Acts
Chapter 23
Overview
Paul is in Roman custody in Jerusalem and must answer to the Jewish ruling council. Its members include Pharisees and Sadducees, two groups sharply divided over resurrection, angels, and spirits. The hearing quickly becomes less a trial than a storm of old arguments, forcing the Roman commander to rescue Paul again. That night, Jesus assures him that Rome still lies ahead. By morning, however, more than forty men are plotting murder. A warning from Paul’s nephew turns the plot into an armed nighttime transfer, carrying Paul toward the provincial governor in Caesarea.
1Paul looked directly at the council and said, “Fellow Jews, I have lived before God with a completely clear conscience right up to this day.”
2At this, the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth.
3Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you hypocrite—a wall merely painted white! You sit there judging me according to the law, yet you break the law by ordering me to be struck.”
4Those standing nearby said, “How dare you insult God’s high priest!”
5Paul replied, “Fellow Jews, I did not know that he was the high priest. Scripture says, ‘You must not speak evil about a ruler of your people.’”
6Paul knew that one part of the council consisted of Sadducees and the other of Pharisees, so he called out, “Fellow Jews, I am a Pharisee, from a family of Pharisees. I am on trial because I hope that the dead will rise.”
7When Paul said this, an argument broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the whole assembly split into opposing sides.
8Sadducees say that the dead do not rise and that neither angels nor spirits exist. Pharisees accept both resurrection and the existence of spiritual beings.
9The shouting grew very loud. Some experts in Jewish law from the Pharisee side stood up and argued fiercely: “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel really did speak to him—?”
10The dispute became so violent that the Roman commander feared they would tear Paul apart. He ordered the troops to go down, pull Paul away from them by force, and take him into the fortress.
11The following night, Jesus stood beside Paul and said, “Take courage. Just as you have spoken publicly about me in Jerusalem, you must also do so in Rome.”
12When morning came, a group of Jewish men formed a conspiracy. They swore under a curse that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul.
13More than forty men joined this plot.
14They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have sworn under a curse not to eat anything until we have killed Paul.”
15They continued, “You and the council should now ask the Roman commander to bring Paul down to you, pretending that you intend to examine his case more carefully. We will be ready to kill him before he gets here.”
16But Paul’s nephew heard about the ambush. He went into the fortress and told Paul.
17Paul called one of the Roman army officers and said, “Take this young man to the commander. He has something to report to him.”
18The officer took him to the commander and said, “The prisoner Paul called me over and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.”
19The commander took the young man by the hand, led him aside privately, and asked, “What do you have to report to me?”
20He replied, “The Jewish leaders have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, pretending that they want to investigate his case more carefully.”
21Paul’s nephew continued, “Do not believe them. More than forty of their men are waiting to ambush Paul. They have sworn under a curse not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They are ready now and are waiting for you to approve the request.”
22The commander sent the young man away, warning him, “Do not tell anyone that you reported this to me.”
23Then the commander called two Roman army officers and said, “Prepare two hundred soldiers to go as far as Caesarea, along with seventy cavalrymen and two hundred spearmen. Be ready to leave at nine tonight.”
24He continued, “Provide animals for Paul to ride, and take him safely to Governor Felix.”
25The commander also wrote a letter in this form:
26“From Claudius Lysias, to His Excellency Governor Felix: Greetings.
27“A group of Jews seized this man and was about to kill him. I arrived with my troops and rescued him after learning that he was a Roman citizen.
28“Because I wanted to know why they were accusing him, I brought him before their council.
29“I found that the accusations concerned disputes about their own law. He was not charged with anything deserving death or imprisonment.
30“When I was informed of a plot against the man, I sent him to you immediately. I also ordered his accusers to present their charges against him before you.”
31Following their orders, the soldiers took Paul and brought him through the night to Antipatris.
32The next day, the soldiers let the cavalry continue with Paul while they returned to the fortress.
33The cavalry entered Caesarea, delivered the letter to the governor, and handed Paul over to him.
34After reading the letter, the governor asked which Roman province Paul came from. When he learned that Paul was from Cilicia,
35he said, “I will hear your case fully when your accusers arrive.” Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod’s palace, which served as the governor’s headquarters.