Matthew 26:57-68

Living Bible

⁵⁷ Then the mob led him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, where all the Jewish leaders were gathering. ⁵⁸ Meanwhile, Peter was following far to the rear, and came to the courtyard of the high priest’s house and went in and sat with the soldiers, and waited to see what was going to be done to Jesus.

⁵⁹ The chief priests and, in fact, the entire Jewish Supreme Court assembled there and looked for witnesses who would lie about Jesus, in order to build a case against him that would result in a death sentence. ^60-61 But even though they found many who agreed to be false witnesses, these always contradicted each other.

Finally two men were found who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

⁶² Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, what about it? Did you say that, or didn’t you?” ⁶³ But Jesus remained silent.

Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God that you tell us whether you claim to be the Messiah, the Son of God.”

⁶⁴ “Yes,” Jesus said, “I am. And in the future you will see me, the Messiah,^[a] sitting at the right hand of God and returning on the clouds of heaven.”

^65-66 Then the high priest tore at his own clothing, shouting, “Blasphemy! What need have we for other witnesses? You have all heard him say it! What is your verdict?”

They shouted, “Death!—Death!—Death!”

⁶⁷ Then they spat in his face and struck him and some slapped him, ⁶⁸ saying, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who struck you that time?”