John 18
The full text of John 18 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Greek. Free to read.
1 After Jesus had said these things, he went out with his disciples across the Kidron Valley, where there was a garden; he and his disciples went into it.
2 Now Judas, who was betraying him, also knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.
3 So Judas, having taken the detachment of soldiers and officers from the chief priests and from the Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.
4 Then Jesus, knowing everything that was coming upon him, went out and said to them, "Who are you looking for?"
5 "Jesus of Nazareth," they answered. He said to them, "I am."ᵃ Now Judas, his betrayer, was standing there with them.
6 So when he said to them, "I am," they staggered backward and fell to the ground.
7 Again he asked them, "Who are you looking for?" "Jesus the Nazarene," they said.
8 Jesus answered, "I told you that I am he. So if I am the one you want, let these men go their way."
9 This was to fulfill the word he had spoken: "Of those you have given me, I have not lost one."
10 So Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus.
11 So Jesus said to Peter, "Put the sword into the sheath. The cup the Father has given me—shall I not drink it?"
12 So the soldiers with their commander, along with the officers of the Jews, seized Jesus and bound him.
13 They led him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year.
14 Caiaphas was the one who had counseled the Jews that it was better for one man to die for the people.
15 Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. That disciple was known to the high priest, and he went in with Jesus into the high priest's courtyard,
16 But Peter was standing outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper and brought Peter in.
17 So the slave girl at the door said to Peter, "You aren't one of his disciples too, are you?" "I am not," he said.
18 The servants and the officers were standing there, having made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were warming themselves. Peter was also standing with them, warming himself.
19 Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching.
20 Jesus answered him, "I have spoken to the world openly. I always taught in synagogues and at the temple, where all the Jewish people gather. I said nothing in secret.
21 Why question me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them. Look — they know what I said.
22 When he had said this, one of the officers standing by slapped Jesus in the face, saying, "Is that how you answer the high priest?"
23 Jesus answered him, "If I spoke wrongly, testify about the wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why do you strike me?"
24 So Annas sent him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest.
25 Now Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they said to him, "You aren't also one of his disciples, are you?" He denied it and said, "I am not."
26 One of the high priest's servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, "Didn't I see you in the garden with him?"
27 Then Peter denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed.
28 So they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the governor's palace. It was early morning, and they themselves did not enter the palace, to avoid being defiled, so they could eat the Passover.
29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, "What charge are you bringing against this man?"
30 They answered him, "If this man were not a criminal, we wouldn't have handed him over to you."
31 So Pilate said to them, "You take him and judge him by your law." The Jewish leaders answered, "We have no authority to put anyone to death"—
32 This happened so that the word Jesus had spoken would be fulfilled, signifying the kind of death he was going to die.
33 So Pilate went back inside the praetorium, called Jesus in, and said to him, "So you are the king of the Jews?"
34 Jesus answered, "Are you asking this of your own accord, or did others tell you about me?"
35 Pilate answered, "I'm not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?"
36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here."
37 So Pilate said to him, "So you are a king!" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world: to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth hears my voice."
38 Pilate said to him, "What is truth?" With that, he went back out to the Judean leaders and said to them, "I find no grounds for a charge against him.
39 But you have a custom that I release someone to you at Passover. So do you want me to release the King of the Jews?
40 They shouted again, "Not this man — Barabbas!" Now Barabbas was a bandit.
Translation notes (34)
- John 18:1a The Greek word cheimarrou means a wadi or a stream that flows only in winter. It is translated as "Kidron Valley" for clarity, because this watercourse defines the valley located east of Jerusalem.
- John 18:3a The Greek word speira refers to a Roman military unit. While a full cohort typically had 600 men, this term often refers to a smaller group, which is likely what is meant here.
- John 18:5a Greek: egō eimi ("I am"). The unsupplemented phrase echoes the divine self-designation in Isa 43:10 LXX; v. 6 (they drew back and fell) trades on this resonance.
- John 18:6a Greek: ἐγώ εἰμι ("I am"), without a predicate. The same absolute phrase echoes Jesus' earlier self-disclosures in John 8:24, 8:58, 13:19, and the LXX divine self-identification (Exod 3:14; Isa 43:10). The crowd's falling backward signals that more than ordinary identification is in view.
- John 18:8a Greek: 'I am' (ἐγώ εἰμι), absolute; 'he' is supplied. The same phrase in v.5 makes the soldiers fall back (v.6), echoing Exod 3:14 LXX; Isa 43:10 LXX.
- John 18:12a The Greek word chiliarchos literally means "commander of a thousand." This refers to a Roman tribune who was in charge of a cohort, a military unit of about 600 men.
- John 18:12b The phrase "Officers of the Jews" (hyperetai ton Ioudaion) refers to officials. In the Gospel of John, "the Jews" often means the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem. Here, it likely refers to the temple officers of the Sanhedrin (compare John 18:3), but the Greek text does not specify this definitively.
- John 18:14a The Greek phrase hoi Ioudaioi ("the Jews") here refers to the Jewish authorities, specifically the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem; compare John 11:49–52.
