Acts 23
Legacy Standard Bible
23 Now Paul, looking intently at (A)the Sanhedrin, said, “(B)Brothers, (C)I have [a]lived my life in all good conscience before God up to this day.” 2 And the high priest (D)Ananias commanded those standing beside him (E)to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, (F)you whitewashed wall! Do you (G)sit to try me according to the Law, and in violation of the Law order me to be struck?” 4 But those standing nearby said, “Do you revile the high priest of God?” 5 And Paul said, “I was not aware, brothers, that he was high priest; for it is written, ‘(H)You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”
6 But knowing that one group were (I)Sadducees and the other Pharisees, Paul began crying out in (J)the Sanhedrin, “(K)Brothers, (L)I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for (M)the hope and resurrection of the dead!” 7 As he said this, there was dissension between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 For (N)the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. 9 And there occurred a great outcry; and some of (O)the scribes of the Pharisaic party stood up and began to argue heatedly, saying, “(P)We find nothing wrong with this man. (Q)Suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” 10 And as a great dissension was developing, because the [b]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 (R)the barracks.
11 But on (S)that very night, the Lord stood at his side and said, “(T)Take courage; for (U)as you have (V)solemnly borne witness to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must bear witness at Rome also.”
A Plot to Kill Paul
12 Now when it was day, (W)the Jews formed a [c]conspiracy and (X)bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. 13 And there were more than forty who formed this scheme. 14 They came to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have (Y)bound ourselves under a curse to taste nothing until we have killed Paul. 15 So now you, along with (Z)the Sanhedrin, notify the commander to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more carefully; and we for our part are ready to slay him before he comes near.”
16 But when the son of Paul’s sister heard of their ambush, [d]he came and entered (AA)the barracks and reported it to Paul. 17 And Paul called one of the centurions to him and said, “Lead this young man to the commander, for he has something to report to him.” 18 So he took him and led him to the [e]commander and *said, “Paul (AB)the prisoner called me to him and asked me to lead this young man to you since he has something to tell you.” 19 And the [f]commander took him by the hand and stepping aside, began to inquire of him privately, “What is it that you have to report to me?” 20 And he said, “(AC)The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down tomorrow to (AD)the Sanhedrin, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more carefully about him. 21 So do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of them—who have (AE)bound themselves under a curse not to eat or drink until they slay him—are (AF)lying in wait for him and now they are ready and waiting for the promise from you.” 22 So the commander let the young man go, instructing him, “Tell no one that you have notified me of these things.”
Paul Is Brought to Caesarea
23 And when he called to him two of the centurions, he said, “Make ready two hundred soldiers, [g]seventy horsemen, and two hundred [h]spearmen to proceed to (AG)Caesarea by the [i]third hour of the night, 24 and provide mounts to put Paul on and bring him safely to (AH)Felix the governor.” 25 And he wrote a letter having this form:
26 “Claudius Lysias, to the (AI)most excellent governor Felix, (AJ)greetings.
27 “When this man was arrested by the Jews and was about to be slain by them, (AK)I came up to them with the troops and rescued him, (AL)having learned that he was a Roman.
28 And (AM)wanting to ascertain the charge for which they were accusing him, I (AN)brought him down to their (AO)Sanhedrin;
29 and I found him to be accused over (AP)questions about their Law, but [j]under (AQ)no accusation deserving death or [k]imprisonment.
30 “And when I was (AR)informed that there would be (AS)a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, also instructing (AT)his accusers to speak against him before you.”
31 So the soldiers, according to their orders, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. 32 But the next day, leaving (AU)the horsemen to go on with him, they returned to (AV)the barracks. 33 When these had come to (AW)Caesarea and delivered the letter to (AX)the governor, they also presented Paul to him. 34 And when he had read it, he asked from what (AY)province he was, and when he learned that (AZ)he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will give you a hearing after your (BA)accusers arrive also,” giving orders for him to be (BB)kept in Herod’s [l]Praetorium.
Footnotes
- Acts 23:1 Or conducted myself as a citizen
- Acts 23:10 Military leader over 1,000 soldiers
- Acts 23:12 Or mob
- Acts 23:16 Or having been present with them,
- Acts 23:18 v 10, note 1
- Acts 23:19 v 10, note 1
- Acts 23:23 Lit and
- Acts 23:23 Or slingers, bowmen
- Acts 23:23 9 p.m.
- Acts 23:29 Lit having
- Acts 23:29 Lit bonds
- Acts 23:35 Governor’s official residence
Acts 23
Common English Bible
23 Paul stared at the council and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life with an altogether clear conscience right up to this very day.” 2 The high priest Ananias ordered those standing beside Paul to strike him in the mouth. 3 Then 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.”
4 Those standing near him asked, “You dare to insult God’s high priest?”
5 Paul 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.”[a]
6 Knowing 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!”
7 These words aroused a dispute between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 This is because Sadducees say that there’s no resurrection, angel, or spirit, but Pharisees affirm them all. 9 Council 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?” 10 The 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.
11 The 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
12 The next morning some Jewish leaders formulated a plot and solemnly promised that they wouldn’t eat or drink until they had killed Paul. 13 More than forty people were involved in the conspiracy. 14 They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have solemnly promised to eat nothing until we have killed Paul. 15 You 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.”
16 Paul’s sister had a son who heard about the ambush and he came to the military headquarters and reported it to Paul. 17 Paul called for one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commander because he has something to report to him.”
18 He 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.”
19 The 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?”
20 He 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. 21 Don’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.”
22 The commander dismissed the young man, ordering him, “Don’t tell anyone that you brought this to my attention.”
23 The 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. 24 Have horses ready for Paul to ride, so they may take him safely to Governor Felix.” 25 He wrote the following letter:
26 Claudius Lysias, to the most honorable Governor Felix: Greetings. 27 This 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. 28 I wanted to find out why they were accusing him, so I brought him to their council. 29 I discovered that they were accusing him about questions related to their Law. I found no charge deserving of death or imprisonment. 30 When 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.
31 Following their orders, the soldiers took Paul during the night and brought him to Antipatris. 32 The following day they let the horsemen continue on with Paul while they returned to the military headquarters in Jerusalem. 33 The horsemen entered Caesarea, delivered the letter to the governor, and brought Paul before him. 34 After he read the letter, he asked Paul about his home province. When he learned that he was from Cilicia, 35 the governor said, “I will hear your case when your accusers arrive.” Then he ordered that Paul be kept in custody in Herod’s palace.
Footnotes
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