Mark 15:1–15

JESUS FACES PILATE

15As^b soon as it was morning, having held a meeting with the elders,^c scribes,^d and the whole Sanhedrin, the chief priests^e tied Jesus up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.^f

²So Pilate asked him, “Are you the king^g of the Jews?”^h

He answered him, “You say so.”

³And the chief priests accused him of many things. ⁴Pilateⁱ questioned him again, “Aren’t you going to answer? Look how many things they are accusing you of!” ⁵But Jesus still did not answer, and so Pilate was amazed.

JESUS OR BARABBAS

⁶At^j the festival^k Pilate^l used to release for the people a prisoner whom they requested. ⁷There was one named Barabbas, who was in prison with rebels who had committed murder^m during the rebellion.^{n 8}The crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do for them as was his custom. ⁹Pilate answered them, “Do you want me to release the king^o of the Jews^p for you?” ¹⁰For he knew it was because of envy^q that the chief priests had handed him over. ¹¹But the chief priests stirred up the crowd so that he would release Barabbas to them instead. ¹²Pilate asked them again, “Then what do you want me to do with the one you call the king of the Jews?”

¹³Again they shouted, “Crucify him!”

¹⁴Pilate said to them, “Why? What has he done wrong?”

But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him!”

¹⁵Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them; and after having Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified.