3 Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper. While he was eating there, a woman came to him. She had an alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume made of pure nard. She opened the jar and poured the perfume on Jesus’ head.
4 Some of the followers there saw this. They were upset and complained to each other. They said, “Why waste that perfume?
5 It was worth a full year’s pay. It could have been sold and the money given to those who are poor.” And they told the woman what a bad thing she had done.
6 Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why are you giving her such trouble? She did a very good thing for me.
7 You will always have the poor with you, and 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 before I die to prepare it for burial.
9 The Good News will be told to people all over the world. And I can assure you that everywhere the Good News is told, the story of what this woman did will also be told, and people will remember her.”