The chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus' parables and knew that he was talking about them,

so they tried to arrest him. But they were afraid of the crowds, who considered Jesus to be a prophet.

Why do the nations plan rebellion? Why do people make their useless plots?

Their kings revolt, their rulers plot together against the LORD and against the king he chose.

They gather in hiding places and watch everything I do, hoping to kill me.

They are quick to spread their shameless lies; they destroy good people with cowardly slander.

They make evil plans and say, "We have planned a perfect crime." The human heart and mind are a mystery.

You have nothing to do with corrupt judges, who make injustice legal,

who plot against good people and sentence the innocent to death.

I was like a trusting lamb taken out to be killed, and I did not know that it was against me that they were planning evil things. They were saying, "Let's chop down the tree while it is still healthy; let's kill him so that no one will remember him any more."

Then the people said, "Let's do something about Jeremiah! There will always be priests to instruct us, the wise to give us counsel, and prophets to proclaim God's message. Let's bring charges against him and stop listening to what he says."

Is evil the payment for good? Yet they have dug a pit for me to fall in. Remember how I came to you and spoke on their behalf, so that you would not deal with them in anger.

So the Pharisees and the chief priests met with the Council and said, "What shall we do? Look at all the miracles this man is performing!

One of them, named Caiaphas, who was High Priest that year, said, "What fools you are!

Actually, he did not say this of his own accord; rather, as he was High Priest that year, he was prophesying that Jesus was going to die for the Jewish people,

From that day on the Jewish authorities made plans to kill Jesus.

By means of the Holy Spirit you spoke through our ancestor David, your servant, when he said, 'Why were the Gentiles furious; why did people make their useless plots?

For indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together in this city with the Gentiles and the people of Israel against Jesus, your holy Servant, whom you made Messiah.

Peter followed from a distance, as far as the courtyard of the High Priest's house. He went into the courtyard and sat down with the guards to see how it would all come out.

But they must obey me and observe the Sabbath as a sacred day. They must not carry any load through the gates of Jerusalem on that day, for if they do, I will set the gates of Jerusalem on fire. Fire will burn down the palaces of Jerusalem, and no one will be able to put it out."

Peter followed from a distance and went into the courtyard of the High Priest's house. There he sat down with the guards, keeping himself warm by the fire.

One of them, named Caiaphas, who was High Priest that year, said, "What fools you are!

and took him first to Annas. He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was High Priest that year.

It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jewish authorities that it was better that one man should die for all the people.

Then Annas sent him, still tied up, to Caiaphas the High Priest.

The next day the Jewish leaders, the elders, and the teachers of the Law gathered in Jerusalem.

They met with the High Priest Annas and with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and the others who belonged to the High Priest's family.