Open English Translation MARK Chapter 14

14 Now it was two days before the Passover Feast and the Flat Bread Celebration, and the chief priests and the religious teachers were trying to figure out how they could have Yeshua set up so they could arrest him and have him executed,[ref] 2 but they knew that the Feast wouldn’t be a good time because the people would protest in Yeshua’s favour.

3 Meanwhile, Yeshua was in Bethany at the home of Simon who had previously had leprosy. Yeshua was sitting there when a woman came in with a hand-crafted container of very expensive fragrant oil. Breaking open the sealed flask, she poured the fragrant oil over Yeshua’s head.[ref] 4 Immediately some started quietly grumbling about the extravagant waste, 5 then they scolded the woman because a flask of genuine lotion like this could easily fetch almost a year’s wages if it was sold.

6 But Yeshua spoke up, “What do you think you’re doing abusing her—leave her alone! She’s done something very good for me. 7 You’ll always have poor people around, and you can help them whenever you want to, but I won’t be around forever.[ref] 8 She has performed the traditional anointing of my body in advance of my burial. 9 And I can assure you that wherever the good news is proclaimed around the world, what she has done today will be part of the story and she’ll be remembered for it.”

10 Then Yudas Iscariot, one of Yeshua’s twelve apprentices, visited the chief priests to offer to hand Yeshua over to them. 11 When they heard this, they were very pleased and promised to pay him well, and Yudas asked them about the most convenient way for them to get hold of Yeshua.

12 On the first day of the Flat Bread Celebration when the lambs would be slaughtered ready for the special Passover meal, Yeshua’s apprentices asked him, “Where do you want us to get everything ready for our Passover meal?”

13 So Yeshua sent off two of them with these instructions, “Go into town and a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you there. Just follow him 14 until he goes into a house. Then find the owner of the house and tell him that the teacher wants to know the location of the guestroom where he and his apprentices can celebrate the Passover meal. 15 He’ll show you a large, furnished room upstairs—that’s where you can get everything ready.”

16 So the two of them went off into the town, and everything happened there exactly as Yeshua had told them, and so they prepared the special meal there.

17 As the evening approached, Yeshua went in for dinner with his twelve apprentices. 18 As they were sitting around eating, he told them, “I’ll tell you frankly that one of you eating with me here will hand me over to be arrested.”[ref] 19 That upset them, and several of them individually asked, “Surely it couldn’t be me?”

20 Then he continued, “It’s one of you twelve—the one who dips his bread in the sauce at the same time as me. 21 Indeed it’s written in the scriptures that the son of humanity will be arrested, but on the other hand, what a tragedy it’ll be for the one who hands him over—in fact it would be better for that man if he was never born.”

22 As they carried on eating, he took some bread, blessed God, broke it apart and gave a piece to them, saying, “Take this bread—it’s my body.”

23 Then he picked up a cup, gave thanks to God, and passed it around so they could each drink from it, 24 saying, “This is the blood of my contract that will be poured out for many people.[ref] 25 I can assure you that I won’t drink anything made from grapes until I drink new juice in God’s kingdom.”

26 And after they’d sung some songs, they left the town and went across to the Mount of Olives.

27 Then Yeshua continued his teaching, “All of you will stumble because it’s written in the scriptures: ‘I’ll strike down the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered.’[ref] 28 But after I come back to life, I’ll go on ahead of you back to Galilee.”[ref]

29 But Peter contradicted him, “Even if everyone else stumbles, I won’t!”

30 “I can assure you,” Yeshua responded, “that you’ll renounce me three times this very night, before the rooster crows early tomorrow morning.”

31 But Peter argued forcibly, “Even if I had to die with you, I would never disown you!”

And all the others said similar things.

32 They walked along until they came to a piece of land called Gethsemane where Yeshua told his apprentices to sit down while he prayed. 33 He took Peter and Yacob and Yohan further in with him where he stared off in a daze but was obviously very distressed. 34 He told the three of them, “My soul is deathly sad! You guys just stay here and keep alert.”

