The Plot to Kill Jesus

26 ^(A)When Jesus had finished all these words, He said to His disciples, ² “^(B)You know that after two days ^(C)the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be ^(D)handed over for crucifixion.”

^3 (E)At that time the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in ^(F)the courtyard of the high priest named ^(G)Caiaphas; ⁴ and they ^(H)plotted together to arrest Jesus covertly and kill Him. ⁵ But they were saying, “Not during the festival, ^(I)otherwise a riot might occur among the people.”

The Precious Ointment

^6 (J)Now when Jesus was in ^(K)Bethany, at the home of Simon ^[a]the Leper, ^7 (L)a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very expensive perfume, and she poured it on His head as He was reclining at the table. ⁸ But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, “Why this waste? ⁹ For this perfume could have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.” ¹⁰ But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you bothering the woman? For she has done a good deed for Me. ¹¹ For you always have ^(M)the poor with you; but you do not always have Me. ¹² For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it ^(N)to prepare Me for burial. ¹³ Truly I say to you, ^(O)wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her.”

Judas’ Bargain

^14 (P)Then one of the twelve, named ^(Q)Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and said, “What are you willing to give me ^[b]to ^[c](R)betray Him to you?” And ^(S)they set out for him thirty ^[d]pieces of silver. ¹⁶ And from then on he looked for a good opportunity to ^[e]betray ^[f]Jesus.

^17 (T)Now on the first day of ^[g](U)Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus and ^[h]asked, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?” ¹⁸ And He said, “Go into the city to ^(V)a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “^(W)My time is near; I am keeping the Passover at your house with My disciples.”’” ¹⁹ The disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.

The Last Passover

^20 (X)Now when evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the ^[i]twelve. ²¹ And as they were eating, He said, “^(Y)Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me.” ²² Being deeply grieved, they began saying to Him, each one: “Surely it is not I, Lord?” ²³ And He answered, “^(Z)He who dipped his hand with Me in the bowl is the one who will betray Me. ²⁴ The Son of Man is going away ^(AA)just as it is written about Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! ^(AB)It would have been good ^[j]for that man if he had not been born.” ²⁵ And ^(AC)Judas, who was betraying Him, said, “Surely it is not I, ^(AD)Rabbi?” Jesus *said to him, “^(AE)You have said it yourself.”

The Lord’s Supper Instituted

^26 (AF)Now while they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and ^[k](AG)after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” ²⁷ And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; ²⁸ for ^(AH)this is My blood of the covenant, which is being poured out for ^(AI)many for forgiveness of sins. ²⁹ But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it with you, new, in My Father’s kingdom.”

^30 (AJ)And after singing a ^[l]hymn, they went out to ^(AK)the Mount of Olives.

³¹ Then Jesus *said to them, “You will all ^[m](AL)fall away because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘^(AM)I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be ^(AN)scattered.’ ³² But after I have been raised, ^(AO)I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” ³³ But Peter replied to Him, “Even if they all ^[n]fall away because of You, I will never fall away!” ³⁴ Jesus said to him, “^(AP)Truly I say to you that ^(AQ)this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” ³⁵ Peter *said to Him, “^(AR)Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” All the disciples said the same thing as well.

The Garden of Gethsemane

^36 (AS)Then Jesus *came with them to a place called ^[o](AT)Gethsemane, and *told His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷ And He took ^(AU)Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with Him, and began to be grieved and distressed. ³⁸ Then He *said to them, “^(AV)My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and ^(AW)keep watch with Me.”

³⁹ And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let ^(AX)this cup pass from Me; ^(AY)yet not as I will, but as You will.” ⁴⁰ And He *came to the disciples and *found them sleeping, and He *said to Peter, “So, you men could not ^(AZ)keep watch with Me for one hour? ^41 (BA)Keep watching and praying, so that you do not come into temptation; ^(BB)the spirit is ^[p]willing, but the flesh is weak.”

⁴² He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cup ^(BC)cannot pass away unless I drink from it, ^(BD)Your will be done.” ⁴³ Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. ⁴⁵ Then He *came to the disciples and *said to them, “^[q]Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, ^(BE)the hour ^[r]is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Get up, let’s go; behold, the one who is betraying Me is near!”

Jesus’ Betrayal and Arrest

^47 (BF)And while He was still speaking, behold, ^(BG)Judas, one of the twelve, came ^[s]accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chief priests and elders of the people. ⁴⁸ Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign previously, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; arrest Him.” ⁴⁹ And immediately Judas went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, ^(BH)Rabbi!” and kissed Him. ⁵⁰ But Jesus said to him, “^(BI)Friend, do what you have come for.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested Him.

⁵¹ And behold, ^(BJ)one of those who were with Jesus ^[t]reached and drew his ^(BK)sword, and struck the ^(BL)slave of the high priest and ^[u]cut off his ear. ⁵² Then Jesus *said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for ^(BM)all those who take up the sword will perish by the sword. ⁵³ Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve ^[v](BN)legions of ^(BO)angels? ⁵⁴ How then would ^(BP)the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?”

