1 T hen, therefore, did Pilate take Jesus and scourge,

Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him beaten.

2 a nd the soldiers having plaited a crown of thorns, did place on his head, and a purple garment they put around him,

The soldiers put a crown of thorns on His head. They put a purple coat on Him.

3 a nd said, `Hail! the king of the Jews;' and they were giving him slaps.

Then they said, “Hello, King of the Jews!” and hit Him with their hands.

4 P ilate, therefore, again went forth without, and saith to them, `Lo, I do bring him to you without, that ye may know that in him I find no fault;'

Pilate went out again and said to the people, “See, I bring Him out to you so you will know I do not find Him guilty.”

5 J esus, therefore, came forth without, bearing the thorny crown and the purple garment; and he saith to them, `Lo, the man!'

Jesus came out. He had on the crown of thorns and a purple coat. Pilate said to the people, “See! This is the Man!” Pilate Tries to Let Jesus Go Free

6 W hen, therefore, the chief priests and the officers did see him, they cried out, saying, `Crucify, crucify;' Pilate saith to them, `Take ye him -- ye, and crucify; for I find no fault in him;'

The religious leaders and the soldiers saw Him. They spoke with loud voices, “Nail Him to a cross! Nail Him to a cross!” Pilate said, “Take Him yourselves and nail Him to a cross. As for me, I do not find Him guilty.”

7 t he Jews answered him, `We have a law, and according to our law he ought to die, for he made himself Son of God.'

The Jews said to Pilate, “We have a Law that says He should die because He has said He is the Son of God.”

8 W hen, therefore, Pilate heard this word, he was the more afraid,

When Pilate heard them say this, he was more afraid.

9 a nd entered again to the praetorium, and saith to Jesus, `Whence art thou?' and Jesus gave him no answer.

He went into the court room again. He said to Jesus, “Where do You come from?” Jesus did not say a word.

10 P ilate, therefore, saith to him, `To me dost thou not speak? hast thou not known that I have authority to crucify thee, and I have authority to release thee?'

Pilate said, “Will You not speak to me? Do You not know that I have the right and the power to nail You to a cross? I have the right and the power to let You go free also.”

11 J esus answered, `Thou wouldst have no authority against me, if it were not having been given thee from above; because of this, he who is delivering me up to thee hath greater sin.'

Jesus said, “You would not have any right or power over Me if it were not given you from above. For this reason the one who handed Me over to you has the worse sin.”

12 F rom this was Pilate seeking to release him, and the Jews were crying out, saying, `If this one thou mayest release, thou art not a friend of Caesar; every one making himself a king, doth speak against Caesar.'

When Pilate heard this, he wanted to let Jesus go free. But the Jews kept saying, “If you let this Man go free, you are not a friend of Caesar! Whoever makes himself as a king is working against Caesar.”

13 P ilate, therefore, having heard this word, brought Jesus without -- and he sat down upon the tribunal -- to a place called, `Pavement,' and in Hebrew, Gabbatha;

When Pilate heard this, he had Jesus brought in front of him. Pilate sat down at the place where men stand in front of him if they are thought to be guilty. The place is called the Stone Floor.

14 a nd it was the preparation of the passover, and as it were the sixth hour, and he saith to the Jews, `Lo, your king!'

It was the day to get ready for the special religious gathering to remember how the Jews left Egypt. It was about noon. Pilate said to the Jews, “See, your King!”

15 a nd they cried out, `Take away, take away, crucify him;' Pilate saith to them, `Your king shall I crucify?' the chief priests answered, `We have no king except Caesar.'

They spoke with a loud voice, “Take Him away! Nail Him to a cross!” Pilate said to them, “Do you want me to nail your King to a cross?” The head religious leaders said, “We have no king but Caesar!”

16 T hen, therefore, he delivered him up to them, that he may be crucified, and they took Jesus and led away,

Then Pilate handed Him over to be nailed to a cross. They took Jesus and led Him away. Jesus on the Cross

17 a nd bearing his cross, he went forth to the place called of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha;

Jesus carried His own cross to a hill called the Place of the Skull.

18 w here they crucified him, and with him two others, on this side, and on that side, and Jesus in the midst.

There they nailed Him to the cross. With Him were two others. There was one on each side of Jesus.

19 A nd Pilate also wrote a title, and put on the cross, and it was written, `Jesus the Nazarene, the king of the Jews;'

Then Pilate put a writing on the cross which said, JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

20 t his title, therefore, read many of the Jews, because the place was nigh to the city where Jesus was crucified, and it was having been written in Hebrew, in Greek, in Roman.

This was read by many of the Jews. The place where Jesus was nailed to the cross was near the city. The writing was written in the Hebrew and the Latin and the Greek languages.

21 T he chief priests of the Jews said, therefore, to Pilate, `Write not -- The king of the Jews, but that one said, I am king of the Jews;'

Then the head religious leaders of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews’! Write, ‘He said, I am the King of the Jews.’”

