23 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin^(A) and said, “My brothers,^(B) I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience^(C) to this day.” ² At this the high priest Ananias^(D) ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth.^{(E) 3} Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall!^(F) You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!”^(G)

⁴ Those who were standing near Paul said, “How dare you insult God’s high priest!”

⁵ Paul replied, “Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’^[a]”^(H)

⁶ Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees^(I) and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “My brothers,^(J) I am a Pharisee,^(K) descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead.”^{(L) 7} When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. ⁸ (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection,^(M) and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these things.)

⁹ There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees^(N) stood up and argued vigorously. “We find nothing wrong with this man,”^(O) they said. “What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”^{(P) 10} The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks.^(Q)

¹¹ The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage!^(R) As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”^(S)

The Plot to Kill Paul

¹² The next morning some Jews formed a conspiracy^(T) and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.^{(U) 13} More than forty men were involved in this plot. ¹⁴ They went to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have taken a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul.^{(V) 15} Now then, you and the Sanhedrin^(W) petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here.”

¹⁶ But when the son of Paul’s sister heard of this plot, he went into the barracks^(X) and told Paul.

¹⁷ Then Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commander; he has something to tell him.” ¹⁸ So he took him to the commander.

The centurion said, “Paul, the prisoner,^(Y) sent for me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.”

¹⁹ The commander took the young man by the hand, drew him aside and asked, “What is it you want to tell me?”

²⁰ He said: “Some Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul before the Sanhedrin^(Z) tomorrow on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about him.^{(AA) 21} Don’t give in to them, because more than forty^(AB) of them are waiting in ambush for him. They have taken an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him.^(AC) They are ready now, waiting for your consent to their request.”

²² The commander dismissed the young man with this warning: “Don’t tell anyone that you have reported this to me.”

Paul Transferred to Caesarea

²³ Then he called two of his centurions and ordered them, “Get ready a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen^[b] to go to Caesarea^(AD) at nine tonight.^{(AE) 24} Provide horses for Paul so that he may be taken safely to Governor Felix.”^(AF)

²⁵ He wrote a letter as follows:

³¹ So the soldiers, carrying out their orders, took Paul with them during the night and brought him as far as Antipatris. ³² The next day they let the cavalry^(AR) go on with him, while they returned to the barracks.^{(AS) 33} When the cavalry^(AT) arrived in Caesarea,^(AU) they delivered the letter to the governor^(AV) and handed Paul over to him. ³⁴ The governor read the letter and asked what province he was from. Learning that he was from Cilicia,^{(AW) 35} he said, “I will hear your case when your accusers^(AX) get here.” Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard^(AY) in Herod’s palace.

The Song of Moses and Miriam

15 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song^(A) to the Lord:

¹⁹ When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and horsemen^[e] went into the sea,^(BB) the Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground.^{(BC) 20} Then Miriam^(BD) the prophet,^(BE) Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels^(BF) and dancing.^{(BG) 21} Miriam sang^(BH) to them:

The Waters of Marah and Elim

²² Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert^(BK) of Shur.^(BL) For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water.^{(BM) 23} When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.^[f](BN)) ²⁴ So the people grumbled^(BO) against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”^(BP)

²⁵ Then Moses cried out^(BQ) to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw^(BR) it into the water, and the water became fit to drink.

There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test.^{(BS) 26} He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep^(BT) all his decrees,^(BU) I will not bring on you any of the diseases^(BV) I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals^(BW) you.”

²⁷ Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped^(BX) there near the water.

Manna and Quail

16 The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin,^(BY) which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt.^{(BZ) 2} In the desert the whole community grumbled^(CA) against Moses and Aaron. ³ The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt!^(CB) There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food^(CC) we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”^(CD)

⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven^(CE) for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test^(CF) them and see whether they will follow my instructions. ⁵ On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice^(CG) as much as they gather on the other days.”

⁶ So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt,^{(CH) 7} and in the morning you will see the glory^(CI) of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling^(CJ) against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?”^{(CK) 8} Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling^(CL) against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.”^(CM)

⁹ Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’”

¹⁰ While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory^(CN) of the Lord appearing in the cloud.^(CO)

¹¹ The Lord said to Moses, ¹² “I have heard the grumbling^(CP) of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’”^(CQ)

¹³ That evening quail^(CR) came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew^(CS) around the camp. ¹⁴ When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost^(CT) on the ground appeared on the desert floor. ¹⁵ When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know^(CU) what it was.

Moses said to them, “It is the bread^(CV) the Lord has given you to eat. ¹⁶ This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer^[g](CW) for each person you have in your tent.’”

¹⁷ The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. ¹⁸ And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.^(CX) Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.

¹⁹ Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”^(CY)

²⁰ However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell.^(CZ) So Moses was angry^(DA) with them.

²¹ Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away. ²² On the sixth day, they gathered twice^(DB) as much—two omers^[h] for each person—and the leaders of the community^(DC) came and reported this to Moses. ²³ He said to them, “This is what the Lord commanded: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of sabbath rest, a holy sabbath^(DD) to the Lord. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.’”

²⁴ So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. ²⁵ “Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a sabbath to the Lord. You will not find any of it on the ground today. ²⁶ Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath,^(DE) there will not be any.”

²⁷ Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. ²⁸ Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you^[i] refuse to keep my commands^(DF) and my instructions? ²⁹ Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where they are on the seventh day; no one is to go out.” ³⁰ So the people rested on the seventh day.

³¹ The people of Israel called the bread manna.^[j](DG) It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. ³² Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the wilderness when I brought you out of Egypt.’”

³³ So Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put an omer of manna^(DH) in it. Then place it before the Lord to be kept for the generations to come.”

³⁴ As the Lord commanded Moses, Aaron put the manna with the tablets of the covenant law,^(DI) so that it might be preserved. ³⁵ The Israelites ate manna^(DJ) forty years,^(DK) until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan.^(DL)

³⁶ (An omer^(DM) is one-tenth of an ephah.)^(DN)