John 19:4-16 - The People Want Jesus Crucified

⁴ And Pilate went outside again and said to the Jews, "See! I will bring him out to you, to show you that I can find nothing to charge him with."

⁵ So Jesus came out, still wearing the wreath of thorns and the purple coat. And Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!"

⁶ When the high priests and their attendants saw him, they shouted, "Have him crucified! Have him crucified!" Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and have him crucified, for I can find nothing to charge him with."

⁷ The Jews answered, "We have a law, and by our law he deserves death, for declaring himself to be a son of God."

⁸ When Pilate heard that, he was more frightened than before ⁹ and he went back into the governor's house and said to Jesus, "Where do you come from?" But Jesus made no answer. ¹⁰ Then Pilate said to him, "Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that it is in my power to release you or to have you crucified?"

¹¹ Jesus answered him, "You would have no power at all over me, if it were not given to you from above. So you are less guilty than the man who betrayed me to you."

¹² This made Pilate try to find a way to let him go, but the Jews shouted, "If you let him go, you are no friend of the emperor's! Anyone who calls himself a king utters treason against the emperor!"

¹³ When Pilate heard that, he had Jesus brought out and had him sit in the judge's seat in the place they call the Stone Platform, or in Hebrew, Gabbatha. ¹⁴ It was the day of Preparation for the Passover, and it was about noon. And Pilate said to the Jews, "There is your king!"

¹⁵ At that they shouted, "Kill him! Kill him! Have him crucified!" Pilate said to them, "Am I to crucify your king?" The high priests answered, "We have no king but the emperor!"

¹⁶ Then Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus,