judgement-hall; and it was early and they themselves. went not into the judgement-hall, lest they should be de29 filed; but that they might eat the passover. Pilate therefore

went out unto them, and said, "What accusation bring 30 ye against this man?" They answered and said unto him,

"If he were not a malefactor, we would not have deli31 vered him up unto thee." Then Pilate said unto them, "Take ye him, and judge him according to your law." The Jews therefore said unto him, "We are not allowed 32 to put any man to death." (So that the words of Jesus were fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death he 33 was to die.) Then Pilate entered again into the judgement-hall, and called Jesus, and said unto him, "Art 34 thou the king of the Jews?" Jesus answered [him], Sayest thou this of thyself; or have others told it thee 35 of me?" Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Thine own na

66

tion, and the chief-priests, have delivered thee up unto 36 me. What hast thou done?" Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom had been of this world, then my servants would have contended, that I might not be delivered up to the Jews: but indeed my 37 kingdom is not hence." Pilate therefore said unto him, "Art thou a king then?" Jesus answered, "Thou sayest truly that I am a king*. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I came into the world, that I might bear witness to the truth. Every one that is of the truth,

38 hearkeneth to my voice." Pilate saith unto him, “What is truth?" And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and saith unto them, "I find no fault in 39 him. But ye have a custom that I should release to you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release to 40 you the King of the Jews?" Then all cried out, †saying, "Not this man, but Barabbas." Now Barabbas was a robber.

*Or, Thou sayest truly; for I am a king. N. m.

† in their turn, N. The word av is omitted in some MSS, of good authority.

CH. XIX. Then Pilate upon this took Jesus, and scourged 2 him. And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns *, and

put it on his head; and they clothed him with a purple 3 garment, and said, "Hail, King of the Jews." And 4 they struck him with the palms of their hands. Then Pilate went out again, and saith unto them, "See, I bring him out to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in 5 him." Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple garment. And Pilate saith unto 6 them, "See, the man." When therefore the chief-priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, saying, "Crucify him, crucify him." Pilate saith unto them, "Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him." 7 The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself at son of God."

8

When Pilate therefore heard these words, he was the 9 more afraid; and went again into the judgement-hall, and saith to Jesus, "Whence art thou?" But Jesus gave 10 him no answer. Pilate saith to him, "Speakest thou

not to me? knowest thou not that I have authority to 11 crucify thee, and have authority to release thee?" Jesus answered, "Thou couldest have no authority against me, unless it had been given thee from above: for this reason¶, he that delivered me up unto thee hath greater sin.” 12 Thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, "If thou release this man, thou art not Cæsar's friend. Whosoever maketh himself a king, speaketh against Cæsar."

13

When Pilate therefore heard these words, he brought Jesus out; and sat down on the judgement-seat, in a place

Most probably of acanthus or bearsfoot; a soft and flexible herb, which grew in abundance in the vicinity of Jerusalem. The design of the Roman soldiers was not so much to torment Jesus, as to insult him, and to deride his pretensions to royalty. Pilate still wished to release him. See ver. 4. Bishop Pearce on Matt. xxvii. 29.

the, N.

#power, N.

See Pearce. Concerning this matter, N.

which is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gab14 batha (Now it was the preparation-day of the passover,

and about the third hour* :) and he saith unto the Jews, 15 "See, your king." But they cried out, "Away, away

with him†, crucify him." Pilate saith unto them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief-priests answered, "We 16 have no king but Cæsar." Then upon this Pilate delivered him up unto them to be crucified.

17 And they took Jesus, and led him away. And he, carrying his cross, went out to a place called The place of 18 skulls; which is called in the Hebrew, Golgotha; where they crucified him, and two others with him, on each 19 side one, and Jesus in the midst. And Pilate wrote a title also, and put it on the cross: and the writing was, 20 JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. And many of the Jews read this title; for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city and it was written in 21 Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin. Upon this the chiefpriests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Write not, 'The King of the Jews;' but that he said, 'I am King of the 22 Jews."" Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have 23 written." Then the soldiers, when they had crucified

Jesus, took his outer garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and his vest also: now the vest was 24 without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore among themselves, "Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be." So that the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, "They divided my garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots." These things therefore the soldiers did.

25

Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother,

* the sixth hour, R. T. “To the authorities for gíra in Griesbach, Birch adds cod. Palatinus 220, Vindebonensis Lambecii 30 in margine a prima manu. The Greek episema, or mark for six, and the gamma, or mark for three, might easily be con founded." N.

+ See Campbell. Destroy him, destroy him. N.
Now his mother stood, N.

and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and 26 Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by whom he loved, he saith to 27 his mother, "Woman, behold, thy son." Then he saith to the disciple, "Behold, thy mother." hour the disciple took her to his own home.

28

And from that

After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now finished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, “I 29 thirst." Now a vessel was set, full of vinegar. And some filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, 30 and raised it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, “It is finished :" and he bowed his head, and expired*.

31 The Jews therefore, because it was the day of preparation, that the bodies might not remain upon the cross on the sabbath (for that sabbath was a great day) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that 32 they might be taken away. Then the soldiers came, and

brake the legs of the first, and of the other that was cru33 cified with Jesus: but when they came to Jesus, and saw 34 that he was dead already, they brake not his legs but

one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and im35 mediately there came out blood and water. And he who saw these things beareth witness; (and his witness is true, and he knoweth that he saith truly ;) that ye also may 36 believe. For these things were done, so that the scripture was fulfilled, "A bone of it shall not be broken." 37 And again another part of scripture saith, "They shall look on him whom they pierced."

38

[Now] after this, Joseph of Arimathea (being a disciple of Jesus, but a concealed one for fear of the Jews,) besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, 39 and took the body of Jesus. And Nicodemus also came

* yielded up his spirit. N. See Wakefield.

(he that at first had come to Jesus by night,) bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about the weight of an 40 hundred pounds. Then they took the body of Jesus, and

wound it in linen bands with the spices, as the manner of 41 the Jews is to embalm. Now in the place where he was

crucified was a garden; and in the garden a new sepul42 chre, in which no man had ever been laid. There they laid Jesus therefore, because of the preparation-day of the Jews; for the sepulchre was near.

CH. xx. BUT on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene cometh to the sepulchre in the morning, when it was yet dark, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. 2 She runneth therefore, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved; and saith unto them, "they have taken away the Lord* out of the sepulchre; and we know not where they have laid him." 3 Peter therefore went out, and that other disciple; and 4 they came to the sepulchre. Now they both ran together : but the other disciple outran Peter, and came first to the 5 sepulchre. And when he had stooped down to look in, 6 he seeth the linen bands lying; but he went not in. Then cometh Simon Peter, following him; and he went into 7 the sepulchre, and seeth the linen bands lying; and the napkin, which had been about Jesus's head, not lying with the linen bands, but wrapped up apart in another 8 place. Then went in that other disciple also, who came 9 first to the sepulchre ; and he saw and believed not†. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that Jesus must rise 10 again from the dead. Then the disciples went again to their own home.

But Mary stood without at the sepulchre, weeping; and, as she wept, she stooped down to look into the se

Or, our Master. N. m.

t." So the Cambridge MS. in the Greek; but not in the Latin translation of it. The following verse assigns a reason for the unbelief of St. John and St. Peter." N. The received text reads, " he saw and believed.”