MARK 14:55 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, red:negative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT Now the chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, and they were not finding any.

UST The ruling priests and all the rest of the Jewish council tried to find something for which they could accuse Jesus. That way, they could have the Roman authorities execute him. However, they did not find anything for which they could accuse him.

BLB And the chief priests and all the Council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but they were not finding any.

AICNT Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none.

OEB Meanwhile the chief priest and the whole of the High Council were trying to get such evidence against Jesus as would warrant his being put to death, but they could not find any;

WEBBE Now the chief priests and the whole council sought witnesses against Jesus to put him to death, and found none.

WMBB Now the chief priests and the whole council sought witnesses against Yeshua to put him to death, and found none.

NET The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find anything.

LSV And the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin were seeking testimony against Jesus—to put Him to death, and they were not finding,

FBV Inside the chief priests and the whole governing council[fn] were trying to find some evidence to have Jesus put to death, but they couldn't find anything.

14:55 Literally, “Sanhedrin.”

TCNT Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were seeking testimony against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any.

T4T The chief priests and all the rest of the Jewish council had already tried to find people who would tell lies about Jesus in order that they could convince the Roman authorities to execute him. But they did not succeed,

LEB Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for testimony against Jesus in order to put him to death, and they did not find it.[fn]

14:55 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation

BBE Now the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin were looking for witness against Jesus so that they might put him to death; and they were unable to get any.

Moff Now the high priests and the whole of the Sanhedrin tried to secure evidence against Jesus, in order to have him put to death; but they could find none,

Wymth Meanwhile the High Priests and the entire Sanhedrin were endeavouring to get evidence against Jesus in order to put Him to death, but could find none;

ASV Now the chief priests and the whole council sought witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found it not.

DRA And the chief priests and all the council sought for evidence against Jesus, that they might put him to death, and found none.

YLT And the chief priests and all the sanhedrim were seeking against Jesus testimony — to put him to death, and they were not finding,

Drby And the chief priests and the whole sanhedrim sought testimony against Jesus to cause him to be put to death, and did not find [any].

RV Now the chief priests and the whole council sought witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found it not.

SLT And the chief priests and the whole council sought testimony against Jesus, to put him to death; and found not:

Wbstr And the chief priests, and all the council sought for testimony against Jesus to put him to death; and found none.

KJB-1769 And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none.

KJB-1611 And the chiefe Priests, and all the counsell sought for witnesse against Iesus, to put him to death, & found none.
(And the chief Priests, and all the council/counsel sought for witness against Yesus/Yeshua, to put him to death, and found none.)

Bshps And the hye priestes, and all the councell sought for witnesse agaynst Iesus, to put hym to death, and founde none.
(And the high priests, and all the council/counsel sought for witness against Yesus/Yeshua, to put him to death, and found none.)

Gnva And the hie Priests, and all the Councill sought for witnesse against Iesus, to put him to death, but found none.
(And the high Priests, and all the Councill sought for witness against Yesus/Yeshua, to put him to death, but found none. )

Cvdl But the hye prestes and the whole councell sought wytnesse agaynst Iesus, yt they might brynge him to death, and they founde none.
(But the high priests and the whole council/counsel sought witness against Yesus/Yeshua, it they might bring him to death, and they found none.)

TNT And the hye prestes and all the counsell sought for witnes agaynste Iesu to put him to death and founde noone.
(And the high priests and all the council/counsel sought for witness against Yesu to put him to death and found noone. )

Wycl And the hiyest prestis, and al the counsel, souyten witnessyng ayens Jhesu to take hym to the deeth; but thei founden not.
(And the highest priests, and all the council/counsel, sought witnessing against Yhesu to take him to the death; but they found not.)

Luth Aber die Hohenpriester und der ganze Rat suchten Zeugnis wider JEsum, auf daß sie ihn zum Tode brächten, und fanden nichts.
(But the high_priest and the/of_the whole/all advice were_looking_for transcript against Yesum, on/in/to that they/she/them him/it for_the deaths would_bringn, and found nothing.)

