New Living Translation NLT
The Message Bible MSG
1 It was now two days before Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The leading priests and the teachers of religious law were still looking for an opportunity to capture Jesus secretly and kill him.
1
In only two days the eight-day Festival of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread would begin. The high priests and religion scholars were looking for a way they could seize Jesus by stealth and kill him.
2 “But not during the Passover celebration,” they agreed, “or the people may riot.”
2
They agreed that it should not be done during Passover Week. "We don't want the crowds up in arms," they said.
3 Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard. She broke open the jar and poured the perfume over his head.
3
Jesus was at Bethany, a guest of Simon the Leper. While he was eating dinner, a woman came up carrying a bottle of very expensive perfume. Opening the bottle, she poured it on his head.
4 Some of those at the table were indignant. “Why waste such expensive perfume?” they asked.
4
Some of the guests became furious among themselves. "That's criminal! A sheer waste!
5 “It could have been sold for a year’s wages and the money given to the poor!” So they scolded her harshly.
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This perfume could have been sold for well over a year's wages and handed out to the poor." They swelled up in anger, nearly bursting with indignation over her.
6 But Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. Why criticize her for doing such a good thing to me?
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But Jesus said, "Let her alone. Why are you giving her a hard time? She has just done something wonderfully significant for me.
7 You will always have the poor among you, and you can help them whenever you want to. But you will not always have me.
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You will have the poor with you every day for the rest of your lives. Whenever you feel like it, you can do something for them. Not so with me.
8 She has done what she could and has anointed my body for burial ahead of time.
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She did what she could when she could - she pre-anointed my body for burial.
9 I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.”
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And you can be sure that wherever in the whole world the Message is preached, what she just did is going to be talked about admiringly."
10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests to arrange to betray Jesus to them.
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Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the cabal of high priests, determined to betray him.
11 They were delighted when they heard why he had come, and they promised to give him money. So he began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.
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They couldn't believe their ears, and promised to pay him well. He started looking for just the right moment to hand him over.
12 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go to prepare the Passover meal for you?”
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On the first of the Days of Unleavened Bread, the day they prepare the Passover sacrifice, his disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to go and make preparations so you can eat the Passover meal?"
13 So Jesus sent two of them into Jerusalem with these instructions: “As you go into the city, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him.
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He directed two of his disciples, "Go into the city. A man carrying a water jug will meet you. Follow him.
14 At the house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’
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Ask the owner of whichever house he enters, 'The Teacher wants to know, Where is my guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?'
15 He will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal.”
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He will show you a spacious second-story room, swept and ready. Prepare for us there."
16 So the two disciples went into the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared the Passover meal there.
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The disciples left, came to the city, found everything just as he had told them, and prepared the Passover meal.
17 In the evening Jesus arrived with the Twelve.
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After sunset he came with the Twelve.
18 As they were at the table eating, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, one of you eating with me here will betray me.”
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As they were at the supper table eating, Jesus said, "I have something hard but important to say to you: One of you is going to hand me over to the conspirators, one who at this moment is eating with me."
19 Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one?”
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Stunned, they started asking, one after another, "It isn't me, is it?"
20 He replied, “It is one of you twelve who is eating from this bowl with me.
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He said, "It's one of the Twelve, one who eats with me out of the same bowl.
21 For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!”
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In one sense, it turns out that the Son of Man is entering into a way of treachery well-marked by the Scriptures - no surprises here. In another sense, the man who turns him in, turns traitor to the Son of Man - better never to have been born than do this!" "This Is My Body"
22 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take it, for this is my body.”
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In the course of their meal, having taken and blessed the bread, he broke it and gave it to them. Then he said, Take, this is my body.
23 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.
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Taking the chalice, he gave it to them, thanking God, and they all drank from it.
24 And he said to them, “This is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice for many.
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He said, This is my blood, God's new covenant, Poured out for many people.
25 I tell you the truth, I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.”
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"I'll not be drinking wine again until the new day when I drink it in the kingdom of God."
26 Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.
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They sang a hymn and then went directly to Mount Olives.
27 On the way, Jesus told them, “All of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say, ‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’
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Jesus told them, "You're all going to feel that your world is falling apart and that it's my fault. There's a Scripture that says, I will strike the shepherd; The sheep will go helter-skelter.
28 But after I am raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.”
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"But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you, leading the way to Galilee."
29 Peter said to him, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will.”
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Peter blurted out, "Even if everyone else is ashamed of you when things fall to pieces, I won't be."
30 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.”
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Jesus said, "Don't be so sure. Today, this very night in fact, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times."
31 “No!” Peter declared emphatically. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the others vowed the same.
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He blustered in protest, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you." All the others said the same thing.
32 They went to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and Jesus said, “Sit here while I go and pray.”
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They came to an area called Gethsemane. Jesus told his disciples, "Sit here while I pray."
33 He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed.
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He took Peter, James, and John with him. He plunged into a sinkhole of dreadful agony.
34 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
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He told them, "I feel bad enough right now to die. Stay here and keep vigil with me."
35 He went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by.
35
Going a little ahead, he fell to the ground and prayed for a way out:
36 “Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
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"Papa, Father, you can - can't you? - get me out of this. Take this cup away from me. But please, not what I want - what do you want?"
37 Then he returned and found the disciples asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour?
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He came back and found them sound asleep. He said to Peter, "Simon, you went to sleep on me? Can't you stick it out with me a single hour?
38 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
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Stay alert, be in prayer, so you don't enter the danger zone without even knowing it. Don't be naive. Part of you is eager, ready for anything in God; but another part is as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire."
39 Then Jesus left them again and prayed the same prayer as before.
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He then went back and prayed the same prayer.
