^22:1Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread,¹ which is called the Passover, was approaching. ^22:2The² chief priests and the experts in the law³ were trying to find some way⁴ to execute⁵ Jesus,⁶ for they were afraid of the people.⁷

^22:3Then⁸ Satan⁹ entered Judas, the one called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve.¹⁰^22:4He went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers of the temple guard¹¹ how he might¹² betray Jesus,¹³ handing him over to them.¹⁴^22:5They¹⁵ were delighted¹⁶ and arranged to give him money.¹⁷^22:6So¹⁸ Judas¹⁹ agreed and began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus²⁰ when no crowd was present.²¹

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Footnotes

1 The Feast of Unleavened Bread was a week long celebration that followed the day of Passover, so one name was used for both feasts (Exod 12:1–20; 23:15; 34:18; Deut 16:1–8).
2 Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
3 Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in .
4 Grk “were seeking how.”
5 The Greek verb here means “to get rid of by execution” ( ἀναιρέω 2; cf. also L&N 20.71, which states, “to get rid of someone by execution, often with legal or quasi-legal procedures”).
6 Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
7 The suggestion here is that Jesus was too popular to openly arrest him. The verb were trying is imperfect. It suggests, in this context, that they were always considering the opportunities.
8 Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
9 The cross is portrayed as part of the cosmic battle between Satan and God; see Luke 4:1–13; 11:14–23.
10 Grk “Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.”
11 The full title στρατηγὸς τοῦ ἱεροῦ (stratēgos tou hierou; “officer of the temple” or “captain of the temple guard”) is sometimes shortened to στρατηγός as here (L&N 37.91).
12 Luke uses this frequent indirect question to make his point ( §267.2).
13 Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
14 Grk “how he might hand him over to them,” in the sense of “betray him.”
15 Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
16 The leaders were delighted when Judas contacted them about betraying Jesus, because it gave them the opportunity they had been looking for, and they could later claim that Jesus had been betrayed by one of his own disciples.
17 Matt 26:15 states the amount of money they gave Judas was thirty pieces of silver (see also Matt 27:3–4; Zech 11:12–13).
18 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the arrangement worked out in the preceding verse.
19 Grk “he”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
20 Grk “betray him to them”; the referent of the first pronoun (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
21 Grk “apart from the crowd.” The leaders wanted to do this quietly, when no crowd was present, so no public uproar would result (cf. v. 21:38; 22:2).

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people.

Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. They were delighted and agreed to give him money. He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

The Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called Passover, was approaching. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put him to death, because they were afraid of the people.

Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, who was numbered among the Twelve. He went away and discussed with the chief priests and temple police how he could hand him over to them. They were glad and agreed to give him silver. So he accepted the offer and started looking for a good opportunity to betray him to them when the crowd was not present.

NLTNew Living Translation

The Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is also called Passover, was approaching. The leading priests and teachers of religious law were plotting how to kill Jesus, but they were afraid of the people’s reaction.

Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples, and he went to the leading priests and captains of the Temple guard to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to them. They were delighted, and they promised to give him money. So he agreed and began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus so they could arrest him when the crowds weren’t around.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Now the feast of Unleavened Bread (which is called Passover) was drawing near. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how they could destroy him, because they were afraid of the people.

And Satan entered into Judas, the one called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. And he went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers of the temple guard how he could betray him to them. And they were delighted, and came to an agreement with him to give him money. And he agreed, and began looking for a favorable opportunity to betray him to them apart from the crowd.

KJV 1900King James Version

Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover. And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people.

Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them. And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money. And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude.

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