Matthew 27:11-26

Living Bible

¹¹ Now Jesus was standing before Pilate, the Roman governor. “Are you the Jews’ Messiah?”^[a] the governor asked him.

“Yes,” Jesus replied.

¹² But when the chief priests and other Jewish leaders made their many accusations against him, Jesus remained silent.

¹³ “Don’t you hear what they are saying?” Pilate demanded.

¹⁴ But Jesus said nothing, much to the governor’s surprise.

¹⁵ Now the governor’s custom was to release one Jewish prisoner each year during the Passover celebration—anyone they wanted. ¹⁶ This year there was a particularly notorious criminal in jail named Barabbas, ¹⁷ and as the crowds gathered before Pilate’s house that morning he asked them, “Which shall I release to you—Barabbas, or Jesus your Messiah?”^{[b] 18} For he knew very well that the Jewish leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy because of his popularity with the people.

¹⁹ Just then, as he was presiding over the court, Pilate’s wife sent him this message: “Leave that good man alone; for I had a terrible nightmare concerning him last night.”

²⁰ Meanwhile the chief priests and Jewish officials persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas’s release, and for Jesus’ death. ²¹ So when the governor asked again,^[c] “Which of these two shall I release to you?” the crowd shouted back their reply: “Barabbas!”

²² “Then what shall I do with Jesus, your Messiah?” Pilate asked.

And they shouted, “Crucify him!”

²³ “Why?” Pilate demanded. “What has he done wrong?” But they kept shouting, “Crucify! Crucify!”

²⁴ When Pilate saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere and that a riot was developing, he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this good man. The responsibility is yours!”

²⁵ And the mob yelled back, “His blood be on us and on our children!”

²⁶ Then Pilate released Barabbas to them. And after he had whipped Jesus, he gave him to the Roman soldiers to be taken away and crucified.