⁵⁵ At that time Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would against a man inciting a revolt? ^(BQ)Every day I used to sit within the temple grounds teaching, and you did not arrest Me. ⁵⁶ But all this has taken place so that ^(BR)the Scriptures of the prophets will be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left Him and fled.

Jesus before Caiaphas

^57 (BS)Those who had arrested Jesus led Him away to ^(BT)Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together. ⁵⁸ But ^(BU)Peter was following Him at a distance, as far as the ^(BV)courtyard of the high priest, and he came inside and sat down with the ^[w](BW)officers to see the outcome.

⁵⁹ Now the chief priests and the entire ^[x](BX)Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death. ⁶⁰ They did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on ^(BY)two came forward, ⁶¹ and said, “This man stated, ‘^(BZ)I am able to destroy the ^[y]temple of God and to rebuild it ^[z]in three days.’” ⁶² The high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You offer no answer for what these men are testifying against You?” ⁶³ But ^(CA)Jesus kept silent. ^(CB)And the high priest said to Him, “I ^(CC)place You under oath by ^(CD)the living God, to tell us whether You are the ^[aa]Christ, ^(CE)the Son of God.” ⁶⁴ Jesus *said to him, “^(CF)You have said it yourself. But I tell you, from now on you will see ^(CG)the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and ^(CH)coming on the clouds of heaven.”

⁶⁵ Then the high priest ^(CI)tore his ^[ab]robes and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? See, you have now heard the blasphemy; ⁶⁶ what do you think?” They answered, “^(CJ)He deserves death!”

^67 (CK)Then they ^(CL)spit in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others ^[ac]slapped Him, ⁶⁸ and said, “^(CM)Prophesy to us, You ^[ad]Christ; who is the one who hit You?”

Peter’s Denials

^69 (CN)Now Peter was sitting outside in the ^(CO)courtyard, and a slave woman came to him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.” ⁷⁰ But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.” ⁷¹ When he had gone out to the gateway, another slave woman saw him and *said to those who were there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” ⁷² And again he denied it, with an oath: “I do not know the man.” ⁷³ A little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “You really are one of them as well, ^(CP)since even the way you talk ^[ae]gives you away.” ⁷⁴ Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed. ⁷⁵ And Peter remembered the statement that Jesus had ^[af]made: “^(CQ)Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Judas’ Remorse

27 ^(CR)Now when morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus to put Him to death; ² and they bound Him and led Him away, and ^(CS)handed Him over to ^(CT)Pilate the governor.

³ Then when ^(CU)Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned ^(CV)the thirty ^[ag]pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, ⁴ saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? ^(CW)You shall see to it yourself!” ⁵ And he threw the pieces of silver into ^(CX)the temple sanctuary and left; and ^(CY)he went away and hanged himself. ⁶ The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put them in the temple treasury, since it is money paid for blood.” ⁷ And they conferred together and ^[ah]with the money bought the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers. ^8 (CZ)For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. ⁹ Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “^(DA)And ^[ai]they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the One whose price had been set by the sons of Israel; ^10 (DB)and ^[aj]they gave them for the Potter’s Field, just as the Lord directed me.”

Jesus before Pilate

^11 (DC)Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, “So You are the ^(DD)King of the Jews?” And Jesus said to him, “^(DE)It is as you say.” ¹² And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, ^(DF)He did not offer any answer. ¹³ Then Pilate *said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they are testifying against You?” ¹⁴ And still ^(DG)He did not answer him in regard to even a single ^[ak]charge, so the governor was greatly amazed.

^15 (DH)Now at the Passover Feast the governor was accustomed to release for the ^[al]people any one prisoner whom they wanted. ¹⁶ And at that time they were holding a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. ¹⁷ So when the people gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus ^(DI)who is called Christ?” ¹⁸ For he knew that it was because of envy that ^[am]they had handed Him over.

¹⁹ And ^(DJ)while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “See that you have nothing to do with that ^(DK)righteous Man; for ^[an]last night I suffered greatly ^(DL)in a dream because of Him.” ²⁰ But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ^(DM)ask for Barabbas, and to put Jesus to death. ²¹ And the governor ^[ao]said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” ²² Pilate *said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus ^(DN)who is called Christ?” They all *said, “^[ap]Crucify Him!” ²³ But he said, “Why, what evil has He done?” Yet they kept shouting all the more, saying, “^[aq]Crucify Him!”

²⁴ Now when Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that ^(DO)a riot was starting, he took water and ^(DP)washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of ^(DQ)this Man’s blood; ^(DR)you yourselves shall see.” ²⁵ And all the people replied, “^(DS)His blood shall be on us and on our children!” ²⁶ Then he released Barabbas ^[ar]for them; but after having Jesus ^(DT)flogged, he handed Him over to be crucified.

Jesus Is Mocked

^27 (DU)Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into ^(DV)the ^[as]Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman ^[at](DW)cohort to Him. ²⁸ And they stripped Him and ^(DX)put a red ^[au]cloak on Him. ^29 (DY)And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and put a ^[av]reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “^(DZ)Hail, King of the Jews!” ³⁰ And ^(EA)they spit on Him, and took the reed and beat Him on the head. ^31 (EB)And after they had mocked Him, they took the cloak off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.