22 P ilate answered, `What I have written, I have written.'

Pilate said, “What I have written is to stay just as it is!” They Divided His Clothes

23 T he soldiers, therefore, when they did crucify Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to each soldier a part, also the coat, and the coat was seamless, from the top woven throughout,

The soldiers who nailed Jesus to the cross took His clothes and divided them in four parts, each soldier getting one part. But His coat which was not sewed was made in one piece.

24 t hey said, therefore, to one another, `We may not rend it, but cast a lot for it, whose it shall be;' that the Writing might be fulfilled, that is saying, `They divided my garments to themselves, and upon my raiment they did cast a lot;' the soldiers, therefore, indeed, did these things.

They said to each other, “Let us not cut it up. Let us draw names to see whose it should be.” This happened as the Holy Writings said it would happen, “They divided My clothes among them and they drew names for My coat.”

25 A nd there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary of Cleopas, and Mary the Magdalene;

This is what the soldiers did. The Women at the Cross The mother of Jesus and her sister Mary, the wife of Cleophas, were standing near the cross. Mary Magdalene was there also.

26 J esus, therefore, having seen mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he was loving, he saith to his mother, `Woman, lo, thy son;'

Jesus saw His mother and the follower whom He loved standing near. He said to His mother, “Woman, look at your son.”

27 a fterward he saith to the disciple, `Lo, thy mother;' and from that hour the disciple took her to his own.

Then Jesus said to the follower, “Look at your mother.” From that time the follower took her to his own house. The Death of Jesus

28 A fter this, Jesus knowing that all things now have been finished, that the Writing may be fulfilled, saith, `I thirst;'

Jesus knew that everything was now finished. Everything happened as the Holy Writings said it would happen. He said, “I am thirsty.”

29 a vessel, therefore, was placed full of vinegar, and they having filled a sponge with vinegar, and having put around a hyssop stalk, did put to his mouth;

There was a jar full of sour wine near. They filled a sponge and put it on a stick and put it to His mouth.

30 w hen, therefore, Jesus received the vinegar, he said, `It hath been finished;' and having bowed the head, gave up the spirit.

Jesus took the sour wine and said, “It is finished.” He put His head down and gave up His spirit and died. His Bones Were Not Broken

31 T he Jews, therefore, that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath, since it was the preparation, (for that sabbath day was a great one,) asked of Pilate that their legs may be broken, and they taken away.

This was the day before the special religious gathering to remember how the Jews left Egypt. The next day was the Day of Rest and the great day of the religious gathering. The Jews went to Pilate and asked to have the legs of the men broken. They wanted their bodies taken away so they would not be hanging on the crosses on the Day of Rest.

32 T he soldiers, therefore, came, and of the first indeed they did break the legs, and of the other who was crucified with him,

Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man and of the other one who had been nailed to crosses beside Jesus.

33 a nd having come to Jesus, when they saw him already having been dead, they did not break his legs;

They came to Jesus. They saw He was already dead so they did not break His legs.

34 b ut one of the soldiers with a spear did pierce his side, and immediately there came forth blood and water;

But one of the soldiers pushed a spear into His side. Blood and water ran out.

35 a nd he who hath seen hath testified, and his testimony is true, and that one hath known that true things he speaketh, that ye also may believe.

The one who saw it is writing this and what he says is true. He knows he is telling the truth so you may believe.

36 F or these things came to pass, that the Writing may be fulfilled, `A bone of him shall not be broken;'

These things happened as the Holy Writings said they would happen, “Not one of His bones will be broken.”

37 a nd again another Writing saith, `They shall look to him whom they did pierce.'

And in another place the Holy Writings say, “They will look at Him Whose side they cut.” The Grave of Jesus

38 A nd after these things did Joseph of Arimathea -- being a disciple of Jesus, but concealed, through the fear of the Jews -- ask of Pilate, that he may take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave leave; he came, therefore, and took away the body of Jesus,

Joseph was from the town of Arimathea. He was a follower of Jesus but was afraid of the Jews. So he worshiped without anyone knowing it. He asked Pilate if he could take away the body of Jesus. Pilate said he could. Then Joseph came and took it away.

39 a nd Nicodemus also came -- who came unto Jesus by night at the first -- bearing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, as it were, a hundred pounds.

Nicodemus came also. The first time he had come to Jesus had been at night. He brought with him a large box of spices.

40 T hey took, therefore, the body of Jesus, and bound it with linen clothes with the spices, according as it was the custom of the Jews to prepare for burial;

Then they took the body of Jesus with the spices and put it in linen cloths. This was the way the Jews made a body ready for the grave.

41 a nd there was in the place where he was crucified a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one was yet laid;

There was a garden near the place where He had been nailed to the cross. In the garden there was a new grave in the side of the hill. No one had ever been laid there.

42 t here, therefore, because of the preparation of the Jews, because the tomb was nigh, they laid Jesus.

This place was near by. Because it was the day the Jews got ready for the special religious gathering, they laid Jesus in it.