Acts 22:22–23:10

²²And they were hearing him unto this word, and they lifted up their voice, saying, ‘Away from the earth with such an one; for it is not fit for him to live.’ ²³And they crying out and casting up their garments, and throwing dust into the air, ²⁴the chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, saying, ‘By scourges let him be examined;’ that he might know for what cause they were crying so against him. ²⁵And as he was stretching him with the thongs, Paul said unto the centurion who was standing by, ‘A man, a Roman, uncondemned—is it lawful to you to scourge;’ ²⁶and the centurion having heard, having gone near to the chief captain, told, saying, ‘Take heed what thou art about to do, for this man is a Roman;’ ²⁷and the chief captain having come near, said to him, ‘Tell me, art thou a Roman?’ and he said, ‘Yes;’ ²⁸and the chief captain answered, ‘I, with a great sum, did obtain this citizenship;’ but Paul said, ‘But I have been even born so.’ ²⁹Immediately, therefore, they departed from him who are about to examine him, and the chief captain also was afraid, having learned that he is a Roman, and because he had bound him, ³⁰and on the morrow, intending to know the certainty wherefore he is accused by the Jews, he did loose him from the bonds, and commanded the chief priests and all their sanhedrim to come, and having brought down Paul, he set him before them.

Chapter 23

¹And Paul having earnestly beheld the sanhedrim, said, ‘Men, brethren, I in all good conscience have lived to God unto this day;’ ²and the chief priest Ananias commanded those standing by him to smite him on the mouth, ³then Paul said unto him, ‘God is about to smite thee, thou whitewashed wall, and thou—thou dost sit judging me according to the law, and, violating law, dost order me to be smitten!’ ⁴And those who stood by said, ‘The chief priest of God dost thou revile?’ ⁵and Paul said, ‘I did not know, brethren, that he is chief priest: for it hath been written, Of the ruler of thy people thou shalt not speak evil;’

⁶And Paul having known that the one part are Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, cried out in the sanhedrim, ‘Men, brethren, I am a Pharisee—son of a Pharisee—concerning hope and rising again of dead men I am judged.’ ⁷And he having spoken this, there came a dissension of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees, and the crowd was divided, ⁸for Sadducees, indeed, say there is no rising again, nor messenger, nor spirit, but Pharisees confess both. ⁹And there came a great cry, and the scribes of the Pharisees’ part having arisen, were striving, saying, ‘No evil do we find in this man; and if a spirit spake to him, or a messenger, we may not fight against God;’ ¹⁰and a great dissension having come, the chief captain having been afraid lest Paul may be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiery, having gone down, to take him by force out of the midst of them, and to bring him to the castle.