ClVg Summi vero sacerdotes et omne concilium quærebant adversus Jesum testimonium ut eum morti traderent: nec inveniebant.
(Summi indeed/however priests and everything council they_were_looking_for against Yesus testimony as him death to_hand_overnt: but_not I_foundebant. )

UGNT οἱ δὲ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ ὅλον τὸ Συνέδριον ἐζήτουν κατὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ μαρτυρίαν, εἰς τὸ θανατῶσαι αὐτόν, καὶ οὐχ ηὕρισκον.
(hoi de arⱪiereis kai holon to Sunedrion ezaʸtoun kata tou Yaʸsou marturian, eis to thanatōsai auton, kai ouⱪ aʸhuriskon.)

SBL-GNT οἱ δὲ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ ὅλον τὸ συνέδριον ἐζήτουν κατὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ μαρτυρίαν εἰς τὸ θανατῶσαι αὐτόν, καὶ οὐχ ηὕρισκον·
(hoi de arⱪiereis kai holon to sunedrion ezaʸtoun kata tou Yaʸsou marturian eis to thanatōsai auton, kai ouⱪ aʸhuriskon;)

RP-GNT Οἱ δὲ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ ὅλον τὸ συνέδριον ἐζήτουν κατὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ μαρτυρίαν, εἰς τὸ θανατῶσαι αὐτόν, καὶ οὐχ εὕρισκον.
(Hoi de arⱪiereis kai holon to sunedrion ezaʸtoun kata tou Yaʸsou marturian, eis to thanatōsai auton, kai ouⱪ heuriskon.)

TC-GNT Οἱ δὲ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ ὅλον τὸ συνέδριον ἐζήτουν κατὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ μαρτυρίαν, εἰς τὸ θανατῶσαι αὐτόν, καὶ οὐχ [fn]εὕρισκον.
(Hoi de arⱪiereis kai holon to sunedrion ezaʸtoun kata tou Yaʸsou marturian, eis to thanatōsai auton, kai ouⱪ heuriskon. )

14:55 ευρισκον ¦ ηυρισκον CT

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

TTN Tyndale Theme Notes:

Jesus’ Final Night

When Jesus went into Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, he knew it was his final night. He had come to Jerusalem to “suffer many terrible things and . . . be killed” (Mark 8:31). His disciples had prepared the meal, but he needed to prepare them for what was coming.

So Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples. At this meal, Jesus demonstrated true servanthood by washing his disciples’ feet (John 13:1-20). He gave his final teachings to the disciples, informed them about the coming of the Holy Spirit, and prayed for his followers (John 14:1–17:26). Jesus also established the new covenant (Mark 14:22-24). Jesus was now the Passover Lamb—his body and blood are now the sacrifice that saves his people from judgment, fulfilling the same purpose as the lamb at the first Passover.

It was on Passover that God had struck down all the firstborn males of Egypt but had spared those of Israel. Now Jesus would be struck down so that his people could be spared—just as the prophets had predicted (e.g., Zech 12:10; 13:7). Jesus warned his disciples that this was about to happen and that they were about to desert him (Mark 14:27). Jesus also warned his disciples that he would be betrayed by one of them (Mark 14:18).

After the meal, Jesus and his disciples walked to the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives, where Jesus prayed in agony, submitting his will to the Father (Mark 14:26-42). Judas, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, then approached with a group of soldiers, who arrested Jesus (Mark 14:43-49). Jesus’ disciples fled (Mark 14:50-52), and Jesus was taken to the house of the high priest for an overnight trial, during which Peter denied Jesus three times (Mark 14:53-72).

While Jesus’ final night was marked by tragedy, nothing that happened was outside of his foreknowledge. Everything occurred according to God’s plan and was necessary in order to fulfill Scripture and to usher in the events which followed (his death and resurrection).

Passages for Further Study

Matt 26:17-56; Mark 14:12-52; Luke 22:7-46; John 13:1–18:11; 1 Cor 11:23-34

SOTN SIL Open Translation Notes:

Section 14:53–65: The Jewish leaders decided that Jesus should die

After the crowd arrested Jesus, they took him to the high priest’s house. The Jewish leaders had gathered there to have Jesus’ trial in an upper level of that house. Peter followed the crowd at a distance and went into the courtyard outside the house. The Jewish leaders tried to find witnesses who would accuse Jesus of doing something against their law.

When the witnesses could not agree with each other, the high priest questioned Jesus. He wanted to learn about anything that Jesus had done wrong. Then he would use that as a good reason to take Jesus to the Roman governor, Pilate, for an official trial. When the high priest asked Jesus if he was the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One, Jesus said that he was. This allowed the Jewish leaders to accuse Jesus of blasphemy. They said that Jesus deserved to die. So they had a good reason to take Jesus to Pilate for trial to get the death sentence. Then they abused and mocked Jesus.

It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

Jesus is tried/questioned by the Jewish council

The Jewish leaders condemned Jesus

Jesus’ trial before the leaders of the Jews

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 26:57–68, Luke 22:54, 66–71, and John 18:12–15, 19–24.

Paragraph 14:55–59

The chief priests and other leaders wanted to find witnesses who would testify that Jesus had disobeyed the law in a serious way. This testimony would give the leaders a reason to say that Jesus should be killed as a criminal. Jewish law required that at least two witnesses must accuse a person of doing the same offense. Only then could he be put to death. But the Jewish leaders were not able to find two witnesses who accused Jesus of exactly the same offense.

14:55a

Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin

¶ As for the chief priests and the whole council,
¶ Inside the house, the chief priests and the other members of the Jewish council

The previous verse takes place in the courtyard. It focuses on what Peter was doing. Here in 14:55 the focus changes back to the Jewish leaders inside the high priest’s house (14:53). Indicate this change of focus in a way that is natural in your language. In some languages it may be helpful to specifically indicate the change. For example:

As for the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin, they were looking…

Meanwhile, inside the high priest’s house, the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking…

Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin: The whole Sanhedrin included the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes. These three groups were all mentioned in 14:53b (see the note there). Here the chief priests were probably mentioned separately because they led the trial.

chief priests: This is the same term as in 14:53b. Translate it here as you did there.

the whole Sanhedrin: In this context the whole Sanhedrin refers to all the members of the council who were present at Jesus’ trial. The chief priests have already been mentioned specifically. Because of this, it may be more natural in some languages to say “and all the other members of the Sanhedrin.”

Sanhedrin: The word Sanhedrin is a Greek word that the BSB has borrowed. It means “council” and refers to the Jewish court with the highest authority over their people.

Here are some other ways to translate Sanhedrin:

council (RSV, GNT)

Jewish council (NCV)

highest group of Jewish leaders

14:55b

were seeking testimony against Jesus

they were trying to find evidence that Jesus had disobeyed the law
tried to find people who were willing to testify that Jesus had committed a crime

were seeking testimony against Jesus: The clause were seeking testimony against Jesus shows that the Council thought Jesus was guilty of doing things that they thought he should die for. They had already decided that they wanted the death penalty for Jesus. According to the normal practice of the Council, this hearing was unfair. Normally the Council would first listen to the witnesses before they made a decision. The phrase were seeking testimony against Jesus indicates that the council members were trying to find people who would say that Jesus had disobeyed the law.

testimony against Jesus: The phrase testimony against Jesus refers to the testimony that witnesses would give about Jesus. The council members wanted witnesses to say that Jesus had broken the law in a serious way.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

tried to find some evidence against Jesus (GNT)

were trying to find witnesses who would testify against Jesus (NLT96)

searched for people who would say how Jesus had disobeyed the law

testimony: The word that the BSB translates as testimony is a legal term. It refers to a statement that a witness gives about a crime.

14:55c

to put Him to death,

so that they could ask for him to be put to death.
so that they could have him executed.

to put Him to death: This clause indicates the purpose for the testimony mentioned in 14:55b. The testimony of the witnesses would give the leaders a reason to say that Jesus should be killed as a criminal.

Because the Jews were ruled by the Romans, the Jewish council did not have the authority to put someone to death. They would need to convince the Roman authorities to agree with their decision to condemn Jesus to be killed. In some languages you may need to imply this in some way. For example:

so that they could cause him to be put to death

evidence…that would warrant a death sentence (REB)

General Comment on 14:55a–c

In some languages it may be clearer to reorder 14:55a–c. For example:

^55aThe chief priests and the whole Jewish council ^55cwanted the Roman authorities to put Jesus to death. ^55bSo they tried to find evidence that he had violated the law.

14:55d

but they did not find any.

But they could not find any adequate evidence against Jesus.
But the testimony they heard was not valid/reliable.

but they did not find any: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as but they did not find any indicates that the leaders did not hear any evidence that Jesus had done anything wrong. None of the testimony that the leaders heard proved that Jesus had broken the law. In some languages it may be necessary to make this meaning more explicit. For example:

but they did not find any true/convincing evidence against Jesus

but they did not get/hear any adequate testimony against him

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases

δὲ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: οἱ Δέ ἀρχιερεῖς καί ὅλον τό Συνέδριον ἐζήτουν κατά τοῦ Ἰησοῦ μαρτυρίαν εἰς τό θανατῶσαι αὐτόν καί οὐχ ηὕρισκον)

Here, the word Now introduces the next thing that happened. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces the next event, or you could leave Now untranslated. Alternate translation: [Then] or [Next,]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἐζήτουν κατὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ μαρτυρίαν

˓were˒_seeking (Some words not found in SR-GNT: οἱ Δέ ἀρχιερεῖς καί ὅλον τό Συνέδριον ἐζήτουν κατά τοῦ Ἰησοῦ μαρτυρίαν εἰς τό θανατῶσαι αὐτόν καί οὐχ ηὕρισκον)

Here Mark means that the chief priests and the Sanhedrin were trying find evidence against Jesus. In other words, they needed to find people who were willing to say that Jesus had done something very wrong. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make that idea more explicit. Alternate translation: [were seeking evidence against Jesus] or [were seeking proof that Jesus had done something wrong]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

μαρτυρίαν

testimony

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of testimony, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [someone to testify]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

εἰς τὸ θανατῶσαι αὐτόν

in_order (Some words not found in SR-GNT: οἱ Δέ ἀρχιερεῖς καί ὅλον τό Συνέδριον ἐζήτουν κατά τοῦ Ἰησοῦ μαρτυρίαν εἰς τό θανατῶσαι αὐτόν καί οὐχ ηὕρισκον)

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of death, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [so that they could have him killed]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

τὸ θανατῶσαι αὐτόν

Here Matthew implies that the chief priests and the Sanhedrin want to convince the Roman authorities to kill Jesus. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make that idea more explicit. Alternate translation: [have the Romans put him to death]

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Jesus’ Arrest, Trial, Crucifixion, and Burial

Matthew 26-27; Mark 14-15; Luke 22-23; John 13-19

On the Thursday before he was crucified, Jesus had arranged to share the Passover meal with his disciples in an upper room, traditionally thought to be located in the Essene Quarter of Jerusalem. After they finished the meal, they went to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus often met with his disciples. There Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’ own disciples, betrayed him to soldiers sent from the High Priest, and they took Jesus to the High Priest’s residence. In the morning the leading priests and teachers of the law put Jesus on trial and found him guilty of blasphemy. The council sent Jesus to stand trial for treason before the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, who resided at the Praetorium while in Jerusalem. The Praetorium was likely located at the former residence of Herod the Great, who had died over 30 years earlier. When Pilate learned that Jesus was from Galilee, he sent him to Herod Antipas, who had jurisdiction over Galilee. But when Jesus gave no answer to Herod’s many questions, Herod and his soldiers sent him back to Pilate, who conceded to the people’s demands that Jesus be crucified. Jesus was forced to carry his cross out of the city gate to Golgotha, meaning Skull Hill, referring to what may have been a small unquarried hill in the middle of an old quarry just outside the gate. After Jesus was unable to carry his cross any further, a man named Simon from Cyrene was forced to carry it for him. There at Golgotha they crucified Jesus. After Jesus died, his body was hurriedly taken down before nightfall and placed in a newly cut, rock tomb owned by Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Jewish high council. This tomb was likely located at the perimeter of the old quarry.

Parallel MARK 14:55