⁸ If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ^(A)“You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. ⁹ But if you ^(B)show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. ¹⁰ For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point ^(C)has become guilty of all of it. ¹¹ For he who said, ^(D)“Do not commit adultery,” also said, ^(E)“Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. ¹² So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under ^(F)the law of liberty. ¹³ For ^(G)judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

^35 (A)And one of them, ^(B)a lawyer, asked him a question ^(C)to test him. ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” ³⁷ And he said to him, ^(D)“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹ And ^(E)a second is like it: ^(F)You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ^40 (G)On these two commandments depend ^(H)all the Law and the Prophets.”

Whose Son Is the Christ?

^41 (I)Now while the Pharisees ^(J)were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, ⁴² saying, “What do you think about ^(K)the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, ^(L)“The son of David.” ⁴³ He said to them, “How is it then that David, ^(M)in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,

⁴⁵ If then David calls him Lord, ^(O)how is he his son?” ^46 (P)And no one was able to answer him a word, ^(Q)nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees

23 Then Jesus ^(R)said to the crowds and to his disciples, ^2 (S)“The scribes and the Pharisees ^(T)sit on Moses' seat, ³ so do and observe whatever they tell you, ^(U)but not the works they do. ^(V)For they preach, but do not practice. ^4 (W)They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,^[a] and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. ^5 (X)They do all their deeds ^(Y)to be seen by others. For they make ^(Z)their phylacteries broad and ^(AA)their fringes long, ⁶ and they ^(AB)love the place of honor at feasts and ^(AC)the best seats in the synagogues ⁷ and ^(AD)greetings in ^(AE)the marketplaces and being called ^(AF)rabbi^[b] by others. ^8 (AG)But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are ^(AH)all brothers.^{[c] 9 (AI)}And call no man your father on earth, for ^(AJ)you have one Father, who is in heaven. ¹⁰ Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, ^(AK)the Christ. ^11 (AL)The greatest among you shall be your servant. ^12 (AM)Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

¹³ “But woe ^(AN)to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you ^(AO)shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you ^(AP)neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.^{[d] 15} Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single ^(AQ)proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a ^(AR)child of ^(AS)hell^[e] as yourselves.

¹⁶ “Woe to ^(AT)you, ^(AU)blind guides, who say, ^(AV)‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ ¹⁷ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or ^(AW)the temple that has made the gold sacred? ¹⁸ And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by ^(AX)the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ ¹⁹ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or ^(AY)the altar that makes the gift sacred? ²⁰ So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. ²¹ And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by ^(AZ)him who dwells in it. ²² And whoever swears by ^(BA)heaven swears by ^(BB)the throne of God and by ^(BC)him who sits upon it.

^23 (BD)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ^(BE)you tithe mint and dill and ^(BF)cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: ^(BG)justice and mercy and faithfulness. ^(BH)These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. ²⁴ You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing ^(BI)a camel!

^25 (BJ)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ^(BK)you clean the outside of ^(BL)the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of ^(BM)greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶ You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of ^(BN)the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

^27 (BO)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like ^(BP)whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and ^(BQ)all uncleanness. ²⁸ So you also ^(BR)outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of ^(BS)hypocrisy and lawlessness.

^29 (BT)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, ³⁰ saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ ³¹ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are ^(BU)sons of those who murdered the prophets. ^32 (BV)Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. ³³ You serpents, ^(BW)you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to ^(BX)hell? ^34 (BY)Therefore ^(BZ)I send you ^(CA)prophets and wise men and ^(CB)scribes, ^(CC)some of whom you will kill and crucify, and ^(CD)some you will ^(CE)flog in your synagogues and ^(CF)persecute from town to town, ³⁵ so that on you may come all ^(CG)the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous ^(CH)Abel to the blood of ^(CI)Zechariah the son of Barachiah,^[f] whom you murdered between ^(CJ)the sanctuary and ^(CK)the altar. ³⁶ Truly, I say to you, ^(CL)all these things will come upon this generation.

Lament over Jerusalem

^37 (CM)“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that ^(CN)kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have ^(CO)gathered ^(CP)your children together ^(CQ)as a hen gathers her brood ^(CR)under her wings, and ^(CS)you were not willing! ³⁸ See, ^(CT)your house is left to you desolate. ³⁹ For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ^(CU)‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

24 ^(CV)Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. ² But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, ^(CW)there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

Signs of the End of the Age

³ As he sat on ^(CX)the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him ^(CY)privately, saying, “Tell us, ^(CZ)when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your ^(DA)coming and of ^(DB)the end of the age?” ⁴ And Jesus answered them, ^(DC)“See that no one leads you astray. ⁵ For ^(DD)many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am ^(DE)the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. ⁶ And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you ^(DF)are not alarmed, for this ^(DG)must take place, but the end is not yet. ⁷ For ^(DH)nation will rise against nation, and ^(DI)kingdom against kingdom, and there will be ^(DJ)famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are but the beginning of ^(DK)the birth pains.

