16
The soldiers took Jesus into the courtyard of the governor’s headquarters (called the Praetorium) and called out the entire regiment.
17
They dressed him in a purple robe, and they wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head.
18
Then they saluted him and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!”
19
And they struck him on the head with a reed stick, spit on him, and dropped to their knees in mock worship.
20
When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.
21
A passerby named Simon, who was from Cyrene, was coming in from the countryside just then, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. (Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus.)
22
And they brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”).
23
They offered him wine drugged with myrrh, but he refused it.
24
Then the soldiers nailed him to the cross. They divided his clothes and threw dice to decide who would get each piece.
25
It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him.
26
A sign announced the charge against him. It read, “The King of the Jews.”