1 It was now almost time to celebrate the festival of Unleavened Bread, which began with the Passover festival. 2 The chief priests and the men who taught the Jewish laws were seeking a way to kill Jesus. But they wanted to do it secretly, because they were afraid that if they did not do it secretly, the people might riot.

3 Then even though Judas, who was called the man from Kerioth village, was one of the twelve disciples, Satan entered him. 4 Judas went and conferred with the chief priests and the officers of the Temple guards. He discussed with them how he could enable them to seize Jesus. 5 They were pleased that he wanted to do that. They offered to give him money for doing it. 6 So he agreed, and they gave him the money. Then he tried to find an opportunity to enable them to seize Jesus when there was no crowd around him.

7 Then the day during the first part of the week-long festival of Unleavened Bread came, the day when the lambs for the Passover celebration had to be killed. 8 So Jesus said to Peter and John, “Go and prepare the meal for the Passover celebration.” 9 They replied to him, “Where do you (sg) want us to prepare it?” 10 He said to the two of them, “Listen carefully. When you two enter the city, a man who is carrying a large jar of water will meet you. Follow him. When he enters a house, 11 tell the owner of the house, ‘Our teacher says that we(exc) should ask you(sg) to please show us the room that he arranged with you where he can eat the Passover meal with us, his disciples [RHQ].’ 12 He will show you a large room that is on the upper floor of the house. It will be all set up for a meal. Prepare the meal for us there.” 13 So the two disciples went into the city. They found everything to be just like Jesus had told them. So they prepared the meal for the Passover celebration there.

14 When it was time [MTY] to eat the Passover meal, Jesus came and sat down with the twelve apostles. 15 He said to them, “I have greatly desired to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer and die. 16 I want you to know that I will not eat the Passover meal again until all those whose lives God rules completely realize what it represents.” 17 Then he took a cup of wine and thanked God for it. Then he said, “Take this, and each of you drink some of it. 18 I want you to know that from now on I will not drink wine until God makes me king.” 19 Then he took some bread and thanked God for it. He broke it into pieces and gave it to them to eat. He said, “This bread represents my body, which I am about to sacrifice for you. Keep on eating bread this way regularly to remember what I have done for you.” 20 Similarly, after they had eaten the meal, he took another cup of wine. He said, “The wine in [MTY] this cup represents my blood, which will soon flow from my body when I die. With this blood I will sign the new agreement that God is making with you. 21 But note that the one [SYN] who will enable my enemies to seize me is eating right here with me! 22  It is certain that I, the one who came from heaven, will die, because that is what God has planned. But there will be terrible punishment for the man who will ◄betray me/enable my enemies to seize me►!” 23 Then they began to ask one another, “Which of us would do such a thing?”

24  The apostles began to argue among themselves, saying, “Which one of us will be the greatest when Jesus becomes king?” 25 So Jesus said to them, “The kings of the non-Jews enjoy showing that they are powerful. Yet they give themselves the title, ‘ones who help the people.’ 26 But you should not be like them! Instead, those who want God to consider them the greatest should act as though they were the youngest, since the youngest are expected to serve the older ones. Whoever is a leader should be one who serves the others. 27 Keep in mind who is the most important one [RHQ]. It is certainly the one who just sits at the table, not [RHQ] those who serve the meal. But I, your leader, have been an example for you by serving you while I have been among you.

28 You are the ones who have stayed with me during all my troubles. 29 So now, just like my Father has appointed me to rule as a king, I am appointing you 30 so that you can sit and eat and rule [MET] with me when I become king. You will sit on thrones to judge the people of the twelve tribes of Israel.”

31 “Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has asked God to let him test you, and God has permitted him to do it. Satan wants to cause you to suffer distress (OR, distress you) so that you will not believe/trust in me any more/longer. He wants to shake you, just like a man shakes wheat in a sieve to sift it [MET]. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that you will not completely stop believing in me. So when you (sg) restore your relationship with me, help your fellow apostles to trust in me more!” 33 Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you (sg) if they put you in prison, or even to die with you!” 34 Jesus replied, “Peter, I want you (sg) to know that tonight, before the rooster crows, you will say three times that you do not know me!”

35 Then Jesus asked all of them, “After I sent you out to other villages, and you went without taking any money or a traveling bag or extra sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?” They replied, “That’s right, we(exc) did not lack anything.” 36 Then, to show them that now many people would oppose them, (OR, to show them that they needed to be prepared to protect themselves,) he said to them, “Now things will be different. So whoever among you has some money should take it with him. Likewise, he should take a carrying bag. Whoever does not have a sword should sell his coat and buy a sword. 37 Because, I now tell you, something must happen to me to fulfill these words that a prophet wrote: ‘He was treated {They treated him} as though he were a criminal.’ Do not forget that everything that is {that they have} written about me in the Scriptures must be fulfilled.” 38  One of the disciples said, “Lord, look! We (exc) have two swords!” Realizing that they did not understand the meaning of what he said, he replied to them, “That is enough talk about swords”!

39 As Jesus left the city, he went, as he usually did, to Olive Tree Hill. His disciples went with him. 40 When he came to the place where he often spent the night, he said to them, “Pray that God will help you whenever something tempts you.” 41 Then he went from them a distance of about 30 meters/yards. (OR, as far as someone can throw a stone.) He knelt and prayed, 42 “My Father, if you are willing to do it, force me to have to undergo these terrible things that are about to happen to me [MTY]. But do not do what I want. Instead, do what you want.” 43 Then an angel from heaven appeared to Jesus and caused him to become stronger. 44 He was greatly distressed. So he prayed more earnestly. His sweat fell down on the ground as though it was large drops of blood. 45 When he got up from praying, he returned to his disciples. He found that they were sleeping. They were exhausted because they were very sorrowful. 46 He woke them and said to them, “◄I am disappointed that you are sleeping!/Why are you sleeping?► [RHQ] Get up! Pray that God will help you whenever you are tempted {when something like this tempts you}!”

47 While Jesus was still speaking, a crowd came to him. Judas, even though he was one of the twelve disciples, was leading them. He came close to Jesus and kissed him on the cheek as if to greet him, but was really a signal to those with him which one was Jesus. 48 Jesus said to him, “Judas, ◄I am disappointed that it is by kissing me that you are enabling my enemies to seize me, the one who came from heaven!/is it by kissing me as though you loved me that you are enabling my enemies to seize me, the one who came from heaven?► [RHQ]” 49 When the disciples who were around Jesus realized what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, shall we (exc) strike them with our swords?” 50 One of his disciplesdrew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest to kill him, but only cut off his right ear. 51 But Jesus said, “Do not do any more of that!” He touched the servant’s ear and healed him. 52-53 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the Temple guards, and the Jewish elders who had come to seize him, “◄It is ridiculous that you have come here with swords and clubs to capture [MTY] me, as if I were a bandit!/Why have you come here with swords and clubs to capture [MTY] me, as if I were a bandit?► [RHQ] Day after day I was with you in the Temple courtyard, and you did not seize me! But this is the time [MTY] when God is allowing you to do what you want. It is also the time [MTY] when God is allowing Satan, who rules [MTY] in the darkness, to do what he wants.”

54 They seized Jesus and led him away. They brought him to the high priest’s house. Peter followed them at a distance. 55 They kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together. Peter sat among them. 56 As the light from the fire shone on his face, a female servant saw him and looked intently at him. She said, “This man was also with the man whom they have arrested!” 57 But Peter denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him!” 58 A little later someone else saw Peter and said, “You (sg) also are one of those who were with the man they arrested!” But Peter said, “Man, I am not one of them!” 59 About an hour later someone else said emphatically about Peter, “The way that this man speaks shows that he is from Galilee district. Certainly this man was also with the man whom they arrested, who is from Galilee!” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you (sg) are talking about!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. 61 The Lord Jesus turned around and looked right at Peter. Then Peter remembered what the Lord had said to him, “This night, before the rooster crows, you (sg) will deny three times that you know me.” 62 And Peter went out of the courtyard and cried very sorrowfully.

63 The men who were guarding Jesus made fun of him and beat him. 64 They put a blindfold on him and beat him again. Then they said to him, “Because you(sg) say [IRO] that you are a prophet, prove it by telling us who it was that struck you!” 65 They said many other evil things about him, insulting him.

66 At dawn the next morning, many of the Jewish leaders gathered together. The group included the chief priests and the men who taught the Jewish laws. They took Jesus to the Jewish Council. There the men of the Council said to him, 67 “If you (sg) are the Messiah, tell us!” But he replied, “If I tell you that, you will not believe me. 68 If I ask you what you think about the Messiah, you will not answer me. 69 But some day you will see me, the one who came from heaven, sitting next to almighty God and ruling [MTY]!” 70 Then they all said, “If that is so, are you(sg) saying that you are ◄the Son of God/the Man who is also God►?” He said to them, “Yes, it is just like you say [MTY].” 71 Then they said to each other, “◄We (inc) certainly do not need anyone else to testify against him!/Why should we ask for any more people to testify against him?► [RHQ]” We ourselves have heard him say [MTY] that he is equal with God!