Peter Disowns Jesus^(A)

⁵⁴ Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest.^(B) Peter followed at a distance.^{(C) 55} And when some there had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. ⁵⁶ A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.”

⁵⁷ But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said.

⁵⁸ A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.”

“Man, I am not!” Peter replied.

⁵⁹ About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.”^(D)

⁶⁰ Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. ⁶¹ The Lord^(E) turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.”^{(F) 62} And he went outside and wept bitterly.

The Guards Mock Jesus^(G)

⁶³ The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him. ⁶⁴ They blindfolded him and demanded, “Prophesy! Who hit you?” ⁶⁵ And they said many other insulting things to him.^(H)

Jesus Before Pilate and Herod^(I)(J)(K)

⁶⁶ At daybreak the council^(L) of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and the teachers of the law, met together,^(M) and Jesus was led before them. ⁶⁷ “If you are the Messiah,” they said, “tell us.”

Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, ⁶⁸ and if I asked you, you would not answer.^{(N) 69} But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.”^(O)

⁷⁰ They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?”^(P)

He replied, “You say that I am.”^(Q)

⁷¹ Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips.”

23 Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate.^{(R) 2} And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation.^(S) He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar^(T) and claims to be Messiah, a king.”^(U)

³ So Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

⁴ Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”^(V)

⁵ But they insisted, “He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee^(W) and has come all the way here.”

⁶ On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean.^{(X) 7} When he learned that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod,^(Y) who was also in Jerusalem at that time.

⁸ When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him.^(Z) From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform a sign of some sort. ⁹ He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer.^{(AA) 10} The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. ¹¹ Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe,^(AB) they sent him back to Pilate. ¹² That day Herod and Pilate became friends^(AC)—before this they had been enemies.

¹³ Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, ¹⁴ and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him.^{(AD) 15} Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. ¹⁶ Therefore, I will punish him^(AE) and then release him.” ^[17] [a]

¹⁸ But the whole crowd shouted, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!”^{(AF) 19} (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)

²⁰ Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. ²¹ But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

²² For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.”^(AG)

²³ But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. ²⁴ So Pilate decided to grant their demand. ²⁵ He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.

¹² Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials^(A) arrested Jesus. They bound him ¹³ and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas,^(B) the high priest that year. ¹⁴ Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people.^(C)

Peter’s First Denial^(D)

¹⁵ Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest,^(E) he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard,^{(F) 16} but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the servant girl on duty there and brought Peter in.

¹⁷ “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter.

He replied, “I am not.”^(G)

¹⁸ It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire^(H) they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.^(I)

The High Priest Questions Jesus^(J)

¹⁹ Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.

²⁰ “I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus replied. “I always taught in synagogues^(K) or at the temple,^(L) where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret.^{(M) 21} Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said.”

²² When Jesus said this, one of the officials^(N) nearby slapped him in the face.^(O) “Is this the way you answer the high priest?” he demanded.

²³ “If I said something wrong,” Jesus replied, “testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?”^{(P) 24} Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas^(Q) the high priest.

Peter’s Second and Third Denials^(R)

²⁵ Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself.^(S) So they asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?”

He denied it, saying, “I am not.”^(T)

²⁶ One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off,^(U) challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?”^{(V) 27} Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.^(W)

Jesus Before Pilate^(X)

²⁸ Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor.^(Y) By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace,^(Z) because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.^{(AA) 29} So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”

³⁰ “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”

³¹ Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”

“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. ³² This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.^(AB)

³³ Pilate then went back inside the palace,^(AC) summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”^(AD)

³⁴ “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”

³⁵ “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”

³⁶ Jesus said, “My kingdom^(AE) is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders.^(AF) But now my kingdom is from another place.”^(AG)

³⁷ “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth.^(AH) Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”^(AI)

³⁸ “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.^{(AJ) 39} But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?”

⁴⁰ They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.^(AK)

Jesus Sentenced to Be Crucified^(AL)

19 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged.^{(AM) 2} The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe ³ and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!”^(AN) And they slapped him in the face.^(AO)

⁴ Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out^(AP) to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.”^{(AQ) 5} When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe,^(AR) Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”

⁶ As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”

But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him.^(AS) As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.”^(AT)

⁷ The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die,^(AU) because he claimed to be the Son of God.”^(AV)

⁸ When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, ⁹ and he went back inside the palace.^(AW) “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer.^{(AX) 10} “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”

¹¹ Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.^(AY) Therefore the one who handed me over to you^(AZ) is guilty of a greater sin.”

¹² From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king^(BA) opposes Caesar.”

¹³ When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat^(BB) at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic^(BC) is Gabbatha). ¹⁴ It was the day of Preparation^(BD) of the Passover; it was about noon.^(BE)

“Here is your king,”^(BF) Pilate said to the Jews.

¹⁵ But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”

“Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked.

“We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.

¹⁶ Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.^(BG)

The Crucifixion of Jesus^(BH)

So the soldiers took charge of Jesus.