Matthew 26:26-75

26While Jesus and his disciples were eating, he took a loaf of bread. He thanked God for it and then he broke the bread into pieces. He gave some of it to each of them. He said, ‘Take this bread and eat it. This is my body.’

27Then Jesus took a cup. He thanked God for the wine in the cup. Then he gave it to them and he said, ‘All of you should drink some of this wine.

28This is my blood that shows God's promise. When I die, my blood will pour out of my body. In that way God will forgive many people for the wrong things that they have done. That is the promise that God makes because of my death.

29I tell you this. I will not drink wine again until I drink it with you in my Father's kingdom. Then it will be new wine.’

30Then Jesus and his disciples sang a song to praise God. Then they went out to the Mount of Olives.

31Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Tonight, all of you will turn away from me. It will happen in the way that the Bible says: God says, “I will kill the shepherd who leads the sheep. Then all the sheep will run away in different directions.” ’

32Jesus then said, ‘But after that happens, I will become alive again. Then I will go to Galilee, and you will meet me there.’

33Peter said to Jesus, ‘Even if everyone else runs away, I will not leave you.’

34Jesus replied to Peter, ‘I tell you this: Even tonight, you will say three times that you do not know me. This will happen before the cockerel sings early tomorrow morning.’

35But Peter said to Jesus, ‘I will die with you if I need to. But I will never say that I do not know you.’ All the other disciples said the same thing.

36Then Jesus and his disciples arrived at a large garden called Gethsemane. Jesus said to the disciples, ‘Sit here while I go over there to pray.’

37Then Jesus took Peter and Zebedee's two sons, James and John, with him. He became very sad and upset.

38He said to them, ‘I am very sad. I feel as if I could die because I feel so sad. Wait here with me and stay awake.’

39Jesus went a short way beyond them. He went down with his face on the ground. He prayed, ‘Father, if it is possible, please save me from this time of great pain. But Father, I do not ask you to do what I want. Do what you want to do.’

40Jesus returned to the three disciples. Now they were sleeping. He said to Peter, ‘You men could not stay awake with me for even one hour!

41You must stay awake and pray. God can help you, so that you will not do something wrong. You really want to do the right thing, but your bodies are weak.’

42Jesus went away a second time and he prayed, ‘My Father, if it is not possible to save me from this time of great pain, then I want to obey you. Do what you want for me.’

43Then Jesus returned again to Peter, James and John. He saw that they were sleeping. They could not keep their eyes open.

44So Jesus went away from them again and he prayed a third time. He said the same words to God.

45When he returned to the disciples, he said, ‘You should not still be sleeping and resting. Look! The moment has arrived! Someone will now give me, the Son of Man, to my enemies.

46Stand up, we will go now. Look! The man who will give me to my enemies is here.’

47While Jesus was still speaking, Judas arrived. He was one of Jesus' 12 disciples. A crowd also came with him. They were carrying swords and heavy sticks. The leaders of the priests and the important Jews had sent these people with Judas.

48Judas was ready to help the Jewish leaders to take hold of Jesus. Before this, he had told them, ‘I will kiss one of the men. You must take hold of that man.’

49Now Judas went immediately to Jesus. He said, ‘Hello, Teacher.’ Then he kissed Jesus in a friendly way.

50Jesus said to Judas, ‘My friend, now do what you have come here to do.’ Then the crowd of men came up to Jesus. They took hold of him to lead him away.

51Then one of Jesus' disciples took hold of his sword. He hit the servant of the leader of the priests with it and he cut off the servant's ear.

52Then Jesus said to the disciple, ‘Put your sword back in its place. People who use a sword to kill others will themselves die in the same way. Someone will kill them with a sword.

53You should know that I could ask my Father God to help me. He would immediately send more than 12 large groups of angels to fight for me.

54They would save me. But then the things that God has said in the Bible about this would not happen. So it must happen in this way.’

55At that time, Jesus said to the crowd, ‘You have come out here with swords and heavy sticks to take hold of me. Do you really believe that I am leading people to fight against our country's rulers? No! I was teaching people every day in the yard of the temple. But you did not try to take hold of me then.

56The prophets wrote long ago that all this would happen to me. Now it has become true.’ Then all of Jesus' disciples ran away and left him.

57Then those men who had taken hold of Jesus took him to Caiaphas's house. Caiaphas was the most important priest. The teachers of God's Law and the important Jews were meeting there together with Caiaphas.

58Peter followed Jesus into the yard of Caiaphas' house. But he did not go near Jesus. He sat down in the yard with the police who worked in the temple. He wanted to see what would happen.

59The leaders of the priests and all the Jewish leaders wanted to punish Jesus with death. So they tried to find some people who would say things against Jesus that were not true.

60Many people did come. And they said things against Jesus that were not true. But still the Jewish leaders could not find a reason to kill Jesus. Then two men stood up and they said,

61‘We heard this man say, “I can destroy the temple and in three days I can build it again.” ’

62Then Caiaphas stood up. He said to Jesus, ‘You must reply now to what these men have said against you. Are the things that they say true?’

63But Jesus did not say anything. So Caiaphas said to him, ‘I use the authority of the God who lives. You must promise to tell us what is true. Are you the Messiah? Are you the Son of God?’

64‘You have said it,’ Jesus replied. ‘And I tell all of you, soon you will see the Son of Man. He will be sitting in the most important place at the right side of the Most Powerful God. You will also see him coming to earth. He will be riding on the clouds in the sky.’

65Then Caiaphas tore his clothes to show that he was angry. He said, ‘Jesus has spoken bad words against God. We do not need anyone else to speak against him. You have heard him speak bad words against God.

66Do you think that he is guilty?’ They replied, ‘He is guilty and he deserves to die.’

67Then some of them spat into Jesus' face. They also hit him with their fists.

68When they hit him, they said, ‘Messiah! Show us that you are a prophet. Tell us who hit you!’

69While all these things were happening, Peter was sitting outside in the yard. One of the girls who worked there went to him and she said, ‘You were also a friend of Jesus, the man from Galilee.’

70Peter said in front of everyone who was there, ‘That is not true. I do not know what you are talking about.’

71Peter then went out to the gate, and another servant girl saw him. This girl said to the people who were standing there, ‘This man was a friend of Jesus, the man from Nazareth.’

72Peter answered again very strongly. He said, ‘I promise you, I really do not know that man!’

73After a little time, other people who were standing at the gate spoke to Peter. They said, ‘We are sure that you too are one of that man's friends. We know this because you speak like people who live in Galilee.’

74Peter said to them very strongly, ‘I tell you that I do not know that man. God will surely punish me if this is not true!’ Immediately after Peter said this, the cockerel sang.

75Then Peter remembered that Jesus had said to him, ‘Tonight you will say three times that you do not know me. You will do it before the cockerel sings.’ So Peter went out of the yard. He began to weep a lot because he was very upset.