Jesus before the Council^(A)

⁵⁷ Those who had arrested Jesus took him to the house of Caiaphas, the High Priest, where the teachers of the Law and the elders had gathered together. ⁵⁸ Peter followed from a distance, as far as the courtyard of the High Priest's house. He went into the courtyard and sat down with the guards to see how it would all come out.

Peter Denies Jesus^(A)

⁶⁹ Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard when one of the High Priest's servant women came to him and said, “You, too, were with Jesus of Galilee.”

⁷⁰ But he denied it in front of them all. “I don't know what you are talking about,” he answered, ⁷¹ and went on out to the entrance of the courtyard. Another servant woman saw him and said to the men there, “He was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

⁷² Again Peter denied it and answered, “I swear that I don't know that man!”

⁷³ After a little while the men standing there came to Peter. “Of course you are one of them,” they said. “After all, the way you speak gives you away!”

⁷⁴ Then Peter said, “I swear that I am telling the truth! May God punish me if I am not! I do not know that man!”

Just then a rooster crowed, ⁷⁵ and Peter remembered what Jesus had told him: “Before the rooster crows, you will say three times that you do not know me.” He went out and wept bitterly.

Jesus before the Council^(A)

⁵³ Then Jesus was taken to the High Priest's house, where all the chief priests, the elders, and the teachers of the Law were gathering. ⁵⁴ Peter followed from a distance and went into the courtyard of the High Priest's house. There he sat down with the guards, keeping himself warm by the fire.

Peter Denies Jesus^(A)

⁶⁶ Peter was still down in the courtyard when one of the High Priest's servant women came by. ⁶⁷ When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked straight at him and said, “You, too, were with Jesus of Nazareth.”

⁶⁸ But he denied it. “I don't know … I don't understand what you are talking about,” he answered, and went out into the passageway. Just then a rooster crowed.^[a]

⁶⁹ The servant woman saw him there and began to repeat to the bystanders, “He is one of them!” ⁷⁰ But Peter denied it again.

A little while later the bystanders accused Peter again, “You can't deny that you are one of them, because you, too, are from Galilee.”

⁷¹ Then Peter said, “I swear that I am telling the truth! May God punish me if I am not! I do not know the man you are talking about!”

⁷² Just then a rooster crowed a second time, and Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows two times, you will say three times that you do not know me.” And he broke down and cried.

Jesus before Annas

¹² Then the Roman soldiers with their commanding officer and the Jewish guards arrested Jesus, tied him up, ¹³ and took him first to Annas. He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was High Priest that year. ^14 (A)It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jewish authorities that it was better that one man should die for all the people.

Peter Denies Jesus^(B)

¹⁵ Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. That other disciple was well known to the High Priest, so he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the High Priest's house, ¹⁶ while Peter stayed outside by the gate. Then the other disciple went back out, spoke to the girl at the gate, and brought Peter inside. ¹⁷ The girl at the gate said to Peter, “Aren't you also one of the disciples of that man?”

“No, I am not,” answered Peter.

¹⁸ It was cold, so the servants and guards had built a charcoal fire and were standing around it, warming themselves. So Peter went over and stood with them, warming himself.

Peter Denies Jesus Again^(A)

²⁵ Peter was still standing there keeping himself warm. So the others said to him, “Aren't you also one of the disciples of that man?”

But Peter denied it. “No, I am not,” he said.

²⁶ One of the High Priest's slaves, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, spoke up. “Didn't I see you with him in the garden?” he asked.

²⁷ Again Peter said “No”—and at once a rooster crowed.