Acts 23
American Standard Version
23 And Paul, looking stedfastly on the council, said, Brethren, I have lived before God in all good conscience 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: and sittest thou to judge me according to 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 And Paul said, I knew not, brethren, that he was high priest: for it is written, [a]Thou shalt not speak evil of a 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, Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees: touching 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 Sadducees; and the assembly 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 clamor: and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ part stood up, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: and what if a spirit hath spoken to him, or an angel? 10 And when there arose a great dissension, the [b]chief captain, fearing lest Paul should be torn in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the castle.
11 And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer: for as thou hast testified concerning me at Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.
12 And when it was day, 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 that made this conspiracy. 14 And they came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, to taste nothing until we have killed Paul. 15 Now therefore do ye with the council signify to the [c]chief captain that he bring him down unto you, as though ye would judge of his case more exactly: and we, before he comes near, are ready to slay him. 16 But Paul’s sister’s son heard of their lying in wait, [d]and he came and entered into the castle and told Paul. 17 And Paul called unto him one of the centurions, and said, Bring this young man unto the [e]chief captain; for he hath something to tell him. 18 So he took him, and brought him to the [f]chief captain, and saith, Paul the prisoner called me unto him, and asked me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say to thee. 19 And the [g]chief captain took him by the hand, and going aside asked him privately, What is it that thou hast to tell me? 20 And he said, The Jews have agreed to ask thee to bring down Paul to-morrow unto the council, as though thou wouldest inquire somewhat more exactly concerning him. 21 Do not thou therefore yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, who have bound themselves under a curse, neither to eat nor to drink till they have slain him: and now are they ready, looking for the promise from thee. 22 So the [h]chief captain let the young man go, charging him, Tell no man that thou hast signified these things to me. 23 And he called unto him two of the centurions, and said, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go as far as Caesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night: 24 and he bade them provide beasts, that they might set Paul thereon, and bring him safe unto Felix the governor. 25 And he wrote a letter after this form:
26 Claudius Lysias unto the most excellent governor Felix, greeting. 27 This man was seized by the Jews, and was about to be slain of them, when I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman. 28 And desiring to know the cause wherefore they accused him, [i]I brought him down unto their council: 29 whom I found to be accused about questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds. 30 And when it was shown to me that there would be a plot [j]against the man, I sent him to thee forthwith, charging his accusers also to speak against him before thee. [k]
31 So the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. 32 But on the morrow they left the horsemen to go with him, and returned to the castle: 33 and they, when they came to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, presented Paul also before him. 34 And when he had read it, he asked of what province he was; and when he understood that he was of Cilicia, 35 I will hear thee fully, said he, when thine accusers also are come: and he commanded him to be kept in Herod’s [l]palace.
Footnotes
- Acts 23:5 Ex. 22:28.
- Acts 23:10 Or, military tribune. Greek chiliarch.
- Acts 23:15 Or, military tribune. Greek chiliarch.
- Acts 23:16 Or, having come in upon them, and he entered etc.
- Acts 23:17 Or, military tribune. Greek chiliarch.
- Acts 23:18 Or, military tribune. Greek chiliarch.
- Acts 23:19 Or, military tribune. Greek chiliarch.
- Acts 23:22 Or, military tribune. Greek chiliarch.
- Acts 23:28 Some ancient authorities omit I brought him down unto their council.
- Acts 23:30 Many ancient authorities read against the man on their part, I sent him to thee, charging etc.
- Acts 23:30 Many ancient authorities add Farewell.
- Acts 23:35 Greek Praetorium.
Acts 23
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 23
1 Paul looked intently at the Sanhedrin and said, “Brethren, to this very day, I have conducted myself before God with a perfectly clear conscience.” 2 At this, the high priest Ananias[a] ordered his attendants to strike him on the mouth.
3 Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! How can you sit there to judge me according to the Law and then in defiance of the Law order me to be struck?” 4 The attendants said, “Do you dare to insult God’s high priest?” 5 Paul replied, “Brethren, I did not realize that he was the high priest. It is clearly written: ‘You shall not curse the ruler of your people.’ ”
6 Well aware that some of them were Sadducees and the others were Pharisees, Paul called out in the Sanhedrin, “Brethren, I am a Pharisee and the son of Pharisees. I am on trial concerning our hope in the resurrection of the dead.” 7 When he said this, a dispute ensued between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 For the Sadducees hold that there is no resurrection and that there are no angels or spirits, while the Pharisees believe in all three.
