John 18

JESUS BETRAYED

18After^k Jesus had said these things, he went out with his disciples across the Kidron Valley, where there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it. ²Judas,^l who betrayed^m him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. ³So Judas took a company of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Phariseesⁿ and came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.

⁴Then Jesus, knowing everything that was about to happen to him,^o went out and said to them, “Who is it that you’re seeking?”

⁵“Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered.

“I am he,”^p Jesus told them.

Judas, who betrayed him, was also standing with them. ⁶When Jesus told them, “I am he,” they stepped back and fell to the ground.

⁷Then he asked them again, “Who is it that you’re seeking?”

“Jesus of Nazareth,” they said.

⁸“I told you I am he,” Jesus replied. “So if you’re looking for me, let these men go.” ⁹This was to fulfill^q the words he had said: “I have not lost one of those you have given me.”^r

¹⁰Then Simon^s Peter,^t who had a sword,^u drew it, struck the high priest’s^v servant, and cut off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)

¹¹At that, Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword away! Am I not to drink the cup^w the Father has given me?”

JESUS ARRESTED AND TAKEN TO ANNAS

¹²Then the company of soldiers, the commander, and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus and tied him up. ¹³First they led him to Annas,^x since he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas,^y who was high priest that year. ¹⁴Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be better for one man to die for the people.^z

PETER DENIES JESUS

¹⁵Simon Peter^aa was following Jesus, as was another disciple. That disciple was an acquaintance of the high priest; so he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard. ¹⁶But Peter remained standing outside by the door. So the other disciple, the one known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the girl who was the doorkeeper and brought Peter in.

¹⁷Then the servant girl who was the doorkeeper said to Peter, “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?”

“I am not,” he said. ¹⁸Now the servants and the officials had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold. They were standing there warming themselves, and Peter was standing with them, warming himself.

JESUS BEFORE ANNAS

¹⁹The high priest^ab questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching.

²⁰“I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus answered him. “I have always taught in the synagogue^ac and in the temple,^ad where all the Jews gather, and I haven’t spoken anything in secret. ²¹Why do you question me? Question those who heard what I told them. Look, they know what I said.”

²²When he had said these things, one of the officials standing by slapped Jesus, saying, “Is this the way you answer the high priest?”

²³“If I have spoken wrongly,” Jesus answered him, “give evidence^A about the wrong; but if rightly,^a why do you hit me?” ²⁴Then^b Annas^c sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

PETER DENIES JESUS TWICE MORE

²⁵Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said to him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?”

He denied it and said, “I am not.”

²⁶One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?”

²⁷Peter denied it again. Immediately a rooster crowed.^d

JESUS BEFORE PILATE

²⁸Then^e they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters.^f It was early morning. They did not enter the headquarters themselves; otherwise they would be defiled and unable to eat the Passover.

²⁹So Pilate^g came out to them and said, “What charge^h do you bring against this man?”

³⁰They answered him, “If this man weren’t a criminal,^A we wouldn’t have handed him over to you.”

³¹Pilate told them, “You take him and judge him according to your law.”

“It’s not legal for us to put anyone to death,” the Jews declared. ³²They said this so that Jesus’s words might be fulfilled indicating what kind of death he was going to die.ⁱ

³³Then Pilate went back into the headquarters, summoned Jesus, and said to him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”^j

³⁴Jesus answered, “Are you asking this on your own, or have others told you about me?”

³⁵“I’m not a Jew, am I?” Pilate replied. “Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?”

³⁶“My kingdom^k is not of this world,” said Jesus. “If my kingdom were of this world,^l my servants^m would fight, so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But as it is,^B my kingdom is not from here.”ⁿ

³⁷“You are a king then?” Pilate asked.

“You say that I’m a king,” Jesus replied. “I was born for this, and I have come into the world^o for this: to testify^p to the truth.^q Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

³⁸“What is truth?” said Pilate.

JESUS OR BARABBAS

After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no grounds^r for charging him. ³⁹You^s have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at the Passover. So, do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?”

⁴⁰They shouted back, “Not this man, but Barabbas!”^t Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.^u