1 These things having said, Jesus went forth with his disciples beyond the brook of Kedron, where was a garden, into which he entered, himself and his disciples, 2 and Judas also, who delivered him up, had known the place, because many times did Jesus assemble there with his disciples. 3 Judas, therefore, having taken the band and officers out of the chief priests and Pharisees, doth come thither with torches and lamps, and weapons; 4 Jesus, therefore, knowing all things that are coming upon him, having gone forth, said to them, 'Whom do ye seek?' 5 they answered him, 'Jesus the Nazarene;' Jesus saith to them, 'I am [he];' — and Judas who delivered him up was standing with them; — 6 when, therefore, he said to them — 'I am [he],' they went away backward, and fell to the ground. 7 Again, therefore, he questioned them, 'Whom do ye seek?' and they said, 'Jesus the Nazarene;' 8 Jesus answered, 'I said to you that I am [he]; if, then, me ye seek, suffer these to go away;' 9 that the word might be fulfilled that he said — 'Those whom Thou hast given to me, I did not lose of them even one.' 10 Simon Peter, therefore, having a sword, drew it, and struck the chief priest's servant, and cut off his right ear — and the name of the servant was Malchus — 11 Jesus, therefore, said to Peter, 'Put the sword into the sheath; the cup that the Father hath given to me, may I not drink it?' 12 The band, therefore, and the captain, and the officers of the Jews, took hold on Jesus, and bound him, 13 and they led him away to Annas first, for he was father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was chief priest of that year, 14 and Caiaphas was he who gave counsel to the Jews, that it is good for one man to perish for the people. 15 And following Jesus was Simon Peter, and the other disciple, and that disciple was known to the chief priest, and he entered with Jesus to the hall of the chief priest, 16 and Peter was standing at the door without, therefore went forth the other disciple who was known to the chief priest, and he spake to the female keeping the door, and he brought in Peter. 17 Then said the maid keeping the door to Peter, 'Art thou also of the disciples of this man?' he saith, 'I am not;' 18 and the servants and the officers were standing, having made a fire of coals, because it was cold, and they were warming themselves, and Peter was standing with them, and warming himself. 19 The chief priests, therefore, questioned Jesus concerning his disciples, and concerning his teaching; 20 Jesus answered him, 'I spake freely to the world, I did always teach in a synagogue, and in the temple, where the Jews do always come together; and in secret I spake nothing; 21 why me dost thou question? question those having heard what I spake to them; lo, these have known what I said.' 22 And he having said these things, one of the officers standing by did give Jesus a slap, saying, 'Thus dost thou answer the chief priest?' 23 Jesus answered him, 'If I spake ill, testify concerning the ill; and if well, why me dost thou smite?' 24 Annas then sent him bound to Caiaphas the chief priest. 25 And Simon Peter was standing and warming himself, they said then to him, 'Art thou also of his disciples?' he denied, and said, 'I am not.' 26 One of the servants of the chief priest, being kinsman of him whose ear Peter cut off, saith, 'Did not I see thee in the garden with him?' 27 again, therefore, Peter denied, and immediately a cock crew. 28 They led, therefore, Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium, and it was early, and they themselves did not enter into the praetorium, that they might not be defiled, but that they might eat the passover; 29 Pilate, therefore, went forth unto them, and said, 'What accusation do ye bring against this man?' 30 they answered and said to him, 'If he were not an evil doer, we had not delivered him to thee.' 31 Pilate, therefore, said to them, 'Take ye him — ye — and according to your law judge him;' the Jews, therefore, said to him, 'It is not lawful to us to put any one to death;' 32 that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled which he said, signifying by what death he was about to die. 33 Pilate, therefore, entered into the praetorium again, and called Jesus, and said to him, 'Thou art the King of the Jews?' 34 Jesus answered him, 'From thyself dost thou say this? or did others say it to thee about me?' 35 Pilate answered, 'Am I a Jew? thy nation, and the chief priests did deliver thee up to me; what didst thou?' 36 Jesus answered, 'My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my officers had struggled that I might not be delivered up to Jews; but now my kingdom is not from hence.' 37 Pilate, therefore, said to him, 'Art thou then a king?' Jesus answered, 'Thou dost say [it]; because a king I am, I for this have been born, and for this I have come to the world, that I may testify to the truth; every one who is of the truth, doth hear my voice.' 38 Pilate saith to him, 'What is truth?' and this having said, again he went forth unto the Jews, and saith to them, 'I do find no fault in him; 39 and ye have a custom that I shall release to you one in the passover; will ye, therefore, [that] I shall release to you the king of the Jews?' 40 therefore they all cried out again, saying, 'Not this one — but Barabbas;' and Barabbas was a robber.
John · Young's Literal Translation
John 18 Young's Literal Translation
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Annas
Named as high priest alongside Caiaphas when John began preaching, and as the father-in-law of Caiaphas, to whom Jesus was brought first.
Cited in the guide: Luke 3:2; John 18:13; John 18:24
Malchus
The servant of the high priest whose right ear Simon Peter cut off in the garden.
Cited in the guide: John 18:10
Pontius Pilate
Roman governor of Judea who questioned Jesus, found no guilt in Him, released Barabbas, and gave Him up to be crucified and permitted Joseph of Arimathea to take the body.