- John 18:14b The phrase "for the people" translates the Greek word hyper. In John 11:50, Caiaphas uses it cynically, meaning "instead of us all perishing." However, John 11:51–52 reinterprets it to mean "on behalf of," referring to the idea that someone dies in place of others to pay for their sins. The English word "for" can convey both of these meanings.
- John 18:15a The Greek word aule can mean "courtyard," which is the open area of a large house, or more generally, the entire residence or compound. In verse 18, Peter stands at a fire "inside" the aule, which fits the description of an inner court within the high priest's residence.
- John 18:15b The other disciple is not named. While many readers, both ancient and modern, have identified him with the Beloved Disciple, the text itself does not specify his identity.
- John 18:17a The Greek word paidiske refers to a household slave girl, not a hired servant. The way the question is asked, using the Greek word me, suggests that a "no" answer is expected.
- John 18:20a The Greek word parresia means openly, plainly, and with frankness. It refers to both being publicly visible and speaking with honesty and directness.
- John 18:20b The Greek phrase hoi Ioudaioi ("the Jews") in the Gospel of John often refers to the Jewish religious leaders in Judea or to Judeans more generally. Here, it refers to the worshipping public at the temple.
- John 18:22a Greek ῥάπισμα is an open-handed slap to the face; the same noun describes the Servant's humiliation in Isa 50:6 LXX.
- John 18:23a Jesus invokes legal procedure: witnesses must establish an offense (cf. Deut 17:6; 19:15). κακῶς/καλῶς contrast manner of speech — improper vs. truthful — not factual error.
- John 18:25a This is Peter's second denial; his first is in John 18:17 and his third is in John 18:26-27, fulfilling Jesus' prediction in John 13:38.
- John 18:28a The Greek word praitōrion refers to the official residence of the Roman governor in Jerusalem, traditionally called the 'Praetorium.'
- John 18:28b Entering a Gentile dwelling was believed to make a Jew ritually unclean and unable to eat the Passover meal that evening.
- John 18:28c John's chronology places the Passover meal as still future here (cf. 19:14), while Mark 14:12, Matt 26:17, and Luke 22:7–15 present the Last Supper the night before as the Passover. The two timelines are debated; John may use a different reckoning, or 'eat the Passover' may refer to the weeklong feast offerings.
- John 18:31a The Greek phrase 'the Jews' in John's passion narrative refers to the Judean authorities who opposed Jesus, not the Jewish people as a whole.
- John 18:31b This can also be translated as, 'It is not lawful for us to execute anyone.' The Greek word exestin here points to the legal limit on their authority, meaning that capital punishment was reserved for the Roman prefect.
- John 18:33a The Greek word praitōrion refers to the Roman governor's headquarters in Jerusalem.
- John 18:33b This can also be translated as, 'Are you the king of the Jews?' The Greek places the pronoun 'you' at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis, suggesting a probing or incredulous tone.
- John 18:34a Some manuscripts add the word 'him' after 'answered,' but the critical Greek text omits it.
- John 18:34b The Greek phrase 'from yourself' (apo seautou) is an idiom used by John to describe speech or action that originates from one's own initiative, as seen in John 5:19, 7:17–18, and 14:10.
- John 18:36a The Greek word ek marks origin or source, indicating that Jesus's kingdom does not come from this world, though it acts within it.
- John 18:36b The Greek phrase 'the Jews' (tois Ioudaiois) in John's passion narrative refers to the Jewish authorities who were pursuing Jesus, not the Jewish people as a whole.
- John 18:37a This can also be translated as, 'You say so — because I am a king.' The Greek phrase sy legeis hoti basileus eimi is open to different interpretations: the word hoti can mean 'that' (making it 'that I am a king') or 'because' (making it 'because I am a king'). The way the word basileus ('king') is placed at the beginning of its clause and the emphatic word egō ('I') at the end of the sentence suggest the 'because' (causal) reading. However, most modern translations understand it as 'that' (recitative).
- John 18:37b The Greek phrase 'everyone who is from the truth' (pas ho ōn ek tēs alētheias) uses the word ek to mark origin or belonging.
- John 18:38a This can also be translated as 'to the Jews.' The Greek phrase hoi Ioudaioi in John's Passion narrative refers to the Judean religious authorities, such as the chief priests and officers (see John 18:3), not the Jewish people as a whole.
- John 18:38b The Greek word aitia means 'legal grounds' or 'charge.' The emphatic Greek pronoun, 'I myself,' sharpens the contrast between Pilate's verdict and the accusers' claims.
- John 18:39a The Greek word is 'one' (hena). John leaves it unclear who 'one' refers to until verse 40 names Barabbas; translating it as 'someone' preserves that initial restraint.
- John 18:40a The Greek word lēstēs means a bandit or brigand, often armed; the term can range from a violent robber to an insurgent. Mark 15:7 and Luke 23:19 specify Barabbas as an insurrectionist, but John uses only this broader word.
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