22. Pilate asked, “What should I do with Jesus, the one called the Christ?”They all answered, “Kill him on a cross!”
23. Pilate asked, “Why do you want me to kill him? What wrong has he done?”But they shouted louder, “Kill him on a cross!”
24. Pilate saw that he could do nothing about this, and a riot was starting. So he took some water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. Then he said, “I am not guilty of this man’s death. You are the ones who are causing it!”
25. All the people answered, “We will be responsible. We accept for ourselves and for our children any punishment for his death.”
26. Then Pilate freed Barabbas. Pilate told some of the soldiers to beat Jesus with whips. Then he gave Jesus to the soldiers to be killed on a cross.
27. Pilate’s soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s palace. All the soldiers gathered around Jesus.
28. They took off his clothes and put a red robe on him.
29. Then the soldiers used thorny branches to make a crown. They put this crown of thorns on Jesus’ head. They put a stick in his right hand. Then the soldiers bowed before Jesus and made fun of him. They said, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
30. They spit on Jesus. Then they took his stick and hit him on the head many times.
31. After they finished making fun of Jesus, the soldiers took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led Jesus away to be killed on a cross.
32. The soldiers were going out of the city with Jesus. They forced another man to carry the cross to be used for Jesus. This man was Simon, from Cyrene.
33. They all came to the place called Golgotha. (Golgotha means the Place of the Skull.)
34. At Golgotha, the soldiers gave Jesus wine to drink. This wine was mixed with gall. He tasted the wine but refused to drink it.
35. The soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross. They threw lots to decide who would get his clothes.
36. The soldiers sat there and continued watching him.
37. They put a sign above Jesus’ head with the charge against him written on it. The sign read: “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
38. Two robbers were nailed to crosses beside Jesus, one on the right and the other on the left.
39. People walked by and insulted Jesus. They shook their heads,