27
They went back into Yerushalayim; and as he was walking in the Temple courts, there came to him the head cohanim, the Torah-teachers and the elders;
28
and they said to him, "What s'mikhah do you have that authorizes you to do these things? Who gave you this s'mikhah authorizing you to do them?"
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Yeshua said to them, "I will ask you just one question: answer me, and I will tell you by what s'mikhah I do these things.
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The immersion of Yochanan -- was it from Heaven or from a human source? Answer me."
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They discussed it among themselves: "If we say, `From Heaven,' he will say, `Then why didn't you believe him?'
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But if we say, `From a human source, . . . '" -- they were afraid of the people, for they all regarded Yochanan as a genuine prophet.
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So they answered Yeshua, "We don't know." "Then," he replied, "I won't tell you by what s'mikhah I do these things."