Matthew 26:57-68 - Jesus Before The Sanhedrin

⁵⁷ but those who had seized Jesus took him away to the house of Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and elders had gathered. ⁵⁸ Peter followed him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and when he got inside he sat down beside the attendants to see the end.

⁵⁹ Now the high priests and the whole of the Sanhedrin tried to secure false evidence against Jesus, in order to have him put to death; ⁶⁰ but they could find none, although a number of false witnesses came forward. However, two men came forward at last ⁶¹ and said, "This fellow declared, 'I can destroy the temple of God and build it in three days.'"

⁶² So the high priest rose and said to him, "Have you no reply to make? What of this evidence against you?" ⁶³ Jesus said nothing. Then the high priest addressed him, "I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God!"

⁶⁴ Jesus said to him, "Even so! But I tell you, in future you will all see the Son of man seated at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven."

⁶⁵ Then the high priest tore his dress and cried, "He has blasphemed! What more evidence do we want? Look, you have heard his blasphemy for yourselves! ⁶⁶ What is your view?" They replied, "He is doomed to death." ⁶⁷ Then they spat in his face and buffeted him, some of them cuffing him ⁶⁸ and crying, "Prophesy to us, you Christ! tell us who struck you!"

⁵³ They took Jesus away to the high priest, and all the high priests and scribes and elders met there with him. ⁵⁴ Peter followed him at a distance till he got inside the courtyard of the high priest, where he sat down with the attendants to warm himself at the fire.

⁵⁵ Now the high priests and the whole of the Sanhedrin tried to secure evidence against Jesus, in order to have him put to death; but they could find none, ⁵⁶ for while many bore false witness against him their evidence did not agree. ⁵⁷ Some got up and bore false witness against him, saying, ⁵⁸ "We heard him say, 'I will destroy this temple made by hands, and in three days I will build another temple not made by hands.'" ⁵⁹ But even so the evidence did not agree.

⁶⁰ So the high priest rose in their midst and asked Jesus, "Have you no reply to make? What about this evidence against you?" ⁶¹ He said nothing and made no answer. Again the high priest put a question to him. "Are you the Christ?" he said, "the Son of the Blessed?"

⁶² Jesus said, "I am. And, what is more, you will all see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven."

⁶³ Then the high priest tore his clothes and cried, "What more evidence do we want? ⁶⁴ You have heard his blasphemy for yourselves. What is your mind?" They condemned him, all of them, to the doom of death; ⁶⁵ and some of them started to spit on him and to blindfold him and buffet him, asking him, "Prophesy." The attendants treated him to cuffs and slaps.

⁵⁴ Then they arrested him and led him away inside the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance ⁵⁵ and sat down among some people who had lit a fire in the courtyard and were sitting round it. ⁵⁶ A maidservant who noticed him sitting by the fire took a long look at him and said, "That fellow was with him too."

⁵⁷ But he disowned him, saying, "Woman, I know nothing about him."

⁵⁸ Shortly afterwards another man noticed him and said, "Why, you are one of them!" "Man," said Peter, "I am not."

⁵⁹ About an hour had passed when another man insisted, "That fellow really was with him. Why, he is a Galilean!"

⁶⁰ "Man," said Peter, "I do not know what you mean." Instantly, just as he was speaking, the cock crowed; ⁶¹ the Lord turned round and looked at Peter, and then Peter remembered what the Lord had told him, that 'Before cock-crow to-day you will disown me three times.' ⁶² And he went outside and wept bitterly.

⁶³ Meantime the men who had Jesus in custody flogged him and made fun of him; ⁶⁴ blindfolding him they would ask him, "Prophesy, tell us who struck you?" ⁶⁵ And many another insult they uttered against him.

⁶⁶ When day broke, the elders of the people all met along with the high priests and scribes, and had him brought before their Sanhedrin. They said to him, ⁶⁷ "Tell us if you are the Christ." He said to them, "You will not believe me if I tell you, ⁶⁸ and you will not answer me when I put a question to you. ⁶⁹ But after this the Son of man will be seated at God's right hand of power."

⁷⁰ "Are you the Son of God then?" they all said. "Certainly," he replied, "I am."

⁷¹ So they said, "What more evidence do we need? We have heard it from his own lips."