John 18:19-19:37

New King James Version

Jesus Questioned by the High Priest

¹⁹ The high priest then asked Jesus about His disciples and His doctrine.

²⁰ Jesus answered him, ^(A)“I spoke openly to the world. I always taught ^(B)in synagogues and ^(C)in the temple, where ^[a]the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing. ²¹ Why do you ask Me? Ask ^(D)those who have heard Me what I said to them. Indeed they know what I said.”

²² And when He had said these things, one of the officers who stood by ^(E)struck^[b] Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, “Do You answer the high priest like that?”

²³ Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?”

^24 (F)Then Annas sent Him bound to ^(G)Caiaphas the high priest.

Peter Denies Twice More

²⁵ Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. ^(H)Therefore they said to him, “You are not also one of His disciples, are you?”

He denied it and said, “I am not!”

²⁶ One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?” ²⁷ Peter then denied again; and ^(I)immediately a rooster crowed.

In Pilate’s Court^(J)

^28 (K)Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. ^(L)But they themselves did not go into the ^[c]Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. ^29 (M)Pilate then went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?”

³⁰ They answered and said to him, “If He were not ^[d]an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you.”

³¹ Then Pilate said to them, “You take Him and judge Him according to your law.”

Therefore the Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,” ^32 (N)that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, ^(O)signifying by what death He would die.

^33 (P)Then Pilate entered the ^[e]Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

³⁴ Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?”

³⁵ Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?”

^36 (Q)Jesus answered, ^(R)“My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”

³⁷ Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?”

Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, ^(S)that I should bear ^(T)witness to the truth. Everyone who ^(U)is of the truth ^(V)hears My voice.”

³⁸ Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, ^(W)“I find no fault in Him at all.

Taking the Place of Barabbas^(X)

^39 (Y)“But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”

^40 (Z)Then they all cried again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas!” ^(AA)Now Barabbas was a robber.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus^(AB)

19 So then ^(AC)Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. ² And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. ^3 [f]Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they ^(AD)struck Him with their hands.

⁴ Pilate then went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, ^(AE)that you may know that I find no fault in Him.”

Pilate’s Decision

⁵ Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!”

^6 (AF)Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”

Pilate said to them, “You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.”

⁷ The Jews answered him, ^(AG)“We have a law, and according to ^[g]our law He ought to die, because ^(AH)He made Himself the Son of God.”

⁸ Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid, ⁹ and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” ^(AI)But Jesus gave him no answer.

¹⁰ Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have ^[h]power to crucify You, and power to release You?”

¹¹ Jesus answered, ^(AJ)“You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore ^(AK)the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”

¹² From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. ^(AL)Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.”

^13 (AM)When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. ¹⁴ Now ^(AN)it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold your King!”

¹⁵ But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!”

Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?”

The chief priests answered, ^(AO)“We have no king but Caesar!”

^16 (AP)Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. Then they took Jesus ^[i]and led Him away.

The King on a Cross^(AQ)

^17 (AR)And He, bearing His cross, ^(AS)went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, ¹⁸ where they crucified Him, and ^(AT)two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center. ^19 (AU)Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was:

JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

²⁰ Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.

²¹ Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the King of the Jews.” ’ ”

²² Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

^23 (AV)Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. ²⁴ They said therefore among themselves, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be,” that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says:

Therefore the soldiers did these things.

Behold Your Mother

^25 (AX)Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of ^(AY)Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶ When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and ^(AZ)the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, ^(BA)“Woman, behold your son!” ²⁷ Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her ^(BB)to his own home.

It Is Finished

²⁸ After this, Jesus, ^[j]knowing that all things were now accomplished, ^(BC)that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” ²⁹ Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and ^(BD)they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. ³⁰ So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ^(BE)“It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

Jesus’ Side Is Pierced

^31 (BF)Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, ^(BG)that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a ^(BH)high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. ³² Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. ³³ But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. ³⁴ But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately ^(BI)blood and water came out. ³⁵ And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is ^(BJ)true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may ^(BK)believe. ³⁶ For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, ^(BL)“Not one of His bones shall be broken.” ³⁷ And again another Scripture says, ^(BM)“They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”