^32 (EC)As they were coming out, they found a man of ^(ED)Cyrene named Simon, ^[aw]whom they compelled to carry His ^[ax]cross.

The Crucifixion

^33 (EE)And when they came to a place called ^(EF)Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull, ^34 (EG)they gave Him ^(EH)wine mixed with ^[ay]bile to drink; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink it.

³⁵ And when they had crucified Him, ^(EI)they divided His garments among themselves by casting ^[az]lots. ³⁶ And sitting down, they began to ^(EJ)keep watch over Him there. ³⁷ And above His head they put up the charge against Him ^[ba]which read, “^(EK)THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

³⁸ At that time two ^[bb]rebels *were being crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. ³⁹ And those passing by were ^[bc]speaking abusively to Him, ^(EL)shaking their heads, ⁴⁰ and saying, “^(EM)You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! ^(EN)If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” ⁴¹ In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, ⁴² “^(EO)He saved others; ^[bd]He cannot save Himself! ^(EP)He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. ^43 (EQ)He has trusted in God; let God rescue Him now, if He ^[be]takes pleasure in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” ^44 (ER)And the ^[bf]rebels who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him in the same way.

^45 (ES)Now from the ^[bg]sixth hour darkness ^[bh]fell upon all the land until the ^[bi]ninth hour. ⁴⁶ And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “^(ET)Eli, Eli, lema sabaktanei?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” ⁴⁷ And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, said, “This man is calling for Elijah.” ⁴⁸ And ^(EU)immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink. ⁴⁹ But the rest of them said, “^[bj]Let us see if Elijah comes to save Him^[bk].” ⁵⁰ And Jesus ^(EV)cried out again with a loud voice, and gave up His spirit. ^51 (EW)And behold, ^(EX)the ^[bl]veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and ^(EY)the earth shook and the rocks were split. ⁵² Also the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the ^[bm]saints who had ^(EZ)fallen asleep were raised; ⁵³ and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered ^(FA)the holy city and appeared to many. ^54 (FB)Now as for the centurion and those who were with him ^(FC)keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw ^(FD)the earthquake and the other things that were happening, they became extremely frightened and said, “Truly this was ^[bn](FE)the Son of God!”

^55 (FF)And many women were there watching from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while ^(FG)caring for Him. ⁵⁶ Among them were ^(FH)Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and ^(FI)the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

Jesus Is Buried

^57 (FJ)Now when it was evening, a rich man from Arimathea came, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸ This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. ⁵⁹ And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, ⁶⁰ and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut out in the rock; and he rolled ^(FK)a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away. ⁶¹ And ^(FL)Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.

⁶² Now on the next day, that is, the day which is after ^(FM)the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate, ⁶³ and they said, “Sir, we remember that when that deceiver was still alive, He said, ‘^(FN)After three days I am rising.’ ⁶⁴ Therefore, give orders for the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise, His disciples may come and steal Him, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.” ⁶⁵ Pilate said to them, “You have a ^(FO)guard; go, make it as secure as you know how.” ⁶⁶ And they went and made the tomb secure with ^(FP)the guard, ^(FQ)sealing ^(FR)the stone.

Death Plot and Anointing

14 ^(A)Now ^(B)the Passover and Festival of Unleavened Bread were two days away; and the chief priests and the scribes ^(C)were seeking how to arrest Him covertly and kill Him; ² for they were saying, “Not during the festival, otherwise there will be a riot of the people.”

^3 (D)While He was in ^(E)Bethany at the home of Simon ^[a]the Leper, He was reclining at the table, and a woman came with an alabaster vial of very ^(F)expensive perfume of pure ^[b]nard. She broke the vial and poured the perfume over His head. ⁴ But there were some indignantly remarking to one another, “Why has this perfume been wasted? ⁵ For this perfume could have been sold for over three hundred ^[c]denarii, and the money given to the poor.” And they were scolding her. ⁶ But Jesus said, “Leave her alone! Why are you bothering her? She has done a good deed for Me. ⁷ For you always have ^(G)the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me. ⁸ She has done what she could; ^(H)she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial. ⁹ Truly I say to you, ^(I)wherever the gospel is preached in the entire world, what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her.”

^10 (J)Then Judas Iscariot, ^(K)who was one of the twelve, went off to the chief priests in order to ^[d]betray Him to them. ¹¹ They were delighted when they heard this, and promised to give him money. And he began seeking how to betray Him at an opportune time.

The Last Passover

^12 (L)On the first day of ^[e](M)Unleavened Bread, when ^[f]the Passover lamb was being ^(N)sacrificed, His disciples *said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare for You to eat the Passover?” ¹³ And He *sent two of His disciples and *said to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you; follow him; ¹⁴ and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is My ^(O)guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ ¹⁵ And he himself will show you a large upstairs room furnished and ready; prepare for us there.” ¹⁶ The disciples left and came to the city, and found everything just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.

