Matthew 26:6-13

Other Translations of Matthew 26:6-13

King James Version

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

⁶ Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, ⁷ There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. ⁸ But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? ⁹ For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. ¹⁰ When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. ¹¹ For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. ¹² For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. ¹³ Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.

English Standard Version

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

⁶ Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13 ⁷ a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. ⁸ And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste? ⁹ For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor." ¹⁰ But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. ¹¹ For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. ¹² In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. ¹³ Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her."

The Message

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

⁶ When Jesus was at Bethany, a guest of Simon the Leper, ⁷ a woman came up to him as he was eating dinner and anointed him with a bottle of very expensive perfume. ⁸ When the disciples saw what was happening, they were furious. "That's criminal! ⁹ This could have been sold for a lot and the money handed out to the poor." ¹⁰ When Jesus realized what was going on, he intervened. "Why are you giving this woman a hard time? She has just done something wonderfully significant for me. ¹¹ You will have the poor with you every day for the rest of your lives, but not me. ¹² When she poured this perfume on my body, what she really did was anoint me for burial. ¹³ You can be sure that wherever in the whole world the Message is preached, what she has just done is going to be remembered and admired."

New King James Version

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

⁶ And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, ⁷ a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. ⁸ But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste? ⁹ For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor." ¹⁰ But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. ¹¹ For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. ¹² For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. ¹³ Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."

New Living Translation

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

⁶ Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. ⁷ While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it over his head. ⁸ The disciples were indignant when they saw this. "What a waste!" they said. ⁹ "It could have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor." ¹⁰ But Jesus, aware of this, replied, "Why criticize this woman for doing such a good thing to me? ¹¹ You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me. ¹² She has poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial. ¹³ I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman's deed will be remembered and discussed."