John 19
Contemporary English Version
19 Pilate gave orders for Jesus to be beaten with a whip. 2 The soldiers made a crown out of thorn branches and put it on Jesus. Then they put a purple robe on him. 3 They came up to him and said, “Hey, you king of the Jews!” They also hit him with their fists.
4 Once again Pilate went out. This time he said, “I will have Jesus brought out to you again. Then you can see for yourselves that I have not found him guilty.”
5 Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said, “Here is the man!”[a]
6 When the chief priests and the temple police saw him, they yelled, “Nail him to a cross! Nail him to a cross!”
Pilate told them, “You take him and nail him to a cross! I don't find him guilty of anything.”
7 The crowd replied, “He claimed to be the Son of God! Our law says that he must be put to death.”
8 When Pilate heard this, he was terrified. 9 He went back inside and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus did not answer.
10 “Why won't you answer my question?” Pilate asked. “Don't you know I have the power to let you go free or to nail you to a cross?”
11 (A) Jesus replied, “If God had not given you the power, you couldn't do anything at all to me. But the one who handed me over to you did something even worse.”
12 Then Pilate wanted to set Jesus free. But the crowd again yelled, “If you set this man free, you are no friend of the Emperor! Anyone who claims to be a king is an enemy of the Emperor.”
13 When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out. Then he sat down on the judge's bench at the place known as “The Stone Pavement.” In Aramaic this pavement is called “Gabbatha.” 14 It was about noon on the day before Passover, and Pilate said to the crowd, “Look at your king!”
15 “Kill him! Kill him!” they yelled. “Nail him to a cross!”
“So you want me to nail your king to a cross?” Pilate asked.
The chief priests replied, “The Emperor is our king!” 16 Then Pilate handed Jesus over to be nailed to a cross.
Jesus Is Nailed to a Cross
(Matthew 27.32-44; Mark 15.21-32; Luke 23.26-43)
Jesus was taken away, 17 and he carried his cross to a place known as “The Skull.”[b] In Aramaic this place is called “Golgotha.” 18 There Jesus was nailed to the cross, and on each side of him a man was also nailed to a cross.
19 Pilate ordered the charge against Jesus to be written on a board and put above the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” 20 The words were written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.
The place where Jesus was taken wasn't far from the city, and many of the people read the charge against him. 21 So the chief priests went to Pilate and said, “Why did you write that he is King of the Jews? You should have written, ‘He claimed to be King of the Jews.’ ”
22 But Pilate told them, “What is written will not be changed!”
23 After the soldiers had nailed Jesus to the cross, they divided up his clothes into four parts, one for each of them. But his outer garment was made from a single piece of cloth, and it did not have any seams. 24 (B) The soldiers said to each other, “Let's not rip it apart. We will gamble to see who gets it.” This happened so the Scriptures would come true, which say,
“They divided up my clothes
and gambled
for my garments.”
The soldiers then did what they had decided.
25 Jesus' mother stood beside his cross with her sister and Mary the wife of Clopas. Mary Magdalene was standing there too.[c] 26 When Jesus saw his mother and his favorite disciple with her, he said to his mother, “This man is now your son.” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “She is now your mother.” From then on, that disciple took her into his own home.
The Death of Jesus
(Matthew 27.45-56; Mark 15.33-41; Luke 23.44-49)
28 (C) Jesus knew that he had now finished his work. And in order to make the Scriptures come true, he said, “I am thirsty!” 29 A jar of cheap wine was there. Someone then soaked a sponge with the wine and held it up to Jesus' mouth on the stem of a hyssop plant. 30 After Jesus drank the wine, he said, “Everything is done!” He bowed his head and died.
A Spear Is Stuck in Jesus' Side
31 The next day would be both a Sabbath and the Passover. It was a special day for the Jewish people,[d] and they did not want the bodies to stay on the crosses during this day. So they asked Pilate to break the men's legs[e] and take their bodies down. 32 The soldiers first broke the legs of the other two men who were nailed there. 33 But when they came to Jesus, they saw he was already dead, and they did not break his legs.
34 One of the soldiers stuck his spear into Jesus' side, and blood and water came out. 35 We know this is true, because it was told by someone who saw it happen. Now you can have faith too. 36 (D) All this happened so that the Scriptures would come true, which say, “No bone of his body will be broken” 37 (E) and “They will see the one in whose side they stuck a spear.”
Jesus Is Buried
(Matthew 27.57-61; Mark 15.42-47; Luke 23.50-56)
38 Joseph from Arimathea was one of Jesus' disciples. He had kept it secret though, because he was afraid of the Jewish leaders. But now he asked Pilate to let him have Jesus' body. Pilate gave him permission, and Joseph took it down from the cross.
39 (F) Nicodemus also came with about 30 kilograms of spices made from myrrh and aloes. This was the same Nicodemus who had visited Jesus one night.[f] 40 The two men wrapped the body in a linen cloth, together with the spices, which was how the Jewish people buried their dead. 41 In the place where Jesus had been nailed to a cross, there was a garden with a tomb that had never been used. 42 The tomb was nearby, and since it was the time to prepare for the Sabbath, they were in a hurry to put Jesus' body there.
