Matthew 26:63–75

⁶³But^u Jesus kept silent.^v The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath^w by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”^x

⁶⁴“You have said it,” Jesus told him. “But I tell you, in the future^A you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”^By

⁶⁵Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed!^z Why do we still need witnesses? See, now you’ve heard the blasphemy.^{aa 66}What is your decision?”

They answered, “He deserves death!”^{ab 67}Then they spat in his face^ac and beat him; others slapped him ⁶⁸and said, “Prophesy to us, Messiah! Who was it that hit you?”^ad

PETER DENIES HIS LORD

⁶⁹Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard.^ae A servant girl approached him and said, “You were with Jesus the Galilean too.”

⁷⁰But he denied it in front of everyone: “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

⁷¹When he had gone out to the gateway, another woman saw him and told those who were there, “This man was with Jesus the Nazarene!”^a

⁷²And again he denied it with an oath:^b “I don’t know the man!”

⁷³After a little while those standing there approached and said to Peter, “You really are one of them, since even your accent^C gives you away.”

⁷⁴Then he started to curse and to swear with an oath, “I don’t know the man!” Immediately a rooster crowed, ⁷⁵and Peter remembered the words Jesus had spoken, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”^c And he went outside and wept bitterly.