 1 Paul looked+ earnestly at the council and said: Men and family+, I have lived in all good conscience before God to this day. 2 Ananias the high priest Ananias then commanded those who stood by Paul to strike+ him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him: God will strike+ you, you whitewashed+ wall. For you sit to judge me by the law but then command me to be struck+ contrary to the law? 4 Those who stood by said: Do you revile God's high priest? 5 Then Paul said: I did not understand+, family+, that he was the high priest. For it is written: You shall not speak evil about the ruler of your people. Exodus 22:28 6 But when Paul perceived that one part of the audience were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council: Men and family+, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. Am I being judged+ because of the hope and resurrection of the dead? 7 When he said this, dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the crowd+ was divided. 8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel nor spirit, but the Pharisees confess both. 9 And so a great cry arose. The scribes who were Pharisees rose up and argued+ saying: We find no evil in this man, but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God. 10 When this great dissension arose, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul might be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from them and take him into the castle. 11 The following night, the Lord stood by Paul and said: Be of good cheer~, Paul. For as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so also, you must testify+ in Rome. 12 When it was day, some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under a curse saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. 13 More than forty of them made this conspiracy. 14 They came to the chief priests and elders and said: We have bound ourselves under a great curse that we will eat nothing until we have killed+ Paul. 15 Now therefore you and the council signal+ to the chief captain to bring Paul down to you tomorrow as though you want to question+ him further+. And before+ he comes near, we are ready to kill him. 16 When Paul's sister's son heard about their plot+, he entered the castle and told Paul. 17 Then Paul called one of the centurions and said: Take this young man to the chief captain, for he has something to tell him. 18 So the centurion took the young man to the chief captain and said: Paul the prisoner called me and asked+ me to bring this young man to you. He has something to say to you. 19 Then the chief captain took him by the hand and went with him aside privately and asked him: What is that you have to tell me? 20 He said: The Jews have agreed to ask+ that you bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they would question+ him further+. 21 But do not yield to them, for they are plotting+ against him. More than forty men have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink until they have killed him. Now are they ready, looking for a promise from you. 22 So the chief captain let the young man leave+ and charged him: Tell no one that you have shown these things to me. 23 Then the captain called two centurions saying: Make ready two hundred soldiers and seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine o'clock+ at night. 24 Provide a beast for Paul to ride to take him safely to Felix the governor. 25 Then he wrote a letter in this manner. 26 From Claudius Lysias to the most excellent governor Felix. Greetings. 27 This man Paul was taken by the Jews and would have been killed by them. But I came with an army and rescued him, having understood that he was a Roman. 28 When I wanted to know the reason+ why+ they accused him, I brought him forth into their council. 29 I perceived him to be accused regarding+ questions in their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of chains+. 30 When I was told that the Jews were plotting+ against this man, I immediately+ sent him to you and gave instructions+ to his accusers also to say before you what they had against him. Farewell. 31 Then as it was commanded to them, the soldiers took Paul by night to Antipatris. 32 The next day, the soldiers left the horsemen to go with Paul and they returned to the castle. 33 When the horsemen came to Caesarea, they delivered the epistle to the governor and presented Paul to him. 34 When the governor read the letter, he asked what province Paul was from. When he understood that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said: I will hear your case when your accusers have also come. Then he commanded that Paul be kept in Herod's judgment hall.
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