Readings for Lent and Easter

Jesus Before Pilate

15 ^(A)And early in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole ^(B)Sanhedrin, immediately held council; and binding Jesus, led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate. ^2 (C)And Pilate questioned Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him and *said, “You yourself say it.” ³ And the chief priests began to accuse Him of many things. ⁴ Then Pilate was questioning Him again, saying, “You answer nothing? See how many accusations they bring against You!” ⁵ But Jesus ^(D)made no further answer; so Pilate marveled.

^6 (E)Now at the feast he used to release for them any one prisoner whom they requested. ⁷ And the man named Barabbas had been imprisoned with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the insurrection. ⁸ And the crowd went up and began asking him to do as he had been accustomed to do for them. ⁹ And Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” ¹⁰ For he was aware that the chief priests had delivered Him over because of envy. ¹¹ But the chief priests stirred up the crowd ^(F)to ask him to release Barabbas for them instead. ¹² And answering again, Pilate was saying to them, “Then what shall I do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?” ¹³ And they shouted again, “Crucify Him!” ¹⁴ But Pilate was saying to them, “Why? What evil did He do?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify Him!”