Early
in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole Council,
immediately held a consultation; and binding Jesus, they led Him away and delivered
Him to Pilate. Pilate questioned Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He
answered him, “It is as you say.” The chief priests began to accuse
Him harshly. Then Pilate questioned Him again, saying, “Do You
not answer? See how many charges they bring against You!”
But Jesus made no further answer; so Pilate was amazed.
Now
at the feast he used to release for them any one prisoner whom
they requested. The man named Barabbas had been imprisoned
with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the insurrection. The
crowd went up and began asking him to do
as he had been accustomed to do for them. Pilate answered them, saying, “Do
you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” For he was aware that
the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy. But the chief priests
stirred up the crowd to ask him to release Barabbas for them instead. Answering again, Pilate said to
them, “Then what shall I do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?” They
shouted back, “Crucify Him!” But Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has He
done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify Him!” Wishing to satisfy the crowd,
Pilate released Barabbas for them, and after having
Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.
The
soldiers took Him away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium),
and they called together the whole Roman cohort. They dressed Him up
in purple, and after twisting a crown of thorns, they put it on Him; and they
began to acclaim Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They kept beating His head with
a reed, and spitting on Him, and kneeling and bowing before Him. After they
had mocked Him, they took the purple robe off Him and put His own garments
on Him. And they led Him out to crucify Him.
Scripture taken from the NEW A
(c) Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977,
1995 by
The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
(www.Lockman.org)