Matthew 26:52-75 ▼

52 Then Jesus said to him, Return the sword to its place; for all who take swords will die by swords.

53 Or do you think that I cannot ask of my Father, and he will now raise up for me more than twelve legions of angels?

54 How then could the scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?

55 At that very hour Jesus said to the people, Have you come out with swords and staves to arrest me like a bandit? I sat with you every day, teaching in the temple, and you did not arrest me.

56 But this has happened so that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples left him, and fled.

57 And those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had assembled.

58 But Simon Peter followed him afar off, up to the courtyard of the high priest, and he went inside and sat with the soldiers, to see the end.

59 Now the high priests and the elders and the whole council were seeking witnesses against Jesus, so that they might put him to death.

60 But they could not find any; then there came a great many false witnesses; but at the end two came forward,

61 And said, This man said, I can tear down the temple of God, and build it in three days.

62 And the high priest stood up and said to him, You are not answering anything. What is it that these men testify against you?

63 But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest answered and said to him, I adjure you by the living God, to tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God?

64 Jesus said to him, You say that. But I say to you that from henceforth you will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of the power, and coming upon the clouds of the sky.

65 The high priest then rent his clothes and said, Behold, he is blaspheming; why therefore do we need witnesses? behold, you have now heard his blasphemy.

66 What else do you want? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.

67 Then they spat in his face, and struck him on his head, and others beat him,

68 Saying, O Christ, prophesy to us; who smote you?

69 Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard; and a maidservant came up to him, and said to him, You also were with Jesus the Nazarene.

70 But he denied it before all of them, and said, I do not understand what you are saying.

71 And as he was going to the porch, another one saw him, and she said to them, This man was also there with Jesus the Nazarene.

72 Again he denied it with oaths, I do not know the man.

73 After a while, those who were standing came up, and said to Peter, Truly you also are one of them, for even your speech proves it.

74 Then he began to curse and to swear, I do not know the man. At that very hour the cock crowed.

75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which he had said to him, Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times. And he went outside and wept bitterly.