Judas Betrays Jesus

18 When Jesus had spoken these words, (A)He went away with His disciples across (B)the [a]ravine of the Kidron, where there was (C)a garden which He entered [b]with His disciples. Now Judas, who was [c]betraying Him, also knew the place, because Jesus had (D)often met there with His disciples. (E)So Judas, having obtained (F)the Roman [d]cohort and (G)officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, *came there with lanterns, (H)torches, and weapons. Jesus therefore, (I)knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, came out into the open and *said to them, (J)Whom are you seeking?” They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He *said to them, “I am He.” And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. Now then, when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. He then asked them again, (K)Whom are you seeking?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you are seeking Me, let these men go on their way.” This took place so that the word which He spoke would be fulfilled: (L)Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one.” 10 Then Simon Peter, (M)since he had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave’s name was Malchus. 11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; (N)the cup which the Father has given Me, am I not to drink it?”

Jesus before the Priests

12 (O)So (P)the Roman [e]cohort, the [f]commander, and the (Q)officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him, 13 and brought Him to (R)Annas first; for he was the father-in-law of (S)Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. 14 Now Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that (T)it was in their best interest for one man to die in behalf of the people.

15 (U)Simon Peter was following Jesus, and so was another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and he entered with Jesus into (V)the courtyard of the high priest, 16 (W)but Peter was standing at 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 (X)Then the slave woman who was the doorkeeper *said to Peter, “(Y)You are not also one of this Man’s disciples, are you?” He *said, “I am not.” 18 Now the slaves and the (Z)officers were standing there, having made (AA)a charcoal fire, for it was cold and they were (AB)warming themselves; and Peter was also with them, standing and warming himself.

19 (AC)The high priest then questioned Jesus about His disciples, and about His teaching. 20 Jesus answered him, “I (AD)have spoken openly to the world; I always (AE)taught in [g]synagogues and (AF)in the temple area, where all the Jews congregate; and I said nothing in secret. 21 Why are you asking Me? Ask those who have heard what I spoke to them. Look: these people know what I said.” 22 But when He said this, one of the (AG)officers, who was standing nearby, (AH)struck Jesus, saying, “Is that the way You answer the high priest?” 23 (AI)Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify of the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike Me?” 24 (AJ)So Annas sent Him bound to (AK)Caiaphas the high priest.

Peter’s Denial of Jesus

25 (AL)Now (AM)Simon Peter was still standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “(AN)You are not one of His disciples as well, are you?” He denied it, and said, “I am not.” 26 One of the slaves of the high priest, who was related to the one (AO)whose ear Peter cut off, *said, “Did I not see you in (AP)the garden with Him?” 27 Peter then denied it again, and immediately (AQ)a rooster crowed.

Jesus before Pilate

28 (AR)Then they *brought Jesus from (AS)Caiaphas into (AT)the [h]Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter (AU)the [i]Praetorium, so that (AV)they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover. 29 (AW)Therefore Pilate came out to them and *said, “What accusation are you bringing against this Man?” 30 They answered and said to him, “If this Man were not [j]a criminal, we would not have handed Him over to you.” 31 So Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law.” The Jews said to him, “We are not [k]permitted to put anyone to death.” 32 This happened so that (AX)the word of Jesus which He said, indicating what kind of death He was going to die, would be fulfilled.

33 Therefore Pilate (AY)entered the Praetorium again, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “(AZ)You are the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Are you saying this [l]on your own, or did others tell you about Me?” 35 Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed You over to me; what have You done?” 36 Jesus answered, (BA)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 as it is, My kingdom is not [m]of this realm.” 37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, (BB)You say correctly that I am a king. For this purpose I have been born, and for this I have come into the world: (BC)to testify to the truth. (BD)Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.” 38 Pilate *said to Him, “What is truth?”

And after saying this, he (BE)came out again to the Jews and *said to them, “(BF)I find no grounds at all for charges in [n]His case. 39 (BG)However, you have a custom that I release one prisoner [o]for you at the Passover; therefore do you wish that I release [p]for you the King of the Jews?” 40 So they shouted again, saying, “(BH)Not this Man, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a rebel.

