Barabbas Released

Mark 15

⁶At the festival Pilate 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 during the rebellion.

⁸The 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 of the Jews for you?”

¹⁰For he knew it was because of envy 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.

¹⁶The soldiers led him away into the palace (that is, the governor’s residence ) and called the whole company together.

¹⁷They dressed him in a purple robe, twisted together a crown of thorns, and put it on him.

¹⁸And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

¹⁹They were hitting him on the head with a stick and spitting on him. Getting down on their knees, they were paying him homage.

²⁰After they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple robe and put his clothes on him. They led him out to crucify him.