John 18:28-19:19

Amplified Bible

Jesus before Pilate

²⁸ Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium (governor’s palace). Now it was early and the Jews did not enter the Praetorium so that they would not be [ceremonially] unclean, but might [be able to] eat [and participate in the Feast of Unleavened Bread which began after] the ^[a]Passover [supper]. ²⁹ So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?”^{(A) 30} They answered, “If He were not a criminal, we would not have handed Him over to you [for judgment].” ³¹ Then Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves and judge Him according to your own law.” The Jews said, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death.” ³² This was to fulfill the word which Jesus had spoken to indicate by what manner of death He was going to die.^(B)

³³ So Pilate went into the Praetorium again, and called Jesus and asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” ³⁴ Jesus replied, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?” ³⁵ Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own people and their chief priests have handed You over to me. What have You done [that is worthy of death]?” ³⁶ Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not of this world [nor does it have its origin in this world]. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would be fighting [hard] to keep Me from being handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this world.” ³⁷ So Pilate said to Him, “Then You are a King?” Jesus answered, “You say [correctly] that I am a King. This is why I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth [who is a friend of the truth and belongs to the truth] hears and listens carefully to My voice.”^{(C) 38} Pilate said to Him [scornfully], “What is truth?”

And when he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no guilt in Him [no crime, no cause for an accusation]. ³⁹ But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. So shall I release for you the King of the Jews?”^{(D) 40} Then they all shouted back again, “Not this Man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a ^[b]robber.

The Crown of Thorns

19 So then Pilate took Jesus and had Him ^[c]scourged (flogged, whipped). ² And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe around Him;^{(E) 3} and they kept coming up to Him, saying [mockingly], “Hail, King of the Jews [Good health! Peace! Long life to you, King of the Jews]!” And they slapped Him in the face.^{(F) 4} Then Pilate came out again and said to them, “Look, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him [no crime, no cause for an accusation].” ⁵ So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, and Pilate said to them, “Look! The Man!” ⁶ When the chief priests and officers saw Him, they shouted, “Crucify [Him]! Crucify [Him]!” Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him [no crime, no cause for an accusation].”^{(G) 7} The Jews answered him, “We have a law [regarding blasphemy], and according to that law He should die, because He made Himself out to be the Son of God.”^(H)

⁸ So when Pilate heard this said, he was [even] more ^[d]alarmed and afraid. ⁹ He went into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus did not answer him.^{(I) 10} So Pilate said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?” ¹¹ Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me at all if it had not been given to you from above. For this reason the sin and guilt of the ^[e]one who handed Me over to you is greater [than your own].” ¹² As a result of this, Pilate kept making efforts to release Him, but the Jews kept screaming, “^[f]If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar! Anyone who makes himself out [to be] a king opposes Caesar [and rebels against the emperor]!”

¹³ When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called ^[g]The Pavement, but in ^[h]Hebrew, Gabbatha. ¹⁴ Now it was the day of Preparation for the ^[i]Passover [week], and it was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Look, your King!” ¹⁵ But they shouted, “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!”

The Crucifixion

¹⁶ Then he handed Him over to them to be crucified.

¹⁷ So they took Jesus, and He went out, ^[j]bearing His own cross, to the place called ^[k]the Place of the Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha.^{(J) 18} There they crucified Him, and with Him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them.^{(K) 19} Pilate also wrote an inscription [on a placard] and put it on the cross. And it was written: “JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”^(L)