John 17-18

Amplified Bible

The High Priestly Prayer

17 When Jesus had spoken these things, He raised His eyes to heaven [in prayer] and said, “Father, the ^[a]hour has come. Glorify Your Son, so that Your Son may glorify You. ² Just as You have given Him power and authority over all mankind, [now glorify Him] so that He may give eternal life ^[b]to all whom You have given Him [to be His—permanently and forever]. ³ Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true [supreme and sovereign] God, and [in the same manner know] Jesus [as the] Christ whom You have sent. ⁴ I have glorified You [down here] on the earth by ^[c]completing the work that You gave Me to do. ⁵ Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory and majesty that I had with You before the world existed.

⁶ “I have manifested Your name [and revealed Your very self, Your real self] to the people whom You have given Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept and obeyed Your word. ⁷ Now [at last] they know [with confident assurance] that all You have given Me is from You [it is really and truly Yours]. ⁸ For the words which You gave Me I have given them; and they received and accepted them and truly understood [with confident assurance] that I came from You [from Your presence], and they believed [without any doubt] that You sent Me. ⁹ I pray for them; I do not pray for the world, but for those You have given Me, because they belong to You; ¹⁰ and all things that are Mine are Yours, and [all things that are] Yours are Mine; and I am glorified in them. ¹¹ I am no longer in the world; yet they are still in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, so that they may be one just as We are. ¹² While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and protected them, and not one of them was lost except ^[d]the son of destruction, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.^(A)

The Disciples in the World

¹³ But now I am coming to You; and I say these things [while I am still] in the world so that they may experience My joy made full and complete and perfect within them [filling their hearts with My delight]. ¹⁴ I have given to them Your word [the message You gave Me]; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world and do not belong to the world, just as I am not of the world and do not belong to it. ¹⁵ I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but that You keep them and protect them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁷ Sanctify them in the truth [set them apart for Your purposes, make them holy]; Your word is truth. ¹⁸ Just as You commissioned and sent Me into the world, I also have commissioned and sent them (believers) into the world. ¹⁹ For their sake ^[e]I sanctify Myself [to do Your will], so that they also may be sanctified [set apart, dedicated, made holy] in [Your] truth.

²⁰ “I do not pray for these alone [it is not for their sake only that I make this request], but also for [all] those who [will ever] believe and trust in Me through their message, ²¹ that they all may be one; just as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe [without any doubt] that You sent Me.

Their Future Glory

²² I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one, just as We are one; ²³ I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected and completed into one, so that the world may know [without any doubt] that You sent Me, and [that You] have loved them, just as You have loved Me. ²⁴ Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given to Me [as Your gift to Me], may be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

²⁵ “O just and righteous Father, although the world has not known You and has never acknowledged You [and the revelation of Your mercy], yet I have always known You; and these [believers] know [without any doubt] that You sent Me; ²⁶ and I have made Your name known to them, and will continue to make it known, so that the love with which You have loved Me may be in them [overwhelming their heart], and I [may be] in them.”

Judas Betrays Jesus

18 Having said these things, Jesus left with His disciples and went across the ^[f]ravine of the Kidron. There was a garden there, which He and His disciples entered. ² Now Judas, who was betraying Him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with His disciples. ³ So Judas, having obtained the Roman ^[g]cohort and some officers from the high priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons.^{(B) 4} Then Jesus, knowing all that was about to happen to Him, went to them and asked, “Whom do you want?” ⁵ They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus said, “I am He.” And Judas, who was betraying Him, was also standing with them. ⁶ When Jesus said, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. ⁷ Again He asked them, “Whom do you want?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” ⁸ Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you want Me, let these men go on their way.” ⁹ This was to fulfill and verify the words He had spoken, “Of those whom You have given Me, I have not lost even one.”^{(C) 10} Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus. ¹¹ So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword [back] in its sheath! Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?”

Jesus before Annas and Caiaphas

¹² So the cohort and their commander and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him, ¹³ and led Him to ^[h]Annas first; for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. ¹⁴ It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it was expedient for one man to die on behalf of the people.^(D)

¹⁵ Simon Peter and ^[i]another disciple were following Jesus. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, so he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the [residence of the] high priest; ¹⁶ but Peter was standing outside at the door. So the other disciple (John), who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter inside.^{(E) 17} Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, “You are not one of this Man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” ¹⁸ Now the servants and the officers had made a fire of coals, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. And Peter was with them, standing and warming himself.

¹⁹ Then the high priest questioned Jesus about His disciples and about His teaching.^{(F) 20} Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I always taught in a synagogue and in the temple [area], where all the Jews habitually congregate; and I said nothing in secret. ²¹ Why question Me? Question those who have heard what I said to them. They know what I said.” ²² But when He said this, one of the officers who was standing nearby ^[j]struck Jesus [in the face], saying, “Is that how You answer the high priest?” ²³ Jesus replied, “If I have said anything wrong, make a formal statement about the wrong; but if [I spoke] properly, why did you strike Me?” ²⁴ So Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

Peter’s Denial of Jesus

²⁵ Now Simon Peter was [still] standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You are not one of His disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.”^{(G) 26} One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the one whose ear Peter cut off, said, “Did I not see you with Him in the garden?” ²⁷ So Peter denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed.

Jesus before Pilate

²⁸ Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium (governor’s palace). Now it was early and the Jews did not enter the Praetorium so that they would not be [ceremonially] unclean, but might [be able to] eat [and participate in the Feast of Unleavened Bread which began after] the ^[k]Passover [supper]. ²⁹ So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?”^{(H) 30} They answered, “If He were not a criminal, we would not have handed Him over to you [for judgment].” ³¹ Then Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves and judge Him according to your own law.” The Jews said, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death.” ³² This was to fulfill the word which Jesus had spoken to indicate by what manner of death He was going to die.^(I)

³³ So Pilate went into the Praetorium again, and called Jesus and asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” ³⁴ Jesus replied, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?” ³⁵ Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own people and their chief priests have handed You over to me. What have You done [that is worthy of death]?” ³⁶ Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not of this world [nor does it have its origin in this world]. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would be fighting [hard] to keep Me from being handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this world.” ³⁷ So Pilate said to Him, “Then You are a King?” Jesus answered, “You say [correctly] that I am a King. This is why I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth [who is a friend of the truth and belongs to the truth] hears and listens carefully to My voice.”^{(J) 38} Pilate said to Him [scornfully], “What is truth?”

And when he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no guilt in Him [no crime, no cause for an accusation]. ³⁹ But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. So shall I release for you the King of the Jews?”^{(K) 40} Then they all shouted back again, “Not this Man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a ^[l]robber.