15 Each year, at the time for the Passover Festival, the Roman ruler would let one person go free out of the prison. The people could choose which person should go free. 16 At that time, there was a man called Barabbas in prison. Everyone knew about the bad things that he had done. 17 When the crowd came together at Pilate's house, Pilate asked them, ‘Who do you want me to let go free? Should Barabbas go free? Or should it be Jesus, who is called the Messiah?’ 18 Pilate knew why the Jewish leaders had brought Jesus to him. They were jealous because people liked Jesus so much.
19 Pilate was sitting on his special seat as a judge. Then his wife sent a message to him. She said, ‘Do not do anything to that man. He has done nothing wrong. Last night I had a dream about him. It gave me a lot of trouble in my mind.’
20 But the leaders of the priests and the important Jews talked to the crowds of people. They said, ‘You must ask Pilate to let Barabbas go free. Then he must tell the soldiers to kill Jesus.’
21 Pilate asked the people again, ‘Which of these two men should go free?’
The people answered, ‘Barabbas.’
22 Then Pilate asked the people, ‘So what should I do with Jesus, who is called the Messiah?’
The people all shouted, ‘Take him and kill him on a cross!’
23 So Pilate said, ‘Why should I kill him? What bad things has he done?’
But the people shouted even louder, ‘Kill him on a cross!’
24 Then Pilate knew that he could not do anything to make them quiet. He thought that the people would start to fight his soldiers. So he took a bowl of water and he washed his hands in front of the people. He said, ‘It is not because of me that this man will die. You are the people who have caused it to happen.’
25 All the people answered Pilate, ‘Yes, God should punish us and our children, if we have done the wrong thing.’
26 Then Pilate let Barabbas go free, as the crowd wanted. But he said to his soldiers, ‘Beat Jesus many times with a whip. Then take him and fix him to a cross to die.’