Footnotes
- 19.5 “Here is the man!”: Or “Look at the man!”
- 19.17 The Skull: The place was probably given this name because it was near a large rock in the shape of a human skull.
- 19.25 Jesus' mother stood beside his cross with her sister and Mary the wife of Clopas. Mary Magdalene was standing there too: The Greek text may also be understood to include only three women (“Jesus' mother stood beside the cross with her sister, Mary the mother of Clopas. Mary Magdalene was standing there too.”) or merely two women (“Jesus' mother was standing there with her sister Mary of Clopas, that is, Mary Magdalene.”). “Of Clopas” may mean “daughter of” or “mother of.”
- 19.31 a special day for the Jewish people: Passover could be any day of the week. But according to the Gospel of John, Passover was on a Sabbath in the year that Jesus was nailed to a cross.
- 19.31 break the men's legs: This was the way that the Romans sometimes speeded up the death of a person who had been nailed to a cross.
- 19.39 Nicodemus who had visited Jesus one night: See 3.1-21.
John 19
Legacy Standard Bible
Jesus Flogged and Rejected as King
19 Pilate then took Jesus and [a](A)flogged Him. 2 (B)And when the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and put a purple [b]robe on Him; 3 and they were coming to Him and saying, “(C)Hail, King of the Jews!” and were (D)giving Him slaps in the face. 4 And Pilate (E)came out again and *said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that (F)I find no guilt in Him.” 5 Jesus then came out, (G)wearing the crown of thorns and the purple [c]robe. Pilate *said to them, “Behold, the man!” 6 So when the chief priests and the (H)officers saw Him, they cried out saying, “Crucify, crucify!” Pilate *said to them, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for (I)I find no guilt in Him.” 7 The Jews answered him, “(J)We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He (K)made Himself out to be the Son of God.”
8 Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he became more afraid; 9 and he (L)entered into the [d]Praetorium again and *said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But (M)Jesus gave him no answer. 10 So Pilate *said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?” 11 Jesus answered, “(N)You would have no authority [e]over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason (O)he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” 12 As a result of this Pilate kept seeking to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, “(P)If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself to be a king [f]opposes Caesar.”
13 Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and (Q)sat down on the judgment seat at a place called [g]The Stone Pavement, but (R)in [h]Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14 Now it was (S)the day of [i]Preparation for the Passover; it was about the [j](T)sixth hour. And he *said to the Jews, “Behold, (U)your King!” 15 So they cried out, “(V)Away with Him! Away with Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate *said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”
The Crucifixion
16 So he then (W)delivered Him over to them to be crucified.
17 (X)They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, [k](Y)bearing His own cross, to the place called (Z)the Place of a Skull, which is called (AA)in [l]Hebrew, Golgotha. 18 There they crucified Him, and with Him (AB)two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between. 19 And Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written, “(AC)JESUS THE NAZARENE, (AD)THE KING OF THE JEWS.” 20 Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written (AE)in [m]Hebrew, Latin, and in Greek. 21 So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘(AF)The King of the Jews;’ but that He said, ‘I am (AG)King of the Jews.’” 22 Pilate answered, “(AH)What I have written I have written.”
23 Then (AI)the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made (AJ)four parts, a part to each soldier and also His [n]tunic; now that tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. 24 So they said to one another, “(AK)Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be;” (AL)this was in order that the Scripture would be fulfilled: “They (AM)divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast [o]lots.” 25 Therefore the soldiers did these things.
(AN)But standing by the cross of Jesus were (AO)His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and (AP)Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus then saw His mother, and (AQ)the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He *said to His mother, “(AR)Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then He *said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into (AS)his home.
Scripture Fulfilled—It Is Finished
28 After this, Jesus, (AT)knowing that all things had already been finished, (AU)in order [p]to finish the Scripture, *said, “(AV)I am thirsty.” 29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so (AW)they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. 30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “(AX)It is finished!” And bowing His head, He (AY)gave up His spirit.
31 Then the Jews, because it was (AZ)the day of Preparation, so that (BA)the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath ([q]for that Sabbath was a (BB)high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first man and of the other who was (BC)crucified with Him; 33 but coming to Jesus, when they 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 (BD)blood and water came out. 35 And he who has seen has (BE)borne witness, and his witness is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe. 36 For these things came to pass (BF)in order that the Scripture would be fulfilled, “(BG)Not a bone of Him shall be [r]broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, “(BH)They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”
Jesus Is Buried
38 (BI)Now after these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but (BJ)secretly because of his (BK)fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body. 39 (BL)And Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, (BM)bringing a [s]mixture of (BN)myrrh and aloes, weighing about [t]one (BO)hundred litras. 40 So they took the body of Jesus and (BP)bound it in (BQ)linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a (BR)new tomb (BS)in which no one had yet been laid. 42 Therefore because of the Jewish day of (BT)Preparation, since the tomb was (BU)nearby, they laid Jesus there.
