John 18:39–19:16

³⁹But ye have a custom that I release some one to you at the passover; will ye therefore that I release unto you the king of the Jews? ⁴⁰They cried therefore again all, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.

Chapter 19

¹Then Pilate therefore took Jesus and scourged him. ²And the soldiers having plaited a crown of thorns put it on his head, and put a purple robe on him, ³and came to him and said, Hail, king of the Jews! and gave him blows on the face. ⁴And Pilate went out again and says to them, Lo, I bring him out to you, that ye may know that I find in him no fault whatever. ⁵(Jesus therefore went forth without, wearing the crown of thorn, and the purple robe.) And he says to them, Behold the man! ⁶When therefore the chief priests and the officers saw him they cried out saying, Crucify, crucify him. Pilate says to them, Take him ye and crucify him, for I find no fault in him. ⁷The Jews answered him, We have a law, and according to our law he ought to die, because he made himself Son of God. ⁸When Pilate therefore heard this word, he was the rather afraid, ⁹and went into the praetorium again and says to Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰Pilate therefore says to him, Speakest thou not to me? Dost thou not know that I have authority to release thee and have authority to crucify thee? ¹¹Jesus answered, Thou hadst no authority whatever against me if it were not given to thee from above. On this account he that has delivered me up to thee has the greater sin. ¹²From this time Pilate sought to release him; but the Jews cried out saying, If thou releasest this man, thou art not a friend to Caesar. Every one making himself a king speaks against Caesar. ¹³Pilate therefore, having heard these words, led Jesus out and sat down upon the judgment-seat, at a place called Pavement, but in Hebrew Gabbatha; ¹⁴(now it was the preparation of the passover; it was about the sixth hour;) and he says to the Jews, Behold your king! ¹⁵But they cried out, Take him away, take him away, crucify him. Pilate says to them, Shall I crucify your king? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.

¹⁶Then therefore he delivered him up to them, that he might be crucified; and they took Jesus and led him away.