²⁵ Even when Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them.^(A)

³⁴ But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, stood up and ordered the men to be put outside for a short time. ³⁵ Then he said to them, “Fellow Israelites,^[a] consider carefully what you propose to do to these men. ³⁶ For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him, but he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and disappeared. ³⁷ After him Judas the Galilean rose up at the time of the census and got people to follow him; he also perished, and all who followed him were scattered. ³⁸ So in the present case, I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, because if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail;^{(A) 39} but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them—in that case you may even be found fighting against God!”

They were convinced by him,^(B)

¹² he went down to the king’s house, into the secretary’s chamber, and all the officials were sitting there: Elishama the secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Achbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the officials.^(A)

²² Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand and restore him to his father.

Pilate Hands Jesus Over to Be Crucified

²⁴ So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood;^[a] see to it yourselves.”^{(A) 25} Then the people as a whole answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”^(B)

⁴ He said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent^[a] blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.”^(A)

²² Then King Jehoiakim sent^[a] Elnathan son of Achbor and men with him to Egypt,^(A)

Exile Threatened