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 of 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 to 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.