John 18:28-19:16

World English Bible

²⁸ They led Jesus therefore from Caiaphas into the Praetorium. It was early, and they themselves didn’t enter into the Praetorium, that they might not be defiled, but might eat the Passover. ²⁹ Pilate therefore went out to them, and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?”

³⁰ They answered him, “If this man weren’t an evildoer, we wouldn’t have delivered him up to you.”

³¹ Pilate therefore said to them, “Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law.”

Therefore the Jews said to him, “It is illegal for us to put anyone to death,” ³² that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spoke, signifying by what kind of death he should die.

³³ Pilate therefore entered again into the Praetorium, called Jesus, and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”

³⁴ Jesus answered him, “Do you say this by yourself, or did others tell you about me?”

³⁵ Pilate answered, “I’m not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered you to me. What have you done?”

³⁶ Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not of this world. If my Kingdom were of this world, then my servants would fight, that I wouldn’t be delivered to the Jews. But now my Kingdom is not from here.”

³⁷ Pilate therefore said to him, “Are you a king then?”

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I have been born, and for this reason I have come into the world, that I should testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

³⁸ Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

When he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no basis for a charge against him. ³⁹ But you have a custom, that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Therefore, do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”

⁴⁰ Then they all shouted again, saying, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

19 So Pilate then took Jesus, and flogged him. ² The soldiers twisted thorns into a crown, and put it on his head, and dressed him in a purple garment. ³ They kept saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and they kept slapping him.

⁴ Then Pilate went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I bring him out to you, that you may know that I find no basis for a charge against him.”

⁵ Jesus therefore came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple garment. Pilate said to them, “Behold, the man!”

⁶ When therefore the chief priests and the officers saw him, they shouted, saying, “Crucify! Crucify!”

Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves, and crucify him, for I find no basis for a charge against him.”

⁷ The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.”

⁸ When therefore Pilate heard this saying, he was more afraid. ⁹ He entered into the Praetorium again, and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰ Pilate therefore said to him, “Aren’t you speaking to me? Don’t you know that I have power to release you and have power to crucify you?”

¹¹ Jesus answered, “You would have no power at all against me, unless it were given to you from above. Therefore he who delivered me to you has greater sin.”

¹² At this, Pilate was seeking to release him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you release this man, you aren’t Caesar’s friend! Everyone who makes himself a king speaks against Caesar!”

¹³ When Pilate therefore heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called “The Pavement”, but in Hebrew, “Gabbatha.” ¹⁴ Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, at about the sixth hour.^[a] He said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!”

¹⁵ They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!”

Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?”

The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!”

¹⁶ So then he delivered him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led him away.