Acts 23:1–15

¹And Paul, fixing his eyes on the council, said, Brethren, I have walked in all good conscience with God unto this day. ²But the high priest Ananias ordered those standing by him to smite his mouth. ³Then Paul said to him, God will smite thee, whited wall. And thou, dost thou sit judging me according to the law, and breaking the law commandest me to be smitten? ⁴And those that stood by said, Dost thou rail against the high priest of God? ⁵And Paul said, I was not conscious, brethren, that he was high priest; for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evilly of the ruler of thy people.

⁶But Paul, knowing that the one part of them were of the Sadducees and the other of the Pharisees, cried out in the council, Brethren, I am a Pharisee, son of Pharisees: I am judged concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead. ⁷And when he had spoken this, there was a tumult of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the multitude was divided. ⁸For Sadducees say there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit; but Pharisees confess both of them. ⁹And there was a great clamour, and the scribes of the Pharisees’ part rising up contended, saying, We find nothing evil in this man; and if a spirit has spoken to him, or an angel… ¹⁰And a great tumult having arisen, the chiliarch, fearing lest Paul should have been torn in pieces by them, commanded the troop to come down and take him by force from the midst of them, and to bring him into the fortress. ¹¹But the following night the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good courage; for as thou hast testified the things concerning me at Jerusalem, so thou must bear witness at Rome also.

¹²And when it was day, the Jews, having banded together, put themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they should kill Paul. ¹³And they were more than forty who had joined together in this oath; ¹⁴and they went to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have cursed ourselves with a curse to taste nothing until we kill Paul. ¹⁵Now therefore do ye with the council make a representation to the chiliarch so that he may bring him down to you, as about to determine more precisely what concerns him, and we, before he draws near, are ready to kill him.