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They brought charges against him, saying, “We found this man misleading our people; he opposes the payment of taxes to Caesar and maintains that he is the Messiah, a king.”(A)

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And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation.(A) He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar(B) and claims to be Messiah, a king.”(C)

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12 Consequently, Pilate tried to release him; but the Jews cried out, “If you release him, you are not a Friend of Caesar.[a] Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.”(A)

13 When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus out and seated him[b] on the judge’s bench in the place called Stone Pavement, in Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14 It was preparation day for Passover, and it was about noon.[c] And he said to the Jews, “Behold, your king!” 15 They cried out, “Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your king?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”

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Footnotes

  1. 19:12 Friend of Caesar: a Roman honorific title bestowed upon high-ranking officials for merit.
  2. 19:13 Seated him: others translate “(Pilate) sat down.” In John’s thought, Jesus is the real judge of the world, and John may here be portraying him seated on the judgment bench. Stone Pavement: in Greek lithostrotos; under the fortress Antonia, one of the conjectured locations of the praetorium, a massive stone pavement has been excavated. Gabbatha (Aramaic rather than Hebrew) probably means “ridge, elevation.”
  3. 19:14 Noon: Mk 15:25 has Jesus crucified “at the third hour,” which means either 9 a.m. or the period from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, the time when, according to John, Jesus was sentenced to death, was the hour at which the priests began to slaughter Passover lambs in the temple; see Jn 1:29.

12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king(A) opposes Caesar.”

13 When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat(B) at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic(C) is Gabbatha). 14 It was the day of Preparation(D) of the Passover; it was about noon.(E)

“Here is your king,”(F) Pilate said to the Jews.

15 But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”

“Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked.

“We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.

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