Luke 23:1–24

Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate.^{u 2}And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation.^v He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar^w and claims to be Messiah, a king.”^x

³So Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

⁴Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”^y

⁵But they insisted, “He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee^z and has come all the way here.”

⁶On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean.^{a 7}When he learned that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod,^b who was also in Jerusalem at that time.

⁸When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him.^c From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform a sign of some sort. ⁹He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer.^{d 10}The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. ¹¹Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe,^e they sent him back to Pilate. ¹²That day Herod and Pilate became friends^f—before this they had been enemies.

¹³Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, ¹⁴and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him.^{g 15}Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. ¹⁶Therefore, I will punish him^h and then release him.” ^[17]a

¹⁸But the whole crowd shouted, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!”^{i 19}(Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)

²⁰Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. ²¹But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

²²For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.”^j

²³But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. ²⁴So Pilate decided to grant their demand.