Study Desk

^(am)They led Jesus away to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes *gathered together.

Peter had followed Him at a distance, ^(an)right into ^(ao)the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the ^[w]officers and ^(ap)warming himself at the ^[x]fire.

Now the chief priests and the whole ^[y](aq)Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and they were not finding any.

For many were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimony was not consistent.

Some stood up and began to give false testimony against Him, saying,

"We heard Him say, ‘^(ar)I will destroy this ^[z]temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.'"

Not even in this respect was their testimony consistent.

The high priest stood up and came forward and questioned Jesus, saying, "Do You not answer? ^[aa]What is it that these men are testifying against You?"

^(as)But He kept silent and did not answer. ^(at)Again the high priest was questioning Him, and ^[ab]saying to Him, "Are You ^[ac]the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?"

And Jesus said, "I am; and you shall see ^(au) the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power , and ^(av) coming with the clouds of heaven ."

^(aw)Tearing his clothes, the high priest *said, "What further need do we have of witnesses?

You have heard the ^(ax)blasphemy; how does it seem to you?" And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.

Some began to ^(ay)spit at Him, and ^[ad](az)to blindfold Him, and to beat Him with their fists, and to say to Him, "^(ba)Prophesy!" And the officers ^[ae]received Him with ^[af]slaps in the face.

^(bb)As Peter was below in ^(bc)the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest *came,

and seeing Peter ^(bd)warming himself, she looked at him and *said, "You also were with Jesus the ^(be)Nazarene."

But he denied it, saying, "I neither know nor understand what you are talking about." And he ^(bf)went out onto the ^[ag]porch.^[ah]

The servant-girl saw him, and began once more to say to the bystanders, "This is one of them!"

But again ^(bg)he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders were again saying to Peter, "Surely you are one of them, ^(bh)for you are a Galilean too."

But he began to ^[ai]curse and swear, "I do not know this man you are talking about!"

Immediately a rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had made the remark to him, "Before ^(bi)a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times." ^[aj]And he began to weep.