使徒行传 23
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
23 保罗注视着公会的人，说：“弟兄们，我在上帝面前行事为人一向问心无愧。” 2 大祭司亚拿尼亚一听，就命那些站在旁边的人打保罗的嘴。 3 保罗对亚拿尼亚说：“你这伪君子[a]，上帝要击打你！你坐在那里不是应当依法审问我吗？你怎么违法叫人打我？”
4 站在旁边的人说：“你竟敢辱骂上帝的大祭司？” 5 保罗说：“弟兄们，我不知道他是大祭司。我知道圣经上说，‘不可咒诅百姓的官长。’”
6 保罗发现他们一些是法利赛人，一些是撒都该人，就在公会中高声说：“弟兄们，我是法利赛人，也是法利赛人的子孙。我因为盼望死人复活，才在这里受审！” 7 这句话立刻引起法利赛人和撒都该人之间的争论，公会分成了两派。 8 因为撒都该人认为没有复活，也没有天使和灵，而法利赛人认为这些都有。
9 众人大声喧嚷，有几个法利赛派的律法教师站起来争辩说：“我们找不出这人有什么错处，也许真的有灵或天使跟他说过话。” 10 争论越来越激烈，千夫长怕保罗会被他们扯碎了，就派人把他从人群中救出来，带回军营。
11 当天晚上，主站在保罗身旁对他说：“要勇敢！正如你在耶路撒冷为我做了见证，你也必须在罗马为我做见证。”
阴谋杀害保罗
12 天亮后，犹太人设下阴谋，并起誓说：“不杀保罗，誓不吃喝！” 13 有四十多人参与了这个阴谋。 14 他们去见祭司长和长老，说：“我们已经发了誓，不杀保罗不吃饭。 15 请你们和公会出面通知千夫长，请他把保罗押到你们这里来，就说要进一步审讯他。我们准备在他到达之前杀掉他！”
16 保罗的外甥听到这一阴谋，就去军营通知保罗。 17 保罗请来一位百夫长，说：“请赶快带这青年去见千夫长，他有要事禀告！” 18 百夫长领那青年去见千夫长，说：“那囚犯保罗叫我带这青年来，说有要事禀告。”
19 千夫长就拉着那青年的手走到一旁，私下问他：“你有什么事要告诉我？” 20 他说：“那些犹太人约好了，要请求你明天带保罗到公会受审，假装要详细审问他的事。 21 你不要答应他们，因为他们有四十多个人会埋伏在半路，并且还起誓说，‘不杀保罗就不吃不喝’。他们现在已经准备就绪，就等你答应了。”
22 千夫长听后，就叫他回去，并叮嘱道：“你向我禀告的事，不要告诉别人。”
保罗被押往凯撒利亚
23 于是，千夫长召来两名百夫长，吩咐道：“预备二百名步兵、七十名骑兵、二百名长枪手，今晚九时出发去凯撒利亚。 24 要给保罗预备坐骑，护送他安全抵达腓利斯总督那里。”
25 千夫长写了公文给腓利斯总督，内容如下： 26 “克劳狄·吕西亚敬问腓利斯总督大人安。 27 这人被犹太人抓住，险些被他们杀害。我得知他是罗马公民，便带兵去救了他。 28 为了弄清楚他们控告他的缘由，我押他到犹太人的公会受审， 29 发现他被控告与他们的律法有关，他并没有犯该被监禁或处死的罪。 30 我得知有人准备暗杀他，便立即护送他到你那里，并通知他的控告者去你那里告他。”
31 军兵奉命行事，连夜护送保罗到安提帕底。 32 第二天，由骑兵继续护送，其余军兵返回军营。 33 他们到了凯撒利亚，将公文呈交总督，把保罗交给他。 34 总督看过公文，便问保罗是哪省的人，得知保罗是基利迦人，就说： 35 “等告你的人来了，我会审理你的案子。”于是下令把保罗关在希律的王府里。
Footnotes
- 23:3 “伪君子”希腊文是“粉饰的墙”。
Acts 23
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 23
1 Paul looked intently at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brothers, I have conducted myself with a perfectly clear conscience before God to this day.”(A) 2 The high priest Ananias[a] ordered his attendants to strike his mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you,[b] you whitewashed wall. Do you indeed sit in judgment upon me according to the law and yet in violation of the law order me to be struck?”(B) 4 The attendants said, “Would you revile God’s high priest?” 5 Paul answered, “Brothers, I did not realize he was the high priest. For it is written,(C) ‘You shall not curse a ruler of your people.’”[c]
6 Paul was aware that some were Sadducees and some Pharisees, so he called out before the Sanhedrin, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees; [I] am on trial for hope in the resurrection of the dead.”(D) 7 When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the group became divided. 8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection or angels or spirits, while the Pharisees acknowledge all three.(E) 9 A great uproar occurred, and some scribes belonging to the Pharisee party stood up and sharply argued, “We find nothing wrong with this man. Suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” 10 The dispute was so serious that the commander, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, ordered his troops to go down and rescue him from their midst and take him into the compound. 11 [d](F)The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage. For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome.”
Transfer to Caesarea. 12 When day came, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. 13 There were more than forty who formed this conspiracy. 14 They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have bound ourselves by a solemn oath to taste nothing until we have killed Paul. 15 You, together with the Sanhedrin, must now make an official request to the commander to have him bring him down to you, as though you meant to investigate his case more thoroughly. We on our part are prepared to kill him before he arrives.” 16 The son of Paul’s sister, however, heard about the ambush; so he went and entered the compound and reported it to Paul. 17 Paul then called one of the centurions[e] and requested, “Take this young man to the commander; he has something to report to him.” 18 So he took him and brought him to the commander and explained, “The prisoner Paul called me and asked that I bring this young man to you; he has something to say to you.” 19 The commander took him by the hand, drew him aside, and asked him privately, “What is it you have to report to me?” 20 He replied, “The Jews have conspired to ask you to bring Paul down to the Sanhedrin tomorrow, as though they meant to inquire about him more thoroughly, 21 but do not believe them. More than forty of them are lying in wait for him; they have bound themselves by oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They are now ready and only wait for your consent.” 22 As the commander dismissed the young man he directed him, “Tell no one that you gave me this information.”
23 Then he summoned two of the centurions and said, “Get two hundred soldiers ready to go to Caesarea by nine o’clock tonight,[f] along with seventy horsemen and two hundred auxiliaries. 24 Provide mounts for Paul to ride and give him safe conduct to Felix the governor.” 25 Then he wrote a letter with this content: 26 [g]“Claudius Lysias to his excellency the governor Felix, greetings.[h] 27 This man, seized by the Jews and about to be murdered by them, I rescued after intervening with my troops when I learned that he was a Roman citizen.(G) 28 I wanted to learn the reason for their accusations against him so I brought him down to their Sanhedrin. 29 I discovered that he was accused in matters of controversial questions of their law and not of any charge deserving death or imprisonment.(H) 30 Since it was brought to my attention that there will be a plot against the man, I am sending him to you at once, and have also notified his accusers to state [their case] against him before you.”
31 So the soldiers, according to their orders, took Paul and escorted him by night to Antipatris. 32 The next day they returned to the compound, leaving the horsemen to complete the journey with him. 33 When they arrived in Caesarea they delivered the letter to the governor and presented Paul to him. 34 When he had read it and asked to what province he belonged, and learned that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I shall hear your case when your accusers arrive.” Then he ordered that he be held in custody in Herod’s praetorium.
Footnotes
- 23:2 The high priest Ananias: Ananias, son of Nedebaeus, was high priest from A.D. 47 to 59.
- 23:3 God will strike you: Josephus reports that Ananias was later assassinated in A.D. 66 at the beginning of the First Revolt.
- 23:5 Luke portrays Paul as a model of one who is obedient to the Mosaic law. Paul, because of his reverence for the law (Ex 22:27), withdraws his accusation of hypocrisy, “whitewashed wall” (cf. Mt 23:27), when he is told Ananias is the high priest.
- 23:11 The occurrence of the vision of Christ consoling Paul and assuring him that he will be his witness in Rome prepares the reader for the final section of Acts: the journey of Paul and the word he preaches to Rome under the protection of the Romans.
- 23:17 Centurions: a centurion was a military officer in charge of one hundred soldiers.
- 23:23 By nine o’clock tonight: literally, “by the third hour of the night.” The night hours began at 6 p.m. Two hundred auxiliaries: the meaning of the Greek is not certain. It seems to refer to spearmen from the local police force and not from the cohort of soldiers, which would have numbered only 500–1000 men.
- 23:26–30 The letter emphasizes the fact that Paul is a Roman citizen and asserts the lack of evidence that he is guilty of a crime against the empire. The tone of the letter implies that the commander became initially involved in Paul’s case because of his Roman citizenship, but this is not an exact description of what really happened (see Acts 21:31–33; 22:25–29).
- 23:26 M. Antonius Felix was procurator of Judea from A.D. 52 to 60. His procuratorship was marked by cruelty toward and oppression of his Jewish subjects.
Acts 23
King James Version
23 And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.
2 And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth.
3 Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?
4 And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high priest?
5 Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: 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: 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 hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God.
10 And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle.
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 bear witness also at Rome.
12 And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.
13 And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy.
14 And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul.
15 Now therefore ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you to morrow, as though ye would enquire something more perfectly concerning him: and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him.
16 And when Paul's sister's son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and told Paul.
17 Then 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.
18 So 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.
19 Then 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?
20 And he said, The Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest bring down Paul to morrow into the council, as though they would enquire somewhat of him more perfectly.
21 But do not thou yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, which have bound themselves with 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.
22 So the chief captain then let the young man depart, and charged him, See thou tell no man that thou hast shewed these things to me.
23 And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, 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 sendeth greeting.
27 This man was taken of the Jews, and should have been killed of them: then came I with an army, and rescued him, having understood that he was a Roman.
28 And when I would have known the cause wherefore they accused him, I brought him forth into their council:
29 Whom I perceived 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 that the Jews laid wait for 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 morrow they left the horsemen to go with him, and returned to the castle:
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 judgment hall.
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