Read full chapter

Jesus arrested

⁴³ Just as he was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders.

⁴⁴ Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: ‘The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.’ ⁴⁵ Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, ‘Rabbi!’ and kissed him. ⁴⁶ The men seized Jesus and arrested him. ⁴⁷ Then one of those standing near drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.

⁴⁸ ‘Am I leading a rebellion,’ said Jesus, ‘that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? ⁴⁹ Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.’ ⁵⁰ Then everyone deserted him and fled.

⁵¹ A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, ⁵² he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.

Jesus before the Sanhedrin

⁵³ They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, the elders and the teachers of the law came together. ⁵⁴ Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire.

⁵⁵ The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any. ⁵⁶ Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree.

⁵⁷ Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: ⁵⁸ ‘We heard him say, “I will destroy this temple made with human hands and in three days will build another, not made with hands.”’ ⁵⁹ Yet even then their testimony did not agree.

⁶⁰ Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, ‘Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?’ ⁶¹ But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.

Again the high priest asked him, ‘Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?’

⁶² ‘I am,’ said Jesus. ‘And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.’

⁶³ The high priest tore his clothes. ‘Why do we need any more witnesses?’ he asked. ⁶⁴ ‘You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?’

They all condemned him as worthy of death. ⁶⁵ Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, ‘Prophesy!’ And the guards took him and beat him.

Peter disowns Jesus

⁶⁶ While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest came by. ⁶⁷ When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him.

‘You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,’ she said.

⁶⁸ But he denied it. ‘I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about,’ he said, and went out into the entrance.^[a]

⁶⁹ When the servant-girl saw him there, she said again to those standing round them, ‘This fellow is one of them.’ ⁷⁰ Again he denied it.

After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, ‘Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.’

⁷¹ He began to call down curses, and he swore to them, ‘I don’t know this man you’re talking about.’

⁷² Immediately the cock crowed the second time.^[b] Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: ‘Before the cock crows twice^[c] you will disown me three times.’ And he broke down and wept.

Read full chapter

Various laws

19 The Lord said to Moses, ² ‘Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: “Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.

³ ‘“Each of you must respect your mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God.

⁴ ‘“Do not turn to idols or make metal gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.

⁵ ‘“When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. ⁶ It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day; anything left over until the third day must be burned. ⁷ If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is impure and will not be accepted. ⁸ Whoever eats it will be held responsible because they have desecrated what is holy to the Lord; they must be cut off from their people.

⁹ ‘“When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. ¹⁰ Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God.

¹¹ ‘“Do not steal.

‘“Do not lie.

‘“Do not deceive one another.

¹² ‘“Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.

¹³ ‘“Do not defraud or rob your neighbour.

‘“Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker overnight.

¹⁴ ‘“Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling-block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the Lord.

¹⁵ ‘“Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favouritism to the great, but judge your neighbour fairly.

¹⁶ ‘“Do not go about spreading slander among your people.

‘“Do not do anything that endangers your neighbour’s life. I am the Lord.

¹⁷ ‘“Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbour frankly so that you will not share in their guilt.

¹⁸ ‘“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbour as yourself. I am the Lord.

¹⁹ ‘“Keep my decrees.

‘“Do not mate different kinds of animals.

‘“Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed.

‘“Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.

²⁰ ‘“If a man sleeps with a female slave who is promised to another man but who has not been ransomed or given her freedom, there must be due punishment.^[a] Yet they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. ²¹ The man, however, must bring a ram to the entrance to the tent of meeting for a guilt offering to the Lord. ²² With the ram of the guilt offering the priest is to make atonement for him before the Lord for the sin he has committed, and his sin will be forgiven.

²³ ‘“When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden.^[b] For three years you are to consider it forbidden;^[c] it must not be eaten. ²⁴ In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, an offering of praise to the Lord. ²⁵ But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased. I am the Lord your God.

²⁶ ‘“Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it.

‘“Do not practise divination or seek omens.

²⁷ ‘“Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.

²⁸ ‘“Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.

²⁹ ‘“Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness.

³⁰ ‘“Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord.

³¹ ‘“Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.

³² ‘“Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord.

³³ ‘“When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not ill-treat them. ³⁴ The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

³⁵ ‘“Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity. ³⁶ Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah^[d] and an honest hin.^[e] I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt.

³⁷ ‘“Keep all my decrees and all my laws and follow them. I am the Lord.”’

Punishments for sin

20 The Lord said to Moses, ² ‘Say to the Israelites: “Any Israelite or any foreigner residing in Israel who sacrifices any of his children to Molek is to be put to death. The members of the community are to stone him. ³ I myself will set my face against him and will cut him off from his people; for by sacrificing his children to Molek, he has defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name. ⁴ If the members of the community close their eyes when that man sacrifices one of his children to Molek and if they fail to put him to death, ⁵ I myself will set my face against him and his family and will cut them off from their people together with all who follow him in prostituting themselves to Molek.

⁶ ‘“I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people.

⁷ ‘“Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God. ⁸ Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the Lord, who makes you holy.

⁹ ‘“Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death. Because they have cursed their father or mother, their blood will be on their own head.

¹⁰ ‘“If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife – with the wife of his neighbour – both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.

¹¹ ‘“If a man has sexual relations with his father’s wife, he has dishonoured his father. Both the man and the woman are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

¹² ‘“If a man has sexual relations with his daughter-in-law, both of them are to be put to death. What they have done is a perversion; their blood will be on their own heads.

¹³ ‘“If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

¹⁴ ‘“If a man marries both a woman and her mother, it is wicked. Both he and they must be burned in the fire, so that no wickedness will be among you.

¹⁵ ‘“If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he is to be put to death, and you must kill the animal.

¹⁶ ‘“If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the woman and the animal. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

¹⁷ ‘“If a man marries his sister, the daughter of either his father or his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They are to be publicly removed from their people. He has dishonoured his sister and will be held responsible.

¹⁸ ‘“If a man has sexual relations with a woman during her monthly period, he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has also uncovered it. Both of them are to be cut off from their people.

¹⁹ ‘“Do not have sexual relations with the sister of either your mother or your father, for that would dishonour a close relative; both of you would be held responsible.

²⁰ ‘“If a man has sexual relations with his aunt, he has dishonoured his uncle. They will be held responsible; they will die childless.

²¹ ‘“If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is an act of impurity; he has dishonoured his brother. They will be childless.

²² ‘“Keep all my decrees and laws and follow them, so that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. ²³ You must not live according to the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them. ²⁴ But I said to you, ‘You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey.’ I am the Lord your God, who has set you apart from the nations.

²⁵ ‘“You must therefore make a distinction between clean and unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds. Do not defile yourselves by any animal or bird or anything that moves along the ground – those that I have set apart as unclean for you. ²⁶ You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.

²⁷ ‘“A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.”’