John 18:12–28

JESUS ARRESTED AND TAKEN TO ANNAS

¹²Then the company of soldiers, the commander, and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus and tied him up. ¹³First they led him to Annas,^x since he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas,^y who was high priest that year. ¹⁴Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be better for one man to die for the people.^z

PETER DENIES JESUS

¹⁵Simon Peter^aa was following Jesus, as was another disciple. That disciple was an acquaintance of the high priest; so he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard. ¹⁶But Peter remained standing outside by the door. So the other disciple, the one known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the girl who was the doorkeeper and brought Peter in.

¹⁷Then the servant girl who was the doorkeeper said to Peter, “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?”

“I am not,” he said. ¹⁸Now the servants and the officials had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold. They were standing there warming themselves, and Peter was standing with them, warming himself.

JESUS BEFORE ANNAS

¹⁹The high priest^ab questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching.

²⁰“I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus answered him. “I have always taught in the synagogue^ac and in the temple,^ad where all the Jews gather, and I haven’t spoken anything in secret. ²¹Why do you question me? Question those who heard what I told them. Look, they know what I said.”

²²When he had said these things, one of the officials standing by slapped Jesus, saying, “Is this the way you answer the high priest?”

²³“If I have spoken wrongly,” Jesus answered him, “give evidence^A about the wrong; but if rightly,^a why do you hit me?” ²⁴Then^b Annas^c sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

PETER DENIES JESUS TWICE MORE

²⁵Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said to him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?”

He denied it and said, “I am not.”

²⁶One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?”

²⁷Peter denied it again. Immediately a rooster crowed.^d

JESUS BEFORE PILATE

²⁸Then^e they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters.^f It was early morning. They did not enter the headquarters themselves; otherwise they would be defiled and unable to eat the Passover.