Font Size
John 18
Living Bible
John 18
Living Bible
18 After saying these things Jesus crossed the Kidron ravine with his disciples and entered a grove of olive trees. 2 Judas, the betrayer, knew this place, for Jesus had gone there many times with his disciples.
3 The chief priests and Pharisees had given Judas a squad of soldiers and police to accompany him. Now with blazing torches, lanterns, and weapons they arrived at the olive grove.
4-5 Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to him. Stepping forward to meet them he asked, “Whom are you looking for?”
“Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.
“I am he,” Jesus said. 6 And as he said it, they all fell backwards to the ground!
7 Once more he asked them, “Whom are you searching for?”
And again they replied, “Jesus of Nazareth.”
8 “I told you I am he,” Jesus said; “and since I am the one you are after, let these others go.” 9 He did this to carry out the prophecy he had just made, “I have not lost a single one of those you gave me. . . . ”
10 Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the High Priest’s servant.
11 But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword away. Shall I not drink from the cup the Father has given me?”
12 So the Jewish police, with the soldiers and their lieutenant, arrested Jesus and tied him. 13 First they took him to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the High Priest that year. 14 Caiaphas was the one who told the other Jewish leaders, “Better that one should die for all.”
15 Simon Peter followed along behind, as did another of the disciples who was acquainted with the High Priest. So that other disciple was permitted into the courtyard along with Jesus, 16 while Peter stood outside the gate. Then the other disciple spoke to the girl watching at the gate, and she let Peter in. 17 The girl asked Peter, “Aren’t you one of Jesus’ disciples?”
“No,” he said, “I am not!”
18 The police and the household servants were standing around a fire they had made, for it was cold. And Peter stood there with them, warming himself.
19 Inside, the High Priest began asking Jesus about his followers and what he had been teaching them.
20 Jesus replied, “What I teach is widely known, for I have preached regularly in the synagogue and Temple; I have been heard by all the Jewish leaders and teach nothing in private that I have not said in public. 21 Why are you asking me this question? Ask those who heard me. You have some of them here. They know what I said.”
22 One of the soldiers standing there struck Jesus with his fist. “Is that the way to answer the High Priest?” he demanded.
23 “If I lied, prove it,” Jesus replied. “Should you hit a man for telling the truth?”
24 Then Annas sent Jesus, bound, to Caiaphas the High Priest.
25 Meanwhile, as Simon Peter was standing by the fire, he was asked again, “Aren’t you one of his disciples?”
“Of course not,” he replied.
26 But one of the household slaves of the High Priest—a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off—asked, “Didn’t I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus?”
27 Again Peter denied it. And immediately a rooster crowed.
28 Jesus’ trial before Caiaphas ended in the early hours of the morning. Next he was taken to the palace of the Roman governor. His accusers wouldn’t go in themselves for that would “defile” them,[a] they said, and they wouldn’t be allowed to eat the Passover lamb. 29 So Pilate, the governor, went out to them and asked, “What is your charge against this man? What are you accusing him of doing?”
30 “We wouldn’t have arrested him if he weren’t a criminal!” they retorted.
31 “Then take him away and judge him yourselves by your own laws,” Pilate told them.
“But we want him crucified,” they demanded, “and your approval is required.”[b] 32 This fulfilled Jesus’ prediction concerning the method of his execution.[c]
33 Then Pilate went back into the palace and called for Jesus to be brought to him. “Are you the King of the Jews?” he asked him.
34
35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate retorted. “Your own people and their chief priests brought you here. Why? What have you done?”
36 Then Jesus answered, “I am not an earthly king. If I were, my followers would have fought when I was arrested by the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of the world.”
37 Pilate replied, “But you are a king then?”
“Yes,” Jesus said. “I was born for that purpose. And I came to bring truth to the world. All who love the truth are my followers.”
38 “What is truth?” Pilate exclaimed. Then he went out again to the people and told them, “He is not guilty of any crime. 39 But you have a custom of asking me to release someone from prison each year at Passover. So if you want me to, I’ll release the ‘King of the Jews.’”
40 But they screamed back. “No! Not this man, but Barabbas!” Barabbas was a robber.
Footnotes
- John 18:28 that would “defile” them. By Jewish law, entering the house of a Gentile was a serious offense.
- John 18:31 your approval is required, literally, “it is not lawful for us to put any man to death.”
- John 18:32 prediction concerning the method of his execution. This prophecy is recorded in Matthew 20:19 and indicates his death by crucifixion, a practice under Roman law.
- John 18:34 “‘King’ as you use the word or as the Jews use it?” Jesus asked. An extended paraphrase of this verse would be, “Do you mean their King, or their Messiah?” If Pilate was asking as the Roman governor, he would be inquiring whether Jesus was setting up a rebel government. But the Jews were using the word King to mean their religious ruler, the Messiah. Literally, this verse reads: “Are you saying this of yourself, or did someone else say it about me?”
John 18
Lexham English Bible
John 18
Lexham English Bible
Jesus Is Betrayed and Arrested
18 When[a] Jesus had said these things, he went out with his disciples to the other side of the ravine of the Kidron, where there was a garden into which he and his disciples entered. 2 (Now Judas, the one who betrayed him, also knew about the place, because Jesus often gathered there with his disciples.) 3 So Judas, taking the cohort and officers from the chief priests and from the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 Then Jesus, because he[b] knew all the things that were coming upon him, went out and said to them, “Who are you looking for?” 5 They replied to him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said to them, “I am he.”[c] (Now Judas, the one who betrayed him, was also standing with them.) 6 So when he said to them, “I am he,”[d] they drew back[e] and fell to the ground. 7 Then he asked them again, “Who are you looking for?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” 8 Jesus replied, “I said to you that I am he![f] So if you are looking for me, let these men go,” 9 in order that the word that he had spoken would be fulfilled: “Those whom you have given to me—I have not lost anyone of them.”[g]
10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. (Now the name of the slave was Malchus.) 11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into its[h] sheath! The cup that the Father has given me—shall I not drink it?”
Jesus Taken to Annas
12 Then the cohort and the military tribune and the officers of the Jews seized Jesus and tied him up, 13 and brought him[i] to Annas first, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. 14 (Now it was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it was better that one man die for the people.)
Peter Denies Jesus the First Time
15 So Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. (Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest.) 16 But Peter was standing by the door outside. So the other disciple who was known to the high priest went out and spoke to the doorkeeper and brought Peter in. 17 Then the female slave who was the doorkeeper said to Peter, “You are not also one of the disciples of this man, are you?”[j] He said, “I am not!” 18 (Now the slaves and the officers were standing there, having made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were warming themselves. And Peter was also standing there with them and warming himself.)
Jesus Before Annas
19 So the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. 20 Jesus replied to him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I always taught in the synagogue and in the temple courts[k] where all the Jews assemble, and I have said nothing in secret. 21 Why are you asking me? Ask those who heard what I have said to them! Behold, these people know what I said.” 22 Now when[l] he had said these things, one of the officers who was standing by gave a slap in the face to Jesus, saying, “Do you reply to the high priest in this way?” 23 Jesus replied to him, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify about what is wrong! But if I have spoken[m] correctly, why do you strike me?” 24 Then Annas sent him, tied up, to Caiaphas the high priest.
Peter Denies Jesus the Second and Third Times
25 Now Simon Peter was standing there and warming himself. So they said to him, “You are not also one of his disciples, are you?”[n] He denied it[o] and said, “I am not!” 26 One of the slaves of the high priest, who was related to the one whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” 27 So Peter denied it[p] again, and immediately a rooster crowed.
Jesus Brought Before Pilate
28 Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the governor’s residence. Now it was early, and they did not enter into the governor’s residence so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate came outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” 30 They answered and said to him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have handed him over to you!” 31 So Pilate said to them, “You take him and judge him according to your law!” The Jews said to him, “It is not permitted for us to kill anyone,” 32 in order that the word of Jesus would be fulfilled that he had spoken, indicating by what sort of death he was going to die.