^17 (P)When it was evening He *came with the twelve. ¹⁸ And as they were reclining at the table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly I say to you that one of you will ^[g]betray Me—^[h]one who is eating with Me.” ¹⁹ They began to be grieved and to say to Him one by one, “Surely not I?” ²⁰ But He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, the one who dips bread with Me in the bowl. ²¹ For the Son of Man is going away just as it is written about Him; but woe to that man ^[i]by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good ^[j]for that man if he had not been born.”

The Lord’s Supper

^22 (Q)While they were eating, He took some bread, and ^[k]after a ^(R)blessing He broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is My body.” ²³ And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. ²⁴ And He said to them, “This is My ^(S)blood of the ^(T)covenant, which is being poured out for many. ²⁵ Truly I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine again, until that day when I drink it, new, in the kingdom of God.”

^26 (U)And after singing a ^[l]hymn, they went out to ^(V)the Mount of Olives.

^27 (W)And Jesus *said to them, “You will all ^[m]fall away, because it is written: ‘^(X)I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ ²⁸ But after I am raised, ^(Y)I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” ²⁹ But Peter said to Him, “Even if they all ^[n]fall away, yet I will not!” ³⁰ And Jesus *said to him, “Truly I say to you, that ^[o](Z)this very night, before ^(AA)a rooster crows twice, you yourself will deny Me three times.” ³¹ But ^[p]Peter repeatedly said insistently, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And they all were saying the same thing as well.

Jesus in Gethsemane

^32 (AB)They *came to a place named ^[q]Gethsemane; and He *said to His disciples, “Sit here until I have prayed.” ³³ And He *took with Him Peter, ^[r]James, and John, and began to be very ^(AC)distressed and troubled. ³⁴ And He *said to them, “^(AD)My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and ^[s]keep watch.” ³⁵ And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began praying that if it were possible, ^(AE)the hour might ^[t]pass Him by. ³⁶ And He was saying, “^(AF)Abba! ^[u]Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; ^(AG)yet not what I will, but what You will.” ³⁷ And He *came and *found them sleeping, and *said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not ^[v]keep watch for one hour? ^38 [w](AH)Keep watching and praying, so that you will not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ³⁹ And again He went away and prayed, saying the same ^[x]words. ⁴⁰ And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to say in reply to Him. ⁴¹ And He *came the third time, and *said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? That is enough. ^(AI)The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being ^[y]betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴² Get up, let’s go; behold, the one who is betraying Me is near!”

Betrayal and Arrest

^43 (AJ)And immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, *came up, ^[z]accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs who were from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. ⁴⁴ Now he who was betraying Him had given them a signal, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; arrest Him and lead Him away ^[aa]under guard.” ⁴⁵ And after coming, Judas immediately went to Him and *said, “^(AK)Rabbi!” and kissed Him. ⁴⁶ And they laid hands on Him and arrested Him. ⁴⁷ But one of those who stood by drew his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and ^[ab]cut off his ear. ⁴⁸ And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me, as you would against a man inciting a revolt? ⁴⁹ Every day I was with you ^(AL)within the temple grounds teaching, and you did not arrest Me; but this has taken place so that the Scriptures will be fulfilled.” ⁵⁰ And ^[ac]His disciples all left Him and fled.

⁵¹ A young man was following Him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body; and they *seized him. ⁵² But he ^[ad]pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped naked.

Jesus before His Accusers

^53 (AM)They led Jesus away to the high priest; and all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes *gathered together. ⁵⁴ And Peter had followed Him at a distance, ^(AN)right into ^(AO)the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the ^[ae]officers and ^(AP)warming himself at the ^[af]fire. ⁵⁵ Now the chief priests and the entire ^[ag](AQ)Council were trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and they were not finding any. ⁵⁶ For many people were giving false testimony against Him, and so their testimonies were not consistent. ⁵⁷ And then some stood up and began giving false testimony against Him, saying, ⁵⁸ “We heard Him say, ‘^(AR)I will destroy this ^[ah]temple that was made by hands, and in three days I will build another, made without hands.’” ⁵⁹ And not even in this respect was their testimony consistent. ⁶⁰ And then the high priest stood up and came forward and questioned Jesus, saying, “Do You not offer any answer for what these men are testifying against You?” ^61 (AS)But He kept silent and did not offer any answer. ^(AT)Again the high priest was questioning Him, and *said to Him, “Are You the ^[ai]Christ, the Son of ^[aj]the Blessed One?” ⁶² And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see ^(AU)the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and ^(AV)coming with the clouds of heaven.” ^63 (AW)Tearing his clothes, the high priest *said, “What further need do we have of witnesses? ⁶⁴ You have heard the ^(AX)blasphemy; how does it seem to you?” And they all condemned Him as deserving of death. ⁶⁵ And some began to ^(AY)spit on Him, and ^[ak](AZ)to blindfold Him, and to beat Him with their fists and say to Him, “^(BA)Prophesy!” Then the officers took custody of Him ^[al]and slapped Him in the face.

