³ asking a favor against him, that he would summon him to Jerusalem—^(A)while they lay in ambush along the road to kill him.

¹² And when it was day, ^(A)some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had ^(B)killed Paul. ¹³ Now there were more than forty who had formed this conspiracy. ¹⁴ They came to the chief priests and ^(C)elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great oath that we will eat nothing until we have killed Paul. ¹⁵ Now you, therefore, together with the council, suggest to the commander that he be brought down to you ^[a]tomorrow, as though you were going to make further inquiries concerning him; but we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”

^24 (A)But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him.

⁸ And why not say, ^(A)“Let us do evil that good may come”?—as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their ^[a]condemnation is just.

^9 (A)“Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things ^[a]contrary to the name of ^(B)Jesus of Nazareth. ^10 (C)This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority ^(D)from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. ^11 (E)And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

² and asked ^(A)letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

³ And ^(A)these things they will do ^[a]to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.

⁸ Now when Herod saw Jesus, ^(A)he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because ^(B)he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. ⁹ Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him ^(C)nothing. ¹⁰ And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him. ^11 (D)Then Herod, with his ^[a]men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate. ¹² That very day ^(E)Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with each other.

Taking the Place of Barabbas^(F)

^13 (G)Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, ¹⁴ said to them, ^(H)“You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed, ^(I)having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; ¹⁵ no, neither did Herod, for ^[b]I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him. ^16 (J)I will therefore chastise Him and release Him” ^17 (K)(for^[c] it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast).

¹⁸ And ^(L)they all cried out at once, saying, “Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas”— ¹⁹ who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder.

²⁰ Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them. ²¹ But they shouted, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”

²² Then he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go.”

²³ But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified. And the voices of these men ^[d]and of the chief priests prevailed. ²⁴ So ^(M)Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested.

²³ He also swore to her, ^(A)“Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”

²⁴ So she went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask?”

And she said, “The head of John the Baptist!”

²⁵ Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”