New Testament in a Year

The Jerusalem Jews Plot to Kill Paul

23 Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, “Men and brethren, ^(A)I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.” ² And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him ^(B)to strike him on the mouth. ³ Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and ^(C)do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?”

⁴ And those who stood by said, “Do you revile God’s high priest?”

⁵ Then Paul said, ^(D)“I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, ^(E)‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’ ”

⁶ But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Men and brethren, ^(F)I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; ^(G)concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!”

⁷ And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the assembly was divided. ^8 (H)For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection—and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both. ⁹ Then there arose a loud outcry. And the scribes of the Pharisees’ party arose and protested, saying, ^(I)“We find no evil in this man; ^[a]but ^(J)if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, ^(K)let us not fight against God.”

¹⁰ Now when there arose a great dissension, the commander, fearing lest Paul might be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the barracks.

The Plot Against Paul

¹¹ But ^(L)the following night the Lord stood by him and said, ^[b]“Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in ^(M)Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at ^(N)Rome.”

¹² And when it was day, ^(O)some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had ^(P)killed Paul. ¹³ Now there were more than forty who had formed this conspiracy. ¹⁴ They came to the chief priests and ^(Q)elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great oath that we will eat nothing until we have killed Paul. ¹⁵ Now you, therefore, together with the council, suggest to the commander that he be brought down to you ^[c]tomorrow, as though you were going to make further inquiries concerning him; but we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”