Pilate Hands Jesus Over to Be Crucified

²⁴ So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood;^[a] see to it yourselves.”^(A)

⁴ He said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent^[a] blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.”^(A)

⁶ All the elders of that town nearest the body shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the wadi, ⁷ and they shall declare, ‘Our hands did not shed this blood, nor were we witnesses to it. ⁸ Absolve, O Lord, your people Israel, whom you redeemed; do not let the guilt of innocent blood remain in the midst of your people Israel.’ Then they will be absolved of bloodguilt.^(A)

¹⁸ For Christ also suffered^[a] for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you^[b] to God. He was put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,^(A)

²¹ For our sake God made the one who knew no sin to be sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.^(A)

⁵ But they said, “Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people.”^(A)

¹⁴ But you rejected the holy and righteous^[a] one and asked to have a murderer given to you,^(A)

⁴ Pilate went out again and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.”^(A)

⁵⁴ Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”^[a](A)