John 19
Living Bible
19 Then Pilate laid open Jesus’ back with a leaded whip, 2 and the soldiers made a crown of thorns and placed it on his head and robed him in royal purple. 3 “Hail, ‘King of the Jews’!” they mocked, and struck him with their fists.
4 Pilate went outside again and said to the Jews, “I am going to bring him out to you now, but understand clearly that I find him not guilty.”
5 Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said, “Behold the man!”
6 At sight of him the chief priests and Jewish officials began yelling, “Crucify! Crucify!”
“You crucify him,” Pilate said. “I find him not guilty.”
7 They replied, “By our laws he ought to die because he called himself the Son of God.”
8 When Pilate heard this, he was more frightened than ever. 9 He took Jesus back into the palace again and asked him, “Where are you from?” but Jesus gave no answer.
10 “You won’t talk to me?” Pilate demanded. “Don’t you realize that I have the power to release you or to crucify you?”
11 Then Jesus said, “You would have no power at all over me unless it were given to you from above. So those[a] who brought me to you have the greater sin.”
12 Then Pilate tried to release him, but the Jewish leaders told him, “If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar’s. Anyone who declares himself a king is a rebel against Caesar.”
13 At these words Pilate brought Jesus out to them again and sat down at the judgment bench on the stone-paved platform.[b] 14 It was now about noon of the day before Passover.
And Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is your king!”
15 “Away with him,” they yelled. “Away with him—crucify him!”
“What? Crucify your king?” Pilate asked.
“We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests shouted back.
16 Then Pilate gave Jesus to them to be crucified.
17 So they had him at last, and he was taken out of the city, carrying his cross to the place known as “The Skull,” in Hebrew, “Golgotha.” 18 There they crucified him and two others with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them. 19 And Pilate posted a sign over him reading, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20 The place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and the signboard was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, so that many people read it.
21 Then the chief priests said to Pilate, “Change it from ‘The King of the Jews’ to ‘He said, I am King of the Jews.’”
22 Pilate replied, “What I have written, I have written. It stays exactly as it is.”
23-24 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they put his garments into four piles, one for each of them. But they said, “Let’s not tear up his robe,” for it was seamless. “Let’s throw dice to see who gets it.” This fulfilled the Scripture that says,
“They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my robe.”[c]
25 So that is what they did.
Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, Mary, his aunt, the wife of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside me, his close friend,[d] he said to her, “He is your son.”
27 And to me[e] he said, “She is your mother!” And from then on I took her into my home.
28 Jesus knew that everything was now finished, and to fulfill the Scriptures said, “I’m thirsty.” 29 A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so a sponge was soaked in it and put on a hyssop branch and held up to his lips.
30 When Jesus had tasted[f] it, he said, “It is finished,” and bowed his head and dismissed his spirit.
31 The Jewish leaders didn’t want the victims hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very special Sabbath at that, for it was the Passover), so they asked Pilate to order the legs of the men broken to hasten death; then their bodies could be taken down. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus; 33 but when they came to him, they saw that he was dead already, so they didn’t break his. 34 However, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and blood and water flowed out. 35 I saw all this myself and have given an accurate report so that you also can believe.[g] 36-37 The soldiers did this in fulfillment of the Scripture that says, “Not one of his bones shall be broken,” and, “They shall look on him whom they pierced.”
38 Afterwards Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jewish leaders, boldly asked Pilate for permission to take Jesus’ body down; and Pilate told him to go ahead. So he came and took it away. 39 Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night,[h] came too, bringing a hundred pounds of embalming ointment made from myrrh and aloes. 40 Together they wrapped Jesus’ body in a long linen cloth saturated with the spices, as is the Jewish custom of burial. 41 The place of crucifixion was near a grove of trees,[i] where there was a new tomb, never used before. 42 And so, because of the need for haste before the Sabbath, and because the tomb was close at hand, they laid him there.
Footnotes
- John 19:11 those, literally, “he.”
- John 19:13 the judgment bench on the stone-paved platform, literally, “the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.”
- John 19:23 cast lots for my robe, see Psalm 22:18.
- John 19:26 standing there beside me, his close friend, literally, “standing by the disciple whom he loved.”
- John 19:27 And to me, literally, “To the disciple.”
- John 19:30 had tasted, literally, “had received.”
- John 19:35 I saw all this . . . so that you also can believe, literally, “And he who has seen has borne witness, and his witness is true; and he knows what he says is true, that you also may believe.”
- John 19:39 at night, see ch. 3.
- John 19:41 a grove of trees, literally, “a garden.”
John 19
Modern English Version
19 Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged Him. 2 The soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put a purple robe on Him. 3 They said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they hit Him with their hands.
4 Again Pilate went out and said to them, “Look, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no guilt in Him.” 5 Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the Man!”
6 When the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”
Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him.”
7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God!”
8 When Pilate heard these words, he was more afraid, 9 and entered the Praetorium again, and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to release You, and power to crucify You?”
11 Jesus answered, “You would have no power at all over Me, unless it were given to you from above. Therefore he who handed Me over to you has the greater sin.”
12 From then on, Pilate tried to release Him. But the Jews cried out, “If you release this Man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar!”
13 When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement (which in Hebrew is Gabbatha). 14 It was the Day of Preparation of the Passover and about the sixth hour.
He said to the Jews, “Here is your King!”
15 But they shouted, “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!”
16 Then he handed Him over to them to be crucified.
The Crucifixion(A)
So they took Jesus and led Him away. 17 He went out, carrying His own cross, to a place called The Place of a Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. 18 There they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the middle.
19 Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. The writing was:
JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
20 Many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city. And it was written in Hebrew, in Greek, and in Latin. 21 The chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but ‘He said, I am King of the Jews.’ ”
22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”
23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took His garments and divided them into four parts, a part for each soldier; and also His tunic. Now the tunic was seamless, woven from top to bottom.
24 So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to decide whose it shall be.”
This happened to fulfill the Scripture which says:
“They divided My garments among them,
and for My clothing they cast lots.”[a]
Therefore the soldiers did these things.
25 But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, here is your son.” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time, this disciple took her to his own home.
The Death of Jesus(B)
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that everything was now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst.” 29 A bowl full of sour wine was placed there. So they put a sponge full of sour wine on hyssop and held it to His mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished.” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
The Piercing of Jesus’ Side
31 Since it was the Day of Preparation, to prevent bodies from remaining on the cross on the Sabbath day (for that Sabbath day was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 Therefore 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 dead already, they did not break His legs. 34 However, one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 35 He who saw it has testified, and his testimony is true. He knows that he is telling the truth, that you may believe. 36 For these things happened so that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken,”[b] 37 and again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they have pierced.”[c]
The Burial of Jesus(C)
38 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away His body. 39 Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about seventy-five pounds.[d] 40 Then they took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in linen cloths 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 was a new tomb in which no one had ever been buried. 42 So because of the Jewish Day of Preparation, and since the tomb was nearby, they buried Jesus there.
Footnotes
- John 19:24 Ps 22:18.
- John 19:36 Ex 12:46; Nu 9:12; Ps 34:20.
- John 19:37 Zec 12:10.
- John 19:39 Gk. a hundred litrai or 34 kilograms.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.