²⁷ They came again to Jerusalem, and as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him, ²⁸ and they began saying to him, “By what authority do you do these things? Or who gave you this authority to do these things?”

²⁹ Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. ³⁰ The baptism of John—was it from heaven, or from men? Answer me.”

³¹ They reasoned with themselves, saying, “If we should say, ‘From heaven;’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ ³² If we should say, ‘From men’”—they feared the people, for all held John to really be a prophet. ³³ They answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

20 On one of those days, as he was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the Good News, the^[a] priests and scribes came to him with the elders. ² They asked him, “Tell us: by what authority do you do these things? Or who is giving you this authority?”

³ He answered them, “I also will ask you one question. Tell me: ⁴ the baptism of John, was it from heaven, or from men?”

⁵ They reasoned with themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ ⁶ But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.” ⁷ They answered that they didn’t know where it was from.

⁸ Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”