John 19:1-16 - Pilate Attempts To Release Jesus

¹ So, Pilate then took Jesus and had Him flogged. ² The soldiers wove thorny twigs into a crown and placed it on His head and dressed Him in a purple robe. ³ Then they went [up] to Him and said, "Hey! King of the Jews!" and struck Him [in the face with their hands].

⁴ Now Pilate went outside again and said to the Jewish authorities, "Look, I am bringing him out here to you, so you can know that I do not find him guilty of any crime."

⁵ So, Jesus came outside wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Then Pilate said to the [assembled] Jewish authorities, "Look, [here is] the man!"

⁶ Then, when the leading priests and the [Temple] guards saw Him, they shouted out, "Crucify him, crucify him!" Pilate responded by saying, "Take him yourselves and crucify him, because I do not find him guilty of any crime."

⁷ The Jews replied, "We have a law which requires that he ought to die because he claimed to be the Son of God."

⁸ So, when Pilate heard this statement, he was [even] more afraid ⁹ and went back into the headquarters again and said to Jesus, "Where did you come from?" But Jesus did not answer him. ¹⁰ Then Pilate said to Him, "Are you not going to speak to me? Do you not know that I have the authority to release you or to crucify you?"

¹¹ Jesus answered him, "You would not have any authority over me unless it were given to you from above [i.e., from God]. So, the person who turned me over to you is guilty of a worse sin."

¹² After [hearing] this, Pilate tried to release Jesus, but the Jews shouted out, "If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar's. Everyone who claims to be a king [i.e., as they had accused Jesus of doing. See 18:37] is in opposition to Caesar."

¹² After [hearing] this, Pilate tried to release Jesus, but the Jews shouted out, "If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar's. Everyone who claims to be a king [i.e., as they had accused Jesus of doing. See 18:37] is in opposition to Caesar."

¹³ Then when Pilate heard [them say] this, he brought Jesus outside [again] and sat down on the judge's bench at a place called 'The Stone Pavement,' but in the Hebrew language is called 'Gabbatha.' ¹⁴ Now it was about six o'clock in the morning [Note: This was according to Roman time, but if Jewish time were meant, it would have been

¹⁵ Then they shouted out, "Take him away; take him away and crucify him!" Pilate replied to them, "Do you want me to crucify your king?" The leading priests answered, "We do not have any [other] king, except Caesar."

¹⁶ Finally, Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified.