² Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” He answered him, “You say so.”

² asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east^[a] and have come to pay him homage.”^(A)

¹³ In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you^(A)

Pilate Questions Jesus

¹¹ Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You say so.” ¹² But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not answer.^{(A) 13} Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many accusations they make against you?”^{(B) 14} But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.^(C)

²⁶ The inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.”

¹⁸ And they began saluting him, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

¹⁹ Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth,^[a] the King of the Jews.” ²⁰ Many of the Jews read this inscription because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew,^[b] in Latin, and in Greek. ²¹ Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’ ”^{(A) 22} Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”

²⁹ So Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” ³⁰ They answered, “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” ³¹ Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.” The Jews replied, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death.” ³² (This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.)^(A)

³³ Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”^{(B) 34} Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” ³⁵ Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” ³⁶ Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom belonged to this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”^{(C) 37} Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”^{(D) 38} Pilate asked him, “What is truth?”

Jesus Sentenced to Death

After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no case against him.^(E)

² They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man inciting our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to Caesar and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king.”^{[a](A) 3} Then Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He answered, “You say so.”^(B)

¹² Pilate spoke to them again, “Then what do you wish me to do^[a] with the man you call^[b] the King of the Jews?”