33 Pilate then went back inside the palace,(A) summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”(B)

34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”

35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”

36 Jesus said, “My kingdom(C) is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders.(D) But now my kingdom is from another place.”(E)

37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth.(F) Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”(G)

38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.(H) 39 But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?”

40 They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.(I)

Jesus Sentenced to Be Crucified(J)

19 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged.(K) The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!”(L) And they slapped him in the face.(M)

Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out(N) to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.”(O) When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe,(P) Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”

As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”

But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him.(Q) As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.”(R)

The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die,(S) because he claimed to be the Son of God.”(T)

When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, and he went back inside the palace.(U) “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer.(V) 10 “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”

11 Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.(W) Therefore the one who handed me over to you(X) is guilty of a greater sin.”

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