⁹ “Then ^(DL)they will deliver you up ^(DM)to tribulation and ^(DN)put you to death, and ^(DO)you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. ¹⁰ And then many will fall away^[g] and ^(DP)betray one another and hate one another. ¹¹ And many ^(DQ)false prophets will arise ^(DR)and lead many astray. ¹² And because lawlessness will be increased, ^(DS)the love of many will grow cold. ^13 (DT)But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom ^(DU)will be proclaimed throughout the whole world ^(DV)as a testimony ^(DW)to all nations, and ^(DX)then the end will come.

The Abomination of Desolation

¹⁵ “So when you see the abomination of desolation ^(DY)spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in ^(DZ)the holy place (^(EA)let the reader understand), ¹⁶ then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ^17 (EB)Let the one who is on ^(EC)the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, ¹⁸ and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. ¹⁹ And ^(ED)alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! ²⁰ Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. ²¹ For then there will be ^(EE)great tribulation, ^(EF)such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. ²² And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for ^(EG)the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. ^23 (EH)Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. ²⁴ For ^(EI)false christs and ^(EJ)false prophets will arise and ^(EK)perform great signs and wonders, ^(EL)so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ See, ^(EM)I have told you beforehand. ²⁶ So, if they say to you, ‘Look, ^(EN)he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. ^27 (EO)For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be ^(EP)the coming of the Son of Man. ^28 (EQ)Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁹ “Immediately after ^(ER)the tribulation of those days ^(ES)the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and ^(ET)the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ Then ^(EU)will appear in heaven ^(EV)the sign of the Son of Man, and then ^(EW)all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and ^(EX)they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven ^(EY)with power and great glory. ³¹ And ^(EZ)he will send out his angels with a loud ^(FA)trumpet call, and they will ^(FB)gather ^(FC)his elect from ^(FD)the four winds, ^(FE)from one end of heaven to the other.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

³² “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³ So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, ^(FF)at the very gates. ^34 (FG)Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. ^35 (FH)Heaven and earth will pass away, but ^(FI)my words will not pass away.

No One Knows That Day and Hour

³⁶ “But concerning that day and hour ^(FJ)no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, ^(FK)nor the Son,^{[h] (FL)}but the Father only. ^37 (FM)For as were the days of Noah, ^(FN)so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ^38 (FO)For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, ^(FP)marrying and giving in marriage, until ^(FQ)the day when Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, ^(FR)so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰ Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. ^41 (FS)Two women will be grinding ^(FT)at the mill; one will be taken and one left. ⁴² Therefore, ^(FU)stay awake, for you do not know on what day ^(FV)your Lord is coming. ^43 (FW)But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night ^(FX)the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ Therefore you also must be ^(FY)ready, for ^(FZ)the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

⁴⁵ “Who then is ^(GA)the faithful and ^(GB)wise servant,^[i] whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? ^46 (GC)Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. ⁴⁷ Truly, I say to you, ^(GD)he will set him over all his possessions. ⁴⁸ But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master ^(GE)is delayed,’ ⁴⁹ and begins to beat his fellow servants^[j] and eats and drinks with ^(GF)drunkards, ⁵⁰ the master of that servant will come ^(GG)on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know ⁵¹ and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place ^(GH)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

25 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ^(GI)ten virgins who took their lamps^[k] and went to meet ^(GJ)the bridegroom.^{[l] 2} Five of them were foolish, and five were ^(GK)wise. ³ For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, ⁴ but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. ⁵ As the bridegroom ^(GL)was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. ⁶ But ^(GM)at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ ⁷ Then all those virgins rose and ^(GN)trimmed their lamps. ⁸ And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and ^(GO)those who were ready went in with him to ^(GP)the marriage feast, and ^(GQ)the door was shut. ¹¹ Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ^(GR)‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ ^12 (GS)But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, ^(GT)I do not know you.’ ^13 (GU)Watch therefore, for you ^(GV)know neither the day nor the hour.

