Matthew 26:59

Matthew 26:59
(KJV) Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;
(1611 KJV) Now the chiefe Priests and Elders, and all the councell, sought false witnesse against Iesus to put him to death,
(1587 Geneva Bible) Nowe the chiefe Priestes and the Elders, and all the whole councill sought false witnesse against Iesus, to put him to death.
(1526 Tyndale) The chefe prestes and the elders and all the counsell sought false witnes agenste Iesus for to put him to deeth

Counterfeit Versions
(1881 RV) Now the chief priests and the whole council sought false witness against Jesus, that they might put him to death;
(1901 ASV) Now the chief priests and the whole council sought false witness against Jesus, that they might put him to death;
(AMP) Now the chief priests and the whole council (the Sanhedrin) sought to get false witnesses to testify against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death;
(CEB) The chief priests and the whole council were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they could put him to death.
(CEV) The chief priests and the whole council wanted to put Jesus to death. So they tried to find some people who would tell lies about him in court.
(CSB) The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they could put him to death,
(1899 Douay Rheims - American Edition) And the chief priests and the whole council sought false witness against Jesus, that they might put him to death:
(ERV) The leading priests and the high council tried to find something against Jesus so that they could kill him. They tried to find people to lie and say that Jesus had done wrong.
(ESV) Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death,
(GNB) The chief priests and the whole Council tried to find some false evidence against Jesus to put him to death;
(HCSB) The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false testimony against Jesus so they could put Him to death
(JB Phillips) Meanwhile the chief priests and the whole council did all they could to find false evidence against Jesus to get him condemned to death.
(THE MESSAGE) The high priests, conspiring with the Jewish Council, tried to cook up charges against Jesus in order to sentence him to death.
(NASV) Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death.
(NCV) The leading priests and the whole Jewish council tried to find something false against Jesus so they could kill him.
(NIRV) The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for something to use against Jesus. They wanted to put him to death.
(NIV) The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death.
(NLT) Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death.
(RSV) Now the chief priests and the whole council sought false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death,
(NAB-Roman Catholic) The chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus in order to put him to death,
(NWT-Jehovah’s Witnesses) Meantime the chief priests and the entire San′he-drin were looking for false witness against Jesus in order to put him to death

Textus Receptus - Traditional Text
οι δε αρχιερεις και οι πρεσβυτεροι και το συνεδριον ολον εζητουν ψευδομαρτυριαν κατα του ιησου οπως αυτον θανατωσωσιν

Hort-Westcott - Critical Text
οι δε αρχιερεις και το συνεδριον ολον εζητουν ψευδομαρτυριαν κατα του ιησου οπως αυτον θανατωσωσιν

Corrupted Manuscripts
This verse is corrupted in the following manuscripts
Aleph 01 - Sinaiticus - Nineteenth Century Counterfeit
B 03 - Vaticanus - Fourth century
D 05 - Bezae Cantabrigiensis - Fifth century
L 019 - Seventh century
Theta 038 - Ninth century

Manuscripts Which Agree with the Textus Receptus for this Verse
Byzantine Text (450-1450 A.D.)
A 02 - Alexandrinus - Fifth century
C 04 - Ephraemi Rescriptus - Fifth century
W 032 - Fourth/fifth century
1 (Minuscule) - Seventh century

Published Critical Greek Texts with Corruptions
Omit “and elders” after “chief priests”
Lachmann, Karl - 1842
Tischendorf, Constantine - 1869
Tregelles, Samuel - 1857
Alford, Henry - 1849 revised in 1871
Westcott and Hort - 1881
Nestle - 1927 as revised in seventeenth edition in 1941
Nestle-Aland - 1979 - Twenty Sixth Edition
Nestle-Aland - 1993 - Twenty Seventh Edition
United Bible Societies - 1983 - Fourth Edition
Weiss, Bernhard - 1894
Von Soden, Freiherr - 1902

Affected Teaching
The phrase which is omitted in the modern versions, “the elders,” speaks of the three groups of the Sanhedrin which were the highest Jewish legal authorities. Jesus had to appear before the entire Sanhedrin which at this time had assembled themselves in the house of Caiaphas. All the religious leaders had a hand in the trial of Jesus, especially the Sanhedrin which had pronounced a sentence of death upon Him. The modern versions may have left them out here but they will not be left out at the Great White Throne Judgment.

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