Matthew 26:1-16

New International Version - UK

The plot against Jesus

26 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, ² ‘As you know, the Passover is two days away – and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.’

³ Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, ⁴ and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. ⁵ ‘But not during the festival,’ they said, ‘or there may be a riot among the people.’

Jesus anointed at Bethany

⁶ While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, ⁷ a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.

⁸ When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. ‘Why this waste?’ they asked. ⁹ ‘This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.’

¹⁰ Aware of this, Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ¹¹ The poor you will always have with you,^[a] but you will not always have me. ¹² When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. ¹³ Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.’

Judas agrees to betray Jesus

¹⁴ Then one of the Twelve – the one called Judas Iscariot – went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and asked, ‘What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?’ So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. ¹⁶ From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.