The first part of the history of the passion of Christ.
14:1. Now the feast of the pasch and of the Azymes was after two days:
and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might by some
wile lay hold on him and kill him.
Azymes. . .That is, the feast of the unleavened bread.
14:2. But they said: Not on the festival day, lest there should be a
tumult among the people.
14:3. And when he was in Bethania, in the house of Simon the leper, and
was at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of
precious spikenard. And breaking the alabaster box, she poured it out
upon his head.
14:4. Now there were some that had indignation within themselves and
said: Why was this waste of the ointment made?
14:5. For this ointment might have been sold for more than three
hundred pence and given to the poor. And they murmured against her.
14:6. But Jesus said: Let her alone. Why do You molest her? She hath
wrought a good work upon me.
14:7. For the poor you have always with you: and whensoever you will,
you may do them good: but me you have not always.
14:8. She hath done what she could: she is come beforehand to anoint my
body for the burial.
14:9. Amen, I say to you, wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in
the whole world, that also which she hath done shall be told for a
memorial of her.
14:10. And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief
priests, to betray him to them.
14:11. Who hearing it were glad: and they promised him they would give
him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him.
14:12. Now on the first day of the unleavened bread, when they
sacrificed the pasch, the disciples say to him: Whither wilt thou that
we go and prepare for thee to eat the pasch?
14:13. And he sendeth two of his disciples and saith to them: Go ye
into the city; and there shall meet you a man carrying a pitcher of
water. Follow him.
14:14. And whithersoever he shall go in, say to the master of the
house, The master saith, Where is my refectory, where I may eat the
pasch with my disciples?
14:15. And he will shew you a large dining room furnished. And there
prepare ye for us.
14:16. And his disciples went their way and came into the city. And
they found as he had told them: and they prepared the pasch.
14:17. And when evening was come, he cometh with the twelve.
14:18. And when they were at table and eating, Jesus saith: Amen I say
to you, one of you that eateth with me shall betray me.
14:19. But they began to be sorrowful and to say to him, one by one: Is
it I?
14:20. Who saith to them: One of the twelve, who dippeth with me his
hand in the dish.
14:21. And the Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but
woe to that man by whom the Son of man shall be betrayed. It were
better for him, if that man had not been born.
14:22. And whilst they were eating, Jesus took bread; and blessing,
broke and gave to them and said: Take ye. This is my body.
14:23. And having taken the chalice, giving thanks, he gave it to them.
And they all drank of it.
14:24. And he said to them: This is my blood of the new testament,
which shall be shed for many.
14:25. Amen I say to you that I will drink no more of the fruit of the
vine until that day when I shall drink it new in the kingdom of God.
14:26. And when they had sung an hymn, they went forth to the mount of
Olives.
14:27. And Jesus saith to them: You will all be scandalized in my
regard this night. For it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and
the sheep shall be dispersed.
14:28. But after I shall be risen again, I will go before you into
Galilee.
14:29. But Peter saith to him: Although all shall be scandalized in
thee, yet not I.
14:30. And Jesus saith to him: Amen I say to thee, to-day, even in this
night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.
Crow twice. . .The cocks crow at two different times of the night; viz.,
about midnight for the first time; and then about the time commonly
called the cock crowing; and this was the cock crowing our Saviour
spoke of; and therefore the other Evangelists take no notice of the
first crowing.
14:31. But he spoke the more vehemently: Although I should die together
with thee, I will not deny thee. And in like manner also said they all.
14:32. And they came to a farm called Gethsemani. And he saith to his
disciples: Sit you here, while I pray.
14:33. And he taketh Peter and James and John with him: and he began to
fear and to be heavy.
14:34. And he saith to them: My soul is sorrowful even unto death. Stay
you here and watch.
14:35. And when he was gone forward a little, he fell flat on the
ground: and he prayed that, if it might be, the hour might pass from
him.
14:36. And he saith: Abba, Father, all things are possible to thee:
remove this chalice from me; but not what I will, but what thou wilt.
14:37. And he cometh and findeth them sleeping. And he saith to Peter:
Simon, sleepest thou? Couldst thou not watch one hour?
14:38. Watch ye: and pray that you enter not into temptation. The
spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
14:39. And going away again, he prayed, saying the same words.
14:40. And when he returned, he found them again asleep (for their eyes
were heavy): and they knew not what to answer him.
14:41. And he cometh the third time and saith to them: Sleep ye now and
take your rest. It is enough. The hour is come: behold the Son of man
shall be betrayed into the hands of sinners.
14:42. Rise up: let us go. Behold, he that will betray me is at hand.
14:43. And while he was yet speaking, cometh Judas Iscariot, one of the
twelve: and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the
chief priests and the scribes and the ancients.
14:44. And he that betrayed him had given them a sign, saying:
Whomsoever I shall kiss, that is he. Lay hold on him: and lead him away
carefully.
14:45. And when he was come, immediately going up to him he saith:
Hail, Rabbi! And he kissed him.
14:46. But they laid hands on him and held him.
14:47. And one of them that stood by, drawing a sword, struck a servant
of the chief priest and cut off his ear.
14:48. And Jesus answering, said to them: Are you come out as to a
robber, with swords and staves to apprehend me?
14:49. I was daily with you in the temple teaching: and you did not lay
hands on me. But that the scriptures may be fulfilled.
14:50. Then his disciples, leaving him, all fled away.
14:51. And a certain young man followed him, having a linen cloth cast
about his naked body. And they laid hold on him.
14:52. But he, casting off the linen cloth, fled from them naked.
14:53. And they brought Jesus to the high priest. And all the priests
and the scribes and the ancients assembled together.
14:54. And Peter followed him afar off, even into the court of the high
priest. And he sat with the servants at the fire and warmed himself.
14:55. And the chief priests and all the council sought for evidence
against Jesus, that they might put him to death: and found none.
14:56. For many bore false witness against him: and their evidences
were not agreeing.
14:57. And some rising up, bore false witness against him, saying:
14:58. We heard him say, I Will destroy this temple made with hands and
within three days I will build another not made with hands.
14:59. And their witness did not agree.
14:60. And the high priest rising up in the midst, asked Jesus, saying:
Answerest thou nothing to the things that are laid to thy charge by
these men?
14:61. But he held his peace and answered nothing. Again the high
priest asked him and said to him: Art thou the Christ, the Son of the
Blessed God?
14:62. And Jesus said to him: I am. And you shall see the Son of man
sitting on the right hand of the power of God and coming with the
clouds of heaven.
14:63. Then the high priest rending his garments, saith: What need we
any further witnesses?
14:64. You have heard the blasphemy. What think you? Who all condemned
him to be guilty of death.
14:65. And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to
buffet him and to say unto him: Prophesy. And the servants struck him
with the palms their hands.
14:66. Now when Peter was in the court below, there cometh one of the
maidservants of the high priest.
14:67. And when she had seen Peter warming himself looking on him, she
saith: Thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth.
14:68. But he denied, saying: I neither know nor understand what thou
sayest. And he went forth before the court; and the cock crew.
14:69. And again a maidservant seeing him, began to say to the standers
by: This is one of them.
14:70. But he denied again. And after a, while they that stood by said
again to Peter: Surely thou art one of them; for thou art also a
Galilean.
14:71. But he began o curse and to swear, saying: I know not this man
of whom you speak.
14:72. And immediately the cock crew again. And Peter remembered the
word that Jesus had said unto him: Before the cock crow twice, thou
shalt thrice deny me. And he began to weep,