Part 36

026:066 What is your verdict?" "He deserves to die," they replied.

026:067 Then they spat in His face, and struck Him--some with the fist, some with the open hand--

026:068 while they taunted Him, saying, "Christ, prove yourself a Prophet by telling us who it was that struck you."

026:069 Peter meanwhile was sitting outside in the court of the palace, when one of the maidservants came over to him and said, "You too were with Jesus the Galilaean."

026:070 He denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you mean."

026:071 Soon afterwards he went out and stood in the gateway, when another girl saw him, and said, addressing the people there, "This man was with Jesus the Nazarene."

026:072 Again he denied it with an oath. "I do not know the man," he said.

026:073 A short time afterwards the people standing there came and said to Peter, "Certainly you too are one of them, for your brogue shows it."

026:074 Then with curses and oaths he declared, "I do not know the man." Immediately a cock crowed,

026:075 and Peter recollected the words of Jesus, how He had said, "Before the cock crows you will three times disown me." And he went out and wept aloud, bitterly.

027:001 When morning came all the High Priests and the Elders of the people consulted together against Jesus to put Him to death;

027:002 and binding Him they led Him away and handed Him over to Pilate the Governor.

027:003 Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He was condemned, smitten with remorse he brought back the thirty shekels to the High Priests and Elders

027:004 and said, "I have sinned, in betraying to death one who is innocent." "What does that matter to us?" they replied; it is your business."

027:005 Flinging the shekels into the Sanctuary he left the place, and went and hanged himself.

027:006 When the High Priests had gathered up the money they said, "It is illegal to put it into the Treasury, because it is the price of blood."

027:007 So after consulting together they spent the money in the purchase of the Potter's Field as a burial place for people not belonging to the city;

027:008 for which reason that piece of ground received the name, which it still bears, of `the Field of Blood.'

027:009 Then were fulfilled the words spoken by the Prophet Jeremiah, "And I took the thirty shekels, the price of the prized one on whom Israelites had set a price,

027:010 and gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me."

027:011 Meanwhile Jesus was brought before the Governor, and the latter put the question, "Are you the King of the Jews?" "I am their King," He answered.

027:012 When however the High Priests and the Elders kept bringing their charges against Him, He said not a word in reply.

027:013 "Do you not hear," asked Pilate, "what a mass of evidence they are bringing against you?"

027:014 But He made no reply to a single accusation, so that the Governor was greatly astonished.

027:015 "Now it was the Governor's custom at the Festival to release some one prisoner, whomsoever the populace desired;

027:016 and at this time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.

027:017 So when they were now assembled Pilate appealed to them. "Whom shall I release to you," he said, "Barabbas, or Jesus the so-called Christ?"

027:018 For he knew that it was from envious hatred that Jesus had been brought before him.