The Parable of the Talents

^14 (GW)“For ^(GX)it will be like a man ^(GY)going on a journey, who called his servants^[m] and entrusted to them his property. ¹⁵ To one he gave five ^(GZ)talents,^[n] to another two, to another one, ^(HA)to each according to his ability. Then he ^(HB)went away. ¹⁶ He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. ¹⁷ So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. ¹⁸ But he who had received the one talent went and ^(HC)dug in the ground and hid his master's money. ¹⁹ Now ^(HD)after a long time the master of those servants came and ^(HE)settled accounts with them. ²⁰ And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ ²¹ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and ^(HF)faithful servant.^{[o] (HG)}You have been faithful over a little; ^(HH)I will set you over much. Enter into ^(HI)the joy of your master.’ ²² And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ ²³ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ ²⁴ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be ^(HJ)a hard man, reaping ^(HK)where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, ²⁵ so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, ^(HL)you have what is yours.’ ²⁶ But his master answered him, ‘You ^(HM)wicked and ^(HN)slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? ²⁷ Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. ²⁸ So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. ^29 (HO)For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. ³⁰ And ^(HP)cast ^(HQ)the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place ^(HR)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

The Final Judgment

^31 (HS)“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, ^(HT)then he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² Before him ^(HU)will be gathered ^(HV)all the nations, and ^(HW)he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates ^(HX)the sheep from the goats. ³³ And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. ³⁴ Then ^(HY)the King will say to ^(HZ)those on his right, ‘Come, you ^(IA)who are blessed by my Father, ^(IB)inherit ^(IC)the kingdom ^(ID)prepared for you ^(IE)from the foundation of the world. ³⁵ For ^(IF)I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you ^(IG)gave me drink, ^(IH)I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ^36 (II)I was naked and you clothed me, ^(IJ)I was sick and you ^(IK)visited me, ^(IL)I was in prison and you came to me.’ ³⁷ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? ³⁸ And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? ³⁹ And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ ⁴⁰ And ^(IM)the King will answer them, ^(IN)‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these ^(IO)my brothers,^[p] you did it to me.’

⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ^(IP)‘Depart from me, you ^(IQ)cursed, into ^(IR)the eternal fire prepared for ^(IS)the devil and his angels. ⁴² For ^(IT)I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ ⁴⁴ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ ⁴⁵ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, ^(IU)you did not do it to me.’ ⁴⁶ And these will go away ^(IV)into eternal punishment, but the righteous ^(IW)into ^(IX)eternal life.”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

26 When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, ^2 (IY)“You know that after two days ^(IZ)the Passover is coming, and ^(JA)the Son of Man ^(JB)will be delivered up to be crucified.”

^3 (JC)Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in ^(JD)the palace of the high priest, whose name was ^(JE)Caiaphas, ^4 (JF)and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. ⁵ But they said, “Not during the feast, ^(JG)lest there be an uproar among the people.”

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

^6 (JH)Now when Jesus was at ^(JI)Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,^{[q] 7} a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. ⁸ And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? ⁹ For this could have been sold for a large sum and ^(JJ)given to the poor.” ¹⁰ But ^(JK)Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. ¹¹ For ^(JL)you always have the poor with you, but ^(JM)you will not always have me. ¹² In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it ^(JN)to prepare me for burial. ¹³ Truly, I say to you, wherever ^(JO)this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told ^(JP)in memory of her.”

Judas to Betray Jesus

^14 (JQ)Then one of the twelve, whose name was ^(JR)Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they ^(JS)paid him ^(JT)thirty pieces of silver. ¹⁶ And from that moment he sought an opportunity ^(JU)to betray him.

The Passover with the Disciples

^17 (JV)Now on ^(JW)the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” ¹⁸ He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ^(JX)‘The Teacher says, ^(JY)My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” ¹⁹ And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.

^20 (JZ)When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve.^{[r] 21} And as they were eating, ^(KA)he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” ²² And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” ²³ He answered, ^(KB)“He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. ²⁴ The Son of Man goes ^(KC)as it is written of him, but ^(KD)woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! ^(KE)It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” ²⁵ Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, ^(KF)Rabbi?” He said to him, ^(KG)“You have said so.”

Institution of the Lord's Supper

^26 (KH)Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and ^(KI)after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; ^(KJ)this is my body.” ²⁷ And he took a cup, and when he ^(KK)had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, ²⁸ for ^(KL)this is my ^(KM)blood of the^[s] covenant, which is poured out for ^(KN)many ^(KO)for the forgiveness of sins. ²⁹ I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you ^(KP)in my Father's kingdom.”