Peter’s Denials

^66 (BB)And while Peter was below in ^(BC)the courtyard, one of the slave women of the high priest *came, ⁶⁷ and seeing Peter ^(BD)warming himself, she looked at him and *said, “You were with Jesus the ^(BE)Nazarene as well.” ⁶⁸ But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are talking about.” And he ^(BF)went out onto the ^[am]porch.^{[an] 69} The slave woman saw him, and began once more to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them!” ⁷⁰ But again ^(BG)he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders were again saying to Peter, “You really are one of them, ^(BH)for you are a Galilean as well.” ⁷¹ But he began to ^[ao]curse himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak!” ⁷² And immediately a rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had made the remark to him, “Before ^(BI)a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And ^[ap]he hurried on and began to weep.

Jesus before Pilate

15 ^(BJ)Early in the morning the chief priests with the elders, scribes, and the entire ^[aq](BK)Council immediately held a consultation; and they bound Jesus and led Him away, and turned Him over to Pilate. ^2 (BL)Pilate questioned Him: “So You are the King of the Jews?” And He answered him, “It is as you say.” ³ And the chief priests started accusing Him ^[ar]of many things. ⁴ But Pilate questioned Him again, saying, “Do You offer nothing in answer? See how many charges they are bringing against You!” ⁵ But Jesus ^(BM)said nothing further in answer, so Pilate was amazed.

^6 (BN)Now at the Passover Feast he used to release for them any one prisoner whom they requested. ⁷ And the one named Barabbas had been imprisoned with the rebels who had committed murder in the revolt. ⁸ And the crowd went up and began asking Pilate to do as he had been accustomed to do for them. ⁹ Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” ¹⁰ For he was aware that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy. ¹¹ But the chief priests stirred up the crowd ^(BO)to ask him to release Barabbas for them instead. ¹² And responding again, Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?” ¹³ They shouted ^[as]back, “Crucify Him!” ¹⁴ But Pilate said to them, “Why, what ^[at]evil has He done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify Him!” ¹⁵ Intent on satisfying the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them, and after having Jesus ^(BP)flogged, he handed Him over to be crucified.

Jesus Is Mocked

^16 (BQ)Now the soldiers took Him away into ^(BR)the ^[au]palace (that is, the Praetorium), and they *called together the whole Roman ^[av](BS)cohort. ¹⁷ And they *dressed Him in ^[aw]purple, and after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on Him; ¹⁸ and they began saluting Him: “Hail, King of the Jews!” ¹⁹ And they repeatedly beat His head with a ^[ax]reed and spit on Him, and kneeling, they bowed down before Him. ²⁰ And after they had mocked Him, they took the ^[ay]purple cloak off Him and put His own garments on Him. And they *led Him out to crucify Him.

^21 (BT)And they *compelled a passer-by coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and ^(BU)Rufus), to carry His cross.

The Crucifixion

^22 (BV)Then they *brought Him to the place ^(BW)Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. ²³ And they tried to give Him ^(BX)wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it. ²⁴ And they *crucified Him, and *^(BY)divided up His garments among themselves, casting ^[az]lots for them to decide ^[ba]what each man would take. ²⁵ Now it was the ^[bb](BZ)third hour ^[bc]when they crucified Him. ²⁶ The inscription of the charge against Him ^[bd]read, “^(CA)THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

²⁷ And they *crucified two ^[be]rebels with Him, one on His right and one on His left.^{[bf] 29} Those passing by were ^[bg]hurling abuse at Him, ^(CB)shaking their heads and saying, “Ha! You who are going to ^(CC)destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, ³⁰ save Yourself by coming down from the cross!” ³¹ In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves and saying, “^(CD)He saved others; ^[bh]He cannot save Himself! ³² Let this Christ, ^(CE)the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” ^(CF)Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.

^33 (CG)When the ^[bi](CH)sixth hour came, darkness ^[bj]fell over the whole land until the ^[bk](CI)ninth hour. ³⁴ At the ^[bl](CJ)ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “^(CK)Eloi, Eloi, lema sabaktanei?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” ³⁵ And when some of the bystanders heard Him, they began saying, “Look! He is calling for Elijah!” ³⁶ And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink, saying, “^[bm]Let us see if Elijah comes to take Him down.” ^37 (CL)But Jesus let out a loud cry, and ^[bn]died. ^38 (CM)And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. ^39 (CN)And when the centurion, who was standing ^[bo]right in front of Him, saw that He ^[bp]died in this way, he said, “Truly this man was ^[bq]the Son of God!”

^40 (CO)Now there were also some women watching from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of ^[br]James ^(CP)the ^[bs]Less and Joses, and ^(CQ)Salome. ⁴¹ When He was in Galilee, they used to follow Him and ^(CR)serve Him; and there were many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.

Jesus Is Buried

^42 (CS)When evening had already come, since it was ^(CT)the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, ⁴³ Joseph of Arimathea came, a ^(CU)prominent member of the Council, who was himself also ^(CV)waiting for the kingdom of God; and he ^(CW)gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. ⁴⁴ Now Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead. ⁴⁵ And after learning this from ^(CX)the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. ⁴⁶ Joseph bought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb which had been cut out in the rock; and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. ^47 (CY)Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were watching to see where He was laid.

Preparing the Passover

22 ^(A)Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the ^(B)Passover, was approaching. ² And the chief priests and the scribes ^(C)were trying to find ^[a]a way to put Him to death, since they were afraid of the people.

^3 (D)And ^(E)Satan entered Judas, the one called Iscariot, ^[b]who belonged to the number of the twelve. ⁴ And he left and discussed with the chief priests and ^(F)officers how he was to betray Him to them. ⁵ And they were delighted, and agreed to give him money. ⁶ And so he consented, and began looking for a good opportunity to betray Him to them ^[c]away from the crowd.

^7 (G)Now the first day of Unleavened Bread came, on which ^(H)the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. ⁸ And so Jesus sent ^(I)Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, so that we may eat it.” ⁹ They said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare it?” ¹⁰ And He said to them, “When you have entered the city, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you; follow him into the house that he enters. ¹¹ And you shall say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ ¹² And he will show you a large, furnished upstairs room; prepare it there.” ¹³ And they left and found everything just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.

The Lord’s Supper

^14 (J)When the hour came, He reclined at the table, and ^(K)the apostles with Him. ¹⁵ And He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; ¹⁶ for I say to you, I shall not eat it again ^(L)until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” ^17 (M)And when He had taken a cup and ^(N)given thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves; ¹⁸ for ^(O)I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.” ¹⁹ And when He had taken some bread and ^(P)given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body, which is being given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” ²⁰ And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup, which is ^(Q)poured out for you, is the ^(R)new covenant in My blood. ^21 (S)But behold, the hand of the one betraying Me is with ^[d]Mine on the table. ²² For indeed, the Son of Man is going ^(T)as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!” ²³ And they began to debate among themselves which one of them it was who was going to do this.

Who Is Greatest

²⁴ And ^(U)a dispute also developed among them as to which one of them was regarded as being the greatest. ^25 (V)And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles domineer over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ ²⁶ But it is not this way for you; ^(W)rather, the one who is the greatest among you must become like ^(X)the youngest, and the leader like the servant. ²⁷ For ^(Y)who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But ^(Z)I am among you as the one who serves.

²⁸ “You are the ones who have stood by Me in My ^(AA)trials; ²⁹ and just as My Father has granted Me a ^(AB)kingdom, I grant you ³⁰ that you may ^(AC)eat and drink at My table in My ^(AD)kingdom, and ^(AE)you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

³¹ “Simon, Simon, behold, ^(AF)Satan has ^[e]demanded to ^(AG)sift you men like wheat; ³² but I ^(AH)have prayed for ^[f]you, that ^[g]your faith will not fail; and ^[h]you, when you have ^[i]turned back, ^(AI)strengthen your brothers.” ^33 (AJ)But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You both to prison and to death!” ³⁴ But He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.”

³⁵ And He said to them, “^(AK)When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?” They said, “No, nothing.” ³⁶ And He said to them, “But now, ^[j]whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and ^[k]whoever has no sword is to sell his ^[l]cloak and buy one. ³⁷ For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me: ‘^(AL)And He was counted with wrongdoers’; for ^(AM)that which refers to Me has its ^[m]fulfillment.” ³⁸ They said, “Lord, look, here are two ^(AN)swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.”

The Garden of Gethsemane

^39 (AO)And He came out and went, ^(AP)as was His habit, to ^(AQ)the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. ^40 (AR)Now when He arrived at the place, He said to them, “^(AS)Pray that you do not come into temptation.” ⁴¹ And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He ^(AT)knelt down and began to pray, ⁴² saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this ^(AU)cup from Me; ^(AV)yet not My will, but Yours be done.” ⁴³ [^[n]Now an ^(AW)angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. ⁴⁴ And ^(AX)being in agony, He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground]. ⁴⁵ When He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow, ⁴⁶ and He said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and ^(AY)pray that you do not come into temptation.”

Jesus Betrayed by Judas

^47 (AZ)While He was still speaking, behold, a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading the way for them; and he approached Jesus to kiss Him. ⁴⁸ But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” ⁴⁹ When those who were around Him saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the ^(BA)sword?” ⁵⁰ And one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. ⁵¹ But Jesus responded and said, “^[o]Stop! No more of this.” And He touched his ear and healed him. ⁵² And Jesus said to the chief priests and ^(BB)officers of the temple and elders who had come against Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs ^(BC)as you would against a man inciting a revolt? ⁵³ While I was with you daily in the temple, you did not lay hands on Me; but ^[p]this hour and the power of darkness are yours.”

Jesus’ Arrest

^54 (BD)Now they arrested Him and led Him away, and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but ^(BE)Peter was following at a distance. ^55 (BF)After they kindled a fire in the middle of ^(BG)the courtyard and sat down together, Peter was sitting among them. ⁵⁶ And a slave woman, seeing him as he sat in the firelight, and staring at him, said, “This man was with Him as well.” ⁵⁷ But he denied it, saying, “I do not know Him, woman!” ⁵⁸ And a little later, ^(BH)another person saw him and said, “You are one of them too!” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” ⁵⁹ And after about an hour had passed, some other man began to insist, saying, “Certainly this man also was with Him, ^(BI)for he, too, is a Galilean.” ⁶⁰ But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about!” And immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. ⁶¹ And then ^(BJ)the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “^(BK)Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” ⁶² And he went out and wept bitterly.

