Old/New Testament
51 At that, one of the men with Jesus reached out his hand, drew his sword and hit the high priest’s slave, cutting off his ear.
52 “Put your sword back where it belongs!” said Jesus to him. “People who use the sword die by the sword! 53 Don’t you realize that I could call on my father and have him send me more than twelve legions of angels, just like that? 54 But how then can the Bible come true when it says this has to happen?”
55 At that time Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you really come out with swords and sticks to arrest me, as if I were some kind of brigand? I sat there teaching in the Temple every day, and you didn’t lay hands on me! 56 But all this has happened so that the writings of the prophets would be fulfilled.”
Then all the disciples abandoned him and ran away.
Jesus before Caiaphas
57 The people who had seized Jesus took him off to Caiaphas the high priest. The scribes and elders had already gathered at his house. 58 Peter, however, followed him at some distance, all the way to the high priest’s residence. He went in and sat with the servants, to see how things would work out.
59 The high priest and the whole council tried to produce false evidence against Jesus, to frame a capital charge and have him killed. 60 But even though they brought in plenty of lying witnesses, they couldn’t find the evidence they wanted. Finally two people came forward 61 and declared: “This fellow said, ‘I can destroy God’s Temple and build it again in three days!’ ”
62 Then the high priest stood up.
“Aren’t you going to answer?” he said to him. “What are these people accusing you of?”
63 But Jesus remained silent.
Then the high priest said to him, “I put you on oath before the living God: tell us if you are the Messiah, God’s son!”
64 “You said the words,” replied Jesus. “But let me tell you this: from now on you will see ‘the son of man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.’ ”
65 Then the high priest tore his robes. “He’s blasphemed!” he said. “Why do we need any more witnesses? Look—you’ve heard his blasphemy, here and now! 66 What’s your verdict?”
“He deserves to die,” they answered.
67 Then they spat in his face and hit him. Some of them slapped him, 68 and said, “Prophesy for us, Mr. Messiah! Who was it who hit you?”
Peter’s denial
69 Meanwhile, Peter sat outside in the courtyard.
One of the servant-girls came up to him.
“You were with Jesus the Galilean too, weren’t you?” she said.
70 He denied it in front of everyone.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.
71 He went out to the gateway. Another girl saw him, and said to the people who were there, “This fellow was with Jesus the Nazarene!”
72 Once more he denied it, this time swearing, “I don’t know the man!”
73 After a little while the people standing around came up and said to Peter, “You really are one of them! Look—your accent makes it obvious!”
74 Then he began to curse and swear, “I don’t know the man!” And then, all at once, the cock crowed.
75 And Peter remembered.
He remembered the words Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.”
And he went outside and cried like a baby.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.