¹⁵Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. ¹⁶At that time they had a notorious prisoner called Jesus^o Barabbas. ¹⁷So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus^p Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?”^q ¹⁸For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. ¹⁹While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about him.”^* ²⁰Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed.^* ²¹The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” ²²Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”^r All of them said, “Let him be crucified!” ²³Then he asked, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”

Pilate Hands Jesus Over to Be Crucified

²⁴So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood;^s see to it yourselves.”^* ²⁵Then the people as a whole answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”^* ²⁶So he released Barabbas for them, and after flogging Jesus he handed him over to be crucified.^*

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

²⁷Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters,^t and they gathered the whole cohort around him.^* ²⁸They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, ²⁹and after twisting some thorns into a crown they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”^* ³⁰They spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head.^* ³¹After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.^*

Read in Logos

Matthew 27:29: and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

Footnotes

oOther ancient authorities lack Jesus
pOther ancient authorities lack Jesus
qOr the Christ
rOr the Christ
sOther ancient authorities read this righteous blood or this righteous man’s blood
tGk the praetorium

Matthew 27:15–31

English

Arabic

Czech

French

German

Greek

Hungarian

Italian

Korean

Latin

Portuguese

Russian

Simplified Chinese

Spanish

Traditional Chinese

Barabbas or Jesus?

Pilate Hands Jesus Over to Be Crucified

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

Footnotes

Cross references