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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Jesus or Barabbas

At(A) the festival(B) it was Pilate’s(C) custom to release for the people a prisoner 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. So 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 Then Pilate said to them, “Why? What has He done wrong?”

But they shouted, “Crucify Him!” all the more.

15 Then, willing to gratify the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. And after having Jesus flogged,[a] he handed Him over to be crucified.

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 15:15 Roman flogging was done with a whip made of leather strips embedded with pieces of bone or metal that brutally tore the flesh.