Book of Common Prayer

²³ The commanding officer called two officers to him. He said, `Get two hundred soldiers ready by nine o'clock tonight to go to Caesarea. Send seventy men with them who will ride on horses and two hundred men who will carry spears.

²⁴ Also have horses ready for Paul to ride. Take him safely to Felix, the ruler.'

²⁵ The officer wrote a letter to Felix like this:

²⁶ `Claudius Lysias sends greetings to you, great ruler Felix.

²⁷ This man was caught by the Jews. They were ready to kill him. But I came with my soldiers and took him away, because I found out that he is a Roman.

²⁸ I wanted to find out what complaint they had against him, so I brought him into their court.

²⁹ I found out that their complaints were to do with their law. But he had not done anything wrong enough to die or to be put into prison.

³⁰ When I heard that the Jewish leaders were planning to catch him, I sent him to you at once. I told those who are making complaints against him that they must bring the matter to you.'

³¹ So the soldiers took Paul as they had been told to do. They went with him that night as far as the town of Antipatris.

³² The next day the soldiers went back to the barracks. Only the men who were riding horses went with Paul.

³³ When they reached Caesarea, they gave the letter to the ruler and brought Paul to him.

^34-35 e read the letter. Then he asked Paul what country he came from. He heard that Paul was from Cilicia. Then he said, `I will hear all you have to say when the men who have made the complaint come here.' He ordered Paul to be kept in the house which is called Herod's palace.

¹³ They sent some Pharisees and some of Herod's people to Jesus. They planned how to make Jesus say something wrong.

¹⁴ They came and said to him, `Teacher, we know that you are true. You do not fear any person or care how great he is. But you teach the true way of God. Tell us, is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or is it not?

¹⁵ Should we pay taxes or not?' Jesus knew they were trying to get him into trouble. So he said to them, `Why are you trying to get me to do wrong? Bring me a piece of money. Let me look at it.'

¹⁶ They brought one to him. He asked, `Whose picture and name is this?' They answered, `Caesar's.'

¹⁷ So he said, `Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God what belongs to God.' The Pharisees and Herod's people were much surprised at Jesus.

¹⁸ Some of the Sadducees came to Jesus. They say that people do not rise from death. They asked Jesus a question.

¹⁹ `Teacher,' they said, `Moses gave us this law: if a man dies and leaves a wife but no children, then his brother must marry the wife and raise a family for his brother.

²⁰ There were seven brothers. The first one married. He died and left no child.

²¹ e second brother married the wife. He also died and left no child. It was the same with the third one.

²² All seven brothers married her. They all had no children. Last of all the woman died also.

²³ Now then when people rise from death, whose wife will she be? All seven of them had married her.'

²⁴ Jesus said to them, `You are wrong! You do not know what the holy writings say. And you do not know what power God has.

²⁵ When people rise from death, men and women do not marry. But they are like angels in heaven.

²⁶ People do rise from death! Have you never read what Moses wrote? It is in the place where we read about the small tree which burned. Moses tells how God said to him, "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."

²⁷ He is not the God of dead people, but of living people. The way you look at things is wrong altogether.'