Pilate Questions Jesus
33 Then Pilate entered again into the governor’s residence and summoned Jesus and said to him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” 34 Jesus replied, “Do you say this from yourself, or have others said this[q] to you about me?” 35 Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I?[r] Your people and the chief priests handed you over to me! What have you done?” 36 Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here.” 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So then you are a king!” Jesus replied, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I have come into the world: in order that I can testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”
And when he[s] had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no basis for an accusation against him. 39 But it is your custom that I release for you one prisoner[t] at the Passover. So do you want me[u] to release for you the king of the Jews?” 40 Then they shouted again, saying, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” (Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.)[v]
Footnotes
- John 18:1 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“had said”) which is understood as temporal
- John 18:4 Here “because” is supplied as a component of the participle (“knew”) which is understood as causal
- John 18:5 *Here the predicate nominative is supplied from context in the English translation
- John 18:6 *Here the predicate nominative is supplied from context in the English translation
- John 18:6 Literally “they went to the back”
- John 18:8 *Here the predicate nominative is supplied from context in the English translation
- John 18:9 A paraphrase of the statement in John 17:12
- John 18:11 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- John 18:13 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- John 18:17 *The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated in the translation by the phrase “are you”
- John 18:20 Here “courts” is supplied to distinguish this area from the interior of the temple building itself
- John 18:22 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“had said”)
- John 18:23 The phrase “I have spoken” is an implied repetition of the earlier phrase in this verse
- John 18:25 *The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated in the translation by the phrase “are you”
- John 18:25 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- John 18:27 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- John 18:34 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- John 18:35 *The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated in the translation by the phrase “am I”
- John 18:38 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“had said”) which is understood as temporal
- John 18:39 The word “prisoner” is not in the Greek text, but is implied
- John 18:39 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- John 18:40 Or perhaps “robber”
John 18
New International Version
John 18
New International Version
Jesus Arrested(A)
18 When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley.(B) On the other side there was a garden,(C) and he and his disciples went into it.(D)
2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.(E) 3 So Judas came to the garden, guiding(F) a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees.(G) They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.
4 Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him,(H) went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”(I)
5 “Jesus of Nazareth,”(J) they replied.
“I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6 When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
7 Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?”(K)
“Jesus of Nazareth,” they said.
8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” 9 This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.”[a](L)
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 Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup(M) the Father has given me?”
12 Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials(N) arrested Jesus. They bound him 13 and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas,(O) the high priest that year. 14 Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people.(P)
Peter’s First Denial(Q)
15 Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest,(R) he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard,(S) 16 but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the servant girl on duty there and brought Peter in.
17 “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter.
He replied, “I am not.”(T)
18 It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire(U) they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.(V)
The High Priest Questions Jesus(W)
19 Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.
20 “I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus replied. “I always taught in synagogues(X) or at the temple,(Y) where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret.(Z) 21 Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said.”
22 When Jesus said this, one of the officials(AA) nearby slapped him in the face.(AB) “Is this the way you answer the high priest?” he demanded.
23 “If I said something wrong,” Jesus replied, “testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?”(AC) 24 Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas(AD) the high priest.
Peter’s Second and Third Denials(AE)
25 Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself.(AF) So they asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?”
He denied it, saying, “I am not.”(AG)
26 One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off,(AH) challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?”(AI) 27 Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.(AJ)
Jesus Before Pilate(AK)
28 Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor.(AL) By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace,(AM) because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.(AN) 29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”
30 “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”
31 Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”
“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. 32 This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.(AO)
33 Pilate then went back inside the palace,(AP) summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”(AQ)
34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”
35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”
36 Jesus said, “My kingdom(AR) is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders.(AS) But now my kingdom is from another place.”(AT)
37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth.(AU) Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”(AV)
38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.(AW) 39 But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?”
40 They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.(AX)
Footnotes
- John 18:9 John 6:39
Living Bible (TLB)
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Lexham English Bible (LEB)
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.