The Life of Jesus

There was at that time a notorious prisoner being held, named Yeshua Bar-Abba.

So when a crowd had gathered, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to set free for you? Bar-Abba? or Yeshua, called `the Messiah'?"

For he understood that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over.

While he was sitting in court, his wife sent him a message, "Leave that innocent man alone. Today in a dream I suffered terribly because of him."

But the head cohanim persuaded the crowd to ask for Bar-Abba's release and to have Yeshua executed on the stake.

"Which of the two do you want me to set free for you?" asked the governor. "Bar-Abba!" they answered.

Pilate said to them, "Then what should I do with Yeshua, called `the Messiah'?" They all said, "Put him to death on the stake! Put him to death on the stake!"

When he asked, "Why? What crime has he committed?" they shouted all the louder, "Put him to death on the stake!"

When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water, washed his hands in front of the crowd, and said, "My hands are clean of this man's blood; it's your responsibility."

All the people answered, "His blood is on us and on our children!"

Then he released to them Bar-Abba; but Yeshua, after having him whipped, he handed over to be executed on a stake.

The governor's soldiers took Yeshua into the headquarters building, and the whole battalion gathered around him.

They stripped off his clothes and put on him a scarlet robe,

wove thorn-branches into a crown and put it on his head, and put a stick in his right hand. Then they kneeled down in front of him and made fun of him: "Hail to the King of the Jews!"

They spit on him and used the stick to beat him about the head.

When they had finished ridiculing him, they took off the robe, put his own clothes back on him and led him away to be nailed to the execution-stake.

As they were leaving, they met a man from Cyrene named Shim`on; and they forced him to carry Yeshua's execution-stake.

When they arrived at a place called Gulgolta (which means "place of a skull"),

they gave him wine mixed with bitter gall to drink; but after tasting it, he would not drink it.

After they had nailed him to the stake, they divided his clothes among them by throwing dice.

Then they sat down to keep watch over him there.

Above his head they placed the written notice stating the charge against him, THIS IS YESHUA THE KING OF THE JEWS

Then two robbers were placed on execution-stakes with him, one on the right and one on the left.

People passing by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads

and saying, "So you can destroy the Temple, can you, and rebuild it in three days? Save yourself, if you are the Son of God, and come down from the stake!"