John 19:1-18 ▼

1 Then Pilate had Jesus taken away and whipped.

2 The soldiers twisted some thorns into a victor's crown, put it on his head, and threw a purple robe on him.

3 They kept coming up to him and saying, |Long live the king of the Jews!| Then they began to slap him on the face.

4 Pilate went outside again and told the Jews, |Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.|

5 Then Jesus came outside, wearing the victor's crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate told them, |Here is the man!|

6 When the high priests and the officials saw him, they shouted, |Crucify him! Crucify him!| Pilate told them, |You take him and crucify him. I find no basis for a charge against him.|

7 The Jewish leaders answered Pilate, |We have a law, and according to that Law he must die because he made himself out to be the Son of God.|

8 When Pilate heard this, he became even more afraid.

9 Returning to his headquarters, he asked Jesus, |Where are you from?| But Jesus did not answer him.

10 So Pilate asked him, |Aren't you going to speak to me? You realize, don't you, that I have the authority to release you and the authority to crucify you?|

11 Jesus answered him, |You have no authority over me at all, except what was given to you from above. That's why the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.|

12 From then on, Pilate tried to release him, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, |If you release this fellow, you're not a friend of Caesar! Anyone who claims to be a king is defying Caesar!|

13 When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat down on the judgment seat in a place called The Pavement, which in Hebrew is called Gabbatha.

14 Now it was the Preparation Day for the Passover, about noon. He told the Jewish leaders, |Here is your king!|

15 Then they shouted, |Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!| Pilate asked them, |Should I crucify your king?| The high priests responded, |We have no king but Caesar!|

16 Then Pilate handed him over to be crucified, and they took Jesus away.

17 Carrying the cross all by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of a Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha.

18 There they crucified him, along with two others, one on each side of him with Jesus in the middle.