New Testament in a Year

15 As soon as it was morning, the head cohanim held a council meeting with the elders, the Torah-teachers and the whole Sanhedrin. Then they put Yeshua in chains, led him away and handed him over to Pilate. ² Pilate put this question to him: “Are you the King of the Jews?” He answered him, “The words are yours.” ³ The head cohanim too made accusations against him, ⁴ and Pilate again inquired of him, “Aren’t you going to answer? Look how many charges they are making against you!” ⁵ But Yeshua made no further response, to Pilate’s amazement.

⁶ Now during a festival, Pilate used to set free one prisoner, whomever the crowd requested. ⁷ There was in prison among the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection a man called Bar-Abba. ⁸ When the crowd came up and began asking Pilate to do for them what he usually did, ⁹ he asked them, “Do you want me to set free for you the ‘King of the Jews’?” ¹⁰ For it was evident to him that it was out of jealousy that the head cohanim had handed him over. ¹¹ But the head cohanim stirred up the crowd to have him release Bar-Abba for them instead. ¹² Pilate again said to them, “Then what should I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” ¹³ They shouted back, “Put him to death on the stake!” ¹⁴ He asked, “Why? What crime has he committed?” But they only shouted louder, “Put him to death on the stake!” ¹⁵ So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the mob, set Bar-Abba free for them; but he had Yeshua whipped and then handed him over to be executed on the stake.

¹⁶ The soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the headquarters building) and called together the whole battalion. ¹⁷ They dressed him in purple and wove thorn branches into a crown, which they put on him. ¹⁸ Then they began to salute him, “Hail to the King of the Jews!” ¹⁹ They hit him on the head with a stick, spat on him and kneeled in mock worship of him. ²⁰ When they had finished ridiculing him, they took off the purple robe, put his own clothes back on him and led him away to be nailed to the execution-stake.

²¹ A certain man from Cyrene, Shim‘on, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country; and they forced him to carry the stake. ²² They brought Yeshua to a place called Gulgolta (which means “place of a skull”), ²³ and they gave him wine spiced with myrrh, but he didn’t take it. ²⁴ Then they nailed him to the execution-stake; and they divided his clothes among themselves, throwing dice to determine what each man should get. ²⁵ It was nine in the morning when they nailed him to the stake.