Acts 23

1Paul looked straight at the council and said: My brothers, to this day I have done my duty to God with a clear conscience.

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

3Then Paul said to him: God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me by the law, but you yourself break the law by ordering me to be struck!

4Those who were standing near Paul said: How dare you insult God's high priest?

5Paul replied: Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest, for it is written: Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.

6Paul knew that some of them were Sadducees and others were Pharisees. So he called out in the council: My brothers, I am a Pharisee, and my father was a Pharisee too. I am on trial because I believe the dead will rise again.

7When he said this, an argument broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the group was divided.

8The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these things.

9There was a lot of shouting. Some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued strongly: We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?

10The argument became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn apart by them. He ordered the soldiers to go down, pull Paul away from them by force, and bring him into the fort.

11The next night, the Lord stood near Paul and said: Take courage! Just as you have spoken about me in Jerusalem, so you must also speak about me in Rome.

12The next morning, some Jews made a secret plan. They made a solemn promise not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.

13More than forty men were involved in this plot.

14They went to the chief priests and the elders and said: We have made a solemn promise not to eat anything until we have killed Paul.

15So now, you and the council should ask the commander to bring Paul before you. Tell him you want more accurate information about his case. We will be ready to kill him before he even gets here.

16But when the son of Paul's sister heard of this plot, he went into the fort and told Paul.

17Then Paul called one of the army officers and said: Take this young man to the commander. He has something to tell him.

18So he took the young man to the commander. He said: The prisoner Paul sent for me and asked me to bring this young man to you, because he has something to tell you.

19The commander took the young man by the hand, drew him aside, and asked: What is it you want to tell me?

20He said: Some Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul before the council tomorrow. They will say they want more accurate information about him.

21Do not give in to them, because more than forty of them are hiding and waiting to attack him. They have made a solemn promise not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They are ready now, just waiting for you to agree.

22The commander sent the young man away with this warning: Do not tell anyone that you have told me this.

23Then he called two of his army officers and ordered them: Get two hundred soldiers, seventy men on horses, and two hundred spearmen ready to go to Caesarea at nine tonight.

24Provide horses for Paul so that he may be taken safely to Governor Felix.

25He wrote a letter as follows:

26Claudius Lysias, to His Excellency, Governor Felix: Greetings.

27The Jews seized this man and were about to kill him. But I came with my soldiers and rescued him, because I had learned that he is a Roman citizen.

28I wanted to know why they were accusing him, so I brought him before their council.

29I found that their accusation had to do with questions about their own law. There was no charge against him that deserved death or prison.

30When I learned there was a plot against this man, I sent him to you right away. I also ordered those accusing him to bring their case against him to you.

31So the soldiers, carrying out their orders, took Paul with them during the night and brought him as far as Antipatris.

32The next day, they let the men on horses go on with Paul, while the rest of the soldiers went back to the fort.

33When the men on horses arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and handed Paul over to him.

34The governor read the letter and asked what province he was from. Learning that he was from Cilicia,

35He said: I will hear your case when your accusers get here. Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod's palace.