018:029 Accordingly Pilate came out to them and inquired, "What accusation
have you to bring against this man?"
018:030 "If the man were not a criminal," they replied, "we would
not have handed him over to you."
018:031 "Take him yourselves," said Pilate, "and judge him by your Law."
"We have no power," replied the Jews, "to put any man to death."
018:032 They said this that the words might be fulfilled in which Jesus
predicted the kind of death He was to die.
018:033 Re-entering the Praetorium, therefore, Pilate called Jesus
and asked Him, "Are *you* the King of the Jews?"
018:034 "Do you say this of yourself, or have others told it you
about me?" replied Jesus.
018:035 "Am I a Jew?" exclaimed Pilate; "it is your own nation
and the High Priests who have handed you over to me.
What have you done?"
018:036 "My kingdom," replied Jesus, "does not belong to this world.
If my kingdom did belong to this world, my subjects would have
resolutely fought to save me from being delivered up to the Jews.
But, as a matter of fact, my kingdom has not this origin."
018:037 "So then *you* are a king!" rejoined Pilate. "Yes," said Jesus,
"you say truly that I am a king. For this purpose I
was born, and for this purpose I have come into the world--
to give testimony for the truth. Every one who is a friend
of the truth listens to my voice."
018:038 "What is truth?" said Pilate. But no sooner had he spoken
the words than he went out again to the Jews and told them,
"I find no crime in him.
018:039 But you have a custom that I should release one prisoner
to you at the Passover. So shall I release to you the King
of the Jews?"