The Gospel of St. Matthew

Aquarian Gospel

Chapter 26

Chapter 159

1: And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples,

2: You know that after two days is the feast of the Passover, and the Son of man will be betrayed and crucified.

3: Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,

4: And consulted that they might take Jesus subtly, and kill him.

5: But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.

6: Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,

BAR-SIMON, who was once a leper and was cleansed by Jesus by the sacred Word, abode in Bethany.

2) In honor of the Christine Lord he gave a feast, and Lazarus was among the guests, and Ruth and Martha served.

7: There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at dinner.

3) And as the guests reclined about the table, Mary took a cruse of rich perfume and poured it out on Jesus' head and feet.
4) And then she knelt and with her hair she wiped his feet; the odor of the rich perfume filled all the room.

8: But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?

5) Now, Judas, always looking at the selfish side of life, exclaimed,
For shame! why did you waste that costly perfume thus?

9: For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.

6) We might have sold it for three hundred pence, and had the money to supply our wants and feed the poor.
7) (Now, Judas was the treasurer, and carried all the money of the Christine band.)
8) And others said, Why, Mary, what a profligate you are! You should not throw such wealth away.

10: When Jesus understood it, he said to them, Why trouble you this woman? for she has wrought a good work upon me.

9) But Jesus said, You men, be still; let her alone; you know not what you say.

11: For ye have the poor always with you; but me you have not always.

10) The poor are with you constantly; at any time you can administer to them; but I will not be with you long.

12: For in that she has poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.

11) And Mary knows the sadness of the coming days; she has anointed me beforehand for my burial.

13: Verily I say unto you, Wherever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman has done, be told for a memorial of her.

12) The gospel of the Christ will everywhere be preached, and he who tells the story of the Christ will tell about this day; and what was done by Mary at this hour will be a sweet memorial to her wherever men abide.

13) And when the feast was over Jesus went with Lazarus to his home.

14) Now, in Jerusalem the priests and Pharisees were busy with their plans to seize the Lord and take his life.
15) The high priest called in counsel all the wisest men and said, This deed must be accomplished in a secret way.
16) He must be taken when the multitudes are not a-near, else we may cause a war; the common people may stand forth in his defense and thus pollute this sacred place with human blood.
17) And what we do, that we must do before the great day of the feast.
18) And Ananias said, I have a plan that will succeed. The twelve with Jesus every day go forth alone to pray;
19) And we will find their trysting place; then we can seize the man and bring him here without the knowledge of the multitudes.
20) I know one of the twelve, a man who worships wealth, and for a sum I think that he will lead the way to where the man is wont to pray.
21) And then Caiaphas said,
If you will lead the way and bribe the man of whom you speak, to aid in seizing Jesus in a secret place, then we will give to you a hundred silver pieces for your hire.
22) And Ananias said, 'Tis well.

14: Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests,

23) And then he went to Bethany and found the twelve at Simon's house and, calling Judas to the side he said,

15: And said to them, What will you give me, and I will deliver him to you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.

24) If you would care to make a sum of money for yourself, hear me:
25) The high priest and other rulers in Jerusalem would like to talk with Jesus when alone, that they may know about his claims;
26) And if he proves himself to be the Christ, lo, they will stand in his defense.
27) Now, if you will but lead the way to where your master is tomorrow night that they may send a priest to talk with him alone, there is a sum of silver, thirty pieces, that the priests will give to you:
28) And Judas reasoned with himself; he said, It surely may be well to give the Lord a chance to tell the priests about his claims when he is all alone.
29) And if the priests would do him harm he has the power to disappear and go his way as he has done before; and thirty pieces is a goodly sum.

16: And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.

30) And so he said to Ananias, I will lead the way, and by a kiss make known which person is the Lord.

Chapter 160

ON Thursday morning Jesus called to him the twelve disciples, and he said to them, This is God's remembrance day, and we will eat the paschal supper all alone.
2) And then he said to Peter, James and John,
Go now into Jerusalem and there prepare the pasch.

17: Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where will you have us prepare for you the Passover?

3) And the disciples said, Where would you have us go to find the place where we may have the feast prepared?

18: And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say to him, The Master said, My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.

4) And Jesus said, Go by the fountain gate and you will see a man who has a pitcher in his hand. Speak to him and say: This is the first day of unleavened bread;
5) The Lord would have you set apart your banquet hall where he may eat his last Passover with the twelve,
6) Fear not to speak; the man whom you will see is Nicodemus, ruler of the Jews, and yet a man of God.

19: And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the Passover.

7) And the disciples went and found the man as Jesus said, and Nicodemus hastened to his home; the banquet hall, an upper room, was set apart, the supper was prepared.

20: Now when the evening arrived, he sat down with the twelve.

8) Now, in the afternoon the Lord and his disciples went up to Jerusalem and found the feast in readiness.

9) And when the hour had come to eat the feast, the twelve began to strive among themselves, each anxious to secure the honored seats.
10) And Jesus said, My friends, would you contend for self just as the shadow of this night of gloom comes on?
11) There is no honored seat at heaven's feast except for him who humbly takes the lowest seat.
12) And then the Lord arose and took a basin full of water and a towel, and bowing down, he washed the feet of all the twelve and dried them with the towel.
13) He breathed upon them and he said, And may these feet walk in the ways of righteousness forevermore.
14) He came to Peter and was about to wash his feet, and Peter said, Lord, would you wash my feet?
15) And Jesus said, You do not comprehend the meaning of the thing I do, but you will comprehend.
16) And Peter said, My master, no, you shall not stoop to wash my feet.
17) And Jesus said, My friend, if I wash not your feet you have no part with me.
18) And Peter said, Then, O my Lord, wash both my feet, my hands, my head.
19) And Jesus said to him, He who has taken first his bath is clean, and has no need to wash, except his feet.
20) The feet are truly symbols of the understanding of the man, and he who would be clean must, in the living stream of life, wash well his understanding every day.
21) Then Jesus sat with his disciples at the table of the feast and said, Behold the lesson of the hour:
22) You call me master; such I am. If, then, your Lord and master kneel and wash your feet, should you not wash each other's feet and thus show forth your willingness to serve?
23) You know these things, and if you do them, blessed thrice are you.
24) And then he said, This is an hour when I can truly praise the name of God, for I have greatly wished to eat with you this feast before I pass the veil;
25) For I will eat it not again until anew I eat it with you in the kingdom of our Father-God.

26) And then they sung the Hebrew song of praise that Jews were wont to sing before the feast.

21: And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.

27) And then they ate the pasch and as they ate, the master said, Behold, for one of you will turn away this night and will betray me into wicked hands.

22: And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say to him, Lord, is it I?

28) And the disciples were amazed at what he said; they looked into each other's face in wonderment; they all exclaimed, Lord, is it I?
29) And Peter said to John, who sat beside the Lord, To whom does he refer?
30) And John put forth his hand and touched the master's hand and said, Which one of us is so depraved as to betray his Lord?

31) And Judas said, Lord, is it I?

23: And he answered and said, He that dips his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.

32) And Jesus said, He is the one who now has put his hand with mine into the dish. They looked, and Judas' hand was with the hand of Jesus in the dish.

24: The Son of man goes as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born

33) And Jesus said, The Prophets cannot fail; the son of man must be betrayed, but woe to him who shall betray his Lord.

25: Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said to him, You have said it.

34) And from the table Judas rose at once; his hour had come.
35) And Jesus said to him, Do quickly what you are to do. And Judas went his way.

26: And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.

36) And when the pasch was done the Lord with the eleven sat a while in silent thought.
37) Then Jesus took a loaf of bread that had been broken not and said, This loaf is symbol of my body, and the bread is symbol of the bread of life;
38) And as I break this loaf, so shall my flesh be broken as a pattern for the sons of men; for men must freely give their bodies up in willing sacrifice for other men.
39) And as you eat this bread, so shall you eat the bread of life, and never die.
And then he gave to each a piece of bread to eat.

27: And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink you all of it;

40) And then he took a cup of wine and said, Blood is the life, this is the life-blood of the grape; it is the symbol of the life of him who gives his life for men.

28: For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

41) And as you drink this wine, if you shall drink in faith, you drink the life of Christ.

29: But I say to you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.

42) And then he supped and passed the cup, and the disciples supped; and Jesus said,
This is the feast of life, the great Passover of the son of man, the Supper of the Lord, and you shall often eat the bread and drink the wine.
43) From henceforth shall this bread be called Remembrance bread; this wine shall be Remembrance wine; and when you eat this bread and drink this wine remember me.

Chapter 161

30: And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.

NOW, after Judas had gone forth to meet the emissaries of the priests and to betray his Lord,
2) The master said,
The hour has come, the son of man will now be glorified.
3) My little children, I am with you yet a little while; soon you will seek me and will find me not, for where I go you cannot come.
4) I give to you a new command: As I love you and give my life for you, so shall you love the world, and give your life to save the world.
5) Love one another as you love yourselves, and then the world will know that you are sons of God, disciples of the son of man whom God has glorified.

10) The prophet said, Lo, he will smite the shepherd of the sheep; the sheep will flee and hide away.

11) But after I am risen from the dead, lo, you will come again, and I will go before you into Galilee. 

6) And Peter said, Lord, where you go there I will go, for I would lay my life down for my Lord.

7) And Jesus said, Boast not of bravery, my friend; you are not strong enough tonight to follow me.
8) Now, Peter, hear! you will deny me thrice before the cock shall crow tomorrow morn.
9) And then he looked upon the eleven and said, You all will be estranged from me this night.
 

12) And Peter said, My Lord, though every other man forsake you I will not.

13) And Jesus said, O Simon Peter, lo, your zeal is greater than your fortitude! Behold, for Satan cometh up to sift you as a pan of wheat, but I have prayed that in your faith you shall not fail; that after trial you may stand a tower of strength.

14) And the disciples all exclaimed, There is no power on earth that can estrange, or cause us to deny our Lord.
15) And Jesus said, Let not your hearts be sad; you all believe in God; believe in me.
16) Behold, for there are many mansions in my Fatherland. If there were not I would not have told you so.
17) I will go unto my Fatherland, and I will prepare a place for you that where I am there you may be. But now you do not know the way unto my Fatherland.

18) And Thomas said, We do not know where you intend to go; how could we know the way?
19) And Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, the life; I manifest the Christ of God. No man can reach my Fatherland except he comes with me through Christ.
20) If you had known and comprehended me, then you would know my Father-God.
21) And Philip said, Show us the Father and we will be satisfied.
22) And Jesus said, Have I been with you all these years and still you know me not?
23) He who has seen the son has seen the Father, for in the son the Father has revealed himself.
24) Lo, I have told you many times that what I speak and what I do are not the words and works of man;
25) They are the words of God, who lives in me and I in him.
26) Hear me, you faithful men: He who believes in me and in my Father-God shall say and do what I have said and done.
27) Yea, more, he shall do greater works than I have ever done, because I go to him whose works we do, and then I can reach forth my hand in helpfulness.
28) And in my name, through Christ, you may petition God and he will grant you your request.
29) Do you believe what I have said? Yes, you believe, and if you love the Christ and follow me then you will keep my words.
30) I am the vine; you are the branches of the vine; my Father is the husbandmen.
31) The branches that are worthless, bearing naught but leaves, the husbandmen will cut away and cast into the fire to be burned.
32) And he will prune the branches that bear fruit that they may yield abundantly.
33) The branch cannot bear fruit if separated from the vine; and you cannot bear fruit when separate from me.
34) Abide in me, and do the works that God, through me, has taught you how to do, and you will bear much fruit, and God will honor you as he has honored me.
35) And now I go my way, but I will pray my Father-God and he will send another Comforter to you, who will abide with you.
36) Behold, this Comforter of God, the Holy Breath, is one with God, but she is one the world cannot receive because it sees her not; it knows her not.
37) But you know her, and will know her, because she will abide within your soul.
38) I will not leave you desolate, but in the Christ, which is the love of God made manifest to men, I will be with you all the way.

Chapter 163

AS Jesus and the eleven went out, a Roman guard approached and said, All hail! Is one of you the man from Galilee?
2) And Peter said, We all are men from Galilee; whom do you seek?
3) The guard replied, I seek for Jesus, who is called the Christ.
4) And Jesus answered, Here am I.
5) The guard spoke out and said, I do not come in an official way; I bear to you a message from the governor.
6) Jerusalem is all alive with vengeful Jews who swear that they will take your life, and Pilate would confer with you, and he would have you come to him without delay.
7) And Jesus said to Peter and the rest, Go to the vale, and by the Kidron wait for me, and I will go alone and see the governor.
8) And Jesus went up with the guard, and when he reached the palace, Pilate met him at the gate and said,
9) Young man, I have a word to say that may be well for you. I have observed your works and words three years and more;
10) And I have often stood in your defense when your own countrymen would fain have stoned you as a criminal.
11) But now the priests, the scribes and Pharisees have stirred the common people to a stage of frenzied wantonness and cruelty, and they intend to take your life.
12) Because, they say, that you have sworn to tear their temple down; to change the laws that Moses gave; to exile Pharisee and priest and seat yourself upon a throne.
13) And they aver that you are fully in league with Rome.
14) The streets of all Jerusalem are filled this moment with a horde of madmen all intent to shed your blood.
15) There is no safety for you but in flight; wait not until the morning sun. You know the way to reach the border of this cursed land.
16) I have a little band of guards, well horsed and armed, and they will take you out beyond the reach of harm.
17) You must not tarry here, young man, you must arise and go.
18) And Jesus said, A noble prince has Caesar in his Pilate Pontius, and from the point of carnal man your words are seasoned with the wise man's salt; but from the point of Christ your words are foolishness.
19) The coward flees when danger comes; but he who comes to seek and save the lost must give his life in willing sacrifice for those he comes to seek and save.
20) Before the pasch has been consumed, lo, all this nation will be cursed by shedding blood of innocence; and even now the murderers are at the door.
21) And Pilate said, It shall not be; the sword of Rome will be unsheathed to save your life.
22) And Jesus said, Nay, Pilate, nay; there are no armies large enough in all the world to save my life.
23) And Jesus bade the governor farewell, and went his way; but Pilate sent a double guard with him lest he should fall into the hands of those who were alert to take his life.
24) But in a moment Jesus disappeared; the guards saw him no more, and in a little while he reached the brook of Kidron where the eleven were.
25) Now, just beyond the brook there was an orchard and a home where one, Massalian, lived, where Jesus oft had been.
26) Massalian was his friend, and he believed that Jesus was the Christ that Jewish prophets long ago had said would come.

36: Then came Jesus with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, Sit here, while I go and pray yonder.

30) They sat beneath an olive tree, and Jesus opened up the mysteries of life to Peter, James and John. He said,
31) The Spirit of eternity is One unmanifest; and this is God the Father, God the Mother, God the Son in One.
32) In life of manifests the One became the Three, and God the Father is the God of might; and God the Mother is omniscient God, and God the Son is love.
33) And God the Father is the power of heaven and earth; and God the Mother is the Holy Breath, the thought of heaven and earth; and God the Son, the only son, is Christ, and Christ is love.
34) I came as man to manifest this love to men,
35) As man I have been subject unto all the trials and temptations of the human race; but I have overcome the flesh, with all its passions and its appetites.
36) What I have done all men can do.
37) And I am now about to demonstrate the power of man to conquer death; for every man is God made flesh.
38) I will lay down my life, and I will take it up again, that you may know the mysteries of life, of death, and of the resurrection of the dead.
39) I lay me down in flesh, but I will rise in spirit form with power to manifest myself so mortal eyes can see.
40) So in a trinity of days I will show forth the all of life, the all of death, the meaning of the resurrection of the dead.
41) And what I do all men can do.
42) And you, my three, who constitute the inner circle of the Church of Christ, will show to men the attributes of all the Gods.
43) And Peter shall make known the Power of God; and James shall show the Thought of God; and John shall demonstrate the Love of God.
44) Be not afraid of men, for you have been sent forth to do the mighty works of God the Father, God the Mother, God the Son.
45) And all the powers of carnal life cannot destroy your life until your work is done.

38: Then said he to them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even in death: tarry here, and watch with me.

46) I leave you now, and I will go out in the darkness all alone and talk with God.
47) By sorrow I am overwhelmed, I leave you here to watch with me.

39: And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as You will.

48) Then Jesus went three hundred cubits toward the east, and fell upon his face and prayed; he said,
49) My God! my God! is there a way by which I may escape the horrors of the coming hours? My human flesh shrinks back; my soul is firm; so not my will, but thine, O God, be done.
50) In agony he prayed; the strain upon the human form was great; his veins were burst asunder, and his brow was bathed in blood.

40: And he came back to the disciples, and found them asleep, and said to Peter, What, could you not watch with me one hour?

51) And then he went back to the three, and found them all asleep; he said,
52) O Simon, Simon, do you sleep! Could you not watch with me a single hour? Be vigilant, and watch and pray that your temptations be not too great for you to bear.

41: Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

42: He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

54) And then he went again and prayed,
O Father, God! if I must drink this bitter cup, give me the strength of soul; for not my will, but thine be done.

43: And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.

55) And then he went again to his disciples; lo, he found them still asleep. He wakened them and said to James,
56) Have you been sleeping while your master has been wrestling with the greatest foe of men? Could you not watch with me a single hour?

44: And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

57) And then he went again and prayed. O God, I yield to thee; thy will be done.

45: Then he came to his disciples, and said to them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

58) And then again he went back to the three, and still they slept. He said to John,
59) With all the love you have for me, could you not watch with me a single hour?
60) And then he said, It is enough; the hour has come, and my betrayer is at hand; arise and let us go.

46: Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand who betrays me.

61) And when they came again to Kidron, lo, the eight disciples were asleep, and Jesus said,
You men, awake; behold, for the betrayer of the son of man is come.

Chapter 164

47: And while he yet spoke, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people.

THE Lord with the eleven were in the orchard of Massalian, and as they talked they saw a band of men with lanterns and with swords and clubs approaching them.
2) And Jesus said, Behold the emissaries of the evil one! and Judas leads the way.
3) And the disciples said, Lord, let us flee to save our lives.
4) But Jesus said,
Why should we flee to save our lives when this is the fulfillment of the words of prophets and of seers?

48: Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.

49: And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.

50: And Jesus said unto him, Friend, why have you come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.

5) And Jesus went alone to meet the men; and as they came he said,
Why are you here, you men? whom do you seek?
6) And they replied,
We seek the man from Galilee. We seek for Jesus, one who calls himself the Christ.
7) And Jesus answered, Here am I.
8) And then he raised his hands and with a mighty thought he brought the ethers to the state of light; and all the orchard was aglow with light.
9) The frenzied men were driven back and many fled and tarried not until they reached Jerusalem; and others fell upon their faces on the ground.
10) The bravest men, and they with hardest hearts, remained, and when the light had paled, the Lord again inquired, Whom do you seek?
11) And Ananias said, We seek the man from Galilee; we seek for Jesus, he who calls himself the Christ.
12) And Jesus answered him and said, I told you once before; but now I tell you once again that I am he.
13) By Ananias, Judas stood; but in a moment he had gone and coming up behind the Lord he said, My Lord;
and then he kissed him as a sign that he was Jesus whom they sought.
14) And Jesus said, Do you, Iscariot, come and thus betray your master with a kiss?
15) This thing must need be done; but woe to him who does betray his Lord.
16) Your carnal greed has seared your conscience and you know not what you do; but in a little time your conscience will assert itself, and in remorse, lo, you will close your span and take your life.

17) Then the eleven came, laid hold of Judas and would have done him harm; but Jesus said,
18) You must not harm this man; you have no right to judge this man; his conscience is his judge, will sentence him and he will execute himself.
19) And then the mob led on by Malchus, servant of Caiaphas, laid hold of Jesus, and was binding him with chains.
20) And Jesus said,
Why do you come in dead of night with swords and clubs to take me in this sacred place?
21) Have I not spoken in the public places of Jerusalem? Have I not healed your sick, and opened up your blinded eyes, and made your lame to walk, your deaf to hear? You could have found me any day.
22) And now you try to bind me down with chains, what are these chains but links of reeds? And then he raised his hands; the chains were broken and they fell to earth.
23) And Malchus thought the Lord would flee to save his life, and with a club he fain would smite him in the face.
24) But Peter had a sword, and rushing up he smote the man and wounded him.

52: Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.

25) But Jesus said, Stay, Peter, stay; put up your sword; you are not called to fight with swords and clubs. Whoever wields the sword shall perish by the sword.

53: Do you think that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?

26) I do not need protection by the sons of men, for I could call this moment and a legion, yea, twelve legions of the messengers of God, would come and stand in my defense; but then it is not well.
27) And then he said to Malchus,
Man, I would not have you harmed.
And then he laid his hand upon the wound that Peter made, and it was healed.
28) Then Jesus said, Be not concerned lest I should tear myself away from you and flee to save my life. I have no wish to save my life; do with me as you wish.

54: But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that so it must be?

55: In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Have you come out as against a thief with swords and staves  to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and yet laid no hold on me.

29) And then the mob rushed up to seize the eleven to take them back to stand for trial as the aids of Jesus in his crimes.
30) But the disciples, every one of them, deserted Jesus, and they fled to save their lives.
31) Now, John was last to flee; the mob laid hold of him and tore his garments all to shreds; but he escaped in nakedness.
32) Massalian saw the man, and took him to his home and gave him other clothes; and then he followed after them who led the Lord away.
33) And Peter was ashamed because of his weak cowardice, and when he was himself again he joined with John and followed close behind the mob, and came into Jerusalem.

Chapter 165

CAIAPHAS was the high priest of the Jews; the mob led Jesus to his palace hall.
2) The court had been convened, and all the galleries were packed with scribes and Pharisees already sworn as witnesses against the Lord.

3) The maid who kept the palace door knew John and this disciple asked that he and Peter be admitted to the hall.
4) The maid permitted them to enter in, and John went in; but Peter was afraid and tarried in the outer court.

Chapter 166

WHEN Jesus would not speak, Caiaphas stood before the Jewish mob and said,
2) Bind fast the prisoner, for he must go before the great Sanhedrin of the Jews to answer for his life.
3) We cannot execute a criminal until our findings have been verified by this, the highest council of the Jews.
4) As soon as it was day the highest council of the people met; the Lord and his accusers stood before the bar.
5) Caiaphas was the chief; he rose and said,
Let the accusers of this man from Galilee bring forth their charges and their evidence.
6) Caiaphas' scribe stood forth and read the charges and the names of those who had accused the man from Galilee.

7) And all the witnesses were made to stand and testify before the council of the Jews.
8) And then the lawyers weighed the evidence, and Nicodemus stood among the men who plead.
9) He raised his hands and said,
Let justice now be done, though every scribe and Pharisee and priest and Sadducee, as well as Jesus, the accused, be judged a liar.
10) If we can prove this Jesus to be foe and traitor to our laws and land, let him be judged a criminal and suffer for his crimes.
11) If it be proved that these who testify are perjurers in the sight of God and man, then let the man from Galilee go free.
12) And then he brought the testimonies of the witnesses before the judges of the law; no two of them agreed. In heat of passion, or for gain, the men had testified.

63: But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.

 13) The council would have gladly judged that Jesus was a criminal and sentenced him to death; but in the face of all the evidence they were afraid.
14) And then Caiaphas said, You man from Galilee, Before the living God, I now command that you shall answer me, Are you the Christ, the son of God?

64: Jesus said to him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say to you, Hereafter shall you see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

15) And Jesus said, If I would answer, Yes, you would not hear, nor yet believe,
16) If I would answer, No, I would be like your witnesses, and stand a liar in the sight of man and God. But this I say,
17) The time will come when you will see the son of man upon the throne of power and coming in the clouds of heaven.

65: Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He has spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now you have heard his blasphemy.

18) And then Caiaphas rent his clothes and said, Have you not heard enough? Did you not hear his vile blasphemous words? What further need have we of witnesses?

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

67: Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,

And then the mob rushed up and spit into his face, and struck him with their hands.
20) And then they bound a cloth about his eyes and smote him in the face and said,

68: Saying, Prophesy to us, you Christ, Who is he that smote you?

You are a prophet; tell us who it was who smote you in the face.

Chapter 165 (continued)

69: Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, you also were with Jesus of Galilee.

5) The woman said to Peter, as he stood beside the door, Are you a follower of this man from Galilee?

70: But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what you say.

71: And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said to them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth.

7) The men who had brought Jesus to the hall sat by a fire in the outer court, because the night was cool, and Peter sat with them.
8) Another maid who waited in the place saw Peter and she said to him, You surely are from Galilee; your speech is that of Galilee; you are a follower of this man.

73: And after a while came to him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely you also are one of them; for your speech betrays you.

10) And then a servant of Caiaphas, one of those who seized the Lord and brought him to the court, saw Peter and he said to him,

11) Did I not see you in the orchard of Massalian with this seditious Nazarene? I'm sure I did, and you are one of those who followed him.

12) Then Peter rose and stamped upon the floor, and swore by every sacred thing, that he knew not the criminal.
13) Now, John was standing near and when he heard the words and knew that Peter had denied his Lord, he looked at him in sheer astonishment.
14) Just then a cock crew loud beneath the court,

75: And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said to him, Before the cock crow, you shall deny me three times. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

and Peter called to mind the words the Lord had said,
15) Before the cock shall crow tomorrow morn you will deny me thrice.
16) And Peter's conscience smote him heavily, and he went out into the night and wept.