Acts 23

1 And Paul, looking straight at the council, said, “Men, brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day.” [a] 2 And the chief priest Ananias ordered those standing beside him to strike his mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God is about to strike you, you whitewashed wall! And you sit judging me according to the law, and against the law you order me to be struck?” 4 And those standing by said, “Do you revile the chief priest of God?” 5 And Paul said, “I did not know, brothers, that he is chief priest; for it is written: ‘You are not to speak ill of a ruler of your people.’” [b]

6 And Paul, knowing that the one part was of Sadducees and the other of Pharisees, was crying out in the council, “Men, brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is about a hope and a resurrection of the dead that I am being judged.” 7 And when he said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the multitude was divided. 8 For Sadducees say there is no resurrection, nor messenger, nor spirit; but Pharisees acknowledge them both. [c] 9 And there was a great outcry, and some of the scribes of the part of the Pharisees stood up and were contending, saying, “We find nothing evil in this man. And if a spirit spoke to him, or a messenger—” [d] 10 And when the dissension grew great, the commander of a thousand, afraid that Paul would be torn apart by them, ordered the troops to go down and snatch him out of their midst and bring him into the barracks.

11 And on the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage. For as you have testified fully about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” [e]

12 And when day came, the Jews made a plot and put themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. [f] 13 And there were more than forty who made this conspiracy; 14 and they went to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have bound ourselves under a solemn curse to taste nothing until we have killed Paul. 15 So now you, with the council, make it clear to the commander of a thousand that he should bring him down to you, as though you were going to look into his case more exactly; and we are ready to do away with him before he comes near.”

16 But the son of Paul’s sister heard of the ambush, and he came and went into the barracks and reported it to Paul. 17 And Paul called one of the commanders of a hundred and said, “Take this young man to the commander of a thousand, for he has something to report to him.” 18 So he took him and brought him to the commander of a thousand and says, “The prisoner Paul called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, since he has something to say to you.” 19 And the commander of a thousand took him by the hand, and withdrawing to speak with him alone, he asked, “What is it that you have to report to me?” 20 And he said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though it were going to inquire something more exactly about him. 21 So do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty men of theirs are lying in wait for him, and they have put themselves under a curse neither to eat nor to drink until they have done away with him; and now they are ready, waiting for the promise from you.” 22 So the commander of a thousand sent the young man away, charging him, “Tell no one that you have made these things clear to me.”

23 And calling two of the commanders of a hundred he said, “Get two hundred soldiers ready to go as far as Caesarea, and seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen, from the third hour of the night, [g] 24 and provide mounts, so that they may set Paul on them and bring him safely through to Felix the governor.” 25 And he wrote a letter having this form:

26 “Claudius Lysias, to the most excellent governor Felix: greetings. [h] 27 This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be done away with by them, when I came upon them with the troops and rescued him, having learned that he is a Roman. 28 And wanting to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their council. 29 I found him accused about disputed questions of their law, but having no charge against him worth death or chains. [i] 30 And when it was disclosed to me that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, charging his accusers also to speak against him before you.”

31 So the soldiers, according to what had been ordered them, took Paul and brought him through the night to Antipatris; 32 and on the next day they let the horsemen go on with him, and they returned to the barracks; 33 and these, coming into Caesarea and delivering the letter to the governor, presented Paul to him as well. 34 And when he had read it and had asked what province he was from, and had learned that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will hear you fully when your accusers also arrive.” And he ordered him to be guarded in Herod’s praetorium. [j]