³⁷ Peter said to him, “Master, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” ³⁸ Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow before you deny me three times.”^(A)

¹⁵ Simon Peter and another disciple^[a] followed Jesus. Now the other disciple was known to the high priest, and he entered the courtyard of the high priest with Jesus. ¹⁶ But Peter stood at the gate outside. So the other disciple, the acquaintance of the high priest, went out and spoke to the gatekeeper and brought Peter in. ¹⁷ Then the maid who was the gatekeeper said to Peter, “You are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” ¹⁸ Now the slaves and the guards were standing around a charcoal fire that they had made, because it was cold, and were warming themselves. Peter was also standing there keeping warm.

The Inquiry Before Annas.^(A)

²⁵ Now Simon Peter was standing there keeping warm. And they said to him, “You are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” ²⁶ One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the one whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Didn’t I see you in the garden with him?” ²⁷ Again Peter denied it. And immediately the cock crowed.^[a]

Peter’s Denial of Jesus. ^69 (A)Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. One of the maids came over to him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.” ^70 [a]But he denied it in front of everyone, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about!” ⁷¹ As he went out to the gate, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This man was with Jesus the Nazorean.” ⁷² Again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man!” ^73 [b]A little later the bystanders came over and said to Peter, “Surely you too are one of them; even your speech gives you away.” ⁷⁴ At that he began to curse and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately a cock crowed. ^75 (B)Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken: “Before the cock crows you will deny me three times.” He went out and began to weep bitterly.

Peter’s Denial of Jesus. ^66 (A)While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the high priest’s maids came along. ⁶⁷ Seeing Peter warming himself, she looked intently at him and said, “You too were with the Nazarene, Jesus.” ^68 [a]But he denied it saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are talking about.” So he went out into the outer court. [Then the cock crowed.] ⁶⁹ The maid saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” ⁷⁰ Once again he denied it. A little later the bystanders said to Peter once more, “Surely you are one of them; for you too are a Galilean.” ⁷¹ He began to curse and to swear, “I do not know this man about whom you are talking.” ⁷² And immediately a cock crowed a second time. Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had said to him, “Before the cock crows twice you will deny me three times.” He broke down and wept.^(B)

⁵⁵ They lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter sat down with them. ⁵⁶ When a maid saw him seated in the light, she looked intently at him and said, “This man too was with him.” ⁵⁷ But he denied it saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” ⁵⁸ A short while later someone else saw him and said, “You too are one of them”; but Peter answered, “My friend, I am not.” ⁵⁹ About an hour later, still another insisted, “Assuredly, this man too was with him, for he also is a Galilean.” ⁶⁰ But Peter said, “My friend, I do not know what you are talking about.” Just as he was saying this, the cock crowed, ⁶¹ and the Lord turned and looked at Peter;^[a] and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.”^{(A) 62} He went out and began to weep bitterly.