2
The soldiers, having braided a crown from thorns, set it on his head, threw a purple robe over him,
3
and approached him with, "Hail, King of the Jews!" Then they greeted him with slaps in the face.
4
Pilate went back out again and said to them, "I present him to you, but I want you to know that I do not find him guilty of any crime."
5
Just then Jesus came out wearing the thorn crown and purple robe. Pilate announced, "Here he is: the Man."
6
When the high priests and police saw him, they shouted in a frenzy, "Crucify! Crucify!" Pilate told them, "You take him. You crucify him. I find nothing wrong with him."
7
The Jews answered, "We have a law, and by that law he must die because he claimed to be the Son of God."
8
When Pilate heard this, he became even more scared.
9
He went back into the palace and said to Jesus, "Where did you come from?" Jesus gave no answer.
10
Pilate said, "You won't talk? Don't you know that I have the authority to pardon you, and the authority to - crucify you?"
11
Jesus said, "You haven't a shred of authority over me except what has been given you from heaven. That's why the one who betrayed me to you has committed a far greater fault."
12
At this, Pilate tried his best to pardon him, but the Jews shouted him down: "If you pardon this man, you're no friend of Caesar's. Anyone setting himself up as 'king' defies Caesar."