Mark 14 - Easy To Read Version

¹ It was now only two days before the Passover {\cf2\super [190]} and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. {\cf2\super [191]} The leading priests and teachers of the law were trying to find a way to arrest Jesus without the people seeing it. Then they could kill him.

² They said, “But we cannot arrest Jesus during the festival. We don’t want the people to become angry and cause a riot.”

³ Jesus was in Bethany. He was eating in the house of Simon the leper. {\cf2\super [192]} While Jesus was there a woman came to him. The woman had an alabaster {\cf2\super [193]} jar filled with very expensive perfume. This perfume was made of pure nard. {\cf2\super [194]} The woman opened the jar and poured the perfume on Jesus’ head.

⁴ Some of the followers there saw this. They became upset and complained to each other. They said, “Why waste that perfume?

⁵ That perfume was worth a full year’s work. It could be sold and the money could be given to poor people.” And they criticized the woman strongly.

⁶ Jesus said, “Don’t bother the woman. Why are you troubling her? She did a very good thing for me.

⁷ You will always have poor people with you. You can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me.

⁸ This woman did the only thing she could do for me. She poured perfume on my body. She did this before I die to prepare me for burial.

⁹ I tell you the truth. The Good News {\cf2\super [195]} will be told to people in all the world. And in every place where the Good News is told, the story of what this woman did will also be told. The thing she has done will be told and people will remember her.”

¹⁰ Then one of the twelve apostles {\cf2\super [196]} went to talk to the leading priests. This was the follower named Judas Iscariot. Judas wanted to give Jesus to them.

¹¹ The leading priests were very happy about this. They promised to pay Judas for doing this. So Judas waited for the best time to give Jesus to them.

¹² It was now the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread. {\cf2\super [197]} This was the day when the Jews killed the lambs for the Passover. {\cf2\super [198]} Jesus’ followers came to him. They said, “We will go and prepare everything for you to eat the Passover meal. Where do you want us to have the meal?”

¹³ Jesus sent two of his followers into the city. Jesus said to them, “Go into the city. You will see a man carrying a jar of water. The man will come to you. Follow that man.

¹⁴ That man will walk into a house. Tell the person who owns the house, ‘The Teacher asks that you show us the room where he and his followers can eat the Passover {\cf2\super [199]} meal.’

¹⁵ The owner will show you a large room upstairs. This room is ready for you. Prepare the food for us there.”

¹⁶ So the followers left and went into the city. Everything happened the way Jesus said. So the followers prepared the Passover {\cf2\super [200]} meal.

¹⁷ In the evening, Jesus went to that house with the twelve apostles. {\cf2\super [201]}

¹⁸ While they were all at the table eating, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth. One of you will be against me—one of you eating with me now.”

¹⁹ The followers were very sad to hear this. Each follower said to Jesus, “Surely I will not be against you!”

²⁰ Jesus answered, “The man who is against me is one of you twelve. He is the one who dips his bread into the same bowl with me.

²¹ The Son of Man {\cf2\super [202]} will go \{and die\}. The Scriptures {\cf2\super [203]} say this will happen. But it will be very bad for the person who gives the Son of Man \{to be killed\}. It would be better for that person if he were never born.”

²² While they were eating, Jesus took some bread. Jesus thanked God for the bread and divided it. He gave the bread to his followers. Jesus said, “Take this bread \{and eat it\}. This bread is my body.”

²³ Then Jesus took a cup of wine. He thanked God for it and gave it to the followers. All the followers drank from the cup.

²⁴ Then Jesus said, “This wine is my blood. My blood (death) begins the new agreement \{from God to his people\}. This blood is given for many people.

²⁵ I tell you the truth. I will not drink this wine again until that day when I drink it in the kingdom of God and the wine is new.”

²⁶ All the followers sang a song. Then they went out to the Mount of Olives. {\cf2\super [204]}

²⁷ Then Jesus told the followers, “You will all lose your faith. It is written \{in the Scriptures {\cf2\super [205]} \}:

²⁸ But \{after I die\}, I will rise from death. Then I will go to Galilee. I will be there before you go there.”

²⁹ Peter said, “All the other followers may lose their faith. But I will never lose my faith.”

³⁰ Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth. Tonight you will say you don’t know me. You will say this three times before the rooster crows twice.”

³¹ But Peter answered strongly, “I will never say I don’t know you! I will even die with you!” And all the other followers said the same thing.

³² Jesus and his followers went to a place named Gethsemane. Jesus said to the followers, “Sit here while I pray.”

³³ Jesus told Peter, James, and John to come with him. Then Jesus began to be very troubled and full of sorrow.

³⁴ Jesus said to Peter, James, and John, “My soul is full of sorrow. My heart is breaking with sadness. Wait here and stay awake.”

³⁵ Jesus walked a little more away from them. Then Jesus fell to the ground and prayed. Jesus prayed that, if possible, he would not have this time of suffering.

³⁶ Jesus prayed, “Abba, {\cf2\super [206]} Father! You can do all things. Let me not have this cup {\cf2\super [207]} \{of suffering\}. But do what you want, not what I want.”

³⁷ Then Jesus went back to his followers. He found them sleeping. He said to Peter, “Simon, why are you sleeping? You could not stay awake with me for one hour?

³⁸ Stay awake and pray for strength against temptation. Your spirit wants to do what is right. But your body is weak.”

³⁹ Again Jesus went away and prayed the same thing.

⁴⁰ Then Jesus went back to the followers. Again Jesus found them sleeping. Their eyes were very tired. The followers did not know what they should say to Jesus.

⁴¹ After Jesus prayed a third time, he went back to his followers. Jesus said to them, “You are still sleeping and resting? That’s enough! The time has come for the Son of Man {\cf2\super [208]} to be given to sinful people.

⁴² Stand up! We must go. Here comes the man who is giving me to those people.”

⁴³ While Jesus was still speaking, Judas came there. He was one of the twelve apostles. {\cf2\super [209]} Judas had many people with him. These people were sent from the leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the older Jewish leaders. These people with Judas had swords and clubs.

⁴⁴ Judas {\cf2\super [210]} planned to do something to show the people which man was Jesus. Judas said, “The man I kiss is Jesus. Arrest him and guard him while you lead him away.”

⁴⁵ So Judas went to Jesus and said, “Teacher!” Then Judas kissed Jesus.

⁴⁶ Then the men grabbed Jesus and arrested him.

⁴⁷ One of the followers standing near Jesus grabbed his sword and pulled it out. This follower hit the servant of the high priest {\cf2\super [211]} with the sword and cut off his ear.

⁴⁸ Then Jesus said, “You came to get me with swords and clubs like I am a criminal.

⁴⁹ Every day I was with you teaching in the temple {\cf2\super [212]} area. You did not arrest me there. But all these things have happened so that it will be like the Scriptures {\cf2\super [213]} said.”

⁵⁰ Then all of Jesus’ followers left him and ran away.

⁵¹ There was a young man following Jesus. He was wearing only a linen cloth. The people also grabbed this man.

⁵² The cloth he was wearing came off, and he ran away wearing nothing.

⁵³ The people who arrested Jesus led him to the house of the high priest. {\cf2\super [214]} All the leading priests, the older Jewish leaders, and the teachers of the law were gathered there.

⁵⁴ Peter followed Jesus, but he did not come near Jesus. Peter followed Jesus to the yard of the high priest’s house. Peter went into the yard. Peter was sitting there with the guards. He was warming himself by their fire.

⁵⁵ The leading priests and all the Jewish council tried to find something that Jesus had done wrong so they could kill him. But the council could find no proof that would allow them to kill Jesus.

⁵⁶ Many people came and told false things against Jesus. But the people all said different things—none of them agreed.

⁵⁷ Then some people stood and said something false against Jesus. They said,

⁵⁸ “We heard this man (Jesus) say, ‘I will destroy this temple {\cf2\super [215]} that men made. And three days later, I will build another temple—a temple not made by men.’”

⁵⁹ But also the things these people said did not agree.

⁶⁰ Then the high priest {\cf2\super [216]} stood before all the people and said to Jesus, “These people said things against you. Do you have something to say about these charges against you? Are these people telling the truth?”

⁶¹ But Jesus said nothing. He did not answer.

⁶² Jesus answered, “Yes, I am the Son of God. And in the future you will see the Son of Man {\cf2\super [219]} sitting at the right side of the Great One (God). And you will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven.”

⁶³ When the high priest {\cf2\super [220]} heard this, he was very angry. He tore his clothes and said, “We don’t need any more witnesses!

⁶⁴ You all heard him say these things against God. What do you think?”

⁶⁵ Some of the people there spit at Jesus. They covered Jesus’ eyes and hit him with their fists. They said, “Be a prophet {\cf2\super [221]} and tell us who hit you!” Then the guards led Jesus away and beat him.

⁶⁶ At that time, Peter was still in the yard. A servant girl of the high priest {\cf2\super [222]} came to Peter.

⁶⁷ The girl saw Peter warming himself at the fire. She looked closely at Peter.

⁶⁸ But Peter said that he was never with Jesus. He said, “I don’t know or understand what you are talking about.” Then Peter left and went to the entrance of the yard. {\cf2\super [223]}

⁶⁹ The servant girl saw Peter there. Again the girl said to the people who were standing there, “This man is one of those people \{that followed Jesus\}.”

⁷⁰ Again Peter said that it was not true.

⁷¹ Then Peter began to curse. He said strongly, “I promise to God that I don’t know this man you are talking about!”

⁷² After Peter said this, the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered what Jesus told him: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will say three times that you don’t know me.” Then Peter was very sad and began to cry.