15:1 Early in the morning, after forming a plan, the chief priests with the elders and the experts in the law ¹  and the whole Sanhedrin tied Jesus up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. ²  15:2 So ³  Pilate asked him, “Are you the king ⁴  of the Jews?” He replied, ⁵  “You say so.” ⁶  15:3 Then ⁷  the chief priests began to accuse him repeatedly. 15:4 So Pilate asked him again, ⁸  “Have you nothing to say? See how many charges they are bringing against you!” 15:5 But Jesus made no further reply, so that Pilate was amazed.

15:6 During the feast it was customary to release one prisoner to the people, ⁹  whomever they requested. 15:7 A man named Barabbas was imprisoned with rebels who had committed murder during an insurrection. 15:8 Then the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to release a prisoner for them, as was his custom. ¹⁰  15:9 So Pilate asked them, ¹¹  “Do you want me to release the king of the Jews for you?” 15:10 (For he knew that the chief priests had handed him over because of envy.) ¹²  15:11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release ¹³  Barabbas instead. 15:12 So Pilate spoke to them again, ¹⁴  “Then what do you want me to do ¹⁵  with the one you call king of the Jews?” 15:13 They shouted back, “Crucify ¹⁶  him!” 15:14 Pilate asked them, “Why? What has he done wrong?” But they shouted more insistently, “Crucify him!” 15:15 Because he wanted to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them. Then, ¹⁷  after he had Jesus flogged, ¹⁸  he handed him over ¹⁹  to be crucified.

15:16 So ²⁰  the soldiers led him into the palace (that is, the governor’s residence) ²¹  and called together the whole cohort. ²²  15:17 They put a purple cloak ²³  on him and after braiding ²⁴  a crown of thorns, ²⁵  they put it on him. 15:18 They began to salute him: “Hail, king of the Jews!” ²⁶  15:19 Again and again ²⁷  they struck him on the head with a staff ²⁸  and spit on him. Then they knelt down and paid homage to him. 15:20 When they had finished mocking ²⁹  him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes back on him. Then ³⁰  they led him away to crucify him. ³¹