John 18:33–40

³³Pilate went back into the palace and called Jesus. “Are you the King of the Jews?” he asked him.

³⁴Jesus answered, “Does this question come from you or have others told you about me?”

³⁵Pilate replied, “Do you think I am a Jew? It was your own people and the chief priests who handed you over to me. What have you done?”

³⁶Jesus said, “My kingdom does not belong to this world; if my kingdom belonged to this world, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish authorities. No, my kingdom does not belong here!”

³⁷So Pilate asked him, “Are you a king, then?”

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. I was born and came into the world for this one purpose, to speak about the truth. Whoever belongs to the truth listens to me.”

³⁸“And what is truth?” Pilate asked.

Jesus Is Sentenced to Death

Then Pilate went back outside to the people and said to them, “I cannot find any reason to condemn him. ³⁹But according to the custom you have, I always set free a prisoner for you during the Passover. Do you want me to set free for you the King of the Jews?”

⁴⁰They answered him with a shout, “No, not him! We want Barabbas!” (Barabbas was a bandit.)