Knox Bible

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Afterwards, when he had made an end of saying all this, Jesus told his disciples:

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You know that after two days the paschal feast is coming; it is then that the Son of Man must be given up to be crucified.

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At this very time, the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the court of the high priest, whose name was Caiphas;

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and there they plotted to bring Jesus into their power by cunning, and put him to death.

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Yet they still said, Not on the day of the feast, or perhaps there will be an uproar among the people.✻

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But then, while Jesus was in the house of Simon the leper, at Bethany,

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a woman came to him, with a pot of very precious ointment, and poured it over his head as he sat at table.

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The disciples were indignant when they saw it: What is the meaning of this waste? they asked.

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It would have been possible to sell this at a great price, and give alms to the poor.

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This Jesus knew, and said to them, Why do you vex the woman? She did well to treat me so.

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You have the poor among you always; I am not always among you.

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When she poured this ointment over my body, she did it to prepare me for my burial;

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and I promise you, in whatever part of the world this gospel is preached, the story of what she has done shall be told in its place, to preserve her memory.✻

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And at that, one of the twelve, Judas who was called Iscariot, went to the chief priests

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and asked them, What will you pay me for handing him over to you? Whereupon they laid down thirty pieces of silver.

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And he, from that time onwards, looked about for an opportunity to betray him.

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✻ On the first of the days of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus and asked, Where wilt thou have us make ready for thee to eat the paschal meal?

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And Jesus said, Go into the city, find such a man, and tell him, The Master says, My time is near; I and my disciples must keep the paschal feast at thy house.

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The disciples did as Jesus bade them, and made all ready for the paschal meal there.

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When evening came, he sat down with his twelve disciples,

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and, while they were at table, he said, Believe me, one of you is to betray me.

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They were full of sorrow, and began to say, one after another, Lord, is it I?

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He answered, The man who has put his hand into the dish with me will betray me.

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The Son of Man goes on his way, as the scripture foretells of him; but woe upon that man by whom the Son of Man is to be betrayed; better for that man if he had never been born.

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Then Judas, he who was betraying him, said openly, Master, is it I? Jesus answered, Thy own lips have said it.✻

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And while they were still at table, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, Take, eat, this is my body.

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Then he took a cup, and offered thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink, all of you, of this;

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for this is my blood, of the new testament, shed for many, to the remission of sins.

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And I tell you this, I shall not drink of this fruit of the vine again, until I drink it with you, new wine, in the kingdom of my Father.

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And so they sang a hymn, and went out to mount Olivet.

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After this, Jesus said to them, To-night you will all lose courage over me; for so it has been written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of his flock will be scattered.✻

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But I will go on before you into Galilee, when I have risen from the dead.

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Peter answered him, Though all else should lose courage over thee, I will never lose mine.

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Jesus said to him, Believe me, this night, before the cock crows, thou wilt thrice disown me.

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Peter said to him, I will never disown thee, though I must lay down my life with thee. And all the rest of his disciples said the like.✻

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So Jesus came, and they with him, to a plot of land called Gethsemani; and he said to his disciples, Sit down here, while I go in there and pray.

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But he took Peter and the sons of Zebedee with him. And now he grew sorrowful and dismayed;

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My soul, he said, is ready to die with sorrow; do you abide here, and watch with me.

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When he had gone a little further, he fell upon his face in prayer, and said, My Father, if it is possible, let this chalice pass me by; only as thy will is, not as mine is.

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Then he went back to his disciples, to find them asleep; and he said to Peter, Had you no strength, then, to watch with me even for an hour?

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Watch and pray, that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing enough, but the flesh is weak.

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Then he went back again, and prayed a second time; and his prayer was, My Father, if this chalice may not pass me by, but I must drink it, then thy will be done.

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And once more he found his disciples asleep when he came to them, so heavy their eyelids were;

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this time he went away without disturbing them, and made his third prayer, using the same words.

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After that he returned to his disciples, and said to them, Sleep and take your rest hereafter; as I speak, the time draws near when the Son of Man is to be betrayed into the hands of sinners.✻

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Rise up, let us go on our way; already, he that is to betray me is close at hand.

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And all at once, while he was speaking, Judas, who was one of the twelve, came near; with him was a great multitude carrying swords and clubs, who had been sent by the chief priests and the elders of the people.

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The traitor had appointed them a signal; It is none other, he told them, than the man whom I shall greet with a kiss; hold him fast.

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No sooner, then, had he come near to Jesus than he said, Hail, Master, and kissed him.

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Jesus said to him, My friend, on what errand hast thou come? Then they came forward and laid their hands on Jesus, and held him fast.

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And at that, one of those who were with Jesus lifted a hand to draw his sword, and smote one of the high priest’s servants with it, cutting off his ear.

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Whereupon Jesus said to him, Put thy sword back into its place; all those who take up the sword will perish by the sword.

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Dost thou doubt that if I call upon my Father, even now, he will send more than twelve legions of angels to my side?

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But how, were it so, should the scriptures be fulfilled, which have prophesied that all must be as it is?

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And Jesus said to the multitude at that hour, You have come out to my arrest with swords and clubs, as if I were a robber; and yet I used to sit teaching in the temple close to you, day after day, and you never laid hands on me.

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All this was so ordained, to fulfil what was written by the prophets. And now all his disciples abandoned him, and fled.✻

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And those who had arrested Jesus led him away into the presence of the high priest, Caiphas, where the scribes and the elders had assembled.

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Yet Peter followed him at a long distance, as far as the high priest’s palace; where he went in and sat among the servants, to see the end.

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The chief priests and elders and all the Council tried to find false testimony against Jesus, such as would compass his death.

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But they could find none, although many came forward falsely accusing him; until at last two false accusers came forward

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who declared, This man said, I have power to destroy the temple of God and raise it again in three days.✻

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Then the high priest stood up, and asked him, Hast thou no answer to make to the accusations these men bring against thee?

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Jesus was silent; and the high priest said to him openly, I adjure thee by the living God to tell us whether thou art the Christ, the Son of God?

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Jesus answered, Thy own lips have said it. And moreover I tell you this; you will see the Son of Man again, when he is seated at the right hand of God’s power, and comes on the clouds of heaven.

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At this, the high priest tore his garments, and said, He has blasphemed; what further need have we of witnesses? Mark well, you have heard his blasphemy for yourselves.

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What is your finding? And they answered, The penalty is death.

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Then they fell to spitting upon his face and buffeting him and smiting him on the cheek,

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saying as they did so, Shew thyself a prophet, Christ; tell us who it is that smote thee.

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Meanwhile, Peter sat in the court without; and there a maid-servant came up to him, and said, Thou too wast with Jesus the Galilean.

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Whereupon he denied it before all the company; I do not know what thou meanest.

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And he went out into the porch, where a second maid-servant saw him, and said, to the bystanders, This man, too, was with Jesus the Nazarene.

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And he made denial again with an oath, I know nothing of the man.

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But those who stood there came up to Peter soon afterwards, and said, It is certain that thou art one of them; even thy speech betrays thee.

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And with that he fell to calling down curses on himself and swearing, I know nothing of the man; and thereupon the cock crew.

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Then Peter remembered the word of Jesus, how he had said, Before the cock crows, thou wilt thrice disown me; and he went out, and wept bitterly.✻