² So Pilate asked him, “Are you the king^(A) of the Jews?”^(B)

He answered him, “You say so.”

³ And the chief priests accused him of many things. ⁴ Pilate^(C) questioned him again, “Aren’t you going to answer? Look how many things they are accusing you of!” ⁵ But Jesus still did not answer, and so Pilate was amazed.

² They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation, opposing payment of taxes^(A) to Caesar, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king.”

³ So Pilate asked him,^(B) “Are you the king of the Jews?” ^(C)

He answered him, “You say so.”^[a]

²⁹ So Pilate^(A) came out to them and said, “What charge^(B) do you bring against this man?”

³⁰ They answered him, “If this man weren’t a criminal,^[a] we wouldn’t have handed him over to you.”

³¹ Pilate told them, “You take him and judge him according to your law.”

“It’s not legal for us to put anyone to death,” the Jews declared. ³² They said this so that Jesus’s words might be fulfilled indicating what kind of death he was going to die.^(C)

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

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^(E) is not of this world,” said Jesus. “If my kingdom were of this world,^(F) my servants^(G) would fight, so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But as it is,^[b] my kingdom is not from here.”^(H)

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^(I) for this: to testify^(J) to the truth.^(K) 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^(L) for charging him.