9 Then a great uproar arose, and some of the scribes belonging to the party of the Pharisees stood up and forcefully stated, “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has really spoken to him?” 10 When a violent dissension arose, the commander was fearful that Paul would be torn to pieces. He ordered the soldiers to go down, seize him from their midst, and bring him into the barracks.
11 On the following night, the Lord appeared to Paul and said, “Keep up your courage! For just as you have borne witness to me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome.”
12 A Plot To Kill Paul.[b] When morning came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves by an oath[c] not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. 13 There were more than forty who entered this pact. 14 They went to the chief priests and elders and told them, “We have bound ourselves by a solemn oath not to consume any food until we have killed Paul. 15 You and the Sanhedrin should make an official request to the commander to bring him down to you on the pretext that you want to investigate his case more thoroughly. We on our part have arranged to kill him before he arrives.”
16 However, the son of Paul’s sister learned of the plot. He thereupon went to the barracks and related the news to Paul. 17 Paul then summoned one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commander, for he has something to report to him.” 18 He brought him to the commander and said, “The prisoner Paul called me and requested that I bring this young man to you. He has something to tell you.”
19 The commander took him by the hand, drew him aside, and asked him in private, “What is it that you have to report to me?” 20 He replied, “The Jews have agreed to request you to bring Paul down to the Sanhedrin tomorrow on the pretext of inquiring more thoroughly into his case. 21 Do not believe them. More than forty of them are waiting for your consent to their request, for they have sworn an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They are ready now and are waiting only for your consent.” 22 The commander dismissed the young man, ordering him, “Tell no one that you have given me this information.”
Paul’s Imprisonment and Defenses at Caesarea
23 Paul Is Imprisoned at Caesarea.[d] Then he summoned two of his centurions and said, “Have two hundred soldiers ready to leave for Caesarea by nine o’clock tonight,[e] along with seventy cavalrymen and two hundred auxiliaries. 24 Also provide mounts for Paul to ride, and deliver him to Felix the governor.” 25 He then wrote a letter as follows:
26 Claudius Lysias,
To his Excellency the governor Felix:[f]
Greetings.
27 This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them; but when I learned that he was a Roman citizen, I arrived on the scene with my troops and rescued him.
28 Wanting to learn what charge they were making against him, I had him brought before their Sanhedrin. 29 I discovered that the accusation dealt with questions about their Law, but that there was no charge against him that merited death or imprisonment. 30 Now I have been informed of a plot to assassinate this man. I am sending him to you without delay, and I have instructed his accusers to present to you their case against him.
31 Therefore, the soldiers, acting in accordance with their orders, took Paul and escorted him during the night to Antipatris. 32 On the next day, they returned to the barracks, leaving the cavalrymen to escort him the rest of the way. 33 When they arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and handed over Paul to him.
34 After reading the letter, the governor asked Paul what province he was from, and on learning that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will hear your case as soon as your accusers arrive.” Then he ordered that he be held in custody in Herod’s praetorium.
Footnotes
- Acts 23:2 Ananias was high priest from A.D. 47 to 59.
- Acts 23:12 Luke contrasts the correct behavior of the Roman authorities with the blind fanaticism of the Jews: from the outset the Romans realized that there was nothing subversive about Christianity. This is proof of the loyalty of Christians. Note the reference to Paul’s sister and nephew; this is the only information we have about his family.
- Acts 23:12 Oath: they call God’s curse upon themselves if they fail to carry out the commitment they have assumed.
- Acts 23:23 The commander cannot risk having a Roman citizen assassinated while in his custody, so he seeks to transfer Paul to the jurisdiction of Felix, the governor of the province of Judea. He also sends a letter to Felix summarizing the events, from the riot in the temple to the commander’s discovery of a plot against Paul’s life. The most important thing he says is that there is no charge against Paul deserving of death or punishment. Felix then agrees to hear the case himself.
- Acts 23:23 Nine o’clock tonight: literally, “the third hour of the night.”
- Acts 23:26 Felix: M. Antonius Felix was governor (procurator) of Judea from A.D. 52 to 60, and he ruled with an iron hand.
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