New Year – Day 4

₅₄They arrested Jesus and took him away into the house of the High Priest; and Peter followed at a distance. ₅₅A fire had been lit in the centre of the courtyard, and Peter joined those who were sitting round it. ₅₆When one of the servant women saw him sitting there at the fire, she looked straight at him and said, “This man too was with Jesus!”

₅₇But Peter denied it, “Woman, I don't even know him!”

₅₈After a little while a man noticed Peter and said, “You are one of them, too!”

But Peter answered, “Man, I am not!”

₅₉And about an hour later another man insisted strongly, “There isn't any doubt that this man was with Jesus, because he also is a Galilean!”

₆₀But Peter answered, “Man, I don't know what you are talking about!”

At once, while he was still speaking, a cock crowed. ₆₁The Lord turned round and looked straight at Peter, and Peter remembered that the Lord had said to him, “Before the cock crows tonight, you will say three times that you do not know me.” ₆₂Peter went out and wept bitterly.