Mark 14:3-9

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

3 ¹And while he was at ²Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,^[a] as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head.

4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, "Why was the ointment wasted like that?

5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii^[b] and ³given to the poor." And they ⁴scolded her.

6 But Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.

7 For ⁵you always have the poor with you, and whenever ⁶you want, you can do good for them. But ⁷you will not always have me.

8 ⁸She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand ⁹for burial.

9 And truly, I say to you, wherever ¹⁰the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told ¹¹in memory of her."

Cross References

• 1. For ver. 3-9, see Matthew 26:6-13; John 12:1-8; [Luke 7:37-39]
• 2. Matthew 21:17; John 11:18
• 3. [John 13:29]
• 4. John 11:33, 38(Gk.)
• 5. Deuteronomy 15:11
• 6. [2 Corinthians 9:7]
• 7. Mark 2:20; See John 7:33
• 8. [Mark 12:43; Luke 21:3; 2 Corinthians 8:12]
• 9. John 19:40
• 10. [Matthew 24:14]
• 11. Acts 10:4

Footnotes

• [a]. Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13
• [b]. A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer