Jesus or Barabbas

At(A) the festival(B) Pilate(C) used to release for the people a prisoner whom they requested. There was one named Barabbas, who was in prison with rebels who had committed murder(D) during the rebellion.(E) The crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do for them as was his custom. Pilate answered them, “Do you want me to release the king(F) of the Jews(G) for you?” 10 For he knew it was because of envy(H) that the chief priests had handed him over. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd so that he would release Barabbas to them instead. 12 Pilate asked them again, “Then what do you want me to do with the one you call the king of the Jews?”

13 Again they shouted, “Crucify him!”

14 Pilate said to them, “Why? What has he done wrong?”

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

15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them; and after having Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified.

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Pilate Releases Barabbas

Now at each feast he customarily released[a] for them one prisoner whom they requested. And the one named Barabbas[b] was imprisoned with the rebels who had committed murder in the rebellion. And the crowd came up and[c] began to ask him to do as he customarily did[d] for them. So Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the king of the Jews?” 10 (For he realized that the chief priests had handed him over because of envy.) 11 But the chief priests incited the crowd so that he would release for them Barabbas[e] instead. 12 So Pilate answered and said to them again, “Then what do you want me to do with the one whom you call the king of the Jews?” 13 And they shouted again, “Crucify him!” 14 And Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted even louder, “Crucify him!”

15 So Pilate, because he[f] wanted to satisfy[g] the crowd, released for them Barabbas. And after[h] he had Jesus flogged, he handed him[i] over so that he could be crucified.

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 15:6 The imperfect tense has been translated as customary here (“customarily released”)
  2. Mark 15:7 “Barabbas” means “son of the father” in Aramaic
  3. Mark 15:8 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“came up”) has been translated as a finite verb
  4. Mark 15:8 The imperfect tense has been translated as customary here (“customarily did”)
  5. Mark 15:11 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb
  6. Mark 15:15 Here “because” is supplied as a component of the participle (“wanted”) which is understood as causal
  7. Mark 15:15 Literally “to make sufficient”
  8. Mark 15:15 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“flogged”) which is understood as temporal
  9. Mark 15:15 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation

Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.

“Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?”(A) asked Pilate, 10 knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas(B) instead.

12 “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them.

13 “Crucify him!” they shouted.

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

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

15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged,(C) and handed him over to be crucified.

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