²⁴ Pilate gave his verdict that their request should be granted. ²⁵ He released the man they asked for, the one who’d been thrown into prison because of rebellion and murder, and gave Jesus over to their demands.

²⁶ As they led him away, they grabbed a man from Cyrene called Simon, who was coming in to the city from the countryside, and they forced him to carry the crossbeam behind Jesus.