New Testament in a Year

Jesus Is Arrested^(A)

18 After Jesus finished his prayer, he went with his disciples to the other side of the Kidron Valley. They entered the garden that was there.

² Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place because Jesus and his disciples often gathered there. ³ So Judas took a troop of soldiers and the guards from the chief priests and Pharisees and went to the garden. They were carrying lanterns, torches, and weapons.

⁴ Jesus knew everything that was going to happen to him. So he went to meet them and asked, “Who are you looking for?”

⁵ They answered him, “Jesus from Nazareth.”

Jesus told them, “I am he.”

Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with the crowd. ⁶ When Jesus told them, “I am he,” the crowd backed away and fell to the ground.

⁷ Jesus asked them again, “Who are you looking for?”

They said, “Jesus from Nazareth.”

⁸ Jesus replied, “I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these other men go.” ⁹ In this way what Jesus had said came true: “I lost none of those you gave me.”

¹⁰ Simon Peter had a sword. He drew it, attacked the chief priest’s servant, and cut off the servant’s right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)

¹¹ Jesus told Peter, “Put your sword away. Shouldn’t I drink the cup ⌞of suffering⌟ that my Father has given me?”

¹² Then the army officer and the Jewish guards arrested Jesus. They tied Jesus up ¹³ and took him first to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas. Caiaphas, the chief priest that year, ¹⁴ was the person who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one man die for the people.

Peter Denies Jesus^(B)

¹⁵ Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. The other disciple was well-known to the chief priest. So that disciple went with Jesus into the chief priest’s courtyard. ¹⁶ Peter, however, was standing outside the gate. The other disciple talked to the woman who was the gatekeeper and brought Peter into the courtyard.

¹⁷ The gatekeeper asked Peter, “Aren’t you one of this man’s disciples too?”

Peter answered, “No, I’m not!”

¹⁸ The servants and the guards were standing around a fire they had built and were warming themselves because it was cold. Peter was standing there, too, and warming himself with the others.