Acts 23–25

23And Paul, ^aearnestly beholding ^bthe council, said, Men and brethren, I have ^clived ^din all good conscience before God until this day. ²And the high priest ^ddAnanias commanded them that stood by him to ^esmite him on the mouth. ³Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou ^fwhited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten ^gcontrary to the law? ⁴And ^hthey that stood by said, Revilest thou God’s high priest? ⁵Then said Paul, ⁱI wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, ^jThou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people. ⁶But when Paul perceived that the one part were ^kSadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in ^bthe council, Men and brethren, ^lI am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: ^mof the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question. ⁷And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the ^kSadducees: and the multitude was divided. ⁸For the ^kSadducees ⁿsay that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both. ⁹And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees’ part arose, and strove, saying, ^oWe find no evil in this man: but ^pif a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, ^qlet us not fight against God. ¹⁰And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded ^qqthe soldiers to ^rgo down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into ^sthe castle.

¹¹And ^tthe night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for ^uas thou hast ^vtestified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also ^wat Rome. ¹²And when it was day, ^xcertain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves ^||under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. ¹³And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy. ¹⁴And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a ^ygreat curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul. ¹⁵Now therefore ye with ^bthe council signify to the chief captain that he ^zbring him down unto you to morrow, as though ye would inquire something more ^aperfectly concerning him: and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him. ¹⁶And when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their ^blying in wait, he went and entered into ^cthe castle, and told Paul. ¹⁷Then Paul called one of the centurions unto him, and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain: for he hath a certain thing to tell him. ¹⁸So he took him, and brought him to the chief captain, and said, Paul the prisoner called me unto him, and prayed me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say unto thee. ¹⁹Then the chief captain took him by the hand, and went with him aside privately, and asked him, What is that thou hast to tell me? ²⁰And he said, ^dThe Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest bring down Paul to morrow into ^ethe council, ^das though they would inquire somewhat of him more ^aperfectly. ²¹But do not thou yield unto them: for there ^flie in wait for him of them more than forty men, which have bound themselves ^gwith an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now are they ready, looking for a promise from thee. ²²So the chief captain then let the young man depart, and charged him, ^hSee thou tell no man that thou hast shewed these things to me. ²³And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to ⁱCaesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night; ²⁴And provide them beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe unto Felix ^jthe governor. ²⁵And he wrote a letter ^kafter this manner:

²⁶Claudius Lysias unto the ^lmost excellent ^jgovernor Felix ^msendeth greeting. ²⁷ⁿThis man was taken of the Jews, and should have been killed of them: then came I with ^oan army, and rescued him, ^phaving understood that he was a Roman. ²⁸And when I would have known the cause wherefore they ^qaccused him, I ^rbrought him forth into their ^ecouncil: ²⁹Whom I perceived to be ^qaccused ^sof questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge ^tworthy of death or of bonds. ³⁰And ^uwhen it was told me how that the Jews ^vlaid wait for the man, I sent straightway to thee, and ^wgave commandment to his accusers also to say before thee what they had against him. ^xFarewell.

³¹Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul, and brought him by night to Antipatris. ³²On the morrow they left ^ythe horsemen to go with him, and returned to ^cthe castle: ³³Who, when they came to ⁱCaesarea, and delivered the epistle to ^jthe governor, presented Paul also before him. ³⁴And when ^jthe governor had read the letter, he asked of what ^zprovince he was. ^aAnd when he understood that he was of ^aCilicia; ^35bI will hear thee, said he, ^cwhen thine accusers are also come. And he commanded him to be kept in ^dHerod’s ^ejudgment hall.

