Acts 23
23
1 Then Paul, gazing intently at the council, said, "Noble brothers, I have spoken with all good conscience before God, even to this present day."
2 And the high priest, Ananias, instructed those who were standing nearby to strike him on the mouth.
3 Then Paul said to him: "God shall strike you, you whitewashed wall! For would you sit and judge me according to the law, when, contrary to the law, you order me to be struck?"
4 And those who were standing nearby said, "Are you speaking evil about the high priest of God?"
5 And Paul said: "I did not know, brothers, that he is the high priest. For it is written: 'You shall not speak evil of the leader of your people.' "
6 Now Paul, knowing that one group were Sadducees and the other were Pharisees, exclaimed in the council: "Noble brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees! It is over the hope and resurrection of the dead that I am being judged."
7 And when he had said this, a dissension occurred between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. And the multitude was divided.
8 For the Sadducees claim that there is no resurrection, and neither angels, nor spirits. But the Pharisees confess both of these.
9 Then there occurred a great clamor. And some of the Pharisees, rising up, were fighting, saying: "We find nothing evil in this man. What if a spirit has spoken to him, or an angel?"
10 And since a great dissension had been made, the tribune, fearing that Paul might be torn apart by them, ordered the soldiers to descend and to seize him from their midst, and to bring him into the fortress.
11 Then, on the following night, the Lord stood near him and said: "Be constant. For just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so also it is necessary for you to testify at Rome."
12 And when daylight arrived, some of the Jews gathered together and bound themselves with an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul.
13 Now there were more than forty men who had taken this oath together.
14 And they approached the leaders of the priests, and the elders, and they said: "We have sworn ourselves by an oath, so that we will taste nothing, until we have killed Paul.
15 Therefore, with the council, you should now give notice to the tribune, so that he may bring him to you, as if you intended to determine something else about him. But before he approaches, we have made preparations to put him to death."
16 But when Paul's sister's son had heard of this, about their treachery, he went and entered into the fortress, and he reported it to Paul.
17 And Paul, calling to him one of the centurions, said: "Lead this young man to the tribune. For he has something to tell him."
18 And indeed, he took him and led him to the tribune, and he said, "Paul, the prisoner, asked me to lead this young man to you, since he has something to say to you."
19 Then the tribune, taking him by the hand, withdrew with him by themselves, and he asked him: "What is it that you have to tell me?"
20 Then he said: "The Jews have met to ask you to bring Paul tomorrow to the council, as if they intended to question him about something else.
21 But truly, you should not believe them, for they would ambush him with more than forty men from among them, who have bound themselves by an oath neither to eat, nor to drink, until they have put him to death. And they are now prepared, hoping for an affirmation from you."
22 And then the tribune dismissed the young man, instructing him not to tell anyone that he had made known these things to him.
23 Then, having called two centurions, he said to them: "Prepare two hundred soldiers, so that they may go as far as Caesarea, and seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen, for the third hour of the night.
24 And prepare beasts of burden to carry Paul, so that they may lead him safely to Felix, the governor."
25 For he was afraid, lest perhaps the Jews might seize him and kill him, and that afterwards he would be falsely accused, as if he had accepted a bribe. And so he wrote a letter containing the following:
26 "Claudius Lysias, to the most excellent governor, Felix: greetings.
27 This man, having been apprehended by the Jews and being about to be put to death by them, I rescued, overwhelming them with soldiers, since I realized that he is a Roman.
28 And wanting to know the reason that they objected to him, I brought him into their council.
29 And I discovered him to be accused about questions of their law. Yet truly, nothing deserving of death or imprisonment was within the accusation.
30 And when I had been given news of ambushes, which they had prepared against him, I sent him to you, notifying his accusers also, so that they may plead their accusations before you. Farewell."
31 Therefore the soldiers, taking Paul according to their orders, brought him by night to Antipatris.
32 And the next day, sending the horsemen to go with him, they returned to the fortress.
33 And when they had arrived at Caesarea and had delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul before him.
34 And when he had read it and had asked which province he was from, realizing that he was from Cilicia, he said:
35 "I will hear you, when your accusers have arrived." And he ordered him to be kept in the praetorium of Herod.
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Acts 23: CPDV
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Acts of the Apostles 23
23
1Paul stared at the council and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life with an altogether clear conscience right up to this very day.” 2The high priest Ananias ordered those standing beside Paul to strike him in the mouth. 3Then Paul said to him, “God is about to strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit and judge me according to the Law, yet disobey the Law by ordering that I be struck.”
4Those standing near him asked, “You dare to insult God’s high priest?”
5Paul replied, “Brothers, I wasn’t aware that he was the high priest. It is written, “You will not speak evil about a ruler of your people”.”#23.5 Exod 22:28
6Knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, Paul exclaimed in the council, “Brothers, I’m a Pharisee and a descendant of Pharisees. I am on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead!”
7These words aroused a dispute between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8This is because Sadducees say that there’s no resurrection, angel, or spirit, but Pharisees affirm them all. 9Council members were shouting loudly. Some Pharisees who were legal experts stood up and insisted forcefully, “We find nothing wrong with this man! What if a spirit or angel has spoken to him?” 10The dispute became so heated that the commander feared they might tear Paul to pieces. He ordered soldiers to go down and remove him by force from their midst. Then they took him back to the military headquarters.
11The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Be encouraged! Just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so too you must testify in Rome.”
A murder plot discovered
12The next morning some Jewish leaders formulated a plot and solemnly promised that they wouldn’t eat or drink until they had killed Paul. 13More than forty people were involved in the conspiracy. 14They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have solemnly promised to eat nothing until we have killed Paul. 15You and the council must explain to the commander that you need Paul brought down to you. Pretend that you want to examine his case more closely. We’re prepared to kill him before he arrives.”
16Paul’s sister had a son who heard about the ambush and he came to the military headquarters and reported it to Paul. 17Paul called for one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commander because he has something to report to him.”
18He took him to the commander and said, “The prisoner Paul asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to tell you.”
19The commander took him by the hand and withdrew to a place where they could speak privately. He asked, “What do you have to report to me?”
20He replied, “The Jewish leaders have conspired to ask that you bring Paul down to the council tomorrow. They will pretend that they want to investigate his case more closely. 21Don’t fall for it! More than forty of them are waiting to ambush him. They have solemnly promised not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They are ready now, awaiting your consent.”
22The commander dismissed the young man, ordering him, “Don’t tell anyone that you brought this to my attention.”
23The commander called two centurions and said, “Prepare two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen to leave for Caesarea at nine o’clock tonight. 24Have horses ready for Paul to ride, so they may take him safely to Governor Felix.” 25He wrote the following letter:
26Claudius Lysias, to the most honorable Governor Felix: Greetings. 27This man was seized by the Jews and was almost killed by them. I was nearby with a unit of soldiers, and I rescued him when I discovered that he was a Roman citizen. 28I wanted to find out why they were accusing him, so I brought him to their council. 29I discovered that they were accusing him about questions related to their Law. I found no charge deserving of death or imprisonment. 30When I was informed of a conspiracy against his life, I sent him to you at once and ordered his accusers to bring their case against him before you.
31Following their orders, the soldiers took Paul during the night and brought him to Antipatris. 32The following day they let the horsemen continue on with Paul while they returned to the military headquarters in Jerusalem. 33The horsemen entered Caesarea, delivered the letter to the governor, and brought Paul before him. 34After he read the letter, he asked Paul about his home province. When he learned that he was from Cilicia, 35the governor said, “I will hear your case when your accusers arrive.” Then he ordered that Paul be kept in custody in Herod’s palace.
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