35 He went ahead a little way, where he knelt on the ground with his head down and prayed—asking if it was possible to avoid what was ahead of him. 36 But he said, “Father, I know that you can do anything. Let me avoid this suffering, but yes I do know, it doesn’t matter what I want but rather what you’ve planned.”

37 Then he went back and found the others sleeping. “Simon, are you asleep?” he asked Peter. “Couldn’t you stay awake even for a single hour? 38 You all need to stay alert and be careful not to give into temptation. I know your spirits are enthusiastic on one hand, but it’s still easy to give in to the moment.”

39 Then he went further in again and prayed as before, 40 but when he returned again, he found them all asleep because they were tired, but they couldn’t really find any excuse to give.

41 The third time that Yeshua returned, he said to them, “Ah, you’re all sleeping again and having a good rest. It’s well earned but the time has come for the son of humanity to be handed over to evil men. 42 Come on—get up—we need to go! Look, the one who’ll hand me over is on his way.”

43 Even while Yeshua was still speaking, Yudas reached him, followed by a crowd from the chief priests, the religious teachers, and the elders—many armed with swords and clubs. 44 Yudas had prearranged a signal with them that anyone who he greeted with a kiss, they should grab that person and lead him away under guard.

45 So he walked right up to Yeshua and said, “My honoured teacher,” and greeted him with a kiss. 46 Then the others with him grabbed Yeshua and secured him. 47 But one of the ones with Yeshua that was beside him, drew his sword and struck a slave of the chief priest, cutting off the man’s ear. 48 Yeshua spoke to the crowd, “Did you all bring swords and clubs to try to capture me like you’d chase down a thief? 49 I was standing there teaching in the temple every day and you could have arrested me, but it’s happened this way to ensure that what’s written in scriptures will be fulfilled.”[ref]

50 Meanwhile, the others who’d been with Yeshua had taken off. 51 One young fellow was wearing a single linen robe, and when the crowd tried to grab him, 52 it came off in the struggle and he ran away stark naked.

53 The guards led Yeshua away to the chief priest’s residence, and all the chief priests and the elders and the religious teachers gathered there also. 54 Peter followed along from a distance and went in as far as the courtyard of the residence where he joined the servants who were sitting around the fire keeping warm. 55 Inside, the chief priests and all the council were trying to establish a case against Yeshua so he could be sentenced to death, but they weren’t coming up with anything. 56 Several people were making up charges against him, but none of the accusers’ stories agreed with each other.

57 Eventually some of them stood up and offered this false charge: 58 “We heard him say that he would demolish this temple made by many labourers, and within three days he’d build another one without any helpers.”[ref] 59 But even then, they couldn’t get their accusations to align with each other.

60 Nevertheless the chief priest in the middle of the council stood up and asked Yeshua, “Aren’t you going to defend yourself? These men are accusing you of these things.”

61 But Yeshua didn’t say anything. So the chief priest asked again, “Is it true that you’re the chosen one that God promised to send—the son of the blessed God?”

62 “I am.” Yeshua replied, “and you’ll all see the son of humanity sitting in the honoured position by the powerful God and coming through the clouds in the sky.”[ref]

63 Then the chief priest tore his own robe to show his disgust and shouted, “We certainly don’t need any more witnesses now! 64 You yourselves all heard him insult God. What sentence does that deserve?”[ref]

So the leaders there agreed that Yeshua needed to be sentenced to death.

65 Then various people started spitting on him, and blindfolding him and beating him saying, “Ha, tell us who that was!” Even the servants joined in to slap him.

66 Meanwhile, Peter was down in the courtyard when one of the chief priest’s servant girls came out, 67 and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked more closely and said, “Hey, you were with that Yeshua from Nazareth!”

68 But he denied it, “I don’t know him and I don’t know why you think I would!” And he moved away from the fire.

69 But the girl that had seen him said to some of the others standing around, “That guy’s one of them.”

70 But again Peter denied it.

A little while later, some of those standing there said, “You must be one of them because you’re from Galilee.”

71 Now Peter started swearing and cursing and said, “I’ve never even met that fellow that you’re all talking about!”

72 Right then the rooster crowed for the second time and Peter remembered now what Yeshua had told him—how he would renounce Yeshua three times before the rooster crowed—and he broke down and cried.