John 18:39–19:16

³⁹But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover; will you have me release for you the King of the Jews?” ⁴⁰They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

Chapter 19

¹Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged him. ²And the soldiers plaited a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and arrayed him in a purple robe; ³they came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. ⁴Pilate went out again, and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you, that you may know that I find no crime in him.” ⁵So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” ⁶When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no crime in him.” ⁷The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by that law he ought to die, because he has made himself the Son of God.” ⁸When Pilate heard these words, he was the more afraid; ⁹he entered the praetorium again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave no answer. ¹⁰Pilate therefore said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?” ¹¹Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore he who delivered me to you has the greater sin.”

¹²Upon this Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend; every one who makes himself a king sets himself against Caesar.” ¹³When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, and in Hebrew, Gabbatha. ¹⁴Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” ¹⁵They cried out, “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.” ¹⁶Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.