The Anointing at Bethany.^a 1^* Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.^b 2They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him.^c 3Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus^* and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.^d 4Then Judas the Iscariot, one [of] his disciples, and the one who would betray him, said, 5“Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages^* and given to the poor?” 6He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal the contributions.^e 7So Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial.^* 8You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”^f

9[The] large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came, not only because of Jesus, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.^g 10And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too, 11because many of the Jews were turning away and believing in Jesus because of him.^h