Jesus before the Council^(A)

⁵³ Then Jesus was taken to the High Priest's house, where all the chief priests, the elders, and the teachers of the Law were gathering. ⁵⁴ Peter followed from a distance and went into the courtyard of the High Priest's house. There he sat down with the guards, keeping himself warm by the fire. ⁵⁵ The chief priests and the whole Council tried to find some evidence against Jesus in order to put him to death, but they could not find any. ⁵⁶ Many witnesses told lies against Jesus, but their stories did not agree.

⁵⁷ Then some men stood up and told this lie against Jesus: ^58 (B)“We heard him say, ‘I will tear down this Temple which men have made, and after three days I will build one that is not made by men.’” ⁵⁹ Not even they, however, could make their stories agree.

⁶⁰ The High Priest stood up in front of them all and questioned Jesus, “Have you no answer to the accusation they bring against you?”

⁶¹ But Jesus kept quiet and would not say a word. Again the High Priest questioned him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed God?”

^62 (C)“I am,” answered Jesus, “and you will all see the Son of Man seated at the right side of the Almighty and coming with the clouds of heaven!”

⁶³ The High Priest tore his robes and said, “We don't need any more witnesses! ^64 (D)You heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?”

They all voted against him: he was guilty and should be put to death.

⁶⁵ Some of them began to spit on Jesus, and they blindfolded him and hit him. “Guess who hit you!” they said. And the guards took him and slapped him.

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.