Acts 23

ABU^{(i) 1} AND Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said: Men, brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God unto this day. ² And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to smite him on the mouth. ³ Then Paul said to him: God will smite thee, thou whited wall. And dost thou sit to judge me according to the law, and command me to be smitten contrary to law? ⁴ And they that stood by said: Revilest thou God's high priest? ⁵ And Paul said: I knew not, brethren, that he is high priest; for it is written: Thou shalt not speak evil of a ruler of thy people. ⁶ And Paul, knowing that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, cried out in the council: Men, brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; for the hope of the resurrection of the dead I am now judged. ⁷ And when he had said this, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the multitude was divided. ⁸ For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit; but Pharisees acknowledge both. ⁹ And there arose a great clamor; and the scribes of the party of the Pharisees arose, and contended, saying: We find no evil in this man; but if a spirit spoke to him, or an angel?— ¹⁰ And a great dissension arising, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should be pulled in pieces by them, commanded the soldiery to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle. ¹¹ And the night following, the Lord stood by him, and said: Be of good courage; for as thou didst fully testify the things concerning me at Jerusalem, so must thou testify also at Rome. ¹² And when it was day, the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. ¹³ And they were more than forty who made this conspiracy. ¹⁴ And they came to the chief priests and the elders, and said: We bound ourselves under a great curse, to taste nothing until we have slain Paul. ¹⁵ Now therefore do ye, with the council, signify to the chief captain that he bring him down to you, as though ye would ascertain more exactly the matters concerning him; and we, before he comes near, are ready to kill him. ¹⁶ And the son of Paul's sister, hearing of their lying in wait, went and entered into the castle, and told Paul. ¹⁷ Then Paul called one of the centurions to him, and said: Bring this young man to the chief captain; for he has something to tell him. ¹⁸ So he took him, and brought him to the chief captain, and said: Paul, the prisoner, called me to him, and asked me to bring this young man to thee, as he has something to say to thee. ¹⁹ Then the chief captain took him by the hand, and went aside privately, and asked: What is that thou hast to tell me? ²⁰ And he said: The Jews agreed to desire thee, that thou wouldst bring down Paul to-morrow into the council, as though they would inquire somewhat more exactly concerning him. ²¹ But do not thou yield to them; for of them more than forty men are lying in wait for him, who bound themselves with an oath, neither to eat nor to drink till they have killed him; and now they are ready, looking for the promise from thee. ²² The chief captain therefore dismissed the young man, having charged him to say to no one, that thou didst show these things to me. ²³ And calling to him two or three of the centurions, he said: Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea, and seventy horsemen, two hundred spearmen, at the third hour of the night; ²⁴ and let them provide beasts, that they may set Paul thereon, and bring him safe to Felix the governor. ²⁵ And he wrote a letter after this manner: ²⁶ Claudius Lysias to the most excellent governor Felix, sends greeting. ²⁷ This man was taken by the Jews, and was about to be killed by them; but I came upon them with the soldiery, and rescued him, having learned that he is a Roman. ²⁸ And wishing to know the crime for which they were accusing him, I brought him down into their council; ²⁹ whom I found to be accused concerning questions of their law, but having nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds. ³⁰ And being informed that a plot was about to be laid against the man, I sent straightway to thee, having also commanded the accusers to say before thee what they had against him. Farewell. ³¹ The soldiers, therefore, as was commanded them, took up Paul, and brought him by night to Antipatris. ³² But on the morrow, leaving the horsemen to go with him, they returned to the castle; ³³ who, when they had entered into Caesarea, and delivered the letter to the governor, presented Paul also before him. ³⁴ And having read it, he asked of what province he was. And learning that he was from Cilicia, ³⁵ he said: I will hear thee fully, when thy accusers are also come. And he commanded him to be kept in the praetorium of Herod.