Acts 23-24

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

23 Then Paul, gazing earnestly at the council (Sanhedrin), said, Brethren, I have lived before God, doing my duty with a perfectly good conscience until this very day [^[a]as a citizen, a true and loyal Jew].

² At this the high priest Ananias ordered those who stood near him to strike him on the mouth.

³ Then Paul said to him, God is about to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit as a judge to try me in accordance with the Law, and yet in defiance of the Law you order me to be struck?

⁴ Those who stood near exclaimed, Do you rail at and insult the high priest of God?

⁵ And Paul said, I was not conscious, brethren, that he was a high priest; for the Scripture says, You shall not speak ill of a ruler of your people.^(A)

⁶ But Paul, when he perceived that one part of them were Sadducees and the other part Pharisees, cried out to the council (Sanhedrin), Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; it is with regard to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am indicted and being judged.

⁷ So when he had said this, an angry dispute arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the whole [crowded] assemblage was divided [into two factions].

⁸ For the Sadducees hold that there is no resurrection, nor angel nor spirit, but the Pharisees declare openly and speak out freely, acknowledging [their belief in] them both.

⁹ Then a great uproar ensued, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ party stood up and thoroughly fought the case, [contending fiercely] and declaring, We find nothing evil or wrong in this man. But if a spirit or an angel [really] spoke to him—? Let us not fight against God!

¹⁰ And when the strife became more and more tense and violent, the commandant, fearing that Paul would be torn in pieces by them, ordered the troops to go down and take him forcibly from among them and conduct him back into the barracks.

¹¹ And [that same] following night the Lord stood beside Paul and said, Take courage, Paul, for as you have borne faithful witness concerning Me at Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.

¹² Now when daylight came, the Jews formed a plot and bound themselves by an oath and under a curse neither to eat nor drink till they had done away with Paul.

¹³ There were more than forty [men of them], who formed this conspiracy [swearing together this oath and curse].

¹⁴ And they went to the chief priests and elders, saying, We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath and under a curse not to taste any food until we have slain Paul.

¹⁵ So now you, along with the council (Sanhedrin), give notice to the commandant to bring [Paul] down to you, as if you were going to investigate his case more accurately. But we [ourselves] are ready to slay him before he comes near.

¹⁶ But the son of Paul’s sister heard of their intended attack, and he went and got into the barracks and told Paul.

¹⁷ Then Paul, calling in one of the centurions, said, Take this young man to the commandant, for he has something to report to him.

¹⁸ So he took him and conducted him to the commandant and said, Paul the prisoner called me to him and requested me to conduct this young man to you, for he has something to report to you.

¹⁹ The commandant took him by the hand, and going aside with him, asked privately, What is it that you have to report to me?

²⁰ And he replied, The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council (Sanhedrin) tomorrow, as if [they were] intending to examine him more exactly.

²¹ But do not yield to their persuasion, for more than forty of their men are lying in ambush waiting for him, having bound themselves by an oath and under a curse neither to eat nor drink till they have killed him; and even now they are all ready, [just] waiting for your promise.

²² So the commandant sent the youth away, charging him, Do not disclose to anyone that you have given me this information.

²³ Then summoning two of the centurions, he said, Have two hundred footmen ready by the third hour of the night (about 9:00 p.m.) to go as far as Caesarea, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen.

²⁴ Also provide beasts for mounts for Paul to ride, and bring him in safety to Felix the governor.

²⁵ And he wrote a letter having this message:

²⁶ Claudius Lysias sends greetings to His Excellency Felix the governor.

²⁷ This man was seized [as prisoner] by the Jews, and was about to be killed by them when I came upon them with the troops and rescued him, because I learned that he is a Roman citizen.

²⁸ And wishing to know the exact accusation which they were making against him, I brought him down before their council (Sanhedrin),

²⁹ [Where] I found that he was charged in regard to questions of their own law, but he was accused of nothing that would call for death or [even] for imprisonment.

³⁰ [However] when it was pointed out to me that there would be a conspiracy against the man, I sent him to you immediately, directing his accusers also to present before you their charge against him.

³¹ So the soldiers, in compliance with their instructions, took Paul and conducted him during the night to Antipatris.

³² And the next day they returned to the barracks, leaving the mounted men to proceed with him.

