Mark 14:53-72

Jesus Before the Council

53 ¹And ²they led Jesus to the high priest. And all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together.

54 ³And ⁴Peter had followed him at a distance, ⁵right into ⁶the courtyard of the high priest. And he was sitting with ⁷the guards and ⁸warming himself at the fire.

55 Now the chief priests and the whole Council^[a] were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none.

56 ⁹For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony ¹⁰did not agree.

57 And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying,

58 ¹¹"We heard him say, ¹²'I will destroy this temple ¹³that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, ¹⁴not made with hands.'"

59 Yet even about this their testimony did not agree.

60 And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, "Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?"^[b]

61 But ¹⁵he remained silent and made no answer. ¹⁶Again the high priest asked him, "Are you ¹⁷the Christ, the Son of ¹⁸the Blessed?"

62 And Jesus said, "I am, and ¹⁹you will see the Son of Man ²⁰seated at the right hand of Power, and ²¹coming with the clouds of heaven."

63 And the high priest ²²tore his garments and said, "What further witnesses do we need?

64 You have heard ²³his blasphemy. What is your decision?" And they ²⁴all condemned him as ²⁵deserving death.

65 ²⁶And some began ²⁷to spit on him and ²⁸to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, "Prophesy!" And the guards received him ²⁹with blows.

Peter Denies Jesus

66 ³⁰And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came,

67 and seeing Peter ³¹warming himself, she looked at him and said, "You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus."

68 But he denied it, saying, "I neither know nor understand what you mean." And he went out into the gateway^[c] and ³²the rooster crowed.^[d]

69 And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, "This man is one of them."

70 But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, "Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean."

71 But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, "I do not know this man of whom you speak."

72 And immediately the rooster crowed ³³a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, ³⁴"Before the rooster crows twice, you will ³⁵deny me three times." And he broke down and wept.^[e]

Cross References

• 1. For ver. 53-65, see Matthew 26:57-68; [John 18:12, 13, 19-24]
• 2. Luke 22:54, 55
• 3. [See ver. 53 above]
• 4. [John 18:15]
• 5. [ver. 68]
• 6. See Matthew 26:3
• 7. John 7:32; John 18:3
• 8. ver. 67; John 18:18
• 9. Psalms 27:12; Psalms 35:11
• 10. [Deuteronomy 17:6; Deuteronomy 19:15]
• 11. [Acts 6:14]
• 12. Mark 15:29; See John 2:19
• 13. Acts 7:48; Acts 17:24; Hebrews 9:11, 24
• 14. 2 Corinthians 5:1
• 15. Mark 15:4, 5; Isaiah 53:7; John 19:9
• 16. For ver. 61-63, [Luke 22:67-71]
• 17. Mark 8:29; See Matthew 1:17
• 18. [Romans 1:25]
• 19. See Matthew 16:27; Matthew 24:30
• 20. Psalms 110:1; Hebrews 1:3; [Mark 16:19]
• 21. See Matthew 16:27; Matthew 24:30
• 22. Numbers 14:6; Acts 14:14
• 23. Matthew 9:3; John 10:36
• 24. [Luke 23:50, 51]
• 25. See Leviticus 24:16
• 26. Luke 22:63, 64
• 27. Mark 10:34; Mark 15:19; Isaiah 50:6
• 28. [Esther 7:8]
• 29. Matthew 5:39; [Acts 23:2]
• 30. For ver. 66-72, see Matthew 26:69-75; Luke 22:55-62; John 18:16-18, 25-27
• 31. ver. 54
• 32. ver. 30, 72
• 33. ver. 68
• 34. ver. 30
• 35. [Acts 3:13, 14]

Footnotes

• [a]. Greek Sanhedrin
• [b]. Or Have you no answer to what these men testify against you?
• [c]. Or forecourt
• [d]. Some manuscripts omit and the rooster crowed
• [e]. Or And when he had thought about it, he wept