Jacob’s Deception

27 Now it came about, when Isaac was old and ^(A)his eyes were too dim to see, that he called his ^(B)older son Esau and said to him, “My son.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” ^2 [a](C)Isaac said, “Behold now, I am old and I do not know the day of my death. ³ Now then, please take your gear, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and ^(D)hunt game for me; ⁴ and prepare a savory dish for me such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, so that ^(E)my soul may bless you before I die.”

⁵ Rebekah was listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game to bring home, ^6 (F)Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Behold, I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, saying, ⁷ ‘Bring me some game and prepare a savory dish for me, that I may eat, and bless you in the presence of the Lord before my death.’ ⁸ Now therefore, my son, ^(G)listen to ^[b]me ^[c]as I command you. ⁹ Go now to the flock and ^[d]bring me two choice ^[e]young goats from there, that I may prepare them as a savory dish for your father, such as he loves. ¹⁰ Then you shall bring it to your father, that he may eat, so that he may bless you before his death.” ¹¹ Jacob ^[f]answered his mother Rebekah, “Behold, Esau my brother is a ^(H)hairy man and I am a smooth man. ^12 (I)Perhaps my father will feel me, then I will be as a ^[g]deceiver in his sight, and I will bring upon myself a curse and not a blessing.” ¹³ But his mother said to him, “Your curse be on me, my son; only ^(J)obey my voice, and go, get them for me.” ¹⁴ So he went and got them, and brought them to his mother; and his mother made savory food such as his father loved. ¹⁵ Then Rebekah took the ^[h]best ^(K)garments of Esau her elder son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. ¹⁶ And she put the skins of the ^[i]young goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. ¹⁷ She also gave the savory food and the bread, which she had made, ^[j]to her son Jacob.

¹⁸ Then he came to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” ¹⁹ Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done as you told me. ^(L)Get up, please, sit and eat of my game, that ^[k](M)you may bless me.” ²⁰ Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have it so quickly, my son?” And he said, “^(N)Because the Lord your God caused it to happen to me.” ²¹ Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come close, that ^(O)I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.” ²² So Jacob came close to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” ²³ He did not recognize him, because his hands were ^(P)hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him. ²⁴ And he said, “Are you really my son Esau?” And he said, “I am.” ²⁵ So he said, “Bring it to me, and I will eat of my son’s game, that ^[l](Q)I may bless you.” And he brought it to him, and he ate; he also brought him wine and he drank. ²⁶ Then his father Isaac said to him, “Please come close and kiss me, my son.” ²⁷ So he came close and kissed him; and when he smelled the smell of his garments, he ^(R)blessed him and said,

The Stolen Blessing

³⁰ Now it came about, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had hardly gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. ³¹ Then he also made savory food, and brought it to his father; and he said to his father, “^(AA)Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that ^[m](AB)you may bless me.” ³² Isaac his father said to him, “^(AC)Who are you?” And he said, “I am your son, ^(AD)your firstborn, Esau.” ³³ Then Isaac ^[n]trembled violently, and said, “^(AE)Who was he then that hunted game and brought it to me, so that I ate of all of it before you came, and blessed him? ^(AF)Yes, and he shall be blessed.” ³⁴ When Esau heard the words of his father, ^(AG)he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!” ³⁵ And he said, “^(AH)Your brother came deceitfully and has taken away your blessing.” ³⁶ Then he said, “^[o]Is he not rightly named ^(AI)Jacob, for he has supplanted me these two times? He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” ³⁷ But Isaac replied to Esau, “Behold, I have made him ^(AJ)your master, and all his ^[p]relatives I have given to him ^[q]as servants; and with grain and new wine I have sustained him. Now as for you then, what can I do, my son?” ³⁸ Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.” So Esau lifted his voice and ^(AK)wept.

³⁹ Then ^(AL)Isaac his father answered and said to him,

⁴¹ So Esau ^(AP)bore a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him; and Esau said ^[v]to himself, “^(AQ)The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” ⁴² Now when the words of her elder son Esau were reported to Rebekah, she sent and called her younger son Jacob, and said to him, “Behold your brother Esau is consoling himself concerning you by planning to kill you. ⁴³ Now therefore, my son, ^(AR)obey my voice, and arise, ^[w]flee to ^(AS)Haran, to my brother ^(AT)Laban! ⁴⁴ Stay with him ^(AU)a few days, until your brother’s fury ^[x]subsides, ⁴⁵ until your brother’s anger ^[y]against you subsides and he forgets ^(AV)what you did to him. Then I will send and get you from there. Why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?”

⁴⁶ Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am tired of ^[z]living because of ^(AW)the daughters of Heth; ^(AX)if Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth, like these, from the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

26 ^(A)When Jesus had finished all these words, He said to His disciples, ² “^(B)You know that after two days ^(C)the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be ^(D)handed over for crucifixion.”

^3 (E)Then the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in ^(F)the court of the high priest, named ^(G)Caiaphas; ⁴ and they ^(H)plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth and kill Him. ⁵ But they were saying, “Not during the festival, ^(I)otherwise a riot might occur among the people.”

The Precious Ointment

^6 (J)Now when Jesus was in ^(K)Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper, ^7 (L)a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table. ⁸ But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, “Why this waste? ⁹ For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.” ¹⁰ But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good deed to Me. ¹¹ For you always have ^(M)the poor with you; but you do not always have Me. ¹² For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it ^(N)to prepare Me for burial. ¹³ Truly I say to you, ^(O)wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”

Judas’s Bargain

^14 (P)Then one of the twelve, named ^(Q)Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and said, “What are you willing to give me ^[a]to ^[b](R)betray Him to you?” And ^(S)they weighed out thirty ^[c]pieces of silver to him. ¹⁶ From then on he began looking for a good opportunity to ^[d]betray ^[e]Jesus.

^17 (T)Now on the first day of ^(U)Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?” ¹⁸ And He said, “Go into the city to ^(V)a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “^(W)My time is near; I am to keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.”’” ¹⁹ The disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.

The Last Passover

^20 (X)Now when evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the twelve disciples. ²¹ As they were eating, He said, “^(Y)Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me.” ²² Being deeply grieved, they ^[f]each one began to say to Him, “Surely not I, Lord?” ²³ And He answered, “^(Z)He who dipped his hand with Me in the bowl is the one who will betray Me. ²⁴ The Son of Man is to go, ^(AA)just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! ^(AB)It would have been good ^[g]for that man if he had not been born.” ²⁵ And ^(AC)Judas, who was betraying Him, said, “Surely it is not I, ^(AD)Rabbi?” Jesus *said to him, “^(AE)You have said it yourself.”

The Lord’s Supper Instituted

^26 (AF)While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and ^[h](AG)after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” ²⁷ And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; ²⁸ for ^(AH)this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for ^(AI)many for forgiveness of sins. ²⁹ But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

^30 (AJ)After singing a hymn, they went out to ^(AK)the Mount of Olives.

³¹ Then Jesus *said to them, “You will all ^[i](AL)fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, ‘^(AM)I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be ^(AN)scattered.’ ³² But after I have been raised, ^(AO)I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” ³³ But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may ^[j]fall away because of You, I will never fall away.” ³⁴ Jesus said to him, “^(AP)Truly I say to you that ^(AQ)this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” ³⁵ Peter *said to Him, “^(AR)Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You.” All the disciples said the same thing too.

The Garden of Gethsemane

^36 (AS)Then Jesus *came with them to a place called ^(AT)Gethsemane, and *said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷ And He took with Him ^(AU)Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. ³⁸ Then He *said to them, “^(AV)My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and ^(AW)keep watch with Me.”

³⁹ And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let ^(AX)this cup pass from Me; ^(AY)yet not as I will, but as You will.” ⁴⁰ And He *came to the disciples and *found them sleeping, and *said to Peter, “So, you men could not ^(AZ)keep watch with Me for one hour? ^41 (BA)Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; ^(BB)the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

⁴² He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this ^(BC)cannot pass away unless I drink it, ^(BD)Your will be done.” ⁴³ Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. ⁴⁵ Then He *came to the disciples and *said to them, “^[k]Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, ^(BE)the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!”

Jesus’ Betrayal and Arrest

^47 (BF)While He was still speaking, behold, ^(BG)Judas, one of the twelve, came up ^[l]accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chief priests and elders of the people. ⁴⁸ Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him.” ⁴⁹ Immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, “Hail, ^(BH)Rabbi!” and kissed Him. ⁵⁰ And Jesus said to him, “^(BI)Friend, do what you have come for.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him.

⁵¹ And behold, ^(BJ)one of those who were with Jesus ^[m]reached and drew out his ^(BK)sword, and struck the ^(BL)slave of the high priest and ^[n]cut off his ear. ⁵² Then Jesus *said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for ^(BM)all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. ⁵³ Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve ^[o](BN)legions of ^(BO)angels? ⁵⁴ How then will ^(BP)the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?”

⁵⁵ At that time Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would against a robber? ^(BQ)Every day I used to sit in the temple teaching and you did not seize Me. ⁵⁶ But all this has taken place to fulfill ^(BR)the Scriptures of the prophets.” Then all the disciples left Him and fled.

Jesus before Caiaphas

^57 (BS)Those who had seized Jesus led Him away to ^(BT)Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together. ⁵⁸ But ^(BU)Peter was following Him at a distance as far as the ^(BV)courtyard of the high priest, and entered in, and sat down with the ^[p](BW)officers to see the outcome.

⁵⁹ Now the chief priests and the whole ^[q](BX)Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death. ⁶⁰ They did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on ^(BY)two came forward, ⁶¹ and said, “This man stated, ‘^(BZ)I am able to destroy the ^[r]temple of God and to rebuild it ^[s]in three days.’” ⁶² The high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?” ⁶³ But ^(CA)Jesus kept silent. ^(CB)And the high priest said to Him, “I ^[t](CC)adjure You by ^(CD)the living God, that You tell us whether You are ^[u]the Christ, ^(CE)the Son of God.” ⁶⁴ Jesus *said to him, “^(CF)You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, ^[v]hereafter you will see ^(CG)the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and ^(CH)coming on the clouds of heaven.”

⁶⁵ Then the high priest ^(CI)tore his ^[w]robes and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy; ⁶⁶ what do you think?” They answered, “^(CJ)He deserves death!”

^67 (CK)Then they ^(CL)spat in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others ^[x]slapped Him, ⁶⁸ and said, “^(CM)Prophesy to us, You ^[y]Christ; who is the one who hit You?”

Peter’s Denials

^69 (CN)Now Peter was sitting outside in the ^(CO)courtyard, and a servant-girl came to him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.” ⁷⁰ But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.” ⁷¹ When he had gone out to the gateway, another servant-girl saw him and *said to those who were there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” ⁷² And again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man.” ⁷³ A little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Surely you too are one of them; ^(CP)for even the way you talk ^[z]gives you away.” ⁷⁴ Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed. ⁷⁵ And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, “^(CQ)Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.