John 18:39–19:16

Second Roman Trial Before Pilate

Matt. 27:15–31; Mark 15:6–20; Luke 23:13–25

^39o“But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”

^40pThen they all cried again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas!” ^qNow Barabbas was a robber.

19So then ^aPilate took Jesus and scourged Him. ²And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. ³¹Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they ^bstruck Him with their hands.

⁴Pilate then went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, ^cthat you may know that I find no fault in Him.”

⁵Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!”

^6dTherefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”

Pilate said to them, “You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.”

⁷The Jews answered him, ^e“We have a law, and according to ²our law He ought to die, because ^fHe made Himself the Son of God.”

⁸Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid, ⁹and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” ^gBut Jesus gave him no answer.

¹⁰Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have ³power to crucify You, and power to release You?”

¹¹Jesus answered, ^h“You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore ⁱthe one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”

¹²From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. ^jWhoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.”

^13kWhen Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. ¹⁴Now ^lit was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold your King!”

¹⁵But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!”

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

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

¹⁶ⁿThen he delivered Him to them to be crucified. Then they took Jesus ⁴and led Him away.