John 18:28–40

²⁸They led, therefore, Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium, and it was early, and they themselves did not enter into the praetorium, that they might not be defiled, but that they might eat the passover; ²⁹Pilate, therefore, went forth unto them, and said, ‘What accusation do ye bring against this man?’ ³⁰they answered and said to him, ‘If he were not an evil doer, we had not delivered him to thee.’ ³¹Pilate, therefore, said to them, ‘Take ye him—ye—and according to your law judge him;’ the Jews, therefore, said to him, ‘It is not lawful to us to put any one to death;’ ³²that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled which he said, signifying by what death he was about to die. ³³Pilate, therefore, entered into the praetorium again, and called Jesus, and said to him, ‘Thou art the King of the Jews?’ ³⁴Jesus answered him, ‘From thyself dost thou say this? or did others say it to thee about me?’ ³⁵Pilate answered, ‘Am I a Jew? thy nation, and the chief priests did deliver thee up to me; what didst thou?’ ³⁶Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my officers had struggled that I might not be delivered up to Jews; but now my kingdom is not from hence.’ ³⁷Pilate, therefore, said to him, ‘Art thou then a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘Thou dost say it; because a king I am, I for this have been born, and for this I have come to the world, that I may testify to the truth; every one who is of the truth, doth hear my voice.’ ³⁸Pilate saith to him, ‘What is truth?’ and this having said, again he went forth unto the Jews, and saith to them, ‘I do find no fault in him; ³⁹and ye have a custom that I shall release to you one in the passover; will ye, therefore, that I shall release to you the king of the Jews?’ ⁴⁰therefore they all cried out again, saying, ‘Not this one—but Barabbas;’ and Barabbas was a robber.

Chapter 19