16 The soldiers led Jesus inside the courtyard of the fortress and called together the rest of the troops.
17 They put a purple robe on him, and on his head they placed a crown that they had made out of thorn branches.
18 They made fun of Jesus and shouted, “Hey, you king of the Jews!”
19 Then they beat him on the head with a stick. They spat on him and knelt down and pretended to worship him.
20 When the soldiers had finished making fun of Jesus, they took off the purple robe. They put his own clothes back on him and led him off to be nailed to a cross.
21 Simon from Cyrene happened to be coming in from a farm, and they forced him to carry Jesus' cross. Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus.
22 The soldiers took Jesus to Golgotha, which means “Place of a Skull”.