Acts 23

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.