Jesus Foretells Peter's Denial

^30 (KQ)And when they had sung a hymn, ^(KR)they went out to ^(KS)the Mount of Olives. ³¹ Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will ^(KT)strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ ³² But after I am raised up, ^(KU)I will go before you to Galilee.” ^33 (KV)Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” ^34 (KW)Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, ^(KX)before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” ^35 (KY)Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

^36 (KZ)Then Jesus went with them ^(LA)to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷ And taking with him ^(LB)Peter and ^(LC)the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. ³⁸ Then he said to them, ^(LD)“My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and ^(LE)watch^[t] with me.” ³⁹ And going a little farther he fell on his face ^(LF)and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let ^(LG)this cup pass from me; ^(LH)nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” ⁴⁰ And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? ^41 (LI)Watch and ^(LJ)pray that you ^(LK)may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ⁴² Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, ^(LL)your will be done.” ⁴³ And again he came and found them sleeping, for ^(LM)their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for ^(LN)the third time, saying the same words again. ⁴⁵ Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on.^[u] See, ^(LO)the hour is at hand, and ^(LP)the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”

Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

^47 (LQ)While he was still speaking, ^(LR)Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. ⁴⁸ Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” ⁴⁹ And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, ^(LS)Rabbi!” And he kissed him. ⁵⁰ Jesus said to him, ^(LT)“Friend, ^(LU)do what you came to do.”^[v] Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. ⁵¹ And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his ^(LV)sword and struck the servant^[w] of the high priest and cut off his ear. ⁵² Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For ^(LW)all who take the sword will perish by the sword. ^53 (LX)Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me ^(LY)more than twelve ^(LZ)legions of angels? ^54 (MA)But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” ⁵⁵ At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day ^(MB)I sat in the temple ^(MC)teaching, and you did not seize me. ⁵⁶ But ^(MD)all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” ^(ME)Then all the disciples left him and fled.

Jesus Before Caiaphas and the Council

^57 (MF)Then ^(MG)those who had seized Jesus led him to ^(MH)Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. ⁵⁸ And ^(MI)Peter was following him at a distance, as far as ^(MJ)the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with ^(MK)the guards to see the end. ⁵⁹ Now the chief priests and the whole council^{[x] (ML)}were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, ⁶⁰ but they found none, ^(MM)though many false witnesses came forward. At last ^(MN)two came forward ⁶¹ and said, “This man said, ^(MO)‘I am able to ^(MP)destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’” ⁶² And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?”^{[y] 63 (MQ)}But Jesus remained silent. ^(MR)And the high priest said to him, ^(MS)“I adjure you by ^(MT)the living God, ^(MU)tell us if you are ^(MV)the Christ, ^(MW)the Son of God.” ⁶⁴ Jesus said to him, ^(MX)“You have said so. But I tell you, from now on ^(MY)you will see the Son of Man ^(MZ)seated at the right hand of Power and ^(NA)coming on the clouds of heaven.” ⁶⁵ Then the high priest ^(NB)tore his robes and said, ^(NC)“He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. ⁶⁶ What is your judgment?” They answered, ^(ND)“He deserves death.” ⁶⁷ Then ^(NE)they spit in his face ^(NF)and ^(NG)struck him. And some slapped him, ⁶⁸ saying, “Prophesy to us, you ^(NH)Christ! Who is it that struck you?”

Peter Denies Jesus

^69 (NI)Now Peter was sitting outside ^(NJ)in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” ⁷⁰ But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” ⁷¹ And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus ^(NK)of Nazareth.” ⁷² And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” ⁷³ After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for ^(NL)your accent betrays you.” ⁷⁴ Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. ⁷⁵ And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, ^(NM)“Before the rooster crows, you will ^(NN)deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Jesus Delivered to Pilate

27 ^(NO)When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people ^(NP)took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. ² And they bound him and ^(NQ)led him away and ^(NR)delivered him over to ^(NS)Pilate the governor.

Judas Hangs Himself

³ Then when ^(NT)Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus^[z] was condemned, ^(NU)he changed his mind and brought back ^(NV)the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, ⁴ saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? ^(NW)See to it yourself.” ⁵ And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, ^(NX)he departed, and he went and hanged himself. ⁶ But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into ^(NY)the treasury, since it is blood money.” ⁷ So they took counsel and bought with them the potter's field as a burial place for strangers. ⁸ Therefore ^(NZ)that field has been called the Field of Blood ^(OA)to this day. ^9 (OB)Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, ^(OC)“And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, ¹⁰ and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me.”

Jesus Before Pilate

^11 (OD)Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you ^(OE)the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, ^(OF)“You have said so.” ^12 (OG)But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. ¹³ Then Pilate said to him, ^(OH)“Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” ¹⁴ But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

The Crowd Chooses Barabbas

^15 (OI)Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. ¹⁶ And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. ¹⁷ So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or ^(OJ)Jesus who is called Christ?” ¹⁸ For he knew that it was out ^(OK)of envy that they had delivered him up. ¹⁹ Besides, while he was sitting on ^(OL)the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with ^(OM)that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today ^(ON)in a dream.” ²⁰ Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ^(OO)ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. ²¹ The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” ²² Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” ^(OP)They all said, “Let him be crucified!”