John 18:28–38

Jesus Brought Before Pilate

²⁸Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the governor’s residence. Now it was early, and they did not enter into the governor’s residence so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover. ²⁹So Pilate came outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” ³⁰They answered and said to him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have handed him over to you!” ³¹So Pilate said to them, “You take him and judge him according to your law!” The Jews said to him, “It is not permitted for us to kill anyone,” ³²in order that the word of Jesus would be fulfilled that he had spoken, indicating by what sort of death he was going to die.

Pilate Questions Jesus

³³Then Pilate entered again into the governor’s residence and summoned Jesus and said to him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” ³⁴Jesus replied, “Do you say this from yourself, or have others said this^* to you about me?” ³⁵Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I?^* Your people and the chief priests handed you over to me! What have you done?” ³⁶Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here.” ³⁷Then Pilate said to him, “So then you are a king!” Jesus replied, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I have come into the world: in order that I can testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.” ³⁸Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

And when he^* had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no basis for an accusation against him.