33 Then Pilate went back into the headquarters, summoned Jesus, and said to him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” (A)

34 Jesus answered, “Are you asking this on your own, or have others told you about me?”

35 “I’m not a Jew, am I?” Pilate replied. “Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?”

36 “My kingdom(B) is not of this world,” said Jesus. “If my kingdom were of this world,(C) my servants(D) would fight, so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But as it is,[a] my kingdom is not from here.”(E)

37 “You are a king then?” Pilate asked.

“You say that I’m a king,” Jesus replied. “I was born for this, and I have come into the world(F) for this: to testify(G) to the truth.(H) Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

38 “What is truth?” said Pilate.

Jesus or Barabbas

After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no grounds(I) for charging him.

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Footnotes

  1. 18:36 Or But now

Pilate Questions Jesus

33 Then Pilate entered again into the governor’s residence and summoned Jesus and said to him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” 34 Jesus replied, “Do you say this from yourself, or have others said this[a] to you about me?” 35 Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I?[b] Your people and the chief priests handed you over to me! What have you done?” 36 Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here.” 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So then you are a king!” Jesus replied, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I have come into the world: in order that I can testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

And when he[c] had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no basis for an accusation against him.

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Footnotes

  1. John 18:34 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  2. John 18:35 *The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated in the translation by the phrase “am I
  3. John 18:38 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“had said”) which is understood as temporal