Cited in the guide: Matthew 27:2; Luke 3:1; John 18:38
Cross references (39)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 2 Samuel 15:23; Matthew 26:36; Mark 14:32; John 18:26; Luke 22:39–40
- 2 Luke 21:37; Luke 22:39; Mark 11:11–12
- 3 John 18:12; Luke 22:47–53; Psalm 3:1–2; Acts 1:16; Psalm 22:12
- 4 John 13:1; John 18:7; Acts 2:28; Acts 20:22–23; Psalm 27:3
- 5 Isaiah 3:9; John 1:46; Matthew 21:11; Matthew 2:23; John 19:19
- 6 Psalm 27:2; Psalm 70:2–3; 2 Kings 1:9–15; Acts 4:29–30; Luke 9:54–56
- 7 John 18:4
- 8 John 10:28; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Isaiah 53:6; 1 Peter 5:7; John 13:1
- 9 John 17:12
- 10 Matthew 26:51–54; Mark 14:47; Luke 22:49–51; John 18:26; Mark 14:30
- 11 Matthew 26:39; Matthew 20:22; John 20:17; John 12:27–28; Hebrews 12:2
- 12 John 18:3; Matthew 26:57; Mark 15:1; Luke 22:54; Acts 22:24–28
- 13 John 18:24; Luke 3:2; Matthew 26:3; John 11:51; Matthew 26:57
- 14 John 11:49–52
- 15 Luke 22:54; Mark 14:54; Matthew 26:58–68; Matthew 26:3
- 16 Luke 22:55–57; Matthew 26:69; Mark 14:66–68
- 17 Matthew 26:69–70; Mark 14:66–68; John 18:25; Matthew 26:33; Luke 22:56–57
- 18 Mark 14:54; John 18:25; Luke 22:55–56; Mark 14:67; Psalm 26:4–10
- 19 Mark 14:55–65; Luke 20:20; Luke 11:53–54; Matthew 26:59–68; Luke 22:63–71
- 20 John 7:26; Isaiah 48:16; Matthew 4:23; Luke 21:37; Matthew 26:55
- 21 Luke 22:67; Mark 14:55–59; Matthew 26:59–60; Acts 24:18–20; Acts 24:12–13
- 22 John 19:3; Luke 22:63–64; Mark 14:65; Isaiah 50:5–7; Matthew 26:67–68
- 23 1 Peter 2:20–23; 2 Corinthians 10:1; Matthew 5:39; Acts 23:2–5
- 24 John 18:13; Matthew 26:57
- 25 Mark 14:67–72; John 18:17–18; Matthew 26:71–75; Proverbs 29:25; Genesis 18:15
- 26 John 18:10; John 18:1; Mark 14:70–71; Luke 22:59–60; Matthew 26:73
- 27 John 13:38; Mark 14:71–72; Luke 22:60–62; Matthew 26:34; Mark 14:30
- 28 John 18:33; John 19:9; John 19:14; Mark 15:1–5; Matthew 27:27
- 29 Mark 15:2–5; Matthew 27:23; Matthew 27:11–14; Luke 23:2–3; Acts 23:28–30
- 30 Mark 15:3; John 19:12; Luke 23:2–5; Mark 10:33; Luke 20:19–26
- 31 John 19:6–7; John 19:15; Ezekiel 21:26–27; Acts 25:18–20; Hosea 3:4–5
- 32 John 3:14; Matthew 26:2; Matthew 20:19; John 12:32–33; Luke 18:32–33
- 33 Luke 23:3–4; John 19:3; Acts 2:34–36; John 12:13; Zechariah 9:9
- 35 John 19:11; Acts 22:22–24; Acts 25:19–20; John 19:6; Nehemiah 4:2
- 36 Luke 17:20–21; Colossians 1:12–14; John 6:15; Romans 14:17; Daniel 2:44
- 37 1 John 4:6; John 8:47; John 8:14; John 10:26–27; 1 John 3:19
- 38 John 19:4; John 19:6; Luke 23:4; Acts 17:32; Acts 24:25–26
- 39 Matthew 27:15–18; Mark 15:6–14; Luke 23:16–23; Matthew 27:20–23
- 40 Matthew 27:26; Mark 15:15; Matthew 27:16; Luke 23:25; Mark 15:7
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
When the grand and lengthened discourse was concluded which the Lord delivered after supper, and on the eve of shedding His blood for us, to the disciples who were then with Him, and had added the prayer addressed to His Father, the evangelist John began thereafter the narrative of His passion in these words: "When Jesus had so spoken, He …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 7 (1888)
An awful thing is death, and very full of terror, but not to those who have learnt the true wisdom which is above. For he that knows nothing certain concerning things to come, but deems it to be a certain dissolution and end of life, with reason shudders and is afraid, as though he were passing into non-existence.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 14 (1889)
… the precepts which He taught, did not offer the other cheek to the servant of the high priest when smiting Him thereon; but, so far from that, said, "If I have spoken evil, hear witness of the evil; but if well, why smitest thou me?" Yet was He not on that account unprepared in heart, for the salvation of all, …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)
For, because both continued with Him at His crucifixion, taking away the ground of his own commendation, he saith, "That disciple was known unto the high priest." But James survived not a long time, but from the beginning he was so greatly filled with warmth, and so forsook all the things of men, and mounted up to an height unutterable, …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
Ought he not to have followed the example of Jesus, and said, If ye seek Me, let these go their way?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)