Officers Sent to Arrest Jesus

³² The Pharisees heard the crowd ^(A)muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent ^(B)officers to arrest him.

²⁶ Then ^(A)the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for ^(B)they were afraid of being stoned by the people.

^3 (A)So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons.

¹⁹ So the Pharisees said to one another, ^(A)“You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, ^(B)the world has gone after him.”

⁴⁷ So the chief priests and the Pharisees ^(A)gathered ^(B)the council and said, ^(C)“What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. ⁴⁸ If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and ^(D)the Romans will come and take away both our ^(E)place and our nation.”

^45 (A)The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” ⁴⁶ The officers answered, ^(B)“No one ever spoke like this man!” ⁴⁷ The Pharisees answered them, ^(C)“Have you also been deceived? ^48 (D)Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? ⁴⁹ But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” ^50 (E)Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, ^51 (F)“Does our law judge a man without first ^(G)giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” ⁵² They replied, ^(H)“Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that ^(I)no prophet arises from Galilee.”

[The earliest manuscripts do not include 7:53–8:11.]^[a]

The Woman Caught in Adultery

⁵³ [[They went each to his own house,

⁵² Then Jesus said to the chief priests and ^(A)officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? ⁵³ When ^(B)I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is ^(C)your hour, and ^(D)the power of darkness.”

^23 (A)And all the people were amazed, and said, ^(B)“Can this be the Son of David?” ²⁴ But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, ^(C)“It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.”

¹³ “But woe ^(A)to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you ^(B)shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you ^(C)neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.^[a]