24^*And after ^afive days ^bAnanias the high priest ^cdescended with the elders, and with a certain orator named Tertullus, who informed ^dthe governor against Paul. ²And when he was called forth, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying,

Seeing that by thee we enjoy great ^equietness, and that very worthy deeds are done unto this nation by thy ^eprovidence, ³We ^faccept it always, and in all places, ^gmost noble Felix, with all thankfulness. ⁴Notwithstanding, that I be not further tedious unto thee, I pray thee that thou wouldest hear us of thy ^hclemency ⁱa few words. ⁵For we have found this man ^ka pestilent fellow, and ^la mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout ^mthe world, and a ringleader of the ^zsect of the Nazarenes: ⁶Who also hath gone about ⁿto profane the temple: whom we took, and would have ^ojudged according to our law. ^7pBut the chief captain Lysias came upon us, and with great violence took him away out of our hands, ^8qCommanding his accusers to come unto thee: by ^rexamining of whom thyself mayest take knowledge of all these things, whereof we accuse him. ⁹And the Jews also assented, saying that these things were so.

¹⁰Then Paul, after that ^dthe governor had beckoned unto him to speak, answered, Forasmuch as I know that thou hast been ^*of many years a judge unto this nation, I do the more cheerfully ^sanswer for myself: ¹¹Because that thou mayest understand, that there are yet but ^ttwelve days since I ^uwent up to Jerusalem ^vfor to worship. ^12wAnd they neither found me in the temple ^xdisputing with any man, neither raising up the people, neither in the synagogues, nor in the city: ¹³Neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me. ¹⁴But this I confess unto thee, that after ^ythe way which they call ^zheresy, so ^aworship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in ^bthe law and in the prophets: ¹⁵And have ^chope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a ^cresurrection of the dead, ^dboth of the just and unjust. ¹⁶And herein do I exercise myself, ^eto have always a conscience ^fvoid of offence toward God, and toward men. ¹⁷Now ^gafter ^hmany years I came ⁱto bring alms to my nation, and offerings. ^18jWhereupon ^kcertain Jews from ^lAsia found me purified in the temple, neither with multitude, nor with tumult. ^19mWho ought to have been here before thee, and object, if they had ought against me. ²⁰Or else let these same here say, if they have found any evil doing in me, ⁿwhile I stood before the council, ²¹Except it be for this one voice, that I cried standing among them, ^oTouching the resurrection of the dead I am called in question by you this day.

²²And when Felix heard these things, having more ^pperfect knowledge of ^qthat way, he deferred them, and said, ^rWhen Lysias the chief captain shall come down, I will ^rrknow the uttermost of your matter. ²³And he commanded a centurion to keep Paul, and ^sto let him have liberty, and that he should forbid none of his ^tacquaintance to minister or come unto him. ²⁴And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. ²⁵And as he reasoned of righteousness, ^utemperance, and ^vjudgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; ^wwhen I have a convenient season, I will call for thee. ²⁶He hoped also that ^xmoney should have been given him of Paul, that he might loose him: wherefore he sent for him ^ythe oftener, and communed with him. ^27*But after two years Porcius Festus came into Felix’ room: and Felix, ^zwilling to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound.

25Now when Festus was come into the ^aprovince, ^bafter three days he ^cascended from ^dCaesarea to Jerusalem. ²Then ^ethe high priest and ^fthe chief of the Jews ^eginformed him against Paul, and besought him, ³And desired favour against him, that he would send for him to Jerusalem, ^hlaying wait in the way to kill him. ⁴But Festus answered, that Paul should be kept at ^dCaesarea, and that he himself would depart shortly thither. ⁵Let them therefore, said he, which among you are ⁱable, go down with me, and accuse this man, if there be any wickedness in him. ⁶And when he had tarried among them ^||more than ten days, he ^kwent down unto ^dCaesarea; and the next day sitting on ^lthe judgment seat commanded Paul to be brought. ⁷And when he was come, the Jews which ^kcame down from Jerusalem stood round about, and laid many and grievous complaints against Paul, ^mwhich they could not ⁿprove. ⁸While he ^oanswered for himself, ^pNeither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended any thing at all. ⁹But Festus, ^qwilling to do the Jews a pleasure, answered Paul, and said, ^rWilt thou ^cgo up to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these things before me? ¹⁰Then said Paul, I stand at Caesar’s ^ljudgment seat, where I ought to…