Acts 23:1-19

¹Then Paul, looking intently at the council, said, “Men, brothers, I have lived with all good conscience toward God until this day.”

²But the high priest Ananias commanded those standing by him to strike him on the mouth.

³Then Paul said to him, “God is about to strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit judging me according to the law, and contrary to the law do you command that I should be struck?”

⁴But those standing by said, “Do you revile the high priest of God?”

⁵Then Paul said, “I did not know, brothers, that he is the high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak wickedly of a ruler of your people.’ ”

⁶But when Paul perceived that one part was of the Sadducees and the other of the Pharisees, he cried out in the Sanhedrin, “Men and brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!”

⁷And when he had spoken this, there came to be a dispute between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.

⁸For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection—nor angel nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess both.

⁹And there came to be a great outcry, and the scribes of the Pharisees' party stood up and contended sharply, 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.”

¹⁰And when much dissension developed, the commander, fearing lest Paul might be torn apart by them, commanded the detachment of soldiers to go down and seize him from the midst of them, and to bring him into the barracks.

¹¹Now on the next night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, Paul; for as you solemnly testified about the things concerning Me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”

¹²Now when it was day, some of the Jews joined in a conspiracy and bound themselves by a curse, saying neither would they eat nor drink until they had killed Paul.

¹³And there were over forty who had made this plot;

¹⁴who came to the chief priests and to the elders and said, “We have bound ourselves by oath with a curse to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.

¹⁵Now you, therefore, together with the council, suggest to the commander that he be brought down to you tomorrow, as though you are going to determine more accurately the things concerning him; but we, before he comes near, are prepared to kill him.”

¹⁶But when Paul's sister's son heard about the ambush, he came and entered into the barracks, and told this to Paul.

¹⁷And Paul, summoning one of the centurions, said, “Lead this young man away to the commander, for he has something to tell him.”

¹⁸Therefore taking him along, he brought him to the commander and said, “The prisoner Paul, having summoned me, asked me to bring this young man to you, for he has something to tell you.”

¹⁹And the commander, taking him by his hand, withdrew to a private place and inquired, “What is it that you have to tell me?”