^63 (BL)The men who were holding ^[q]Jesus in custody began mocking Him and beating Him, ⁶⁴ and they blindfolded Him and repeatedly asked Him, saying, “^(BM)Prophesy, who is the one who hit You?” ⁶⁵ And they were saying many other things against Him, ^(BN)blaspheming.

Jesus before the Sanhedrin

^66 (BO)When it was day, ^(BP)the ^[r]Council of elders of the people assembled, both chief priests and scribes, and they led Him away to their ^(BQ)council chamber, saying, ⁶⁷ “^(BR)If You are the ^[s]Christ, tell us.” But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe; ⁶⁸ and if I ask a question, you will not answer. ^69 (BS)But from now on ^(BT)the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” ⁷⁰ And they all said, “So You are ^(BU)the Son of God?” And He said to them, “^(BV)You say correctly that I am.” ⁷¹ And then they said, “What further need do we have of testimony? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth!”

Jesus before Pilate

23 Then the entire assembly of them set out and ^(BW)brought Him before Pilate. ^2 (BX)And they began to bring charges against Him, saying, “We found this man ^(BY)misleading our nation and ^(BZ)forbidding us to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is ^[t]Christ, a King.” ³ Now Pilate asked Him, saying, “So You are the King of the Jews?” And He answered him and said, “^(CA)It is as you say.” ⁴ But Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “^(CB)I find no grounds for charges in the case of this man.” ⁵ But they kept on insisting, saying, “He is stirring up the people, teaching all over Judea, ^(CC)starting from Galilee, as far as this place!”

⁶ Now when Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. ⁷ And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to ^(CD)Herod, ^[u]since he also was in Jerusalem ^[v]at this time.

Jesus before Herod

⁸ Now Herod was overjoyed when he saw Jesus; for ^(CE)he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some ^[w]sign performed by Him. ⁹ And he questioned Him ^[x]at some length; but ^(CF)He offered him no answer at all. ¹⁰ Now the chief priests and the scribes stood there, vehemently charging Him. ¹¹ And Herod, together with his soldiers, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, ^(CG)dressing Him in a brightly shining robe, and sent Him back to Pilate. ¹² And so ^(CH)Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for previously, they had been enemies toward each other.

Pilate Seeks Jesus’ Release

¹³ Now Pilate summoned to himself the chief priests, the ^[y](CI)rulers, and the people, ¹⁴ and he said to them, “You brought this man to me on the ground that ^(CJ)he is inciting the people to revolt; and behold, after examining Him before you, I ^(CK)have found no basis at all in the case of this man for the charges which you are bringing against Him. ¹⁵ No, nor has ^(CL)Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and behold, nothing deserving death has been done by Him. ¹⁶ Therefore I will ^[z](CM)punish Him and release Him.” ¹⁷ [^[aa]Now he was obligated to release to them at the feast one prisoner.]

¹⁸ But they cried out all together, saying, “^(CN)Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas!” ¹⁹ (He was one who had been thrown into prison for a revolt that took place in the city, and for murder.) ²⁰ But Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again, ²¹ but they kept on crying out, saying, “Crucify, crucify Him!” ²² And he said to them a third time, “Why, what has this man done wrong? I have found ^[ab]in His case no grounds for a sentence of death; therefore I will ^[ac](CO)punish Him and release Him.” ²³ But they were insistent, with loud voices, demanding that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail. ²⁴ And so Pilate decided to have their demand carried out. ²⁵ And he released the man for whom they were asking, who had been thrown into prison for a revolt and murder; but he handed Jesus over to their will.

Simon Carries the Cross

^26 (CP)And when they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of ^(CQ)Cyrene, as he was coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.

²⁷ Now following Him was a large crowd of the people, and of women who were ^[ad](CR)mourning and grieving for Him. ²⁸ But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. ²⁹ For behold, days are coming when they will say, ‘^(CS)Blessed are those who cannot bear, and the wombs that have not given birth, and the breasts that have not nursed.’ ³⁰ Then they will begin to ^(CT)say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ ³¹ For if they do these things ^[ae]when the tree is green, what will happen ^[af]when it is dry?”

^32 (CU)Now two others, who were criminals, were also being led away to be put to death with Him.

The Crucifixion

^33 (CV)And when they came to the place called ^[ag]The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. ³⁴ [^[ah]But Jesus was saying, “^(CW)Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”] ^(CX)And they cast lots, dividing His garments among themselves. ³⁵ And the people stood by, watching. And even the ^(CY)rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; ^(CZ)let Him save Himself if this is the ^[ai]Christ of God, His Chosen One.” ³⁶ The soldiers also ridiculed Him, coming up to Him, ^(DA)offering Him sour wine, ³⁷ and saying, “^(DB)If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!” ³⁸ Now there was also an inscription above Him, “^(DC)THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

^39 (DD)One of the criminals who were hanged there was ^[aj]hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the ^[ak]Christ? ^(DE)Save Yourself and us!” ⁴⁰ But the other responded, and rebuking him, said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹ And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving ^[al]what we deserve for our crimes; but this man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!” ⁴³ And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in ^(DF)Paradise.”