Footnotes

  1. John 18:1 Lit winter torrent; or wadi
  2. John 18:1 Lit and
  3. John 18:2 Or handing Him over
  4. John 18:3 Normally 600 men (the number varied)
  5. John 18:12 Normally 600 men (the number varied)
  6. John 18:12 I.e., commander of the cohort
  7. John 18:20 Lit a synagogue
  8. John 18:28 I.e., governor’s official residence
  9. John 18:28 I.e., governor’s official residence
  10. John 18:30 Lit one doing evil
  11. John 18:31 I.e., under Roman law
  12. John 18:34 Lit from yourself
  13. John 18:36 Lit from here
  14. John 18:38 Lit Him
  15. John 18:39 Or to you
  16. John 18:39 Or to you

Jesus Is Betrayed and Arrested

18 After saying these things, Jesus crossed the Kidron Valley with his disciples and entered a grove of olive trees. Judas, the betrayer, knew this place, because Jesus had often gone there with his disciples. The leading priests and Pharisees had given Judas a contingent of Roman soldiers and Temple guards to accompany him. Now with blazing torches, lanterns, and weapons, they arrived at the olive grove.

Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to him, so he stepped forward to meet them. “Who are you looking for?” he asked.

“Jesus the Nazarene,”[a] they replied.

I am he,”[b] Jesus said. (Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.) As Jesus said I am he,” they all drew back and fell to the ground! Once more he asked them, “Who are you looking for?”

And again they replied, “Jesus the Nazarene.”

“I told you that I am he,” Jesus said. “And since I am the one you want, let these others go.” He did this to fulfill his own statement: “I did not lose a single one of those you have given me.”[c]

10 Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest’s slave. 11 But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?”

Jesus at the High Priest’s House

12 So the soldiers, their commanding officer, and the Temple guards arrested Jesus and tied him up. 13 First they took him to Annas, since he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest at that time.[d] 14 Caiaphas was the one who had told the other Jewish leaders, “It’s better that one man should die for the people.”

Peter’s First Denial

15 Simon Peter followed Jesus, as did another of the disciples. That other disciple was acquainted with the high priest, so he was allowed to enter the high priest’s courtyard with Jesus. 16 Peter had to stay outside the gate. Then the disciple who knew the high priest spoke to the woman watching at the gate, and she let Peter in. 17 The woman asked Peter, “You’re not one of that man’s disciples, are you?”

“No,” he said, “I am not.”

18 Because it was cold, the household servants and the guards had made a charcoal fire. They stood around it, warming themselves, and Peter stood with them, warming himself.

The High Priest Questions Jesus

19 Inside, the high priest began asking Jesus about his followers and what he had been teaching them. 20 Jesus replied, “Everyone knows what I teach. I have preached regularly in the synagogues and the Temple, where the people[e] gather. I have not spoken in secret. 21 Why are you asking me this question? Ask those who heard me. They know what I said.”

22 Then one of the Temple guards standing nearby slapped Jesus across the face. “Is that the way to answer the high priest?” he demanded.

23 Jesus replied, “If I said anything wrong, you must prove it. But if I’m speaking the truth, why are you beating me?”

24 Then Annas bound Jesus and sent him to Caiaphas, the high priest.

Peter’s Second and Third Denials

25 Meanwhile, as Simon Peter was standing by the fire warming himself, they asked him again, “You’re not one of his disciples, are you?”

He denied it, saying, “No, I am not.”

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.

Jesus’ Trial before Pilate

28 Jesus’ trial before Caiaphas ended in the early hours of the morning. Then he was taken to the headquarters of the Roman governor.[f] His accusers didn’t go inside because it would defile them, and they wouldn’t be allowed to celebrate the Passover. 29 So Pilate, the governor, went out to them and asked, “What is your charge against this man?”

30 “We wouldn’t have handed him over to you if he weren’t a criminal!” they retorted.

31 “Then take him away and judge him by your own law,” Pilate told them.

“Only the Romans are permitted to execute someone,” the Jewish leaders replied. 32 (This fulfilled Jesus’ prediction about the way he would die.[g])

33 Then Pilate went back into his headquarters and called for Jesus to be brought to him. “Are you the king of the Jews?” he asked him.

34 Jesus replied, “Is this your own question, or did others tell you about me?”

35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate retorted. “Your own people and their leading priests brought you to me for trial. Why? What have you done?”

36 Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.”

37 Pilate said, “So you are a king?”

Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.”

38 “What is truth?” Pilate asked. 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 one prisoner each year at Passover. Would you like me to release this ‘King of the Jews’?”

40 But they shouted back, “No! Not this man. We want Barabbas!” (Barabbas was a revolutionary.)

Footnotes

  1. 18:5a Or Jesus of Nazareth; also in 18:7.
  2. 18:5b Or “The ‘I am’ is here”; or “I am the Lord”; Greek reads I am; also in 18:6, 8. See Exod 3:14.
  3. 18:9 See John 6:39 and 17:12.
  4. 18:13 Greek that year.
  5. 18:20 Greek Jewish people; also in 18:38.
  6. 18:28 Greek to the Praetorium; also in 18:33.
  7. 18:32 See John 12:32-33.