18 And then Caiaphas rent his clothes and said, Have you not heard enough? Did you not hear his vile blasphemous words? What further need have we of witnesses? What shall we do with him? 19 The people said, Put him to death. And then the mob rushed up and spit into his face, and struck him with their hands. 20 And then they bound a cloth about his eyes and smote him in the face and said, You are a prophet; tell us who it was who smote you in the face. 21 And Jesus answered not and like a lamb before his shearer he, the man from Galilee, resisted not. 22 Caiaphas said, We cannot put a man to death until the Roman ruler shall confirm the sentence of this court; 23 So take this criminal away and Pilate will endorse what we have done. 24 And then was Jesus dragged along the way up to the palace of the Roman governor. CHAPTER 167. _Jesus before Pilate. Is pronounced not guilty. Jesus before Herod and is tortured and returned to Pilate, who again declares him innocent. The Jews demand his death. Pilate’s wife urges her husband to have nothing to do with the punishment of Jesus. Pilate weeps._ Into the palace of the Roman governor the Jews would enter not lest they become defiled and be unworthy to attend the feast; but they led Jesus to the palace court, and Pilate met them there. 2 And Pilate said, Why this commotion in the early day? What is your prayer? 3 The Jews replied, We bring before you one, an evil and seditious man. 4 He has been tried before the highest council of the Jews and has been proven traitor to our laws, our state and to the government of Rome. 5 We pray that you will sentence him to death upon the cross. 6 And Pilate said, Why do you bring him unto me? Go to, and judge him for yourselves. 7 You have a law, and by the sanction of the Roman law, you have a right to judge and right to execute. 8 The Jews replied, We have no right to execute a man upon the cross, and since this man is traitor to Tiberius, our counsellors believe that he should meet the most humiliating death--the death upon the cross. 9 But Pilate said, No man can be found guilty of a crime by Roman law until the testimony all is in, and the accused has been permitted to defend himself; 10 So I will take your bill of charges, with the evidence you have, and judge by Roman law. 11 The Jews had made a copy of the accusations in the language of the Roman court, and they had added to the bill: 12 We charge that Jesus is an enemy of Rome; that he demands that men shall pay no tribute to Tiberius. 13 And Pilate took the bill; his guards led Jesus up the steps into the palace hall. 14 And Jesus stood before the Roman governor, and Pilate read to him the charges of the Jews, and said, 15 What is your answer to this bill? These charges, are they true or false? 16 And Jesus said, Why should I plead before an earthly court? The charges have been verified by perjured men; what need I say?