^44 (DG)It was now about ^[am](DH)the sixth hour, and darkness came over the entire land until ^[an]the ninth hour, ^45 [ao]because the sun stopped shining; and ^(DI)the veil of the temple was torn ^[ap]in two. ⁴⁶ And Jesus, ^(DJ)crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, ^(DK)into Your hands I entrust My spirit.” And having said this, He ^[aq]died. ^47 (DL)Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began ^(DM)praising God, saying, “This man was in fact ^[ar]innocent.” ⁴⁸ And all the crowds who came together for this spectacle, after watching what had happened, began to return home, ^[as](DN)beating their chests. ^49 (DO)And all His acquaintances and ^(DP)the women who accompanied Him from Galilee were standing at a distance, seeing these things.

Jesus Is Buried

^50 (DQ)And a man named Joseph, who was a ^(DR)member of the Council, a good and righteous man ⁵¹ (he had not consented to their plan and action), a man from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who was ^(DS)waiting for the kingdom of God— ⁵² this man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. ⁵³ And he took it down and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had ever lain. ⁵⁴ It was a ^[at](DT)preparation day, and a Sabbath was about to ^[au]begin. ⁵⁵ Now ^(DU)the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how His body was laid. ⁵⁶ And then they returned and ^(DV)prepared spices and perfumes.

And ^(DW)on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

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. ² Now Judas, who was ^[c]betraying Him, also knew the place, because Jesus had ^(D)often met there with His disciples. ^3 (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. ⁴ 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?” ⁵ They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He *said to them, “I am He.” And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. ⁶ Now then, when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. ⁷ He then asked them again, “^(K)Whom are you seeking?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” ⁸ Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you are seeking Me, let these men go on their way.” ⁹ 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.

The Crown of Thorns

19 So Pilate then took Jesus and ^[q](BI)had Him flogged. ^2 (BJ)And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and placed it on His head, and put a purple ^[r]cloak on Him; ³ and they repeatedly came up to Him and said, “^(BK)Hail, King of the Jews!” and ^(BL)slapped Him in the face again and again. ⁴ And then Pilate ^(BM)came out again and *said to them, “See, I am bringing Him out to you so that you will know that ^(BN)I find no grounds at all for charges in ^[s]His case.” ⁵ Jesus then came out, ^(BO)wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate *said to them, “Behold, the Man!” ⁶ So when the chief priests and the ^(BP)officers saw Him, they shouted, saying, “Crucify, crucify!” Pilate *said to them, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him; for ^(BQ)I find no grounds for charges in ^[t]His case!” ⁷ The Jews answered him, “^(BR)We have a law, and by that law He ought to die, because He ^(BS)made Himself out to be the Son of God!”

⁸ Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid; ⁹ and he ^(BT)entered the ^[u]Praetorium again and *said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But ^(BU)Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰ So Pilate *said to Him, “Are you not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?” ¹¹ Jesus answered him, “^(BV)You would have no authority ^[v]over Me at all, if it had not been given to you from above; for this reason ^(BW)the one who handed Me over to you has the greater sin.” ¹² As a result of this, Pilate ^[w]made efforts to release Him; but the Jews shouted, saying, “^(BX)If you release this Man, you are not a friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king ^[x]opposes Caesar!”

¹³ Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and ^(BY)sat down on the judgment seat at a place called ^[y]The Pavement—but ^(BZ)in ^[z]Hebrew, Gabbatha. ¹⁴ Now it was ^(CA)the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the ^[aa](CB)sixth hour. And he *said to the Jews, “Look, ^(CC)your King!” ¹⁵ So they shouted, “^(CD)Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” Pilate *said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king except Caesar.”

The Crucifixion

¹⁶ So he then ^(CE)handed Him over to them to be crucified.

^17 (CF)They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, ^[ab](CG)carrying His own cross, to the place called ^(CH)the Place of a Skull, which ^(CI)in ^[ac]Hebrew is called, Golgotha. ¹⁸ There they crucified Him, and with Him ^(CJ)two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between. ¹⁹ Now Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written: “^(CK)JESUS THE NAZARENE, ^(CL)THE KING OF THE JEWS.” ²⁰ Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written ^(CM)in ^[ad]Hebrew, Latin, and in Greek. ²¹ So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘^(CN)The King of the Jews’; rather, write that He said, ‘I am ^(CO)King of the Jews.’” ²² Pilate answered, “^(CP)What I have written, I have written.”

²³ Then ^(CQ)the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made ^(CR)four parts: a part to each soldier, and the ^[ae]tunic also; but the tunic was seamless, woven ^[af]in one piece. ²⁴ So they said to one another, “^(CS)Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be.” ^(CT)This happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: “They ^(CU)divided My garments among themselves, and they cast ^[ag]lots for My clothing.” Therefore the soldiers did these things.