< Matthew 26 >
1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had concluded all these discourses, that he said to his disciples:
2 Ye know that after two days is the Passover; and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.
3 Then assembled the chief priests and the Scribes and the Elders of the people, at the hall of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas.
4 And they held a counsel against Jesus, that they might take him by guile, and kill him.
5 But they said: Not on the festival, lest there be a commotion among the people.
6 And when Jesus was at Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,
7 there came to him a woman having a vase of aromatic ointment very precious, and she poured it on the head of Jesus as he was reclining.
8 And when his disciples saw it they were displeased, and said: Why is this waste?
9 For this ointment might have been sold for much, and have been given to the poor.
10 But Jesus knew their dissatisfaction, and said to them: Why trouble ye the woman? She hath performed a good deed towards me.
11 For the poor ye have at all times with you; but I am not with you always
12 And this her act, pouring the ointment on my body, she hath done as it were for my burial.
13 Verily I say to you, That wherever this my gospel shall be proclaimed, in all the world, this thing that she hath done shall be told for a memorial of her.
14 Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests,
15 and said to them: What will ye give me, if I will deliver him to you? And they promised him thirty pieces of silver.
16 And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.
17 And on the first day of unleavened bread, the disciples came to Jesus, and said to him: Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the Passover?
18 And he said to them: Go ye into the city, to such a man, and say to him: Our Rabbi saith, My time approaches: with thee will I keep the Passover with my disciples
19 And his disciples did as Jesus directed them, and made ready the Passover.
20 And when it was evening, he reclined with his twelve disciples.
21 And as they were eating, he said: Verily I say to you, That one of you will betray me.
22 And it troubled them much. And they began each one of them to say to him; My Lord is it I?
23 And he answered and said: One that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, he will betray me.
24 And the Son of man goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man, by whom the Son of man is betrayed. It would have been better for that man, if he had not been born.
25 Judas the betrayer answered and said: Rabbi, is it I? Jesus said to him: Thou hast said.
26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake; and gave to his disciples, and said: Take, eat; this is my body.
27 And he took the cup, and offered thanks and gave it to them, saying: Take, drink of this all of you.
28 This is my blood of the new testament, which, in behalf of many, is shed for the remission of sins.
29 But I say to you, that I will henceforth not drink of this product of the vine, until the day in which I shall drink it with you new in the kingdom of God.
30 And they sang praises, and went forth to the mount of Olives.
31 Then said Jesus to them: Ye will all be offended in me this night; for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of his flock will be dispersed.
32 But after I am arisen, I will go before you into Galilee.
33 Cephas replied, and said to him: Though all men should be offended in thee, I will never be offended in thee.
34 Jesus said to him: Verily I say to thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou wilt thrice deny me.
35 Cephas said to him: If I were to die with thee, I would not deny thee: and so also said all the disciples.
36 Then came Jesus with them to a place called Gethsemane: and he said to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray.
37 And he took Cephas and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be dejected and sorrowful.
38 And he said to them: There is anguish in my soul, even unto death. Wait for me here; and watch with me.
39 And retiring a little, he fell on his face, and prayed, and said: My Father, if it can be so, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I choose, but as thou.
40 And he came to his disciples, and found them asleep: and he said to Cephas: So! could ye not watch with me one hour?
41 Wake ye, and pray, lest ye fall into temptation. The mind is prepared, but the body is infirm.
42 Again he went away the second time, and prayed, and said: My Father, if it cannot be that this cup pass, except I drink it, thy will be done.
43 And he came again and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.
44 And he left them, and went again and prayed the third time, and used the same language.
45 Then he came to his disciples, and said to them: Sleep on now, and take rest. Behold, the hour is come: and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
46 Arise, let us go. Behold, he that betrayeth me hath come.
47 And while he was yet speaking, lo, Judas the betrayer, one of the twelve, arrived; and a great multitude with him, with swords and clubs, from the presence of the chief priests and elders of the people.
48 And Judas the betrayer had given them a sign, saying: He it is, whom I shall kiss: him seize ye.
49 And forthwith he approached Jesus, and said: Hail, Rabbi; and kissed him.
50 And Jesus said to him: My friend, is it for this thou hast come? Then they came up, and laid their hands on Jesus, and took him.
51 And lo, one of them with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew a sword, and smote a servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
52 Then Jesus said to him: Return the sword to its place; for all they that take swords, shall die by swords.
53 Supposest thou that I cannot ask of my Father, and he now assign me more than twelve legions of angels?
54 But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?
55 At that time Jesus said to the multitude: Have ye come out, as against a cut-throat, with swords and clubs, to take me? I daily sat with you, and taught in the temple, and ye did not apprehend me.
56 And this occurred, that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then the disciples all forsook him and fled.
57 And they who apprehended Jesus carried him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the Scribes and Elders were assembled.
58 And Simon Cephas followed after him at a distance, unto the high priest's hall, and entered, and sat with the servants within, that he might see the issue.
59 And the chief priests and the Elders and the whole assembly sought for witnesses against Jesus, that they might put him to death;
60 and found them not. And many false witnesses came; and at last, two came forward,
61 and said: This man said, I can destroy the temple of God, and in three days rebuild it.
62 And the high priest rose up and said to him: Respondest thou nothing? What do these testify against thee?
63 And Jesus was silent. And the high priest answered, and said to him: I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou art the Messiah, the Son of God.
64 Jesus saith to him: Thou hast said. And I say to you, That hereafter ye will see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.
65 Then the high priest rent his clothes, and said: Behold, he hath blasphemed! Why therefore should we seek for witnesses? Behold, ye have now heard his blasphemy.
66 What is your pleasure? They answered and said: He is liable to death.
67 Then they spit in his face, and buffeted him, and others smote him,
68 and said to him: Prophesy to us, thou Messiah, who is it smote thee?
69 And Cephas was sitting without in the hall, and a certain maid approached him, and said to him: Thou also wast with Jesus the Nazarean.
70 But he denied it before them all, and said: I know not what thou sayest.
71 And as he went out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said to them: This man was also there with Jesus the Nazarean.
72 And again he denied, with oaths: I know not that man.
73 And a little after, those standing there came up and said to Cephas: Certainly, thou too art one of them; and thy speech maketh thee manifest.
74 Then he began to imprecate and to swear, I know not that man. And in that hour the cock crew.
75 And Cephas remembered the declaration of Jesus, who said to him: Before the cock croweth, thou wilt three times deny me. And he went out, and wept bitterly.
