11
"You would have had no power whatever over me," replied Jesus, "had it not been granted you from above. On that account he who has delivered me up to you is more guilty than you are."
12
Upon receiving this answer, Pilate was for releasing Him. But the Jews kept shouting, "If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar's. Every one who sets himself up as king declares himself a rebel against Caesar."
13
On hearing this, Pilate brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judge's seat in a place called the Pavement--or in Hebrew, Gabbatha.
14
It was the day of Preparation for the Passover, about six o'clock in the morning. Then he said to the Jews, "There is your king!"
15
This caused a storm of outcries, "Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!" "Am I to crucify your king?" Pilate asked. "We have no king, except Caesar," answered the High Priests.
16
Then Pilate gave Him up to them to be crucified. Accordingly they took Jesus;
17
and He went out carrying His own cross, to the place called Skull-place--or, in Hebrew, Golgotha--
18
where they nailed Him to a cross, and two others at the same time, one on each side and Jesus in the middle.
19
And Pilate wrote a notice and had it fastened to the top of the cross. It ran thus: JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
20
Many of the Jews read this notice, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the notice was in three languages--Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.
21
This led the Jewish High Priests to remonstrate with Pilate. "You should not write `The King of the Jews,'" they said, "but that he claimed to be King of the Jews."