Jesus Before Caiaphas and the Council
57 1Then
2those who had seized Jesus led him to
3Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered.
58
And
4Peter was following him at a distance, as far as
5the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with
6the guards to see the end.
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Now the chief priests and the whole Council
7were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death,
60
but they found none,
8though many false witnesses came forward. At last
9two came forward
61
and said, "This man said,
10'I am able to
11destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.'"
62
And the high priest stood up and said, "Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?"
63
12But Jesus remained silent.
13And the high priest said to him,
14"I adjure you by
15the living God,
16tell us if you are
17the Christ,
18the Son of God."
64
Jesus said to him,
19"You have said so. But I tell you, from now on 20you will see the Son of Man 21seated at the right hand of Power and 22coming on the clouds of heaven."
65
Then the high priest
23tore his robes and said,
24"He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy.
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What is your judgment?" They answered,
25"He deserves death."
67
Then
26they spit in his face
27and
28struck him. And some slapped him,
68
saying, "Prophesy to us, you
29Christ! Who is it that struck you?"
Peter Denies Jesus
69 30Now Peter was sitting outside
31in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, "You also were with Jesus the Galilean."
70
But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you mean."
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And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, "This man was with Jesus
32of Nazareth."
72
And again he denied it with an oath: "I do not know the man."
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After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, "Certainly you too are one of them, for
33your accent betrays you."
74
Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, "I do not know the man." And immediately the rooster crowed.
75
And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus,
34"Before the rooster crows, you will 35deny me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly.