23 After he went into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him while he was teaching and said: “By what authority do you do these things? And who gave you this authority?”+ 24 In reply Jesus said to them: “I will also ask you one thing. If you tell me, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things: 25 The baptism by John, from what source was it? From heaven or from men?”* But they began to reason among themselves, saying: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why, then, did you not believe him?’+ 26 But if we say, ‘From men,’ we have the crowd to fear, for they all regard John as a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus: “We do not know.” He, in turn, said to them: “Neither am I telling you by what authority I do these things.

27 They came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came 28 and said 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 Was the baptism by John+ from heaven or from men?* Answer me.”+ 31 So they began to reason among themselves, saying: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why, then, did you not believe him?’ 32 But dare we say, ‘From men’?” They were in fear of the crowd, for these all held that John had really been a prophet.+ 33 So they answered Jesus: “We do not know.” Jesus said to them: “Neither am I telling you by what authority I do these things.”