The Life of Jesus

Meanwhile, Kefa was still in the courtyard below. One of the serving girls of the cohen hagadol

saw Kefa warming himself, took a look at him, and said, "You were with the man from Natzeret, Yeshua!"

But he denied it, saying, "I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about!" He went outside into the entryway, and a rooster crowed.

The girl saw him there and started telling the bystanders, "This fellow is one of them."

Again he denied it. A little later, the bystanders themselves said to Kefa, "You must be one of them, because you're from the Galil."

At this he began to invoke a curse on himself as he swore, "I do not know this man you are telling me about!" --

and immediately the rooster crowed a second time. Then Kefa remembered what Yeshua had said to him, "Before the rooster crows twice, you will disown me three times." And throwing himself down, he burst into tears.

As soon as it was morning, the head cohanim held a council meeting with the elders, the Torah-teachers and the whole Sanhedrin. Then they put Yeshua in chains, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.

Pilate put this question to him: "Are you the King of the Jews?" He answered him, "The words are yours."

The head cohanim too made accusations against him,

and Pilate again inquired of him, "Aren't you going to answer? Look how many charges they are making against you!"

But Yeshua made no further response, to Pilate's amazement.

Now during a festival, Pilate used to set free one prisoner, whomever the crowd requested.

There was in prison among the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection a man called Bar-Abba. When the crowd came up and began ask

ing Pilate to do for them what he usually did, h

e asked them, "Do you want me to set free for you the `King of the Jews'?"

For it was evident to him that it was out of jealousy that the head cohanim had handed him over.

But the head cohanim stirred up the crowd to have him release Bar-Abba for them instead.

Pilate again said to them, "Then what should I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?"

They shouted back, "Put him to death on the stake!"

He asked, "Why? What crime has he committed?" But they only shouted louder, "Put him to death on the stake!"

So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the mob, set Bar-Abba free for them; but he had Yeshua whipped and then handed him over to be executed on the stake.

The soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the headquarters build ing) and called together the whole battalion.

They dressed him in purple and wove thorn branches into a crown, which they put on him.

Then they began to salute him, "Hail to the King of the Jews!"