Matthew 26

1 Ref And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples,

2 Ref Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.

3 Ref Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,

4 Ref And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him.

5 Ref But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.

6 Ref Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,

7 Ref There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.

8 Ref But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?

9 Ref For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.

10 Ref When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.

11 Ref For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.

12 Ref For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.

13 Ref Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.

14 Ref Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,

15 Ref And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.

16 Ref And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.

17 Ref Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?

18 Ref And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.

19 Ref And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.

20 Ref Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve.

21 Ref And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.

22 Ref And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?

23 Ref And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.

24 Ref The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.

25 Ref Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.

26 Ref And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.

27 Ref And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;

28 Ref For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

29 Ref But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.

30 Ref And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.

31 Ref Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.

32 Ref But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.

33 Ref Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.

34 Ref Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

35 Ref Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.

36 Ref Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.

37 Ref And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.

38 Ref Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.

39 Ref And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

40 Ref And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?

41 Ref Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

42 Ref He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

43 Ref And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.

44 Ref And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

45 Ref Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

46 Ref Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.

47 Ref And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people.

48 Ref Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.

49 Ref And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.

50 Ref And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus and took him.

51 Ref And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear.

52 Ref Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.

53 Ref Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?

54 Ref But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?

55 Ref In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me.

56 Ref But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.

57 Ref And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.

58 Ref But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end.

59 Ref Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;

60 Ref But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,

61 Ref And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.

62 Ref And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?

63 Ref But Jesus held his peace, And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.

64 Ref Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

65 Ref Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.

66 Ref What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.

67 Ref Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,

68 Ref Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?

69 Ref Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.

70 Ref But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.

71 Ref And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth.

72 Ref And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.

73 Ref And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee.

74 Ref Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.

75 Ref And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

Chapter 26 of 28

Begin Your Journey of Faith

We all start at different points in our walk with Christ. No matter where you are, we're here to support you as you grow in faith.

Accept Jesus Christ as Your Savior

If you haven’t made the decision to follow Jesus yet, we want to walk with you as you discover the new life He offers.

Read "A Truly Free Gift"

What Guides Our Walk With Christ

Discover the biblical truths and core beliefs that shape how we live, serve, and walk faithfully with Christ each day.

Explore Our Beliefs

Join a Community of Believers

Don’t walk through life alone. Find others to connect with, whether in person or online, and grow together in Christ.

Discover Where We Meet