# council and said

A new sentence can be started here. AT: "council. The elders said to Jesus"

# If you are the Christ, tell us

"Tell us if you are the Christ"

# If I tell you ... if I ask you

Jesus is saying that whether he speaks or asks them to speak, they will not respond correctly. These two phrases together show that Jesus did not believe that the council was really looking for the truth.

# If I tell you, you will not believe

This is the first of two hypothetical statements by Jesus. It was a way for Jesus to respond without giving them a reason to say that he was guilty of blasphemy. Your language may have a way of indicating that the action has not actually happened. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])