Luke 22:39-71

39Jesus left the city. He went to the Mount of Olives. This is what he usually did. His disciples went with him.

40When they arrived there he said to them, ‘Ask God to help you, so that you do not want to do wrong things.’

41Then he went away from them about as far as you can throw a stone. He went down on his knees and he prayed,

42‘Father, if you want, you can save me from this time of great pain. But I do not ask you to do what I want. Do what you want to do.’

43Then an angel came to him from heaven. The angel made him stronger.

44Jesus began to have troubles in his mind. He prayed again even more strongly. His sweat became like blood and it fell to the ground.

45Then Jesus finished praying and he stood up again. He returned to the disciples. He saw that they were sleeping. They were very weak and tired because they were so sad.

46‘You should not be sleeping,’ he said. ‘Get up and pray! Ask God to help you, so that you do not want to do wrong things.’

47While Jesus was still speaking, a crowd of people came towards him. Judas led the crowd to that place. He was one of the 12 apostles. He came near to Jesus to kiss him.

48Jesus said to him, ‘Judas, why do you want to kiss me, the Son of Man? You are helping my enemies to take hold of me!’

49The people near to Jesus saw what was happening. They asked him, ‘Lord, should we use our swords to fight?’

50One of them hit the servant of the leader of the priests. He cut off the servant's right ear.

51‘That is enough!’ Jesus said. He then touched the man's ear and made him well again.

52Then Jesus spoke to the people that had come to take hold of him. They were the leaders of the priests, and the leaders of the police in the temple. Other important Jews were also there. He said to them, ‘You have come here with swords and heavy sticks. Do you really think that I am leading people to fight against our country's rulers?

53No! But I was with you every day in the yard of the temple. You did not try to take hold of me then. But now really is the time and the place for you to work. Now it is a bad dark time, when the Devil has authority.’

54Then they took hold of Jesus. They took him away and they brought him to the house of the leader of the priests. Peter was following them, but he did not go near Jesus.

55People lit a fire in the yard of the house and they sat round it. Peter went and he sat with them.

56A girl who worked there then saw Peter in the light from the fire. She looked carefully at him and she said, ‘This man also was a friend of Jesus.’

57Peter replied, ‘Woman, that is not true! I do not even know him.’

58After a short time, someone else looked at him. ‘You also are one of their group,’ he said. Peter replied, ‘Man, I am not one of them.’

59After about an hour, another man said, ‘I am sure that this man was a friend of Jesus. He also is from Galilee.’

60Peter replied, ‘Man, I do not know what you are talking about.’ While Peter was still speaking, a cockerel sang loudly.

61Then the Lord Jesus turned round and he looked at Peter. Peter remembered what Jesus had said to him: ‘You will say tonight that you do not know me. You will say it three times before the cockerel sings in the morning.’

62Then Peter went out of the yard and he wept a lot.

63The men that were holding Jesus were laughing at him. They hit him many times.

64They covered his eyes with a cloth and they said to him, ‘Show us that you are a prophet. Tell us who hit you!’

65And they said many other bad things against him.

66When it became day, the Jewish leaders met together. The leaders of the priests and the teachers of God's Law were at the meeting. Then other men brought Jesus to stand in front of them.

67They asked him, ‘Are you the Messiah? If you are, tell us.’ Jesus replied, ‘If I do tell you, you will not believe me.

68I could also ask you a question. But if I do that, you will not answer me.

69But from now on, the Son of Man will be sitting in the most important place. He will be sitting at the right side of the Most Powerful God.’

70‘So, are you the Son of God?’ they all said. Jesus replied, ‘You say that I am.’

71Then they said, ‘We do not need anyone else to speak against this man. We ourselves have heard what he has said about himself.’