Jesus before the Council^(A)

⁵⁷ Those who had arrested Jesus took him to the house of Caiaphas, the High Priest, where the teachers of the Law and the elders had gathered together. ⁵⁸ Peter followed from a distance, as far as the courtyard of the High Priest's house. He went into the courtyard and sat down with the guards to see how it would all come out. ⁵⁹ The chief priests and the whole Council tried to find some false evidence against Jesus to put him to death; ⁶⁰ but they could not find any, even though many people came forward and told lies about him. Finally two men stepped up ^61 (B)and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to tear down God's Temple and three days later build it back up.’”

⁶² The High Priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Have you no answer to give to this accusation against you?” ⁶³ But Jesus kept quiet. Again the High Priest spoke to him, “In the name of the living God I now put you under oath: tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

^64 (C)Jesus answered him, “So you say. But I tell all of you: from this time on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right side of the Almighty and coming on the clouds of heaven!”

^65 (D)At this the High Priest tore his clothes and said, “Blasphemy! We don't need any more witnesses! You have just heard his blasphemy! ⁶⁶ What do you think?”

They answered, “He is guilty and must die.”

^67 (E)Then they spat in his face and beat him; and those who slapped him ⁶⁸ said, “Prophesy for us, Messiah! Guess who hit you!”

Peter Denies Jesus^(A)

⁵⁴ They arrested Jesus and took him away into the house of the High Priest; and Peter followed at a distance. ⁵⁵ A fire had been lit in the center of the courtyard, and Peter joined those who were sitting around it.

Jesus Is Mocked and Beaten^(A)

⁶³ The men who were guarding Jesus made fun of him and beat him. ⁶⁴ They blindfolded him and asked him, “Who hit you? Guess!” ⁶⁵ And they said many other insulting things to him.

Jesus before the Council^(B)

⁶⁶ When day came, the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law met together, and Jesus was brought before the Council. ⁶⁷ “Tell us,” they said, “are you the Messiah?”

He answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me; ⁶⁸ and if I ask you a question, you will not answer. ⁶⁹ But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right side of Almighty God.”

⁷⁰ They all said, “Are you, then, the Son of God?”

He answered them, “You say that I am.”

⁷¹ And they said, “We don't need any witnesses! We ourselves have heard what he said!”

¹³ and took him first to Annas. He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was High Priest that year. ^14 (A)It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jewish authorities that it was better that one man should die for all the people.

The High Priest Questions Jesus^(A)

¹⁹ The High Priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. ²⁰ Jesus answered, “I have always spoken publicly to everyone; all my teaching was done in the synagogues and in the Temple, where all the people come together. I have never said anything in secret. ²¹ Why, then, do you question me? Question the people who heard me. Ask them what I told them—they know what I said.”

²² When Jesus said this, one of the guards there slapped him and said, “How dare you talk like that to the High Priest!”

²³ Jesus answered him, “If I have said anything wrong, tell everyone here what it was. But if I am right in what I have said, why do you hit me?”

²⁴ Then Annas sent him, still tied up, to Caiaphas the High Priest.