## And they answered ##

"The chief priests, scribes and elders answered"

## they answered that they did not know ##

Some languages may prefer a direct quote. "They said, 'We do not know'" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-quotations]])

## where it came from ##

"where John's baptism came from." It can be translated as "where John's authority to baptize came from" or "who authorized John to baptize people."

## Neither will I tell you ##

This could be translated as "And I will not tell you" or "Just as you will not tell me, I will not tell you."