21. “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they answered.
22. “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!”
23. “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”
24. When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!”
25. All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!”
26. Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
27. Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him.
28. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,
29. and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said.
30. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.
31. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.
32. As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.
33. They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”).
34. There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it.
35. When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
36. And sitting down, they kept watch over him there.
37. Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.
38. Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.