

¹² On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was sacrificed, his disciples said to him, 'Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?'

¹³ So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 'Go into the city and you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him,

¹⁴ and say to the owner of the house which he enters, "The Master says: Where is the room for me to eat the Passover with my disciples?"

¹⁵ He will show you a large upper room furnished with couches, all prepared. Make the preparations for us there.'

¹⁶ The disciples set out and went to the city and found everything as he had told them, and prepared the Passover.

¹⁷ When evening came he arrived with the Twelve.

¹⁸ And while they were at table eating, Jesus said, 'In truth I tell you, one of you is about to betray me, one of you eating with me.'

¹⁹ They were distressed and said to him, one after another, 'Not me, surely?'

²⁰ He said to them, 'It is one of the Twelve, one who is dipping into the same dish with me.

²¹ Yes, the Son of man is going to his fate, as the scriptures say he will, but alas for that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! Better for that man if he had never been born.'

²² And as they were eating he took bread, and when he had said the blessing he broke it and gave it to them. 'Take it,' he said, 'this is my body.'

²³ Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he handed it to them, and all drank from it,

²⁴ and he said to them, 'This is my blood, the blood of the covenant, poured out for many.

²⁵ In truth I tell you, I shall never drink wine any more until the day I drink the new wine in the kingdom of God.'

²⁶ After the psalms had been sung they left for the Mount of Olives.

²⁷ And Jesus said to them, 'You will all fall away, for the scripture says: I shall strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered;

²⁸ however, after my resurrection I shall go before you into Galilee.'

²⁹ Peter said, 'Even if all fall away, I will not.'

³⁰ And Jesus said to him, 'In truth I tell you, this day, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will have disowned me three times.'

³¹ But he repeated still more earnestly, 'If I have to die with you, I will never disown you.' And they all said the same.

³² They came to a plot of land called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, 'Stay here while I pray.'

³³ Then he took Peter and James and John with him.

³⁴ And he began to feel terror and anguish. And he said to them, 'My soul is sorrowful to the point of death. Wait here, and stay awake.'

³⁵ And going on a little further he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, this hour might pass him by.

³⁶ 'Abba, Father!' he said, 'For you everything is possible. Take this cup away from me. But let it be as you, not I, would have it.'

³⁷ He came back and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, 'Simon, are you asleep? Had you not the strength to stay awake one hour?

³⁸ Stay awake and pray not to be put to the test. The spirit is willing enough, but human nature is weak.'

³⁹ Again he went away and prayed, saying the same words.

⁴⁰ And once more he came back and found them sleeping, their eyes were so heavy; and they could find no answer for him.

⁴¹ He came back a third time and said to them, 'You can sleep on now and have your rest. It is all over. The hour has come. Now the Son of man is to be betrayed into the hands of sinners.

⁴² Get up! Let us go! My betrayer is not far away.'

⁴³ And at once, while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, came up and with him a number of men armed with swords and clubs, sent by the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.

⁴⁴ Now the traitor had arranged a signal with them saying, 'The one I kiss, he is the man. Arrest him, and see he is well guarded when you lead him away.'

⁴⁵ So when the traitor came, he went up to Jesus at once and said, 'Rabbi!' and kissed him.

⁴⁶ The others seized him and arrested him.

⁴⁷ Then one of the bystanders drew his sword and struck out at the high priest's servant and cut off his ear.

⁴⁸ Then Jesus spoke. 'Am I a bandit,' he said, 'that you had to set out to capture me with swords and clubs?

⁴⁹ I was among you teaching in the Temple day after day and you never laid a hand on me. But this is to fulfil the scriptures.'

⁵⁰ And they all deserted him and ran away.

⁵¹ A young man followed with nothing on but a linen cloth. They caught hold of him,

⁵² but he left the cloth in their hands and ran away naked.

⁵³ They led Jesus off to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes assembled there.

⁵⁴ Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the high priest's palace, and was sitting with the attendants warming himself at the fire.

⁵⁵ The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus in order to have him executed. But they could not find any.

⁵⁶ Several, indeed, brought false witness against him, but their evidence was conflicting.

⁵⁷ Some stood up and submitted this false evidence against him,

⁵⁸ 'We heard him say, "I am going to destroy this Temple made by human hands, and in three days build another, not made by human hands." '

⁵⁹ But even on this point their evidence was conflicting.

⁶⁰ The high priest then rose before the whole assembly and put this question to Jesus, 'Have you no answer to that? What is this evidence these men are bringing against you?'

⁶¹ But he was silent and made no answer at all. The high priest put a second question to him saying, 'Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?'

⁶² 'I am,' said Jesus, 'and you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.'

⁶³ The high priest tore his robes and said, 'What need of witnesses have we now?

⁶⁴ You heard the blasphemy. What is your finding?' Their verdict was unanimous: he deserved to die.

⁶⁵ Some of them started spitting at his face, hitting him and saying, 'Play the prophet!' And the attendants struck him too.

⁶⁶ While Peter was down below in the courtyard, one of the high priest's servant-girls came up.

⁶⁷ She saw Peter warming himself there, looked closely at him and said, 'You too were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.'

⁶⁸ But he denied it. 'I do not know, I do not understand what you are talking about,' he said. And he went out into the forecourt, and a cock crowed.

⁶⁹ The servant-girl saw him and again started telling the bystanders, 'This man is one of them.'

⁷⁰ But again he denied it. A little later the bystanders themselves said to Peter, 'You are certainly one of them! Why, you are a Galilean.'

⁷¹ But he started cursing and swearing, 'I do not know the man you speak of.'

⁷² And at once the cock crowed for the second time, and Peter recalled what Jesus had said to him, 'Before the cock crows twice, you will have disowned me three times.' And he burst into tears.