Judas Hangs Himself

27 Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed.^{(A) 2} So they bound him, led him away and handed him over^(B) to Pilate the governor.^(C)

¹⁵ Now it was the governor’s custom at the festival to release a prisoner^(A) chosen by the crowd. ¹⁶ At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose name was Jesus^[a] Barabbas. ¹⁷ So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?”^{(B) 18} For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him.

¹⁹ While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat,^(C) his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent^(D) man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream^(E) because of him.”

²⁰ But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.^(F)

²¹ “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.

“Barabbas,” they answered.

²² “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”^(G) Pilate asked.

They all answered, “Crucify him!”

²³ “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

²⁴ When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar^(H) was starting, he took water and washed his hands^(I) in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,”^(J) he said. “It is your responsibility!”^(K)

²⁵ All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!”^(L)

²⁶ Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged,^(M) and handed him over to be crucified.

Jesus Before Pilate^(A)

²⁸ Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor.^(B) By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace,^(C) because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.^{(D) 29} So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”

³⁰ “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”

³¹ Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”

“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. ³² This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.^(E)

³³ Pilate then went back inside the palace,^(F) summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”^(G)

³⁴ “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”

³⁵ “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”

³⁶ Jesus said, “My kingdom^(H) is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders.^(I) But now my kingdom is from another place.”^(J)

³⁷ “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth.^(K) Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”^(L)

³⁸ “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.^(M)

⁸ When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him.^(A) From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform a sign of some sort. ⁹ He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer.^{(B) 10} The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. ¹¹ Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe,^(C) they sent him back to Pilate. ¹² That day Herod and Pilate became friends^(D)—before this they had been enemies.