1 Pilate finds no fault in Jesus.
16 The Jews demand his crucifixion.
THEN Pilate left Jesus in the hall,
and went out to the Jews, and said,
I find not any one fault in Jesus.
2 The Jews say unto him, But
he said, I can destroy the temple
of God, and in three days build it
up again.
3 Pilate saith to them, What
sort of temple is that of which he
speaketh?
4 The Jews say unto him,
That which Solomon was forty-six
years in building, he said he
would destroy, and in three days
build up.
5 Pilate said to them again, I
am innocent from the blood of that
man! do ye look to it.
6 The Jews say to him, His
blood be upon us and our children.
Then Pilate calling together the
elders and scribes, priests and
Levites, saith to them privately,
Do not act thus; I have found
nothing in your charge (against
him) concerning his curing sick
persons, and breaking the sabbath,
worthy of death.
7 The priests and Levites replied
to Pilate, By the life of Caesar,
if any one be a blasphemer, he is
worthy of death; but this man hath
blasphemed against the Lord.
8 Then the governor again
commanded the Jews to depart out
of the hall; and calling Jesus,
said to him, What shall I do with
thee?
9 Jesus answered him, Do according
as it is written.
10 Pilate said to him, How is it
written?
11 Jesus saith to him, Moses
and the prophets have prophesied
concerning my suffering and
resurrection.
12 The Jews hearing this, were
provoked, and said to Pilate,
Why wilt thou any longer hear the
blasphemy of that man?
13 Pilate saith to them, If these
words seem to you blasphemy, do
ye take him, bring him to your
court, and try him according to
your law.
14 The Jews reply to Pilate,
Our law saith, he shall be obliged
to receive nine and thirty stripes,
but if after this manner he shall
blaspheme against the Lord, he
shall be stoned.
15 Pilate saith unto them, If
that speech of his was blasphemy,
do ye try him according to your
law.
16 The Jews say to Pilate, Our
law command us not to put any one
to death. We desire that he may be
crucified, because he deserves the
death of the cross.
17 Pilate saith to them, It is not
fit he should be crucified: let him
be only whipped and sent away.
18 But when the governor looked
upon the people that were present
and the Jews, he saw many of the
Jews in tears, and said to the
chief priests of the Jews, All
the people do not desire his death.
19 The elders of the Jews answered
to Pilate, We and all the people
came hither for this very purpose,
that he should die.
20 Pilate saith to them, Why should
he die?
21 They said to him, Because
he declares himself to be the Son
of God and a King.
CHAP. V.
1 Nicodemus speaks in defence of Christ,
and relates his miracles.
12 Another Jew,
26 with Veronica,
34 Centurio, and others,
testify of other miracles.
BUT Nicodemus, a certain Jew,
stood before the governor,
and said, I entreat thee,
O righteous judge, that thou
wouldst favour me with the
liberty of speaking a few words.
2 Pilate said to him, Speak on.
3 Nicodemus said, I spake to
the elders of the Jews, and the
scribes, and priests and Levites,
and all the multitude of the Jews,
in their assembly; What is it ye
would do with this man?
4 He is a man who hath wrought
many useful and glorious miracles,
such as no man on earth ever
wrought before, nor will ever
work. Let him go, and do him
no harm; if he cometh from God,
his miracles, (his miraculous
cures) will continue; but if from
men, they will come to nought.
5 Thus Moses, when he was
sent by God into Egypt, wrought
the miracles which God commanded
him, before Pharaoh king of Egypt;
and though the magicians of that
country, Jannes and Jambres,
wrought by their magic the same
miracles which Moses did, yet they
could not work all which he did;
6 And the miracles which the
magicians wrought, were not of
God, as ye know, O Scribes and
Pharisees; but they who wrought
them perished, and all who
believed them.
7 And now let this man go;
because the very miracles for
which ye accuse him, are from
God; and he is not worthy of
death.
8 The Jews then said to Nicodemus,
Art thou become his disciple,
and making speeches in his favour?
9 Nicodemus said to them, Is
the governor become his disciple
also, and does he make speeches
for him? Did not Caesar place
him in that high post?
10 When the Jews heard this
they trembled, and gnashed their
teeth at Nicodemus, and said to
him, Mayest thou receive his
doctrine for truth, and have
thy lot with Christ!
11 Nicodemus replied, Amen;
I will receive his doctrine, and
my lot with him, as ye have said.
12 Then another certain Jew
rose up, and desired leave of the
governor to hear him a few words.
13 And the governor said,
Speak, what thou hast a mind.
14 And he said, I lay for thirty-
eight years by the sheep-pool at
Jerusalem, labouring under a great
infirmity, and waiting for a cure
which should be wrought by the
coming of an angel, who at a
certain time troubled the water: and
whosoever first after the troubling
of the water stepped in, was made
whole of whatsoever disease he had.
15 And when Jesus saw me languishing
there, he said to me, Wilt thou be
made whole? And I answered, Sir,
I have no man, when the water is
troubled, to put me into the pool.
16 And he said unto me, Rise,
take up thy bed and walk. And
I was immediately made whole,
and took up my bed and walked.
17 The Jews then said to Pilate,
Our Lord Governor, pray ask
him what day it was on which he
was cured of his infirmity.
18 The infirm person replied,
It was on the sabbath.
19 The Jews said to Pilate, Did
we not say that he wrought his
cures on the sabbath, and cast out
devils by the prince of devils?
20 Then another certain Jew
came forth, and said, I was blind,
could hear sounds, but could not
see any one; and as Jesus was
going along, I heard the multitude
passing by, and I asked what
was there?
21 They told me that Jesus was
passing by: then I cried out,
saying, Jesus, Son of David, have
mercy on me. And he stood still,
and commanded that I should be
brought to him, and said to me,
What wilt thou?
22 I said, Lord, that I may
receive my sight.
23 He said to me, Receive thy
sight: and presently I saw, and
followed him, rejoicing and giving
thanks,
24 Another Jew also came forth,
and said, I was a leper, and he
cured me by his word only, saying,
I will, be thou clean; and presently
I was cleansed from my leprosy.
25 And another Jew came
forth, and said I was crooked,
and he made me straight by his
word.
26 And a certain woman
named Veronica, said, I was
afflicted with an issue of blood
twelve years, and I touched the
hem of his garment, and presently
the issue of blood stopped.
27 The Jews then said, We
have a law, that a woman shall
not be allowed as an evidence.
28 And, after other things,
another Jew said, I saw Jesus
invited to a wedding with his
disciples, and there was a want
of wine in Cana of Galilee;
29 And when the wine was all
drank, he commanded the servants
that they should fill six pots which
were there with water, and they
filled them up to the brim, and he
blessed them and turned the water
into wine, and all the people drank,
being surprised at this miracle,
30 And another Jew stood forth,
and said, I saw Jesus teaching
in the synagogue at Capernaum;
and there was in the synagogue
a certain man who had a devil;
and he cried out, saying,
let me alone; what have we to
do with thee, Jesus of Nazareth?
Art thou come to destroy us?
I know that thou art the Holy One
of God.
31 And Jesus rebuked him, saying,
Hold thy peace, unclean spirit,
and come out of the man; and
presently he came out of him, and
did not at all hurt him.
32 The following things were
also said by a Pharisee: I saw
that a great company came to
Jesus from Galilee and Judea, and
the sea-cost, and many countries
about Jordan; and many infirm
persons came to him, and he healed
them all.
33 And I heard the unclean
spirits crying out, and saying,
Thou art the Son of God. And
Jesus strictly charged them, that
they should not make him known.
34 After this another person,
whose name was Centurio, said,
I saw Jesus in Capernaum, and I
entreated him, saying, Lord, my
servant lieth at home sick of the
palsy.
35 And Jesus said to me, I
will come and cure him.
36 But I said, Lord, I am not
worthy that thou shouldst come
under my roof; but only speak
the word, and my servant shall be
healed.
37 And Jesus said unto me, Go
thy way; and as thou hast believed
so be it done unto thee. And my
servant was healed from that same
hour.
38 Then a certain nobleman
said, I had a son in Capernaum,
who lay at the point of death; and
when I heard that Jesus was come
into Galilee, I went and besought
him that he would come down to
my house, and heal my son, for he
was at the point of death.
39 He said to me, Go thy way,
thy son liveth.
40 And my son was cured from
that hour.
41 Besides these, also many
others of the Jews, both men and
Women, cried out and said, He is
truly the Son of God, who cures
all diseases only by his word, and
to whom the devils are altogether
subject.
42 Some of them farther said,
This power can proceed from none
but God.
43 Pilate said to the Jews, Why
are not the devils subject to your
doctors?
44 Some of them said, The
power of subjecting devils cannot
proceed but from God.
45 But others said to Pilate,
That he had raised Lazarus from
the dead, after he had been four
days in his grave.
46 The governor hearing this,
trembling, said to the multitude of
the Jews, What will it profit you
to shed innocent blood?