John 19 - Easy To Read Version

¹ Then Pilate ordered that Jesus be taken away and be whipped.

² The soldiers used some thorny branches to make a crown. They put this crown of thorns on Jesus’ head. Then the soldiers put a purple robe around Jesus.

³ The soldiers came to Jesus many times and said, “Hello, O king of the Jews!” They hit Jesus in the face.

⁴ Again Pilate came out and said to the Jewish leaders, “Look! I am bringing Jesus out to you. I want you to know that I find nothing I can charge against him.”

⁵ Then Jesus came out. He was wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is the man!”

⁶ When the leading priests and the Jewish guards saw Jesus they yelled, “Kill him on a cross! Kill him on a cross!”

⁷ The Jewish leaders answered, “We have a law that says he must die, because he said that he is the Son of God.”

⁸ When Pilate heard this, he was more afraid.

⁹ Pilate went back inside the palace. He asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus did not answer him.

¹⁰ Pilate said, “You refuse to speak to me? Remember, I have the power to make you free. I also have the power to kill you on a cross.”

¹¹ Jesus answered, “The only power you have over me is the power given to you by God. So the man who gave me to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

¹² After this, Pilate tried to let Jesus go free. But the Jewish leaders yelled, “Any person who makes himself a king is against Caesar. {\cf2\super [240]} So if you let this man (Jesus) go free, that means you are not Caesar’s friend.”

¹³ Pilate heard what these Jews said. So he brought Jesus out to the place called “The Stone Pavement.” (In the Jewish language {\cf2\super [241]} the name is “Gabbatha.”) Pilate sat down on the judge’s seat there.

¹⁴ It was now almost noon on Preparation day {\cf2\super [242]} of Passover {\cf2\super [243]} week. Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is your king!”

¹⁵ They yelled, “Take him away! Take him away! Kill him on a cross!”

¹⁶ So Pilate gave Jesus to them to be killed on a cross.

¹⁷ Jesus carried his own cross. He went out to a place called “The Place of the Skull.” (In the Jewish language {\cf2\super [245]} the name of this place is “Golgotha.”)

¹⁸ At Golgotha they nailed Jesus to the cross. They also put two other men on crosses. They put the men on each side of Jesus with Jesus in the middle.

¹⁹ Pilate wrote a sign and put it on the cross. The sign said, “JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

²⁰ The sign was written in the Jewish language, in Latin, and in Greek. Many of the Jews read the sign, because this place where they killed Jesus on the cross was near the city.

²¹ The leading Jewish priests said to Pilate, “Don’t write, ‘The King of the Jews.’ But write, ‘This man said, I am the King of the Jews.’”

²² Pilate answered, “I will not change what I have written.”

²³ After the soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross, they took his clothes. They divided his clothes into four parts. Each soldier got one part. They also took his tunic. {\cf2\super [246]} It was all one piece of cloth woven from top to bottom.

²⁴ So the soldiers said to each other, “We should not tear this into parts \{to divide it\}. We should choose lots {\cf2\super [247]} to see who will get it.” This happened so that it would be like the Scripture {\cf2\super [248]} said:

²⁵ Jesus’ mother stood near his cross. His mother’s sister was also standing there with Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala.

²⁶ Jesus saw his mother. He also saw the follower that he loved very much standing there. He said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son.”

²⁷ Then Jesus said to the follower, “Here is your mother.” So after that, this follower took Jesus’ mother to live in his home.

²⁸ Later, Jesus knew that everything had been done. To make the Scriptures {\cf2\super [250]} happen he said, “I am thirsty.” {\cf2\super [251]}

²⁹ There was a jar full of vinegar there. So the soldiers soaked a sponge in it. They put the sponge on a branch of a hyssop plant. Then they lifted it to Jesus’ mouth.

³⁰ Jesus tasted the vinegar. Then he said, “It is finished.” Jesus bowed his head and died.

³¹ This day was Preparation day. {\cf2\super [252]} The next day was a special Sabbath day. {\cf2\super [253]} The Jewish leaders did not want the bodies to stay on the cross on the Sabbath day. So they asked Pilate to order that the legs of the men be broken \{to make them die sooner\}. And they asked that the bodies of the men be taken down from the crosses.

³² So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man on the cross beside Jesus. Then they broke the legs of the other man on the cross beside Jesus.

³³ But when the soldiers came close to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead. So they did not break his legs.

³⁴ But one of the soldiers stuck his spear into Jesus’ side. Blood and water came out.

³⁵ (The one who saw this happen has told about it. He told about it so that you also can believe. The things he says are true. He knows that he tells the truth.)

³⁶ These things happened to give full meaning to the Scriptures {\cf2\super [254]} that said: “None of his bones will be broken” {\cf2\super [255]}

³⁷ and, “People will look at the one they stuck \{with the spear\}.” {\cf2\super [256]}

³⁸ Later, a man named Joseph from Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. (Joseph was a follower of Jesus. But he did not tell people, because he was afraid of the Jewish leaders.) Pilate said that Joseph could take the body of Jesus. So Joseph came and took Jesus’ body away.

³⁹ Nicodemus went with Joseph. Nicodemus was the man who had come to Jesus before and talked to him at night. Nicodemus brought about 100 pounds {\cf2\super [257]} of spices. This was a mixture of myrrh and aloes. {\cf2\super [258]}

⁴⁰ They yelled back, “No, not him! Let Barabbas go free!” (Barabbas was a rebel.)

⁴¹ In the place where Jesus was killed on the cross, there was a garden. In the garden there was a new tomb. {\cf2\super [259]} No person had ever been buried there before.

⁴² The men put Jesus in that tomb because it was near, and the Jews were preparing to start their Sabbath day. {\cf2\super [260]}