40 When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open. And they didn’t know what to say.
40
Returning, he again found them sound asleep. They simply couldn't keep their eyes open, and they didn't have a plausible excuse.
41 When he returned to them the third time, he said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But no—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
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He came back a third time and said, "Are you going to sleep all night? No - you've slept long enough. Time's up. The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of sinners.
42 Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!”
42
Get up. Let's get going. My betrayer has arrived."
43 And immediately, even as Jesus said this, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent by the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders.
43
No sooner were the words out of his mouth when Judas, the one out of the Twelve, showed up, and with him a gang of ruffians, sent by the high priests, religion scholars, and leaders, brandishing swords and clubs.
44 The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss. Then you can take him away under guard.”
44
The betrayer had worked out a signal with them: "The one I kiss, that's the one - seize him. Make sure he doesn't get away."
45 As soon as they arrived, Judas walked up to Jesus. “Rabbi!” he exclaimed, and gave him the kiss.
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He went straight to Jesus and said, "Rabbi!" and kissed him.
46 Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him.
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The others then grabbed him and roughed him up.
47 But one of the men with Jesus pulled out his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, slashing off his ear.
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One of the men standing there unsheathed his sword, swung, and came down on the Chief Priest's servant, lopping off the man's ear.
48 Jesus asked them, “Am I some dangerous revolutionary, that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me?
48
Jesus said to them, "What is this, coming after me with swords and clubs as if I were a dangerous criminal?
49 Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there among you teaching every day. But these things are happening to fulfill what the Scriptures say about me.”
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Day after day I've been sitting in the Temple teaching, and you never so much as lifted a hand against me. What you in fact have done is confirm the prophetic writings."
50 Then all his disciples deserted him and ran away.
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All the disciples cut and ran.
51 One young man following behind was clothed only in a long linen shirt. When the mob tried to grab him,
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A young man was following along. All he had on was a bedsheet. Some of the men grabbed him
52 he slipped out of his shirt and ran away naked.
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but he got away, running off naked, leaving them holding the sheet.
53 They took Jesus to the high priest’s home where the leading priests, the elders, and the teachers of religious law had gathered.
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They led Jesus to the Chief Priest, where the high priests, religious leaders, and scholars had gathered together.
54 Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and went right into the high priest’s courtyard. There he sat with the guards, warming himself by the fire.
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Peter followed at a safe distance until they got to the Chief Priest's courtyard, where he mingled with the servants and warmed himself at the fire.
55 Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find evidence against Jesus, so they could put him to death. But they couldn’t find any.
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The high priests conspiring with the Jewish Council looked high and low for evidence against Jesus by which they could sentence him to death. They found nothing.
56 Many false witnesses spoke against him, but they contradicted each other.
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Plenty of people were willing to bring in false charges, but nothing added up, and they ended up canceling each other out.
57 Finally, some men stood up and gave this false testimony:
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Then a few of them stood up and lied:
58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this Temple made with human hands, and in three days I will build another, made without human hands.’”
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"We heard him say, 'I am going to tear down this Temple, built by hard labor, and in three days build another without lifting a hand.'"
59 But even then they didn’t get their stories straight!
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But even they couldn't agree exactly.
60 Then the high priest stood up before the others and asked Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?”
60
In the middle of this, the Chief Priest stood up and asked Jesus, "What do you have to say to the accusation?"
61 But Jesus was silent and made no reply. Then the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”
61
Jesus was silent. He said nothing. The Chief Priest tried again, this time asking, "Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed?"
62 Jesus said, “I AM . And you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven. ”
62
Jesus said, "Yes, I am, and you'll see it yourself: The Son of Man seated At the right hand of the Mighty One, Arriving on the clouds of heaven."
63 Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Why do we need other witnesses?
63
The Chief Priest lost his temper. Ripping his clothes, he yelled, "Did you hear that? After that do we need witnesses?
64 You have all heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?” “Guilty!” they all cried. “He deserves to die!”
64
You heard the blasphemy. Are you going to stand for it?" They condemned him, one and all. The sentence: death.
65 Then some of them began to spit at him, and they blindfolded him and beat him with their fists. “Prophesy to us,” they jeered. And the guards slapped him as they took him away.
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Some of them started spitting at him. They blindfolded his eyes, then hit him, saying, "Who hit you? Prophesy!" The guards, punching and slapping, took him away.
66 Meanwhile, Peter was in the courtyard below. One of the servant girls who worked for the high priest came by
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While all this was going on, Peter was down in the courtyard. One of the Chief Priest's servant girls came in
67 and noticed Peter warming himself at the fire. She looked at him closely and said, “You were one of those with Jesus of Nazareth. ”
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and, seeing Peter warming himself there, looked hard at him and said, "You were with the Nazarene, Jesus."
68 But Peter denied it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, and he went out into the entryway. Just then, a rooster crowed.
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He denied it: "I don't know what you're talking about." He went out on the porch. A rooster crowed.
69 When the servant girl saw him standing there, she began telling the others, “This man is definitely one of them!”
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The girl spotted him and began telling the people standing around, "He's one of them."
70 But Peter denied it again. A little later some of the other bystanders confronted Peter and said, “You must be one of them, because you are a Galilean.”
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He denied it again. After a little while, the bystanders brought it up again. "You've got to be one of them. You've got 'Galilean' written all over you."
71 Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know this man you’re talking about!”
71
Now Peter got really nervous and swore, "I never laid eyes on this man you're talking about."
72 And immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he broke down and wept.
72
Just then the rooster crowed a second time. Peter remembered how Jesus had said, "Before a rooster crows twice, you'll deny me three times." He collapsed in tears.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.