John 18:13-28

13They led him first to Annas, who was the father of Caiaphas's wife. Caiaphas was the leader of the priests that year.

14It was Caiaphas who had already spoken to the Jewish leaders. He had told them, ‘It is better that one man should die on behalf of the people.’

15Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. That other disciple and the leader of the priests knew each other. So that disciple went with Jesus into the yard of the house of the leader of the priests.

16But Peter stayed outside by the gate. Then the other disciple went out again. He spoke to the girl who was watching at the gate. Then he brought Peter into the yard.

17The girl who was at the gate asked Peter, ‘Are you another of this man's disciples?’ Peter replied, ‘No, I am not!’

18It was cold. So the servants and the officers had made a fire. They were standing around it to make themselves warm. Peter went to stand with them, so that he could make himself warm too.

19The leader of the priests asked Jesus questions about his disciples. He also asked about what Jesus taught.

20Jesus answered him, ‘I have always taught in the Jewish meeting places, or at the temple. Those are public places where all the Jews meet together. I have said nothing secretly.

21So you do not need to ask me these questions. You can ask the people who heard me when I taught them. They know what I said.’

22When Jesus said this, one of the soldiers hit him on the face. The soldier said, ‘You should not speak to the leader of the priests like that!’

23Jesus replied, ‘If I said something wrong, tell us what it is. But if I said something that is true, you should not have hit me.’

24Then Annas sent Jesus to Caiaphas, the leader of the priests. Jesus still had ropes tied round his arms.

25Simon Peter was still standing there by the fire to make himself warm. The other people there said to him, ‘You must also be one of that man's disciples.’ But Peter said, ‘No, I am not.’

26One of the people there was a servant of the leader of the priests. He belonged to the same family as the man whose ear Peter had cut off. This servant said to Peter, ‘I am sure that I saw you in the garden with Jesus.’

27Again, Peter said, ‘No, that is not true.’ Immediately a cockerel sang.

28The Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas's house to the Roman ruler's big house. It was early in the morning. The Jewish leaders wanted to follow the Jewish rules so that they could eat the Passover meal. They did not go into the ruler's house, because it would have made them unclean.