Atos 23

¹ Then Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men [and] brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.

² And the prince of the priests, Ananias, commanded those that stood by him to smite him on the mouth.

³ Then Paul said unto him, God shall smite thee, [thou] whitewashed wall, for dost thou sit to judge me after the law and command me to be smitten contrary to the law?

⁴ And those that stood by said, Dost thou revile God's high priest?

⁵ Then Paul said, I did not know, brethren, that he was the prince of the priests, for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.

⁶ But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men [and] brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee, and of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.

⁷ And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the multitude was divided.

⁸ For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess both.

⁹ And there arose a great cry; and the scribes [that were] of the Pharisees' part arose and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man, but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God.

¹⁰ And when there arose a great dissension, the tribunal, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and to take him by force from among them and to bring [him] into the fortress.

¹¹ And the night following the Lord stood by him and said, Be of good cheer, Paul, for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou also bear witness at Rome.

¹² And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together and they vowed under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul.

¹³ And they were more than forty who had made this conspiracy.

¹⁴ And they came to the princes of the priests and the elders and said, We have made a vow of anathema that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul.

¹⁵ Now therefore ye with the council signify to the tribunal that he bring him down unto you tomorrow, as though ye would enquire something more certain concerning him, and we, before he arrives, are ready to kill him.

¹⁶ And when Paul's sister's son heard of their ambush, he went and entered into the fortress and told Paul.

¹⁷ Then Paul called one of the centurions unto [him] and said, Bring this young man unto the tribunal, for he has a certain thing to tell him.

¹⁸ So he took him and brought [him] to the tribunal and said, Paul the prisoner called me unto [him] and asked me to bring this young man unto thee, who has something to say unto thee.

¹⁹ Then the tribunal took him by the hand and went [with him] aside privately and asked [him], What is that thou hast to tell me?

²⁰ And he said, The Jews have agreed to ask thee that thou would bring down Paul tomorrow into the council, as though they would enquire something more certain of him.

²¹ But do not believe them, for more than forty of them lie in wait [to ambush] him, who have vowed under a curse that they will neither eat nor drink until they have killed him, and now they are ready, looking for a promise from thee.

²² So the tribunal [then] let the young man depart and charged [him, See thou] tell no one that thou hast showed these things to me.

²³ And he called unto [him] two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea and seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen, at the third hour of the night

²⁴ and provide [them] beasts that they may set Paul on and bring [him] safe unto Felix the governor.

²⁵ And he wrote a letter after this manner:

²⁶ Claudius Lysias unto the most excellent governor Felix [sends] greeting.

²⁷ This man was taken of the Jews and should have been killed by them; then I came with an army and rescued him, having understood that he was a Roman.

²⁸ And when I desired to know the cause of why they accused him, I brought him forth into their council,

²⁹ whom I found to be accused of questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds.

³⁰ And when it was told me how the Jews lay [in] wait to [ambush] the man, I sent straightway to thee and gave commandment to his accusers also to say before thee what [they had] against him. Farewell.

³¹ Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul and brought [him] by night to Antipatris.

³² On the next day they left the horsemen to go with him and returned to the fortress,

³³ who, when they came to Caesarea and delivered the epistle to the governor, presented Paul also before him.

³⁴ And when the governor had read [the letter], he asked of what province he was. And when he understood that [he was] of Cilicia,

³⁵ I will hear thee, said he, when thine accusers are also come. And he commanded him to be kept in Herod's judgement hall.: