1Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience23:1 Ac 24:16; 1Co 4:4; 1Tm 3:9; 2Tm 1:5; Heb 13:18; 1Pt 3:16 to this day.”
4Those standing nearby said, “Do you dare revile God’s high priest?”
5“I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest,” replied Paul. “For it is written, You must not speak evil of a ruler of your people.”23:5Ex 22:2823:5 Ex 22:28; Ac 24:17
6When Paul realized that one part of them were Sadducees and the other part were Pharisees, he cried out in the Sanhedrin, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees.23:6 Ac 26:5; Php 3:5 I am being judged because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead!” 23:6 Ac 24:15,21; 26:6–8; 28:20
7When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.
9The shouting grew loud, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’23:9 Mk 2:16; Lk 5:30 party got up and argued vehemently, “We find nothing evil in this man.23:9 Ac 23:29; 25:25; 26:31 What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” 23:9 Other mss add Let us not fight God.23:9 Jn 12:29; Ac 22:7,17–18
The Plot against Paul
12When it was morning, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves under a curse not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.23:12 Ac 23:14,21,30; 25:3
13There were more than forty who had formed this plot.
14These men went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have bound ourselves under a solemn curse that we won’t eat anything until we have killed Paul.
16But the son of Paul’s sister, hearing about their ambush, came and entered the barracks and reported it to Paul.
17Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commander, because he has something to report to him.”
18So he took him, brought him to the commander, and said, “The prisoner Paul called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, because he has something to tell you.”
19The commander took him by the hand, led him aside, and inquired privately, “What is it you have to report to me?”
20“The Jews,” he said, “have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the Sanhedrin tomorrow, as though they are going to hold a somewhat more careful inquiry about him.
22So the commander dismissed the young man and instructed him, “Don’t tell anyone that you have informed me about this.”
To Caesarea by Night
23He summoned two of his centurions and said, “Get two hundred soldiers ready with seventy cavalry and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine tonight.23:23 Lit at the third hour tonight23:23 Ac 8:40; 23:33
24Also provide mounts to ride so that Paul may be brought safely to Felix the governor.”
25He wrote the following letter:23:25 Or He wrote a letter to this effect:
26Claudius Lysias,
To the most excellent governor Felix:
27When this man had been seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them, I arrived with my troops and rescued him because I learned that he is a Roman citizen.23:27 Ac 21:32–33; 22:25–29
28Wanting to know the charge they were accusing him of, I brought him down before their Sanhedrin.
31So the soldiers took Paul during the night and brought him to Antipatris as they were ordered.
32The next day, they returned to the barracks, allowing the cavalry to go on with him.
33When these men entered Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him.23:33 Ac 8:40; 23:23–24,26
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