26. One of the servants of the high priest was there. He was a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off. The servant said, “I think I saw you with him in the garden!”
27. But again Peter said, “No, I was not with him!” As soon as he said this, a rooster crowed.
28. Then the guards took Jesus from Caiaphas’ house to the Roman governor’s palace. It was early in the morning. The Jews there would not go inside the palace. They did not want to make themselves unclean, because they wanted to eat the Passover meal.
29. So Pilate went outside to them and asked, “What do you say this man has done wrong?”
30. They answered, “He is a bad man. That is why we brought him to you.”
31. Pilate said to them, “You take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” The Jewish leaders answered, “But your law does not allow us to punish anyone by killing them.”