Footnotes
- John 19:1 Or had Him flogged
- John 19:2 Lit garment
- John 19:5 Lit garment
- John 19:9 Governor’s official residence
- John 19:11 Lit against
- John 19:12 Or speaks against
- John 19:13 Gr The Lithostrotos
- John 19:13 Jewish Aramaic
- John 19:14 Preparation for the Sabbath
- John 19:14 6 a.m.
- John 19:17 Lit bearing the cross for Himself
- John 19:17 Jewish Aramaic
- John 19:20 Jewish Aramaic
- John 19:23 Gr khiton, the garment worn next to the skin
- John 19:24 Lit a lot
- John 19:28 Lit Scripture would be finished
- John 19:31 Lit for the day of that Sabbath was great
- John 19:36 Or crushed, shattered
- John 19:39 Two early mss package of
- John 19:39 Approx. 75 lb. or 34 kg
John 19
New International Reader's Version
Jesus Is Sentenced to Be Crucified
19 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him whipped. 2 The soldiers twisted thorns together to make a crown. They put it on Jesus’ head. Then they put a purple robe on him. 3 They went up to him again and again. They kept saying, “We honor you, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face.
4 Once more Pilate came out. He said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing Jesus out to you. I want to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” 5 Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Then Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”
6 As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. I myself find no basis for a charge against him.”
7 The Jewish leaders replied, “We have a law. That law says he must die. He claimed to be the Son of God.”
8 When Pilate heard that, he was even more afraid. 9 He went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus. But Jesus did not answer him. 10 “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you understand? I have the power to set you free or to nail you to a cross.”
11 Jesus answered, “You were given power from heaven. If you weren’t, you would have no power over me. So the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”
12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free. But the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are not Caesar’s friend! Anyone who claims to be a king is against Caesar!”
13 When Pilate heard that, he brought Jesus out. Pilate sat down on the judge’s seat. It was at a place called the Stone Walkway. In the Aramaic language it was called Gabbatha. 14 It was about noon on Preparation Day in Passover Week.
“Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews.
15 But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”
“Should I crucify your king?” Pilate asked.
“We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.
16 Finally, Pilate handed Jesus over to them to be nailed to a cross.
Jesus Is Nailed to a Cross
So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 17 He had to carry his own cross. He went out to a place called the Skull. In the Aramaic language it was called Golgotha. 18 There they nailed Jesus to the cross. Two other men were crucified with him. One was on each side of him. Jesus was in the middle.
19 Pilate had a notice prepared. It was fastened to the cross. It read,
Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.
20 Many of the Jews read the sign. That’s because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city. And the sign was written in the Aramaic, Latin and Greek languages. 21 The chief priests of the Jews argued with Pilate. They said, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews.’ Write that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”
22 Pilate answered, “I have written what I have written.”
23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes. They divided them into four parts. Each soldier got one part. All that was left was Jesus’ long, inner robe. It did not have any seams. It was made out of one piece of cloth from top to bottom.
24 “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s cast lots to see who will get it.”
This happened so that Scripture would come true. It says,
“They divided up my clothes among them.
They cast lots for what I was wearing.” (Psalm 22:18)
So that is what the soldiers did.
25 Jesus’ mother stood near his cross. So did his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 Jesus saw his mother there. He also saw the disciple he loved standing nearby. Jesus said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son.” 27 He said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, the disciple took her into his home.
Jesus Dies
28 Later, Jesus knew that everything had now been finished. He also knew that what Scripture said must come true. So he said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there. So they soaked a sponge in it. They put the sponge on the stem of a hyssop plant. Then they lifted it up to Jesus’ lips. 30 After Jesus drank he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and died.
31 It was Preparation Day. The next day would be a special Sabbath day. The Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath day. So they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32 The soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus. Then they broke the legs of the other man. 33 But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead. So they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers stuck his spear into Jesus’ side. Right away, blood and water flowed out. 35 The man who saw it has been a witness about it. And what he has said is true. He knows that he tells the truth. He is a witness so that you also may believe. 36 These things happened in order that Scripture would come true. It says, “Not one of his bones will be broken.” (Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12; Psalm 34:20) 37 Scripture also says, “They will look to the one they have pierced.” (Zechariah 12:10)
Jesus Is Buried
38 Later Joseph asked Pilate for Jesus’ body. Joseph was from the town of Arimathea. He was a follower of Jesus. But he followed Jesus secretly because he was afraid of the Jewish leaders. After Pilate gave him permission, Joseph came and took the body away. 39 Nicodemus went with Joseph. He was the man who had earlier visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought some mixed spices that weighed about 75 pounds. 40 The two men took Jesus’ body. They wrapped it in strips of linen cloth, along with the spices. That was the way the Jews buried people. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden. A new tomb was there. No one had ever been put in it before. 42 That day was the Jewish Preparation Day, and the tomb was nearby. So they placed Jesus there.
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