Old/New Testament

15 As soon as it was morning, the chief priests, leaders, and the scribes talked together. They tied Jesus and took him before Pilate to be judged.

² Pilate asked him, `Are you the King of the Jews?' Jesus answered, `Yes, I am.'

³ The chief priests brought many complaints against Jesus.

⁴ Then Pilate asked him, `Have you nothing to say? These people are bringing many complaints against you!'

⁵ But Jesus said nothing. Pilate was very much surprised about this.

⁶ At the feast Pilate used to let one prisoner free. He let the people choose the man they wanted to go free.

⁷ In the prison was a man named Barabbas. He had led some people who had been fighting in the city. He had killed a man.

⁸ The people started shouting. They asked Pilate to let one prisoner free, as he used to do.

⁹ Then Pilate asked, `Do you want me to let the King of the Jews go free?'

¹⁰ He knew that the chief priests did not like Jesus. He knew that was why they brought Jesus to him.

¹¹ But the chief priests talked to the people. They told them to ask Pilate to let Barabbas go free.

¹² Pilate asked them, `Then what shall I do with the man whom you call King of the Jews?'

¹³ They shouted back, `Nail him to a cross!'

¹⁴ Pilate then asked, `Why, what wrong thing has he done?' But they shouted even more, `Nail him to a cross!'

¹⁵ Pilate wanted to please the people, so he let Barabbas go free. He told the soldiers to beat Jesus and nail him to a cross.

¹⁶ The soldiers took Jesus to a room. They called all the soldiers together.

¹⁷ They put a red gown on Jesus. They made a big ring of thorns like a crown and put it on his head.

¹⁸ Then they began to speak to him as if he were a king. They shouted, `Greetings, King of the Jews!'

¹⁹ They hit him on the head with a stick and spat on him. They kneeled down before him as if to give him great respect.

²⁰ When they had made fun of him, they took off the red gown and put his own clothes on him again. Then they took Jesus out of the city to nail him to a cross.

²¹ man was coming in from the farms. His name was Simon. He was born in the country of Cyrene. Alexander and Rufus were his sons. The soldiers caught Simon and made him carry Jesus' cross.

²² They took Jesus to Golgotha. That means the place of a head bone.

²³ They wanted Jesus to drink wine mixed with something bitter. But Jesus would not drink it.

²⁴ Then they nailed him to a cross. They gambled to see how they should divide Jesus' clothes.

²⁵ It was nine o'clock in the morning when they nailed him on the cross.