³³ When these came to Caesarea and gave the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul before him.

³⁴ Having read the letter, he asked to what province [Paul] belonged. When he discovered that he was from Cilicia [an imperial province],

³⁵ He said, I will hear your case ^[b]fully when your accusers also have come. And he ordered that an eye be kept on him in Herod’s palace (the Praetorium).

24 Five days later, the high priest Ananias came down [from Jerusalem to Caesarea] with some elders and a certain forensic advocate Tertullus [acting as spokesman and counsel]. They presented to the governor their evidence against Paul.

² And when he was called, Tertullus began the complaint [against him] by saying: Since through you we obtain and enjoy much peace, and since by your foresight and provision wonderful reforms (amendments and improvements) are introduced and effected on behalf of this nation,

³ In every way and in every place, most excellent Felix, we accept and acknowledge this with deep appreciation and with all gratitude.

⁴ But not to hinder or detain you too long, I beg you in your clemency and courtesy and kindness to grant us a brief and ^[c]concise hearing.

⁵ For we have found this man a perfect pest (a real plague), an agitator and source of disturbance to all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the [heretical, ^[d]division-producing] sect of the Nazarenes.

⁶ He also [even] tried to desecrate and defile the temple, but we laid hands on him ^[e]and would have sentenced him by our Law,

⁷ But the commandant Lysias came and took him from us with violence and force,

⁸ And ordered his accusers to present themselves to you. By examining and cross-questioning him yourself, you will be able to ascertain the truth from him about all these things with which we charge him.

⁹ The Jews also agreed and joined in the accusation, declaring that all these things were exactly so.

¹⁰ And when the governor had beckoned to Paul to speak, he answered: Because I know that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I find it easier to make my defense and do it cheerfully and with good courage.

¹¹ As you can readily verify, it is not more than twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem to worship;

¹² And neither in the temple nor in the synagogues nor in the city did they find me disputing with anybody or bringing together a seditious crowd.

¹³ Neither can they present argument or evidence to prove to you what they now bring against me.

¹⁴ But this I confess to you, however, that in accordance with the Way [of the Lord], which they call a [heretical, division-producing] sect, I worship (serve) the God of our fathers, still persuaded of the truth of and believing in and placing full confidence in everything laid down in the Law [of Moses] or written in the prophets;

¹⁵ Having [the same] hope in God which these themselves hold and look for, that there is to be a resurrection both of the righteous and the unrighteous (the just and the unjust).

¹⁶ Therefore I always exercise and discipline myself [mortifying my body, deadening my carnal affections, bodily appetites, and worldly desires, endeavoring in all respects] to have a clear (unshaken, blameless) conscience, void of offense toward God and toward men.

¹⁷ Now after several years I came up [to Jerusalem] to bring to my people contributions of charity and offerings.

¹⁸ While I was engaged in presenting these, they found me [occupied in the rites of purification] in the temple, without any crowd or uproar. But some Jews from [the province of] Asia [were there],

¹⁹ Who ought to be here before you and to present their charges, if they have anything against me.

²⁰ Or else let these men themselves tell of what crime or wrongdoing they found me guilty when I appeared before the council (Sanhedrin),

²¹ Unless it be this one sentence which I cried out as I stood among them, In regard to the resurrection of the dead I am indicted and on trial before you this day!

²² But Felix, having a rather accurate understanding of the Way [of the Lord], put them off and adjourned the trial, saying, When Lysias the commandant comes down, I will determine your case more fully.

²³ Then he ordered the centurion to keep [Paul] in custody, but to treat him with indulgence [giving him some liberty] and not to hinder his friends from ministering to his needs and serving him.

²⁴ Some days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess; and he sent for Paul and listened to him [talk] about faith in Christ Jesus.

²⁵ But as he continued to argue about uprightness, purity of life (the control of the passions), and the judgment to come, Felix became alarmed and terrified and said, Go away for the present; when I have a convenient opportunity, I will send for you.

²⁶ At the same time he hoped to get money from Paul, for which reason he continued to send for him and was in his company and conversed with him often.

²⁷ But when two years had gone by, Felix was succeeded in office by Porcius Festus; and wishing to gain favor with the Jews, Felix left Paul still a prisoner in chains.