Acts 23:1-26 in English

¹ And Paul, looking stedfastly on the council, said, Brethren, I have lived before God in all good conscience until this day.

² And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth.

³ Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: and sittest thou to judge me according to the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?

⁴ And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God’s high priest?

⁵ And Paul said, I knew not, brethren, that he was high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of a ruler of thy people.

⁶ But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees: touching the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.

⁷ And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and Sadducees; and the assembly was divided.

⁸ For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess both.

⁹ And there arose a great clamor: and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ part stood up, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: and what if a spirit hath spoken to him, or an angel?

¹⁰ And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should be torn in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the castle.

¹¹ And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer: for as thou hast testified concerning me at Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness 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 that made this conspiracy.

¹⁴ And they came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.

¹⁵ Now therefore do ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you, as though ye would judge of his case more exactly: and we, before he comes near, are ready to slay him.

¹⁶ But Paul’s sister’s son heard of their lying in wait, and he came and entered into the castle and told Paul.

¹⁷ And Paul called unto him one of the centurions, and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain; for he hath something to tell him.

¹⁸ So he took him, and brought him to the chief captain, and saith, Paul the prisoner called me unto him, and asked me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say to thee.

¹⁹ And the chief captain took him by the hand, and going aside asked him privately, What is it that thou hast to tell me?

²⁰ And he said, The Jews have agreed to ask thee to bring down Paul to-morrow unto the council, as though thou wouldest inquire somewhat more exactly concerning him.

²¹ Do not thou therefore yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, who have bound themselves under a curse, neither to eat nor to drink till they have slain him: and now are they ready, looking for the promise from thee.

²² So the chief captain let the young man go, charging him, Tell no man that thou hast signified these things to me.

²³ And he called unto him two of the centurions, and said, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go as far as Cæsarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night:

²⁴ and he bade them provide beasts, that they might set Paul thereon, and bring him safe unto Felix the governor.

²⁵ And he wrote a letter after this form:

²⁶ Claudius Lysias unto the most excellent governor Felix, greeting.

¹ And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.

² And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth.

³ Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?

⁴ And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God’s high priest?

⁵ Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.

⁶ But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.

⁷ And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided.

⁸ For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.

⁹ And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees’ part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God.

¹⁰ And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers 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 cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.

¹² And when it was day, certain of 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 which had made this conspiracy.

¹⁴ And 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 slain Paul.

¹⁵ Now therefore ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you to morrow, as though ye would enquire something more perfectly concerning him: and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him.

¹⁶ And when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and told Paul.

¹⁷ Then Paul called one of the centurions unto him, and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain: for he hath a certain thing to tell him.

¹⁸ So he took him, and brought him to the chief captain, and said, Paul the prisoner called me unto him, and prayed me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say unto thee.

¹⁹ Then the chief captain took him by the hand, and went with him aside privately, and asked him, What is that thou hast to tell me?

²⁰ And he said, The Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest bring down Paul to morrow into the council, as though they would enquire somewhat of him more perfectly.

²¹ But do not thou yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now are they ready, looking for a promise from thee.

²² So the chief captain then let the young man depart, and charged him, See thou tell no man that thou hast shewed these things to me.

²³ And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Cæsarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night;

²⁴ And provide them beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe unto Felix the governor.

²⁵ And he wrote a letter after this manner:

²⁶ Claudius Lysias unto the most excellent governor Felix sendeth greeting.

¹ And Paul, looking stedfastly on the council, said, Brethren, I have lived before God in all good conscience until this day.

² And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth.

³ Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: and sittest thou to judge me according to the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?

⁴ And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God’s high priest?

⁵ And Paul said, I wist not, brethren, that he was high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of a ruler of thy people.

⁶ But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees: touching the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.

⁷ And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and Sadducees: and the assembly was divided.

⁸ For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.

⁹ And there arose a great clamour: and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ part stood up, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: and what if a spirit hath spoken to him, or an angel?

¹⁰ And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should be torn in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the castle.

¹¹ And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer: for as thou hast testified concerning me at Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness 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 which made this conspiracy.

¹⁴ And they came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.

¹⁵ Now therefore do ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you, as though ye would judge of his case more exactly: and we, or ever he come near, are ready to slay him.

¹⁶ But Paul’s sister’s son heard of their lying in wait, and he came and entered into the castle, and told Paul.

¹⁷ And Paul called unto him one of the centurions, and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain: for he hath something to tell him.

¹⁸ So he took him, and brought him to the chief captain, and saith, Paul the prisoner called me unto him, and asked me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say to thee.

¹⁹ And the chief captain took him by the hand, and going aside asked him privately, What is that thou hast to tell me?

²⁰ And he said, The Jews have agreed to ask thee to bring down Paul tomorrow unto the council, as though thou wouldest inquire somewhat more exactly concerning him.

²¹ Do not thou therefore yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, which have bound themselves under a curse, neither to eat nor to drink till they have slain him: and now are they ready, looking for the promise from thee.

²² So the chief captain let the young man go, charging him, Tell no man that thou hast signified these things to me.

²³ And he called unto him two of the centurions, and said, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go as far as Caesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night:

²⁴ and he bade them provide beasts, that they might set Paul thereon, and bring him safe unto Felix the governor.

²⁵ And he wrote a letter after this form:

²⁶ Claudius Lysias unto the most excellent governor Felix, greeting.

¹ Paul looked straight at the Jewish council members and said: “My fellow Jews, all my life I have lived respecting our God, and I do not know of anything that I have done that I knew was wrong/evil.”

² When Ananias the supreme priest heard what Paul said, he commanded the men who were standing near Paul to hit him on the mouth.

³ Then Paul said to Ananias, “God will punish you (sg) for that, you hypocrite MET! You sit there and judge me, using the laws that God gave Moses. But you yourself disobey those laws, because you commanded me to be struck { these men to strike me} without having proved that I have done anything that is wrong!”

⁴ The men who were standing near Paul rebuked him. They said, “Are not you (sg) afraid to insult God's servant, our supreme priest?”

⁵ Paul replied, “My fellow Jews, I am sorry that I said that. I did not know that the man who told one of you to hit me is the high priest. If I had known that, I would not have insulted our supreme priest, because I know that it is written { that Moses wrote} in our Jewish law, ‘Do not speak evil of any of your rulers!’”

⁶ Paul realized that some of the Council members were Sadducees and others were Pharisees. So, in order to cause the Pharisees and Sadducees to argue among themselves instead of accusing him, he called out loudly in the Council hall, “My fellow Jews, I am a Pharisee, like my father was. I have been put { You have put me} on trial here because I confidently expect that some day God will ◄cause people who have died to become alive again/raise people from the dead►.”

⁷ When he said that, the Pharisees and Sadducees started to argue with one another about whether people who have died will become alive again or not.

⁸ The Sadducees believe that after people die, they will not become alive again. They also believe that there are no angels and no other kinds of spirits. But the Pharisees believe that all people who have died will one day become alive again. They also believe that there are angels and other kinds of spirits.

⁹ So the Council members ◄were divided/did not agree with each other►, and they began shouting at one another as they argued. Some of the teachers of the laws that God gave Moses who were Pharisees stood up. One of them said, “We (exc) think that this man has done nothing wrong.” Another said, “Maybe an angel or some other spirit really spoke to him and what he says is true.”

¹⁰ Then the Pharisees and Sadducees argued even more loudly with one another. As a result, the commander ◄was afraid/thought► that they would tear Paul to pieces. So he commanded soldiers to go down from the barracks and forcefully take Paul away from the Council members and bring him up into the barracks. So the soldiers did that.

¹¹ That night, in a vision Paul saw the Lord Jesus come and stand near him. The Lord said to him, “Be courageous! You (sg) have told people here in Jerusalem about me, and you must tell people in Rome about me, too.”

¹² The next morning some of the Jews MTY who hated Paul met secretly and talked about how they could kill him. They promised themselves that they would not eat or drink anything until they had killed him. They asked God to curse them if they did not do what they promised.

¹³ There were more than forty men who planned to do that.

¹⁴ They went to the chief priests and Jewish elders and told them, “God has heard us promise/vow that we (exc) will not eat or drink anything until we (exc) have killed Paul.

¹⁵ So we request that you go to the commander and ask him, on behalf of the whole Jewish Council, to bring Paul down to us from the barracks. Tell the commander that you want to question Paul some more. But we (exc) will be waiting to kill Paul while he is on the way here.”

¹⁶ But the son of Paul's sister heard what they were planning to do, so he went into the barracks and told Paul.

¹⁷ When Paul heard that, he called one of the officers and said to him, “ Please take this young man to the commander, because he needs to tell him something important.”

¹⁸ So the officer took Paul's nephew to the commander. The officer said to the commander, “That prisoner, Paul, called me and said, ‘Please take this young man to the commander, because he needs to tell him something important.’ ”

¹⁹ The commander took the young man by the hand, led him off by himself, and asked him, “What do you (sg) need to tell me?”

²⁰ The young man said, “ There are some SYN Jews who have planned to ask you (sg) to bring Paul before their Council tomorrow. They will say that they want to ask him some more questions. But that is not true.

²¹ Do not do what they ask you (sg) to do, because there are more than forty Jewish men who will be hiding and waiting to attack Paul when he passes by on the way to the Council. They even promised/vowed to God that they will not eat or drink anything until they have killed Paul. They are ready to do it, and right now they are waiting for you (sg) to agree to do what they are asking you to do.”

²² The commander said to Paul's young nephew, “Do not tell anyone that you (sg) have told me about their plan.” Then he sent the young man away.

²³ Then the commander called two of his officers and told them, “Get a group of two hundred soldiers ready to travel. Take along seventy soldiers riding horses, and two hundred other soldiers carrying spears. All of you must be ready to leave at nine o'clock tonight, to go down to Caesarea.

²⁴ And take along horses for Paul and those accompanying him to ride, and safely escort him to the palace of Governor Felix.”

²⁵ Then the commander wrote a letter to send to the governor. This is what he wrote:

²⁶ “ I am Claudius Lysias writing to you. You, Felix, are our governor whom we (exc) respect, and I sincerely send you my greetings.

¹ Paul, looking steadfastly at the council, said, “Brothers, I have lived before God in all good conscience until today.”

² The high priest, Ananias, commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth.

³ Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to judge me according to the law, and command me to be struck contrary to the law?”

⁴ Those who stood by said, “Do you malign God’s high priest?”

⁵ Paul said, “I didn’t know, brothers, that he was high priest. For it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

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

⁷ When he had said this, an argument arose between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the crowd was divided.

⁸ For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess all of these.

⁹ A great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ part stood up, and contended, saying, “We find no evil in this man. But if a spirit or angel has spoken to him, let’s not fight against God!”

¹⁰ When a great argument arose, the commanding officer, fearing that Paul would be torn in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them and bring him into the barracks.

¹¹ The following night, the Lord stood by him and said, “Cheer up, Paul, for as you have testified about me at Jerusalem, so you must testify also at 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 There were more than forty people who had made this conspiracy.

¹⁴ They came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great curse to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.

¹⁵ Now therefore, you with the council inform the commanding officer that he should bring him down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to judge his case more exactly. We are ready to kill him before he comes near.”

¹⁶ But Paul’s sister’s son heard they were lying in wait, and he came and entered into the barracks and told Paul.

¹⁷ Paul summoned one of the centurions and said, “Bring this young man to the commanding officer, for he has something to tell him.”

¹⁸ So he took him and brought him to the commanding officer and said, “Paul, the prisoner, summoned me and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to tell you.”

¹⁹ The commanding officer took him by the hand, and going aside, asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?”

²⁰ He said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though intending to inquire somewhat more accurately concerning him.

²¹ Therefore don’t yield to them, for more than forty men lie in wait for him, who have bound themselves under a curse to neither eat nor drink until they have killed him. Now they are ready, looking for the promise from you.”

²² So the commanding officer let the young man go, charging him, “Tell no one that you have revealed these things to me.”

²³ He called to himself two of the centurions, and said, “Prepare two hundred soldiers to go as far as Caesarea, with seventy horsemen and two hundred men armed with spears, at the third hour of the night.”

²⁴ He asked them to provide mounts, that they might set Paul on one, and bring him safely to Felix the governor.

²⁵ He wrote a letter like this:

²⁶ “Claudius Lysias to the most excellent governor Felix: Greetings.

¹ Paul, looking steadfastly at the council, said, “Brothers, I have lived before God in all good conscience until today.”

² The high priest, Ananias, commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth.

³ Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to judge me according to the law, and command me to be struck contrary to the law?”

⁴ Those who stood by said, “Do you malign God’s high priest?”

⁵ Paul said, “I didn’t know, brothers, that he was high priest. For it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

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

⁷ When he had said this, an argument arose between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the crowd was divided.

⁸ For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess all of these.

⁹ A great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ part stood up, and contended, saying, “We find no evil in this man. But if a spirit or angel has spoken to him, let’s not fight against God!”

¹⁰ When a great argument arose, the commanding officer, fearing that Paul would be torn in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them and bring him into the barracks.

¹¹ The following night, the Lord stood by him and said, “Cheer up, Paul, for as you have testified about me at Jerusalem, so you must testify also at 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 There were more than forty people who had made this conspiracy.

¹⁴ They came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great curse to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.

¹⁵ Now therefore, you with the council inform the commanding officer that he should bring him down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to judge his case more exactly. We are ready to kill him before he comes near.”

¹⁶ But Paul’s sister’s son heard they were lying in wait, and he came and entered into the barracks and told Paul.

¹⁷ Paul summoned one of the centurions and said, “Bring this young man to the commanding officer, for he has something to tell him.”

¹⁸ So he took him and brought him to the commanding officer and said, “Paul, the prisoner, summoned me and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to tell you.”

¹⁹ The commanding officer took him by the hand, and going aside, asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?”

²⁰ He said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though intending to inquire somewhat more accurately concerning him.

²¹ Therefore don’t yield to them, for more than forty men lie in wait for him, who have bound themselves under a curse to neither eat nor drink until they have killed him. Now they are ready, looking for the promise from you.”

²² So the commanding officer let the young man go, charging him, “Tell no one that you have revealed these things to me.”

²³ He called to himself two of the centurions, and said, “Prepare two hundred soldiers to go as far as Caesarea, with seventy horsemen and two hundred men armed with spears, at the third hour of the night.”

²⁴ He asked them to provide mounts, that they might set Paul on one, and bring him safely to Felix the governor.

²⁵ He wrote a letter like this:

²⁶ “Claudius Lysias to the most excellent governor Felix: Greetings.

¹ Paul, looking steadfastly at the council, said, “Brothers, I have lived before God in all good conscience until today.”

² The high priest, Ananias, commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth.

³ Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to judge me according to the law, and command me to be struck contrary to the law?”

⁴ Those who stood by said, “Do you malign God’s high priest?”

⁵ Paul said, “I didn’t know, brothers, that he was high priest. For it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

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

⁷ When he had said this, an argument arose between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the crowd was divided.

⁸ For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess all of these.

⁹ A great clamour arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ part stood up, and contended, saying, “We find no evil in this man. But if a spirit or angel has spoken to him, let’s not fight against God!”

¹⁰ When a great argument arose, the commanding officer, fearing that Paul would be torn in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from amongst them and bring him into the barracks.

¹¹ The following night, the Lord stood by him and said, “Cheer up, Paul, for as you have testified about me at Jerusalem, so you must testify also at 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 There were more than forty people who had made this conspiracy.

¹⁴ They came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great curse to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.

¹⁵ Now therefore, you with the council inform the commanding officer that he should bring him down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to judge his case more exactly. We are ready to kill him before he comes near.”

¹⁶ But Paul’s sister’s son heard they were lying in wait, and he came and entered into the barracks and told Paul.

¹⁷ Paul summoned one of the centurions and said, “Bring this young man to the commanding officer, for he has something to tell him.”

¹⁸ So he took him and brought him to the commanding officer and said, “Paul, the prisoner, summoned me and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to tell you.”

¹⁹ The commanding officer took him by the hand, and going aside, asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?”

²⁰ He said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though intending to enquire somewhat more accurately concerning him.

²¹ Therefore don’t yield to them, for more than forty men lie in wait for him, who have bound themselves under a curse to neither eat nor drink until they have killed him. Now they are ready, looking for the promise from you.”

²² So the commanding officer let the young man go, charging him, “Tell no one that you have revealed these things to me.”

²³ He called to himself two of the centurions, and said, “Prepare two hundred soldiers to go as far as Caesarea, with seventy horsemen and two hundred men armed with spears, at the third hour of the night.”

²⁴ He asked them to provide mounts, that they might set Paul on one, and bring him safely to Felix the governor.

²⁵ He wrote a letter like this:

²⁶ “Claudius Lysias to the most excellent governor Felix: Greetings.

¹ And Paul, looking fixedly at the Sanhedrin, said, My brothers, my life has been upright before God till this day.

² And the high priest, Ananias, gave orders to those who were near him to give him a blow on the mouth.

³ Then Paul said to him, God will give blows to you, you whitewashed wall: are you here to be my judge by law, and by your orders am I given blows against the law?

⁴ And those who were near said, Do you say such words against God's high priest?

⁵ And Paul said, Brother, I had no idea that he was the high priest: for it has been said, You may not say evil about the ruler of your people.

⁶ But when Paul saw that half of them were Sadducees and the rest Pharisees, he said in the Sanhedrin, Brothers, I am a Pharisee, and the son of Pharisees: I am here to be judged on the question of the hope of the coming back from the dead.

⁷ And when he had said this, there was an argument between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and a division in the meeting.

⁸ For the Sadducees say that there is no coming back from the dead, and no angels or spirits: but the Pharisees have belief in all these.

⁹ And there was a great outcry: and some of the scribes on the side of the Pharisees got up and took part in the discussion, saying, We see no evil in this man: what if he has had a revelation from an angel or a spirit?

¹⁰ And when the argument became very violent, the chief captain, fearing that Paul would be pulled in two by them, gave orders to the armed men to take him by force from among them, and take him into the army building.

¹¹ And the night after, the Lord came to his side and said, Be of good heart, for as you have been witnessing for me in Jerusalem, so will you be my witness in Rome.

¹² And when it was day, the Jews came together and put themselves under an oath that they would take no food or drink till they had put Paul to death.

¹³ And more than forty of them took this oath.

¹⁴ And they came to the chief priests and the rulers and said, We have taken a great oath to take no food till we have put Paul to death

¹⁵ So now, will you and the Sanhedrin make a request to the military authorities to have him sent down to you, as if you were desiring to go into the business in greater detail; and we, before ever he gets to you, will be waiting to put him to death.

¹⁶ But Paul's sister's son had word of their design, and he came into the army building and gave news of it to Paul.

¹⁷ And Paul sent for a captain and said, Take this young man to your chief, for he has news for him.

¹⁸ So he took him to the chief captain and said, Paul, the prisoner, made a request to me to take this young man to you, for he has something to say to you.

¹⁹ And the chief took him by the hand and, going on one side, said to him privately, What is it you have to say to me?

²⁰ And he said, The Jews are in agreement together to make a request to you for Paul to be taken, on the day after this, into the Sanhedrin, to be questioned in greater detail.

²¹ But do not give way to them, for more than forty of them are waiting for him, having taken an oath not to take food or drink till they have put him to death: and now they are ready, waiting for your order.

²² So the chief captain let the young man go, saying to him, Do not say to anyone that you have given me word of these things.

²³ And he sent for two captains and said, Make ready two hundred men, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen, to go to Caesarea, at the third hour of the night:

²⁴ And get beasts so that they may put Paul on them, and take him safely to Felix, the ruler.

²⁵ And he sent a letter in these words:

²⁶ Claudius Lysias, to the most noble ruler, Felix, peace be with you.

¹ And Paul, fixing his eyes on the council, said, Brethren, I have walked in all good conscience with God unto this day.

² But the high priest Ananias ordered those standing by him to smite his mouth.

³ Then Paul said to him, God will smite thee, whited wall. And thou, dost thou sit judging me according to the law, and breaking the law commandest me to be smitten?

⁴ And those that stood by said, Dost thou rail against the high priest of God?

⁵ And Paul said, I was not conscious, brethren, that he was high priest; for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evilly of the ruler of thy people.

⁶ But Paul, knowing that the one part of them were of the Sadducees and the other of the Pharisees, cried out in the council, Brethren, I am a Pharisee, son of Pharisees: I am judged concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead.

⁷ And when he had spoken this, there was a tumult of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the multitude was divided.

⁸ For Sadducees say there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit; but Pharisees confess both of them.

⁹ And there was a great clamour, and the scribes of the Pharisees' part rising up contended, saying, We find nothing evil in this man; and if a spirit has spoken to him, or an angel...

¹⁰ And a great tumult having arisen, the chiliarch, fearing lest Paul should have been torn in pieces by them, commanded the troop to come down and take him by force from the midst of them, and to bring him into the fortress.

¹¹ But the following night the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good courage; for as thou hast testified the things concerning me at Jerusalem, so thou must bear witness at Rome also.

¹² And when it was day, the Jews, having banded together, put themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they should kill Paul.

¹³ And they were more than forty who had joined together in this oath;

¹⁴ and they went to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have cursed ourselves with a curse to taste nothing until we kill Paul.

¹⁵ Now therefore do ye with the council make a representation to the chiliarch so that he may bring him down to you, as about to determine more precisely what concerns him, and we, before he draws near, are ready to kill him.

¹⁶ But Paul's sister's son, having heard of the lying in wait, came and entered into the fortress and reported it to Paul.

¹⁷ And Paul, having called one of the centurions, said, Take this youth to the chiliarch, for he has something to report to him.

¹⁸ He therefore, having taken him with him, led him to the chiliarch, and says, The prisoner Paul called me to him and asked me to lead this youth to thee, who has something to say to thee.

¹⁹ And the chiliarch having taken him by the hand, and having gone apart in private, inquired, What is it that thou hast to report to me?

²⁰ And he said, The Jews have agreed together to make a request to thee, that thou mayest bring Paul down to-morrow into the council, as about to inquire something more precise concerning him.

²¹ Do not thou then be persuaded by them, for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, who have put themselves under a curse neither to eat nor drink till they kill him; and now they are ready waiting the promise from thee.

²² The chiliarch then dismissed the youth, commanding him, Utter to no one that thou hast represented these things to me.

²³ And having called to him certain two of the centurions, he said, Prepare two hundred soldiers that they may go as far as Caesarea, and seventy horsemen, and two hundred light-armed footmen, for the third hour of the night.

²⁴ And he ordered them to provide beasts, that they might set Paul on them and carry him safe through to Felix the governor,

²⁵ having written a letter, couched in this form:

²⁶ Claudius Lysias to the most excellent governor Felix, greeting.

¹ And Paul looking upon the council, said: Men, brethren, I have conversed with all good conscience before God until this present day.

² And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to strike him on the mouth.

³ Then Paul said to him: God shall strike thee, thou whited wall. For sittest thou to judge me according to the law, and contrary to the law commandest me to be struck?

⁴ And they that stood by said: Dost thou revile the high priest of God?

⁵ And Paul said: I knew not, brethren, that he is the high priest. For it is written: Thou shalt not speak evil of the prince 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 Pharisees: concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.

⁷ And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the multitude was divided.

⁸ For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.

⁹ And there arose a great cry. And some of the Pharisees rising up, strove, saying: We find no evil in this man. What if a spirit hath spoken to him, or an angel?

¹⁰ And when there arose a great dissension, the tribune fearing lest Paul should be pulled in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers 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 standing by him, said: Be constant; for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.

¹² And when day was come, some of the Jews gathered together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying, that they would neither eat, nor drink, till they killed Paul.

¹³ And they were more than forty men that had made this conspiracy.

¹⁴ Who came to the chief priests and the ancients, and said: We have bound ourselves under a great curse that we will eat nothing till we have slain Paul.

¹⁵ Now therefore do you with the council signify to the tribune, that he bring him forth to you, as if you meant to know something more certain touching him. And we, before he come near, are ready to kill him.

¹⁶ Which when Paul’s sister’s son had heard, of their lying in wait, he came and entered into the castle and told Paul.

¹⁷ And Paul, calling to him one of the centurions, said: Bring this young man to the tribune, for he hath some thing to tell him.

¹⁸ And he taking him, brought him to the tribune, and said: Paul, the prisoner, desired me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath some thing to say to thee.

¹⁹ And the tribune taking him by the hand, went aside with him privately, and asked him: What is it that thou hast to tell me?

²⁰ And he said: The Jews have agreed to desire thee, that thou wouldst bring forth Paul tomorrow into the council, as if they meant to inquire some thing more certain touching him.

²¹ But do not thou give credit to them; for there lie in wait for him more than forty men of them, who have bound themselves by oath neither to eat, nor to drink, till they have killed him: and they are now ready, looking for a promise from thee.

²² The tribune therefore dismissed the young man, charging him that he should tell no man, that he had made known these things unto him.

²³ Then having called two centurions, he said to them: Make ready two hundred soldiers to go as far as Caesarea, and seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen for the third hour of the night:

²⁴ And provide beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe to Felix the governor.

²⁵ (For he feared lest perhaps the Jews might take him away by force and kill him, and he should afterwards be slandered, as if he was to take money.) And he wrote a letter after this manner:

²⁶ Claudius Lysias to the most excellent governor, Felix, greeting.

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

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

³ Then 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?”

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

⁵ Then 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.’ ”

⁶ But 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!”

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

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

⁹ And 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.”

¹⁰ And 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.

¹¹ Now 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.”

¹² Now 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.

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

¹⁴ who 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.

¹⁵ Now 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.”

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

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

¹⁸ Therefore 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.”

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

²⁰ And he said, “The Jews have agreed to ask that tomorrow you bring Paul down to the Sanhedrin, as though they are going to learn something more accurate concerning him.

²¹ Therefore you must not be persuaded by them; for more than forty of them are lying in wait for him, who have bound themselves by a curse neither to eat nor to drink until they have killed him; and now they are prepared, waiting for the promise from you.”

²² Then the commander dismissed the young man, and commanded him, “Tell no one that you have made known these things to me.”

²³ And having summoned two of the centurions he said, “Make ready two hundred soldiers, and seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen, in order that they may go to Caesarea, to leave at the third hour of the night;

²⁴ and place mounts at their disposal, in order that they may put Paul on them, and bring him safely to Felix the governor.”

²⁵ And he wrote a letter which contained this content:

²⁶ Claudius Lysias, to the most excellent governor Felix: Greetings.

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

² So the high priest Ananias commanded those standing by him to strike his mouth.

³ Then Paul said to him: “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you command me to be struck contrary to the law!”

⁴ So those standing by said, “Do you reproach God's high priest?”

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

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

⁷ When he had said this, an argument started between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.

⁸ (Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel or spirit, but Pharisees confess both.)

⁹ There was a great clamor, and the scribes of the Pharisee party stood up and started arguing vigorously, saying, “We find nothing wrong with this man; but if a spirit or angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God!”

¹⁰ Well the dissension became such that the commander, fearing that Paul might be torn in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and snatch him out of their midst and bring him into the barracks.

¹¹ Now the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, Paul, because as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”

¹² And when it was day, some of the Jews formed a conspiracy by binding themselves with a curse neither to eat nor to drink until they had destroyed Paul.

¹³ Now there were more than forty who formed this plot.

¹⁴ They came to the chief priests and the elders and said: “We have bound ourselves with a terrible curse not to taste anything until we have killed Paul.

¹⁵ Now you, therefore, together with the council, explain to the commander that he should bring him down to you tomorrow, as though you are going to determine more accurately the facts in his case; but we are ready to destroy him before he comes near.”

¹⁶ But when Paul's sister's son heard about the ambush, he went and entered the barracks and told Paul.

¹⁷ So Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commander, because he has something to tell him.”

¹⁸ So he took him and brought him to the commander and said, “Paul the prisoner called me over and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.”

¹⁹ So taking him by the hand, the commander went aside and asked privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?”

²⁰ So he said: “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow as though intending to inquire somewhat more accurately concerning him.

²¹ But you should not believe them, because more than forty of their men are lying in wait for him, who have bound themselves with a curse neither to eat not to drink until they have destroyed him; even now they are ready, looking for your promise.”

²² Then the commander dismissed the young man commanding, “Don't tell anyone that you have revealed these things to me!”

²³ Summoning two of the centurions he said: “Prepare two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at the third hour of the night;

²⁴ and provide mounts to set Paul on so as to deliver him safely to Felix, the governor.”

²⁵ He wrote a letter with this content:

²⁶ “Claudius Lysias, to the most excellent governor Felix: Greetings.

¹ Paul, looking sraight at the council, said, “Brothers, right up to now I have always conducted myself before God with a clear conscience.”

² Ananias the high priest ordered the officers standing beside Paul to hit him on the mouth.

³ Paul said to him, “God will hit you, you whitewashed wall! You're sitting there to judge me according to the law, and you order me to be hit in contravention of the law!”

⁴ The officers standing beside Paul said, “How dare you insult the high priest!”

⁵ “Brothers, I didn't know that he was the high priest,” Paul replied. “As Scriptures say, ‘You must not speak evil of any ruler of your people.’”

⁶ When Paul realized that some of the council were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, he shouted out, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee! I'm on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead!”

⁷ When he said this, a tremendous argument broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees that split the council.

⁸ (The Sadducees say there is no resurrection from the dead, no angels, and no spirits, but Pharisees believe in all of these.)

⁹ A great commotion erupted and some of the Pharisee teachers of the law stood up and argued fiercely, saying, “We find this man not guilty! Maybe a spirit spoke to him, or an angel!”

¹⁰ The argument was getting out of hand, so the commander, concerned that they would tear Paul to pieces, ordered the soldiers to go and rescue him from them by force, and take him back into the fortress.

¹¹ Afterwards, during the night, the Lord stood by Paul, and told him, “Keep up your courage! Just as you have given your testimony about me in Jerusalem, so you must be my witness in Rome as well.”

¹² Next day some Jews plotted together, and they took an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.

¹³ Over forty were part of this conspiracy.

¹⁴ They went to the chief priests and leaders and said, “We have taken a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul.

¹⁵ So you and the council should send word to the commander that he should bring Paul down to meet with you, as if you wanted to examine his case in more detail. We're ready to kill him along the way.”

¹⁶ But Paul's nephew (his sister's son) heard about their planned ambush, and he went into the fortress and told Paul about it.

¹⁷ Paul called over one of the centurions, and told him, “Take this young man to the commander, because he has some information to share with him.”

¹⁸ So the centurion took Paul's nephew and brought him to the commander and told him, “The prisoner Paul called me over and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to tell you.”

¹⁹ The commander took the young man by the hand and drew him aside. “What do you have to tell me?” he asked quietly.

²⁰ “The Jews have arranged to ask you to bring Paul to the council tomorrow, as if they wanted to ask more detailed questions about his case,” he explained.

²¹ “Please don't listen to them, because they have planned to ambush him with more than forty men who have taken an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They're ready right now, waiting for you to agree to the request.”

²² The commander sent the young man on his way, warning him, “Don't tell anyone that you've told me about this.”

²³ He summoned two centurions and told them, “Get two hundred soldiers ready to go to Caesarea, together with seventy cavalry-men and two hundred spearmen. Be ready to leave at nine p.m. tonight.

²⁴ Provide horses for Paul to ride to make sure he gets to Governor Felix safely.”

²⁵ He also wrote a letter that went like this:

²⁶ “From Claudius Lysias to His Excellency Governor Felix, greetings!

¹ And Paul behelde earnestly the Councill, and sayde, Men and brethren, I haue in all good conscience serued God vntill this day.

² Then the hie Priest Ananias commanded them that stood by, to smite him on the mouth.

³ Then sayd Paul to him, God will smite thee, thou whited wall: for thou sittest to iudge me according to the Lawe, and transgressing the Lawe, commaundest thou me to be smitten?

⁴ And they that stood by, sayd, Reuilest thou Gods hie Priest?

⁵ Then sayd Paul, I knewe not, brethren, that he was the hie Priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speake euill of the ruler of thy people.

⁶ But when Paul perceiued that the one part were of the Sadduces, and the other of the Pharises, hee cried in the Council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharise, the sonne of a Pharise: I am accused of the hope and resurrection of the dead.

⁷ And when hee had saide this, there was a dissension betweene the Pharises and the Sadduces, so that the multitude was deuided.

⁸ For the Sadduces say that there is no resurrection, neither Angel, nor spirit: but the Pharises confesse both.

⁹ Then there was a great crye: and the Scribes of the Pharises part rose vp, and stroue, saying, Wee finde none euill in this man: but if a spirit or an Angel hath spoken to him, let vs not fight against God.

¹⁰ And when there was a great dissension, the chiefe captaine, fearing lest Paul should haue bene pulled in pieces of them, commanded the souldiers to go downe, and take him from among them, and to bring him into the castel.

¹¹ Nowe the night folowing, the Lord stoode by him, and saide, Be of good courage, Paul: for as thou hast testified of mee in Hierusalem, so must thou beare witnesse also at Rome.

¹² And when the day was come, certaine of the Iewes made an assemblie, and bounde themselues with a curse, saying, that they woulde neither eate nor drinke, till they had killed Paul.

¹³ And they were more then fourtie, which had made this conspiracie.

¹⁴ And they came to the chiefe Priestes and Elders, and said, We haue bound our selues with a solemne curse, that wee will eate nothing, vntill we haue slaine Paul.

¹⁵ Nowe therefore, ye and the Council signifie to the chiefe captaine, that hee bring him foorth vnto you to morow: as though you would know some thing more perfectly of him, and we, or euer he come neere, will be readie to kill him.

¹⁶ But when Pauls sisters sonne heard of their laying awaite, he went, and entred into the castel, and tolde Paul.

¹⁷ And Paul called one of the Centurions vnto him, and said, Take this yong man hence vnto the chiefe captaine: for he hath a certaine thing to shewe him.

¹⁸ So hee tooke him, and brought him to the chiefe captaine, and saide, Paul the prisoner called mee vnto him, and prayed mee to bring this yong man vnto thee, which hath some thing to say vnto thee.

¹⁹ Then the chiefe captaine tooke him by the hande, and went apart with him alone, and asked him, What hast thou to shewe me?

²⁰ And he saide, The Iewes haue conspired to desire thee, that thou wouldest bring foorth Paul to morow into the Council, as though they would inquire somewhat of him more perfectly:

²¹ But let them not perswade thee: for there lie in waite for him of them, more then fourtie men, which haue bound themselues with a curse, that they will neither eate nor drinke, till they haue killed him: and nowe are they readie, and waite for thy promise.

²² The chiefe captaine then let the yong man depart, after hee had charged him to vtter it to no man, that he had shewed him these things.

²³ And he called vnto him two certaine Centurions, saying, Make readie two hundred souldiers, that they may go to Cæsarea, and horsemen three score and ten, and two hundred with dartes, at the thirde houre of the night.

²⁴ And let them make readie an horse, that Paul being set on, may be brought safe vnto Felix the Gouernour.

²⁵ And he wrote an epistle in this maner:

²⁶ Claudius Lysias vnto the most noble Gouernour Felix sendeth greeting.

¹ And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.

² And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth.

³ Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?

⁴ And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God’s high priest?

⁵ Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.

⁶ But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.

⁷ And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided.

⁸ For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.

⁹ And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees’ part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God.

¹⁰ And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers 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 cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.

¹² And when it was day, certain of 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 which had made this conspiracy.

¹⁴ And 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 slain Paul.

¹⁵ Now therefore ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you to morrow, as though ye would inquire something more perfectly concerning him: and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him.

¹⁶ And when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and told Paul.

¹⁷ Then Paul called one of the centurions unto him, and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain: for he hath a certain thing to tell him.

¹⁸ So he took him, and brought him to the chief captain, and said, Paul the prisoner called me unto him, and prayed me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say unto thee.

¹⁹ Then the chief captain took him by the hand, and went with him aside privately, and asked him, What is that thou hast to tell me?

²⁰ And he said, The Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest bring down Paul to morrow into the council, as though they would inquire somewhat of him more perfectly.

²¹ But do not thou yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them moe than forty men, which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now are they ready, looking for a promise from thee.

²² So the chief captain then let the young man depart, and charged him, See thou tell no man that thou hast shewed these things to me.

²³ And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Cesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night;

²⁴ and provide them beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe unto Felix the governor.

²⁵ And he wrote a letter after this manner:

²⁶ Claudius Lysias unto the most excellent governor Felix sendeth greeting.

¹ And Paul looking earnestly upon the council, said: Brethren! I have ordered my life in all good conscience before God to 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! Art thou then sitting to judge me according to the law, and dost thou command me to be smitten contrary to the law?

⁴ And they that stood by said, Dost thou revile God's high-priest?

⁵ Then said Paul, I knew not, brethren, that he was high-priest; for it is written, “Thou shalt not speak evil of a ruler of thy people.”

⁶ But Paul, perceiving one part to be Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, cried aloud in the council, Brethren! I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees; for the hope of the resurrection of the dead I am now tried.

⁷ And when he had said this, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the multitude was divided.

⁸ For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees affirm both.

⁹ And there arose a great clamor; and scribes of the party of the Pharisees arose, and contended, saying, We find nothing amiss in this man; but if a spirit hath spoken to him or an angel—

¹⁰ And a great dissension arising, the chief captain, fearing that Paul would be torn in pieces by them, ordered the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the castle.

¹¹ And the night following, the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good courage; for as thou hast borne witness concerning me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness 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 there were more than forty who took this oath together.

¹⁴ And they came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.

¹⁵ Now therefore do ye with the council give notice to the chief captain, that he bring him down to you, as though ye were about to examine his case more thoroughly; and we are ready to kill him before he cometh near you.

¹⁶ But Paul's sister's son hearing of the plot went, and entering the castle, told Paul.

¹⁷ Then Paul called one of the centurions to him, and said, Take this young man to the chief captain; for he hath 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 hath something to say to thee.

¹⁹ Then the chief captain took him by the hand and went aside privately, and asked him, What is it that thou hast to tell me?

²⁰ And he said, The Jews have agreed to ask thee to bring down Paul tomorrow into the council, as though thou wert about to inquire more thoroughly concerning him.

²¹ But do not thou yield to them; for there lie in wait for him more than forty men of them, who have bound themselves with an oath neither to eat nor drink till they have killed him; and they are now ready, looking for the promise from thee.

²² The chief captain then dismissed the young man with the charge, Tell no one that thou hast disclosed these things to me.

²³ And he called to him two of the centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea, and seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen, at the third hour of the night;

²⁴ and provide beasts, whereon they may set Paul, and carry him safe to Felix the governor.

²⁵ And he wrote a letter after this manner:

²⁶ Claudius Lysias to the moss excellent governor Felix, greeting.

¹ Paul fixed his eyes on the Council, and began: “Brothers, for my part, I have always ordered my life before God, with a clear conscience, up to this very day.”

² At this, the high priest Ananias ordered the men standing near to strike him on the mouth;

³ Paul turned to him and said: “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting there to try me in accordance with law, and yet, in defiance of law, order me to be struck?”

⁴ The people standing near said to Paul, “Do you know that you are insulting God's high priest?”

⁵ “I did not know, brothers, that it was the high priest,” said Paul, “for scripture says — ‘Of the ruler of your people you should speak no ill’.”

⁶ Noticing that some of those present were Sadducees and others Pharisees, Paul called out in the Council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee and a son of Pharisees. It is on the question of hope for the dead and of their resurrection that I am on my trial.”

⁷ As soon as he said this, a dispute arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and there was a sharp division of opinion amongst those present.

⁸ (For Sadducees say there is no such thing as a resurrection, and that there is neither angel nor spirit, while Pharisees believe in both.)

⁹ So a great uproar ensued, and some of the Teachers of the Law belonging to the Pharisees' party stood up and hotly protested, “We find nothing whatever wrong in this man. Suppose a spirit did speak to him, or an angel...”

¹⁰ The dispute was becoming so violent, that the commanding officer, fearing that Paul would be torn in pieces between them, ordered the Guard to go down and rescue him from them, and take him into the Fort.

¹¹ That night the Lord came and stood by Paul, and said, “Courage! You have borne witness for me in Jerusalem and you must bear witness in Rome also.”

¹² In the morning some Jewish men combined together, and took an oath that they would not eat or drink until they had killed Paul.

¹³ There were more than forty in the plot;

¹⁴ and they went to the chief priests and the elders, and said, “We have taken a solemn oath not to touch food until we have killed Paul.

¹⁵ So we want you now, with the consent of the Council, to suggest to the commanding officer that he should bring Paul down before you, as though you intended to go more fully into his case; but, before he comes here, we will be ready to make away with him.”

¹⁶ However, the son of Paul's sister, hearing of the plot, went to the Fort, and on being admitted, told Paul about it.

¹⁷ Paul called one of the Captains of the garrison and asked him to take the lad to the commanding officer, as he had something to tell him.

¹⁸ The captain went with the lad to the commanding officer, and said, “The prisoner Paul called me and asked me to bring this lad to you, as he has something to tell you.”

¹⁹ The commanding officer took the lad by the hand, and, stepping aside, asked what it was he had to tell him.

²⁰ “Some men have agreed,” answered the lad, “to ask you to bring Paul down before the Council tomorrow, on the plea of your making further enquiry into his case.

²¹ But do not let them persuade you, for more than forty of them are lying in wait for him, who have taken an oath that they will not eat or drink, until they have made away with him; and they are at this very moment in readiness, counting on your promise.”

²² The commanding officer then dismissed the lad, cautioning him not to mention to anybody that he had given him that information.

²³ Then he called two Captains, and ordered them to have two hundred soldiers ready to go to Caesarea, as well as seventy troopers and two hundred lancers, by nine o'clock that night,

²⁴ and to have horses ready for Paul to ride, so that they might take him safely to Felix, the Governor.

²⁵ He also wrote a letter along these lines:

²⁶ ‘Claudius Lysias sends his compliments to His Excellency Felix the Governor.

¹ Paul fixed his eyes on the Council, and began: “Brothers, for my part, I have always ordered my life before God, with a clear conscience, up to this very day.”

² At this, the high priest Ananias ordered the men standing near to strike him on the mouth;

³ Paul turned to him and said: “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting there to try me in accordance with law, and yet, in defiance of law, order me to be struck?”

⁴ The people standing near said to Paul, “Do you know that you are insulting God's high priest?”

⁵ “I did not know, brothers, that it was the high priest,” said Paul, “for scripture says — ‘Of the ruler of your people you should speak no ill’.”

⁶ Noticing that some of those present were Sadducees and others Pharisees, Paul called out in the Council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee and a son of Pharisees. It is on the question of hope for the dead and of their resurrection that I am on my trial.”

⁷ As soon as he said this, a dispute arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and there was a sharp division of opinion among those present.

⁸ (For Sadducees say there is no such thing as a resurrection, and that there is neither angel nor spirit, while Pharisees believe in both.)

⁹ So a great uproar ensued, and some of the Teachers of the Law belonging to the Pharisees' party stood up and hotly protested, “We find nothing whatever wrong in this man. Suppose a spirit did speak to him, or an angel...”

¹⁰ The dispute was becoming so violent, that the commanding officer, fearing that Paul would be torn in pieces between them, ordered the Guard to go down and rescue him from them, and take him into the Fort.

¹¹ That night the Lord came and stood by Paul, and said, “Courage! You have borne witness for me in Jerusalem and you must bear witness in Rome also.”

¹² In the morning some Jewish men combined together, and took an oath that they would not eat or drink until they had killed Paul.

¹³ There were more than forty in the plot;

¹⁴ and they went to the chief priests and the elders, and said, “We have taken a solemn oath not to touch food until we have killed Paul.

¹⁵ So we want you now, with the consent of the Council, to suggest to the commanding officer that he should bring Paul down before you, as though you intended to go more fully into his case; but, before he comes here, we will be ready to make away with him.”

¹⁶ However, the son of Paul's sister, hearing of the plot, went to the Fort, and on being admitted, told Paul about it.

¹⁷ Paul called one of the Captains of the garrison and asked him to take the lad to the commanding officer, as he had something to tell him.

¹⁸ The captain went with the lad to the commanding officer, and said, “The prisoner Paul called me and asked me to bring this lad to you, as he has something to tell you.”

¹⁹ The commanding officer took the lad by the hand, and, stepping aside, asked what it was he had to tell him.

²⁰ “Some men have agreed,” answered the lad, “to ask you to bring Paul down before the Council tomorrow, on the plea of your making further inquiry into his case.

²¹ But do not let them persuade you, for more than forty of them are lying in wait for him, who have taken an oath that they will not eat or drink, until they have made away with him; and they are at this very moment in readiness, counting on your promise.”

²² The commanding officer then dismissed the lad, cautioning him not to mention to anybody that he had given him that information.

²³ Then he called two Captains, and ordered them to have two hundred soldiers ready to go to Caesarea, as well as seventy troopers and two hundred lancers, by nine o'clock that night,

²⁴ and to have horses ready for Paul to ride, so that they might take him safely to Felix, the Governor.

²⁵ He also wrote a letter along these lines:

²⁶ ‘Claudius Lysias sends his compliments to His Excellency Felix the Governor.

¹ Paul stood up in front of the Jewish council men. One of them was the big boss of the Jewish ceremonies, called Ananias. Paul looked straight at them, and said, “My brothers, I have respected our God all my life, and I have always done whatever I reckoned was right.” As soon as Paul said that, Ananias said to the men that were near Paul, “Hit him on the mouth.”

³ Then Paul said to Ananias, “God will punish you for that. You reckon you are a good man but you are not a good man. You sit there to judge me using our law, but you don’t follow that law yourself. Nobody showed you that I did anything wrong, but you told these men to hit me.”

⁴ The men that were standing near Paul said, “You are saying something bad to God’s man, the big boss of our Jewish ceremonies. You shouldn’t do that.”

⁵ Paul said, “Oh, my bothers, I’m sorry. I didn’t know that he is the big boss of our Jewish ceremonies. I know that Moses wrote in our Jewish law, ‘Don’t say bad things about any of your bosses.’”

⁶ Some of the Jewish council men there belonged to the mob called Sadducees, and others belonged to the mob called Pharisees. The Sadducee mob believe that after people die, they will never become alive again. And they believe that there are no spirits, not even God’s spirit messengers called angels. But the Pharisees believe that all of those things are true. Paul worked out that some of those council men were Sadducees, and some were Pharisees, so he called out loudly to them. He said, “My friends, I’m a Pharisee, like my father was. I believe that after people die, one day God will make them alive again. That’s why I’m here in this court.” As soon as Paul said that, the Pharisees and Sadducees started to argue with each other.

⁹ The council split into 2 mobs and started shouting at each other. Some of the teachers of the law were Pharisees. They stood up and said, “We reckon this man hasn’t done anything wrong. Maybe an angel or some other spirit talked to him. That’s all right.”

¹⁰ Then those 2 mobs argued with each other and got really wild, and the big boss of the soldiers thought, “They are going to tear Paul to bits.” So he told his soldiers, “Go and save Paul from those council men, and take him back to your big house.” So the soldiers did that.

¹¹ That night, Paul saw Jesus come and stand near him, and Jesus said to him, “Be brave, Paul. You told people here in Jerusalem about me, and you have to tell people in Rome about me, too.”

¹² The next morning some of those Jews met together secretly and thought about a way to kill Paul. Then they promised God, “We will not eat or drink anything until we kill Paul. If we break this promise and don’t kill Paul, then, God, you can kill us.”

¹³ There were more than 40 men in that mob.

¹⁴ They went to the leaders of the Jewish ceremonies and the other Jewish leaders and told them, “We promised God that we will not eat or drink anything until we kill Paul.

¹⁵ So we want you to go to the big boss of the soldiers and say to him, ‘The Jewish council wants to ask Paul some more questions. Can you bring him to our meeting place?’ But we will hide beside the road, and when they bring Paul along it we will jump up and kill him.”

¹⁶ But the son of Paul’s sister heard what those Jews were going to do, so he went into the big house of the soldiers and told Paul about it.

¹⁷ Then Paul called to one of the bosses of the soldiers and said, “Please take this young man to your big boss. He has some news to tell him.”

¹⁸ So that soldier took him to his big boss and said, “That prisoner, Paul, called me and asked me to take this young man to you. He has some news to tell you.”

¹⁹ The big boss held the young man’s hand and took him away from the other people, and then he asked him, “What is the news you have for me?”

²⁰ The young man said, “The Jewish leaders will ask you to take Paul to their council place tomorrow. They will tell you they want to ask him some more questions. But that is not true.

²¹ Don’t do what they will ask you to do. There are more than 40 men that will hide beside that road and wait for Paul to come along, so they can grab him and kill him. They even promised God that they will not eat or drink anything until they kill Paul. They are ready right now. They are just waiting for you to agree to do what they want.”

²² The big boss of the soldiers said to the young man, “You can go home now, but don’t tell anyone that you told me this news.”

²³ Then the big boss got 2 other bosses of soldiers and told them, “Get 200 soldiers ready to go north to Caesarea. And get ready 70 soldiers that ride horses to go there with you, and get another 200 soldiers ready, those soldiers that use spears, and they can go with you too. All of you have to be ready to leave at 9 o’clock tonight.

²⁴ And get horses for Paul to ride, and take him to Felix, the governor of this country. He is in the town called Caesarea. Make sure you keep Paul safe.”

²⁵ Then that big boss of the soldiers wrote a letter for them to take with them to that governor of the country. He wrote,

²⁶ “Dear Felix I am Claudius Lysias. I’m writing to your honour, Felix, the governor of this country. I hope you are good and happy.

¹ Paul behelde the counsell and sayde: men and brethren I have lived in all good conscience before God vntill this daye.

² The hye prest Ananias commaunded the that stode by to smyte him on the mouth.

³ Then sayde Paul to him: God smyte the thou payntyd wall. Sittest thou and iudgest me after the lawe: and commaundest me to be smytten contrary to the lawe?

⁴ And they that stode by sayde: revylest thou Goddes hye preste?

⁵ Then sayd Paul: I wist not brethren that he was the hye preste. For it is written thou shalt not curse the rular of thy people.

⁶ When Paul perceaved that the one parte were Saduces and the other Pharises: he cryed oute in the counsell. Men and brethren I am a Pharisaye the sonne of a Pharisaye. Of the hope and resurreccion from deeth I am iudged.

⁷ And when he had so sayde ther arose a debate bitwene the Pharisayes and the Saduces and the multitude was devided.

⁸ For the Saduces saye that ther is no resurreccion nether angell nor sprete. But the Pharisayes graunt bothe.

⁹ And ther arose a great crye and the Scribes which were of the Pharisayes parte arose and strove sayinge: we fynde none evyll in this man. Though a sprete or an angell hath apered to him let vs not stryve agaynst God.

¹⁰ And when ther arose greate debate the captayne fearynge lest Paul shuld have bene pluckt asondre of them commaunded the soudiers to goo doune and to take him from amonge them and to bringe him into the castle.

¹¹ The nyght folowyng God stode by him and sayde: Be of good cheare Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Ierusalem so must thou beare witnes at Rome.

¹² When daye was come certayne of the Iewes gaddered them selves to geder and made a vowe sayinge that they wolde nether eate nor drinke till they had killed Paul.

¹³ They were aboute .xl. which had made this conspiracion.

¹⁴ And they cam to the chefe prestes and elders and sayde: we have boude oure selves with a vowe that we will eate nothinge vntill we have slayne Paul.

¹⁵ Now therfore geve the knowlege to the vpper captayne and to the counsell that he bringe him forth vnto vs to morow as though we wolde knowe some thinge more perfectly of him. But we (or ever he come neare) are redy in the meane season to kill him.

¹⁶ When Pauls sisters sonne hearde of their layinge awayte he wet and entred into the castle and tolde Paul.

¹⁷ And Paul called one of the vnder captaynes vnto him and sayde: bringe this younge man vnto the hye captayne: for he hath a certayne thinge to shewe him.

¹⁸ And he toke him and sayd: Paul the presoner called me vnto him and prayed me to brige this youge man vnto the which hath a certayne matter to shewe the.

¹⁹ The hye captayne toke him by the hond and wet a parte with him out of the waye: and axed him: what hast thou to saye vnto me?

²⁰ And he sayd: the Iewes are determined to desyre the that thou woldest brynge forth Paul to morowe into the counsell as though they wolde enquyre somwhat of him more parfectly.

²¹ But folowe not their mindes: for ther lyein wayte for him of the moo then .xl. men which have boude the selves with a vowe that they will nether eate ner drinke till they have killed him. And now are they redy and loke for thy promes.

²² The vpper captayne let the yonge man departe and charged: se thou tell it out to no man that thou hast shewed these thinges to me.

²³ And he called vnto him two vnder captaynes sayinge: make redy two hondred soudiers to goo to Cesarea and horsmen threscore and ten and speare men two houndred at the thyrde houre of the nyght.

²⁴ And delyvre them beastes that they maye put Paul on and bringe him safe vnto Felix the hye debite

²⁵ and wrote a letter in this maner.

²⁶ Claudius Lisias vnto the most mighty rular Felix sendeth gretinges.

¹ Paul looked directly at the council members and said, “Brothers, I have lived before God in all good conscience until this day.”

² The high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth.

³ Then said Paul to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall. Are you sitting to judge me by the law, yet order me to be struck, against the law?”

⁴ Those who stood by said, “Is this how you insult God's high priest?”

⁵ Paul said, “I did not know, brothers, that he was high priest. For it is written, You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.”

⁶ When Paul saw that the one part of the council were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he spoke loudly in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is because I have the certain hope of the resurrection of the dead that I am being judged.”

⁷ When he said this, an argument began between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the crowd was divided.

⁸ For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, no angels, and no spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge all of them.

⁹ So a large uproar occurred, and some of the scribes belonging to the Pharisees stood up and argued, saying, “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”

¹⁰ When there arose a great argument, the chief captain feared that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, so he commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among the council members, and bring him into the fortress.

¹¹ The following night the Lord stood beside him and said, “Do not be afraid, for as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome.”

¹² When it became day, some Jews formed a conspiracy and called a curse down upon themselves with an oath not to eat nor drink anything until they had killed Paul.

¹³ There were more than forty men who formed this conspiracy.

¹⁴ They went to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have put ourselves under a great curse, to eat nothing until we have killed Paul.

¹⁵ Now, therefore, let the council tell the chief captain to bring him down to you, as if you would decide his case more precisely. As for us, we are ready to kill him before he comes here.”

¹⁶ But Paul's sister's son heard that they were lying in wait, so he went and entered the fortress and told Paul.

¹⁷ 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 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 you. He has something to say to you.”

¹⁹ The chief captain took him by the hand to a private place and asked him, “What is it that you have to tell me?”

²⁰ The young man said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring down Paul tomorrow to the council, as if they were going to ask more precisely about his case.

²¹ But do not give in to them, because there are more than forty men who are lying in wait for him. They have called a curse down on themselves, neither to eat nor to drink until they have killed him. Even now they are ready, waiting for consent from you.”

²² So the chief captain let the young man go, after instructing him, “Tell no one that you have said these things to me.”

²³ Then he called to him two of the centurions and said, “Get two hundred soldiers ready to go as far as Caesarea, and seventy horsemen also, and two hundred spearmen. You will leave at the third hour of the night.”

²⁴ He also ordered them to provide animals which Paul could ride, and to take him safely to Felix the governor.

²⁵ Then he wrote a letter like this:

²⁶ “Claudius Lysias to the most excellent Governor Felix, greetings.

¹ Paul, looking steadfastly at the council, said, “Brothers, I have lived before God in all good conscience until today.”

² The high priest, Ananias, commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth.

³ Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to judge me according to the law, and command me to be struck contrary to the law?”

⁴ Those who stood by said, “Do you malign God’s high priest?”

⁵ Paul said, “I didn’t know, brothers, that he was high priest. For it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

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

⁷ When he had said this, an argument arose between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the crowd was divided.

⁸ For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess all of these.

⁹ A great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ part stood up, and contended, saying, “We find no evil in this man. But if a spirit or angel has spoken to him, let’s not fight against God!”

¹⁰ When a great argument arose, the commanding officer, fearing that Paul would be torn in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them and bring him into the barracks.

¹¹ The following night, the Lord stood by him and said, “Cheer up, Paul, for as you have testified about me at Jerusalem, so you must testify also at 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 There were more than forty people who had made this conspiracy.

¹⁴ They came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great curse to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.

¹⁵ Now therefore, you with the council inform the commanding officer that he should bring him down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to judge his case more exactly. We are ready to kill him before he comes near.”

¹⁶ But Paul’s sister’s son heard they were lying in wait, and he came and entered into the barracks and told Paul.

¹⁷ Paul summoned one of the centurions and said, “Bring this young man to the commanding officer, for he has something to tell him.”

¹⁸ So he took him and brought him to the commanding officer and said, “Paul, the prisoner, summoned me and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to tell you.”

¹⁹ The commanding officer took him by the hand, and going aside, asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?”

²⁰ He said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though intending to inquire somewhat more accurately concerning him.

²¹ Therefore don’t yield to them, for more than forty men lie in wait for him, who have bound themselves under a curse to neither eat nor drink until they have killed him. Now they are ready, looking for the promise from you.”

²² So the commanding officer let the young man go, charging him, “Tell no one that you have revealed these things to me.”

²³ He called to himself two of the centurions, and said, “Prepare two hundred soldiers to go as far as Caesarea, with seventy horsemen and two hundred men armed with spears, at the third hour of the night.”

²⁴ He asked them to provide mounts, that they might set Paul on one, and bring him safely to Felix the governor.

²⁵ He wrote a letter like this:

²⁶ “Claudius Lysias to the most excellent governor Felix: Greetings.

¹ Paul, looking steadfastly at the council, said, “Brothers, I have lived before God in all good conscience until today.”

² The high priest, Ananias, commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth.

³ Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to judge me according to the law, and command me to be struck contrary to the law?”

⁴ Those who stood by said, “Do you malign God’s high priest?”

⁵ Paul said, “I didn’t know, brothers, that he was high priest. For it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

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

⁷ When he had said this, an argument arose between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the crowd was divided.

⁸ For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess all of these.

⁹ A great clamour arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ part stood up, and contended, saying, “We find no evil in this man. But if a spirit or angel has spoken to him, let’s not fight against God!”

¹⁰ When a great argument arose, the commanding officer, fearing that Paul would be torn in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from amongst them and bring him into the barracks.

¹¹ The following night, the Lord stood by him and said, “Cheer up, Paul, for as you have testified about me at Jerusalem, so you must testify also at 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 There were more than forty people who had made this conspiracy.

¹⁴ They came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great curse to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.

¹⁵ Now therefore, you with the council inform the commanding officer that he should bring him down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to judge his case more exactly. We are ready to kill him before he comes near.”

¹⁶ But Paul’s sister’s son heard they were lying in wait, and he came and entered into the barracks and told Paul.

¹⁷ Paul summoned one of the centurions and said, “Bring this young man to the commanding officer, for he has something to tell him.”

¹⁸ So he took him and brought him to the commanding officer and said, “Paul, the prisoner, summoned me and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to tell you.”

¹⁹ The commanding officer took him by the hand, and going aside, asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?”

²⁰ He said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though intending to enquire somewhat more accurately concerning him.

²¹ Therefore don’t yield to them, for more than forty men lie in wait for him, who have bound themselves under a curse to neither eat nor drink until they have killed him. Now they are ready, looking for the promise from you.”

²² So the commanding officer let the young man go, charging him, “Tell no one that you have revealed these things to me.”

²³ He called to himself two of the centurions, and said, “Prepare two hundred soldiers to go as far as Caesarea, with seventy horsemen and two hundred men armed with spears, at the third hour of the night.”

²⁴ He asked them to provide mounts, that they might set Paul on one, and bring him safely to Felix the governor.

²⁵ He wrote a letter like this:

²⁶ “Claudius Lysias to the most excellent governor Felix: Greetings.

¹ And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men, brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.

² And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him, to strike him on the mouth.

³ Then said Paul to him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me according to the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?

⁴ And they that stood by, said, Revilest thou God's high priest?

⁵ Then said Paul, I knew not, brethren, that he is the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.

⁶ But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men, brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.

⁷ And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided.

⁸ For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.

⁹ And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees' part arose, and contended, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God.

¹⁰ And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul would have been pulled in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers 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 cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified concerning me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear testimony also at Rome.

¹² And when it was day, certain of 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 had made this conspiracy.

¹⁴ And 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 slain Paul.

¹⁵ Now therefore ye with the council signify to the chief captain, that he bring him down to you to-morrow, as though ye would inquire something more perfectly concerning him: and we, before he shall come near, are ready to kill him.

¹⁶ And when the son of Paul's sister heard of their lying in wait, he 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 hath a certain thing 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 prayed me to bring this young man to thee, who hath something to say to thee.

¹⁹ Then the chief captain took him by the hand, and went with him aside privately, and asked him , What is that thou hast to tell me?

²⁰ And he said, The Jews have agreed to desire thee, that thou wouldst bring down Paul to-morrow into the council, as though they would inquire somewhat concerning him more perfectly.

²¹ But do not thou yield to them: for there are of them who lie in wait for him more than forty men, who have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now they are ready, looking for a promise from thee.

²² So the chief captain then let the young man depart, and charged him , See thou tell no man that thou hast shown these things to me.

²³ And he called to him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Cesarea, and seventy horsemen, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night;

²⁴ And provide for them beasts, that they may set Paul on, 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, sendeth greeting.

¹ Paul, looking steadfastly at the council, said, “Brothers, I have lived before God in all good conscience until today.”

² The high priest, Ananias, commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth.

³ Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to judge me according to the Torah, and command me to be struck contrary to the law?”

⁴ Those who stood by said, “Do you malign God’s high priest?”

⁵ Paul said, “I didn’t know, brothers, that he was high priest. For it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

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

⁷ When he had said this, an argument arose between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the crowd was divided.

⁸ For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess all of these.

⁹ A great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ part stood up, and contended, saying, “We find no evil in this man. But if a spirit or angel has spoken to him, let’s not fight against God!”

¹⁰ When a great argument arose, the commanding officer, fearing that Paul would be torn in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them and bring him into the barracks.

¹¹ The following night, the Lord stood by him and said, “Cheer up, Paul, for as you have testified about me at Jerusalem, so you must testify also at Rome.”

¹² When it was day, some of the Judeans banded together and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul.

¹³ There were more than forty people who had made this conspiracy.

¹⁴ They came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great curse to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.

¹⁵ Now therefore, you with the council inform the commanding officer that he should bring him down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to judge his case more exactly. We are ready to kill him before he comes near.”

¹⁶ But Paul’s sister’s son heard they were lying in wait, and he came and entered into the barracks and told Paul.

¹⁷ Paul summoned one of the centurions and said, “Bring this young man to the commanding officer, for he has something to tell him.”

¹⁸ So he took him and brought him to the commanding officer and said, “Paul, the prisoner, summoned me and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to tell you.”

¹⁹ The commanding officer took him by the hand, and going aside, asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?”

²⁰ He said, “The Judeans have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though intending to inquire somewhat more accurately concerning him.

²¹ Therefore don’t yield to them, for more than forty men lie in wait for him, who have bound themselves under a curse to neither eat nor drink until they have killed him. Now they are ready, looking for the promise from you.”

²² So the commanding officer let the young man go, charging him, “Tell no one that you have revealed these things to me.”

²³ He called to himself two of the centurions, and said, “Prepare two hundred soldiers to go as far as Caesarea, with seventy horsemen and two hundred men armed with spears, at the third hour of the night.”

²⁴ He asked them to provide mounts, that they might set Paul on one, and bring him safely to Felix the governor.

²⁵ He wrote a letter like this:

²⁶ “Claudius Lysias to the most excellent governor Felix: Greetings.

¹ Paul, looking steadfastly at the council, said, “Brothers, I have lived before God in all good conscience until today.”

² The high priest, Ananias, commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth.

³ Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to judge me according to the Torah, and command me to be struck contrary to the law?”

⁴ Those who stood by said, “Do you malign God’s high priest?”

⁵ Paul said, “I didn’t know, brothers, that he was high priest. For it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

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

⁷ When he had said this, an argument arose between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the crowd was divided.

⁸ For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess all of these.

⁹ A great clamour arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ part stood up, and contended, saying, “We find no evil in this man. But if a spirit or angel has spoken to him, let’s not fight against God!”

¹⁰ When a great argument arose, the commanding officer, fearing that Paul would be torn in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from amongst them and bring him into the barracks.

¹¹ The following night, the Lord stood by him and said, “Cheer up, Paul, for as you have testified about me at Jerusalem, so you must testify also at Rome.”

¹² When it was day, some of the Judeans banded together and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul.

¹³ There were more than forty people who had made this conspiracy.

¹⁴ They came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great curse to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.

¹⁵ Now therefore, you with the council inform the commanding officer that he should bring him down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to judge his case more exactly. We are ready to kill him before he comes near.”

¹⁶ But Paul’s sister’s son heard they were lying in wait, and he came and entered into the barracks and told Paul.

¹⁷ Paul summoned one of the centurions and said, “Bring this young man to the commanding officer, for he has something to tell him.”

¹⁸ So he took him and brought him to the commanding officer and said, “Paul, the prisoner, summoned me and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to tell you.”

¹⁹ The commanding officer took him by the hand, and going aside, asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?”

²⁰ He said, “The Judeans have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though intending to enquire somewhat more accurately concerning him.

²¹ Therefore don’t yield to them, for more than forty men lie in wait for him, who have bound themselves under a curse to neither eat nor drink until they have killed him. Now they are ready, looking for the promise from you.”

²² So the commanding officer let the young man go, charging him, “Tell no one that you have revealed these things to me.”

²³ He called to himself two of the centurions, and said, “Prepare two hundred soldiers to go as far as Caesarea, with seventy horsemen and two hundred men armed with spears, at the third hour of the night.”

²⁴ He asked them to provide mounts, that they might set Paul on one, and bring him safely to Felix the governor.

²⁵ He wrote a letter like this:

²⁶ “Claudius Lysias to the most excellent governor Felix: Greetings.

¹ And Paul beheld into the council, and said, Brethren, I with all good conscience have lived before God, till into this day.

² And Ananias, prince of priests, commanded to men that stood nigh to him, that they should smite his mouth.

³ Then Paul said to him, Thou whited wall or Thou wall made white, God shall smite thee; thou sittest, and deemest me by the law, and against the law thou commandest me to be smitten.

⁴ And they that stood nigh, said, Cursest thou the highest priest or the high priest of God?

⁵ And Paul said, Brethren, I knew not, that he is the prince of priests; for it is written, Thou shalt not curse the prince of thy people.

⁶ But Paul knew, that one part was of Sadducees, and the other of Phari-sees; and he cried in the council, Brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees; I am deemed of the hope and of the again-rising of dead men.

⁷ And when he had said this thing, dissension was made betwixt the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the multitude was parted.

⁸ For Sadducees say, that no rising again of dead men is, neither angel, neither spirit; but Pharisees acknowl-edge ever either or both.

⁹ And a great cry was made. And some of the Pharisees rose up, and fought, saying, We find nothing of evil in this man; what if a spirit, either an angel, spake to him?

¹⁰ And when great dissension was made, the tribune dreaded, lest Paul should be drawn to pieces of them; and he commanded knights to go down, and to take or to ravish him from the middle of them, and to lead him into the castles.

¹¹ And in the night pursuing the Lord stood nigh to him, and said, Be thou steadfast; for as thou hast witnessed of me in Jerusalem, so it behooveth thee to witness also at Rome.

¹² And when the day was come, some of the Jews gathered them, and made a vow, and said, that they should neither eat, nor drink, till they slew Paul.

¹³ And there were more than forty men, that made this swearing together or conjuration.

¹⁴ And they went to the princes of priests, and elder men, and said, With devotion we have avowed, that we shall not taste anything, till we have slain Paul.

¹⁵ Now therefore make ye known to the tribune, with the council, that he bring him forth to you, as if ye should know something more certainly of him; and we be ready to slay him, before that he come nigh.

¹⁶ And when the son of Paul’s sister had heard the ambush or the treason, he came, and entered into the castles, and told to Paul.

¹⁷ And Paul called to him one of the centurions, and said, Lead this young man to the tribune, for he hath something to show to him.

¹⁸ And he took him, and led to the tribune, and said, Paul, that is bound, prayed me to lead to thee this young man, that hath something to speak to thee.

¹⁹ And the tribune took his hand, and went with him asides half, and asked him, What thing is it, that thou hast to show to me?

²⁰ And he said, The Jews be accorded to pray thee, that tomorrow thou bring forth Paul into the council, as if they should inquire something more certainly of him.

²¹ But believe thou not to them; for more than forty men of them ambush him, which have avowed, that they shall neither eat nor drink, till they slay him; and now they be ready, abiding thy promise.

²² Therefore the tribune left the young man, and commanded, that he should speak to no man, that he had made these things known to him.

²³ And he called together two cen-turions, and he said to them, Make ye ready two hundred knights, that they go to Caesarea, and horsemen seventy, and spearmen two hundred, from the third hour of the night.

²⁴ And make ye ready an horse, for Paul to ride on, to lead him safe to Felix, the president. For the tribune dreaded, lest the Jews would take him by the way, and slay him, and afterward he might be challenged, as he had taken money.

²⁵ And He wrote to him an epistle, containing these things.

²⁶ Claudius Lysias to the best Felix, president, health.

¹ And Paul beheld into the council (or And Paul looked at the Council), and said, Brethren, I with all good conscience have lived before God, till into this day.

² And Ananias, (the) prince of priests, commanded to men that stood nigh to him, that they should smite his mouth. (And Ananias, the High Priest, commanded to the men who stood near to him, that they should strike him on his mouth.)

³ Then Paul said to him, Thou whited wall or Thou wall made white, God shall smite thee; thou sittest, and deemest me by the law, and against the law thou commandest me to be smitten. (Then Paul said to him, Thou whitewashed wall, God shall strike thee; thou sittest, and judgest me by the Law, and then against the Law thou commandest me to be struck?)

⁴ And they that stood nigh, said, Cursest thou the highest priest of God? or Cursest thou the high priest of God? (And they who stood nearby, said, Cursest thou the High Priest of God?)

⁵ And Paul said, Brethren, I knew not, that he is the prince of priests; for it is written, Thou shalt not curse the prince of thy people. (And Paul said, Brothers, I did not know, that he is the High Priest; for it is written, Thou shalt not curse the leader of thy people.)

⁶ But Paul knew, that one part was of (the) Sadducees, and the other (was) of (the) Pharisees; and he cried in the council, Brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees; I am deemed of the hope and of the again-rising of dead men, or of the hope and (the) again-rising of (the) dead I am deemed, (or I am on trial over the hope for the resurrection of the dead).

⁷ And when he had said this thing, dissension was made betwixt the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the multitude was parted (or and so the gathering was divided).

⁸ For (the) Sadducees say, that no rising again of dead men is, (or For the Sadducees say, that there is no resurrection of the dead), neither angel, neither spirit; but (the) Pharisees acknowledge ever either. +Forsooth Sadducees say, that no rising again is of (the) dead, neither angel, neither spirit; forsooth Pharisees acknowledge both.

⁹ And a great cry was made. And some of the Pharisees rose up, and fought, saying, We find nothing of evil in this man; what if a spirit, either an angel, spake to him?

¹⁰ And when great dissension was made, the tribune dreaded, lest Paul should be drawn to pieces of them; and he commanded knights to go down, and to take or to ravish him (away) from the middle of them, and to lead him into the castles. (And when great dissension was made, the commander feared, lest Paul should be drawn to pieces by them; and he commanded some soldiers to go down, and to snatch him from their midst, and to bring him into the fortress.)

¹¹ And in the night (pur)suing the Lord stood nigh to him, and said, Be thou steadfast; for as thou hast witnessed of me in Jerusalem, so it behooveth thee to witness also at Rome. (And on the following night the Lord stood near to him, and said, Be thou resolute; for as thou hast testified about me in Jerusalem, it behooveth thee to also testify about me in Rome.)

¹² And when the day was come, some of the Jews gathered them(selves), and made a vow, and said, that they should neither eat, nor drink, till they slew Paul.

¹³ And there were more than forty men, that made this swearing together or this conjuration. (And there were more than forty men, who formed this conspiracy.)

¹⁴ And they went to the princes of (the) priests, and elder men, (or And they went to the high priests, and the elders), and said, With devotion we have avowed us, that we shall not taste anything, till we have slain Paul.

¹⁵ Now therefore make ye known to the tribune (or And so make it known to the commander), with the council, that he bring him forth to you, as if ye should know something more certainly of him; and we (shall) be ready to slay him, before that he come nigh.

¹⁶ And when the son of Paul’s sister had heard (of) the ambush or the treason, he came, and entered into the castles (or into the fortress), and told to Paul.

¹⁷ And Paul called to him(self) one of the centurions, and said, Lead this young man to the tribune, for he hath something to show to him, (or Lead this young man to the commander, for he hath something to tell him).

¹⁸ And he took him, and led to the tribune, and said, Paul, that is bound, prayed me to lead to thee this young man, that hath something to speak to thee. (And he took him, and brought him to the commander, and said, Paul, who is bound, beseeched me to bring this young man to thee, for he hath something to say to thee.)

¹⁹ And the tribune took his hand, and went with him asides half, and asked him, What thing is it, that thou hast to show to me? (And the commander took his hand, and drew him aside, and asked him, What is it, that thou hast to tell me?)

²⁰ And he said, The Jews be accorded to pray thee (or The Jews be in agreement to beseech thee), that tomorrow thou bring forth Paul into the council, as if they should inquire something more certainly of him.

²¹ But believe thou not to them; for more than forty men of them ambush him, which have avowed, that they shall neither eat nor drink, till they slay him; and now they be ready, abiding thy promise.

²² Therefore the tribune left the young man (or And so the commander let the young man go, or dismissed him), and commanded, that he should speak to no man, that he had made these things known to him.

²³ And he called together two centurions, and he said to them, Make ye ready two hundred knights, that they go to Caesarea, and horsemen seventy, and spearmen two hundred, from the third hour of the night. (And he called together two centurions, and he said to them, Make ready two hundred soldiers, so that they can go to Caesarea, and seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen, at nine o’clock this evening.)

²⁴ And make ye ready an horse, for Paul to ride on, to lead him safe to Felix, the president. For the tribune dreaded, lest the Jews would take him by the way, and slay him, and afterward he might be challenged, as (if) he had taken money. (And prepare a horse, for Paul to ride on, and lead him safely to Governor Felix. Because the commander feared, that the Jews might take hold of him on the way, and kill him, and afterward he might be challenged, that he had received some money.)

²⁵ And He wrote to him an epistle, containing these things.

²⁶ Claudius Lysias to the best Felix, president, health. (Claudius Lysias to the most excellent Governor Felix, greetings and best wishes.)

¹ And Paul having earnestly beheld the sanhedrim, said, 'Men, brethren, I in all good conscience have lived to God unto this day;'

² and the chief priest Ananias commanded those standing by him to smite him on the mouth,

³ then Paul said unto him, 'God is about to smite thee, thou whitewashed wall, and thou — thou dost sit judging me according to the law, and, violating law, dost order me to be smitten!'

⁴ And those who stood by said, 'The chief priest of God dost thou revile?'

⁵ and Paul said, 'I did not know, brethren, that he is chief priest: for it hath been written, Of the ruler of thy people thou shalt not speak evil;'

⁶ and Paul having known that the one part are Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, cried out in the sanhedrim, 'Men, brethren, I am a Pharisee — son of a Pharisee — concerning hope and rising again of dead men I am judged.'

⁷ And he having spoken this, there came a dissension of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees, and the crowd was divided,

⁸ for Sadducees, indeed, say there is no rising again, nor messenger, nor spirit, but Pharisees confess both.

⁹ And there came a great cry, and the scribes of the Pharisees' part having arisen, were striving, saying, 'No evil do we find in this man; and if a spirit spake to him, or a messenger, we may not fight against God;'

¹⁰ and a great dissension having come, the chief captain having been afraid lest Paul may be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiery, having gone down, to take him by force out of the midst of them, and to bring him to the castle.

¹¹ And on the following night, the Lord having stood by him, said, 'Take courage, Paul, for as thou didst fully testify the things concerning me at Jerusalem, so it behoveth thee also at Rome to testify.'

¹² And day having come, certain of the Jews having made a concourse, did anathematize themselves, saying neither to eat nor to drink till they may kill Paul;

¹³ and they were more than forty who made this conspiracy by oath,

¹⁴ who having come near to the chief priests and to the elders said, 'With an anathema we did anathematize ourselves — to taste nothing till we have killed Paul;

¹⁵ now, therefore, ye, signify ye to the chief captain, with the sanhedrim, that to-morrow he may bring him down unto you, as being about to know more exactly the things concerning him; and we, before his coming nigh, are ready to put him to death.'

¹⁶ And the son of Paul's sister having heard of the lying in wait, having gone and entered into the castle, told Paul,

¹⁷ and Paul having called near one of the centurions, said, 'This young man lead unto the chief captain, for he hath something to tell him.'

¹⁸ He indeed, then, having taken him, brought him unto the chief captain, and saith, 'The prisoner Paul, having called me near, asked me this young man to bring unto thee, having something to say to thee.'

¹⁹ And the chief captain having taken him by the hand, and having withdrawn by themselves, inquired, 'What is that which thou hast to tell me?'

²⁰ and he said — 'The Jews agreed to request thee, that to-morrow to the sanhedrim thou mayest bring down Paul, as being about to enquire something more exactly concerning him;

²¹ thou, therefore, mayest thou not yield to them, for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, who did anathematize themselves — not to eat nor to drink till they kill him, and now they are ready, waiting for the promise from thee.'

²² The chief captain, then, indeed, let the young man go, having charged him to tell no one, 'that these things thou didst shew unto me;'

²³ and having called near a certain two of the centurions, he said, 'Make ready soldiers two hundred, that they may go on unto Caesarea, and horsemen seventy, and spearmen two hundred, from the third hour of the night;

²⁴ beasts also provide, that, having set Paul on, they may bring him safe unto Felix the governor;'

²⁵ he having written a letter after this description:

²⁶ 'Claudius Lysias, to the most noble governor Felix, hail: