My Notes

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Acts 23

Paul speaks to the meeting of Jewish leaders

23 Paul looked at the group of Jewish leaders and he said to them, ‘My Jewish friends, God knows that I have nothing to be ashamed about today. I have always respected God's Laws.’ ² The most important priest, who was called Ananias, heard Paul's words. He said to the men who were near Paul, ‘Hit that man on his mouth!’ ³ Paul said to him, ‘God will certainly hit you! You are a hypocrite! ^{[ a ]} You are sitting there and you are judging me. You are asking if I obey the Law of God. But you yourself do not obey the Law! You should not have said, “Hit that man!” ’

⁴ The men who were standing near Paul said to him, ‘You must not say bad things against our most important priest!’

⁵ Paul replied, ‘My brothers, I did not know that this man is the most important priest. ^{[ b ]} Our Jewish law says, “Do not say bad things against the man who rules your people.” So I should not have said anything bad against him.’

⁶ Then Paul saw that there were some Sadducees and also some Pharisees in the meeting. So he shouted out to the whole group of Jewish leaders, ‘My brothers, I am a Pharisee! My father was also a Pharisee. I believe that dead people will certainly rise and they will live again. That is the reason why you are judging me today.’

⁷ As soon as Paul said that, the Pharisees and Sadducees began to argue with each other. People in the group thought different things about Paul. ⁸ (The Sadducees do not believe that dead people will live again. They do not believe that there are angels or spirits. But the Pharisees believe in all these things.)

⁹ The Sadducees and the Pharisees began to shout louder and louder against each other. There were some teachers of God's Law who were in the group of Pharisees. They stood up in the meeting and they said, ‘We do not believe that this man has done anything wrong. What he says may be true. A spirit or an angel may have spoken to him.’

¹⁰ The two groups argued more and more strongly. The leader of the soldiers thought that the people there might hurt Paul badly. So he said to his soldiers, ‘Go down into the group and take Paul away from them. Take him back with you into our strong building.’

¹¹ The next night, the Lord Jesus came and he stood near Paul. He said to Paul, ‘Do not be afraid! You have told people here in Jerusalem about me. You must also do the same thing in Rome.’

The Jews in Jerusalem decide to kill Paul

¹² The next morning, a group of Jews talked together about how they might kill Paul. They agreed to make a promise to God. They would not eat or drink anything until they had killed Paul. ¹³ More than 40 men were in the group that decided this. ¹⁴ They went to the leaders of the priests and the important Jews. They said to them, ‘We have agreed together to make a serious promise to God. We will not eat anything until we have killed Paul. ¹⁵ So now we want you and the group of Jewish leaders to send a message to the leader of the Roman soldiers. Ask him, “Please bring Paul to the meeting of the Jewish leaders. We want to know more about the wrong things that he has done.” That will be the message. But, we will wait for Paul and we will be ready to kill him. We will do this before he arrives here at the meeting.’

¹⁶ But the son of Paul's sister heard what the Jews had decided to do. He went into the soldiers' building and he told Paul about it.

¹⁷ So Paul asked one of the soldiers' officers to come to him. He said, ‘Please take this young man to your leader. He has something important to tell him.’ ¹⁸ Then the officer led the young man to the soldiers' leader. He said to him, ‘Paul, who is here in the prison, spoke to me. He asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to tell you.’

¹⁹ The leader of the soldiers held the young man's hand and he led him to another place. When they were alone, he asked the young man, ‘What do you want to tell me?’

²⁰ The young man said, ‘Some Jewish men have agreed together to send a message to you. They will ask you to take Paul down to the meeting of the Jewish leaders tomorrow. They will say that they want to ask him more questions. But that is not true. ²¹ Do not agree to do what they want. There are more than 40 men who will be hiding somewhere. They are waiting for Paul. They have made a serious promise to God. They will not eat or drink anything until they have killed Paul. They are now ready to do this. They will be waiting to hear your answer.’

²² The leader of the soldiers said to him, ‘Do not tell anyone that you told me about this.’ Then he sent the young man away.

The soldiers' leader sends Paul to Felix

²³ Then the soldiers' leader told two of his officers to come to him. He said to them, ‘Tell 200 of our soldiers to prepare themselves. They must go to Caesarea at nine o'clock tonight. 70 soldiers who ride on horses must also go. There must also be another 200 soldiers with their weapons. ²⁴ Take some horses for Paul to ride on. Take him to Felix the Roman ruler, and keep him safe on the journey.’

²⁵ Then the soldiers' leader wrote a letter to Felix. He sent this message:

²⁶ ‘I, Claudius Lysias, write this letter. I say “hello” to you, Felix, our great ruler.

²⁷ I am sending this man to you. The Jews took hold of him and they wanted to kill him. I found out that he is a citizen of Rome. Because of that, I took my soldiers and I saved him from them. ²⁸ The Jews said that he had done some wrong things. I wanted to know what was really true, so I took him to a meeting of their leaders. ²⁹ The Jewish leaders said that he had not obeyed their own laws. But that was all. We could not put him in prison or kill him because of these things. That would not be right. ³⁰ But a group of Jews decided to kill him. Someone told me about this, so I decided to send him to you immediately. I have told the Jewish leaders also to come to you in Caesarea. They can then tell you why they say that this man has done bad things.’

³¹ The soldiers did what their leader had told them to do. They took Paul out from the prison in their building. That night, they took him as far as Antipatris. ³² The next day, the soldiers who had walked returned to their building in Jerusalem. But the soldiers who rode horses continued to travel with Paul. ^{[ c ]}

³³ When they arrived in Caesarea, they gave the letter to Felix, the ruler. They also brought Paul to him. ³⁴ Felix read the letter and he asked Paul, ‘Which Roman region are you from?’ Paul answered, ‘I am from Cilicia.’ ³⁵ Felix said, ‘When the Jews arrive, they will tell me about you. I will also listen to you. I will decide what is right.’

Felix then said to his soldiers, ‘Put this man in the prison in Herod's house. Guard him carefully!’

Footnotes

23:3 Paul said that Ananias was like a wall that people had painted with white paint to make it look nice. Ananias wanted people to think that he was good. But on the inside he was bad.
23:5 Brother is a name that a Jew sometimes called another Jew.
23:32 Antipatris was 40 kilometres from Jerusalem. This was a long way for the soldiers to walk in one night. Not many Jews lived between Antipatris and Caesarea. So, after that night, the soldiers could return to Jerusalem. They did not need many soldiers to keep Paul safe after this.

23 Paul looked at the council members and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life in a good way before God. I have always done what I thought was right.” ² Ananias, ^{[ a ]} the high priest, was there. When he heard this, he told the men who were standing near Paul to hit him in the mouth. ³ Paul said to Ananias, “God will hit you too! You are like a dirty wall that has been painted white. You sit there and judge me, using the Law of Moses. But you are telling them to hit me, and that is against the law.”

⁴ The men standing near Paul said to him, “Are you sure you want to insult God’s high priest like that?”

⁵ Paul said, “Brothers, I did not know this man was the high priest. The Scriptures say, ‘You must not say bad things about a leader of your people.’ ^{[ b ]} ”

⁶ Paul knew that some of the men in the council meeting were Sadducees and some were Pharisees. So he shouted, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee and my father was a Pharisee! I am on trial here because I believe that people will rise from death.”

⁷ When Paul said this, a big argument started between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The group was divided. ⁸ (The Sadducees believe that after people die, they will not live again as an angel or as a spirit. But the Pharisees believe in both.) ⁹ All these Jews began shouting louder and louder. Some of the teachers of the law, who were Pharisees, stood up and argued, “We find nothing wrong with this man. Maybe an angel or a spirit really did speak to him.”

¹⁰ The argument turned into a fight, and the commander was afraid that the Jews would tear Paul to pieces. So he told the soldiers to go down and take Paul away from these Jews and put him in the army building.

¹¹ The next night the Lord Jesus came and stood by Paul. He said, “Be brave! You have told people in Jerusalem about me. You must do the same in Rome.”

Some Jews Plan to Kill Paul

¹² The next morning some of the Jews made a plan to kill Paul. They made a promise to themselves that they would not eat or drink anything until they had killed him. ¹³ There were more than 40 of them who made this plan. ¹⁴ They went and talked to the leading priests and the older Jewish leaders. They said, “We have promised ourselves that we will not eat or drink until we have killed Paul. ¹⁵ So this is what we want you to do: Send a message to the commander from you and the high council. Tell him you want him to bring Paul out to you. Say that you want to ask him more questions. We will be waiting to kill him while he is on the way here.”

¹⁶ But Paul’s nephew heard about this plan. He went to the army building and told Paul. ¹⁷ Then Paul called one of the army officers and said to him, “Take this young man to the commander. He has a message for him.” ¹⁸ So the army officer brought Paul’s nephew to the commander. The officer said, “The prisoner Paul asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to tell you.”

¹⁹ The commander led the young man to a place where they could be alone. The commander asked, “What do you want to tell me?”

²⁰ The young man said, “Some Jews have decided to ask you to bring Paul down to their council meeting tomorrow. They want you to think that they plan to ask Paul more questions. ²¹ But don’t believe them! More than 40 of them are hiding and waiting to kill him. They have all promised not to eat or drink until they have killed him. Now they are waiting for you to say yes.”

²² The commander sent the young man away, telling him, “Don’t tell anyone that you have told me about their plan.”

Paul Is Sent to Caesarea

²³ Then the commander called two army officers. He said to them, “I need some men to go to Caesarea. Get 200 soldiers ready. Also, get 70 soldiers on horses and 200 men to carry spears. Be ready to leave at nine o’clock tonight. ²⁴ Get some horses for Paul to ride so that he can be taken to Governor Felix safely.” ²⁵ The commander wrote a letter that said:

²⁶ From Claudius Lysias,

To the Most Honorable Governor Felix.

Greetings:

²⁷ Some Jews had taken this man and planned to kill him. But I learned that he is a Roman citizen, so I went with my soldiers and saved him. ²⁸ I wanted to know why they were accusing him. So I brought him before their council meeting. ²⁹ This is what I learned: The Jews said this man did some things that were wrong. But these charges were about their own Jewish laws, and there was nothing worthy of jail or death. ³⁰ I was told that some of the Jews were making a plan to kill him. So I decided to send him to you. I also told those Jews to tell you what they have against him.

³¹ The soldiers did what they were told. They got Paul and took him to the city of Antipatris that night. ³² The next day the soldiers on horses went with Paul to Caesarea, but the other soldiers and the spearmen went back to the army building in Jerusalem. ³³ The soldiers on horses entered Caesarea, gave the letter to Governor Felix, and then turned Paul over to him.

³⁴ The governor read the letter and asked Paul, “What country are you from?” The governor learned that Paul was from Cilicia. ³⁵ The governor said, “I will hear your case when the Jews who are accusing you come here too.” Then the governor gave orders for Paul to be kept in the palace built by Herod.

Footnotes

Acts 23:2 Ananias Not the same man named Ananias in Acts 22:12.
Acts 23:5 Quote from Ex. 22:28.

23 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 Caesarea, 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.

²⁷ This man was taken of the Jews, and should have been killed of them: then came I with an army, and rescued him, having understood that he was a Roman.

²⁸ And when I would have known the cause wherefore they accused him, I brought him forth into their council:

²⁹ Whom I perceived to be accused of questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds.

³⁰ And when it was told me how that the Jews laid wait for the man, I sent straightway to thee, and gave commandment to his accusers also to say before thee what they had against him. Farewell.

³¹ Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul, and brought him by night to Antipatris.

³² On the morrow they left the horsemen to go with him, and returned to the castle:

³³ Who, when they came to Caesarea and delivered the epistle to the governor, presented Paul also before him.

³⁴ And when the governor had read the letter, he asked of what province he was. And when he understood that he was of Cilicia;

³⁵ I will hear thee, said he, when thine accusers are also come. And he commanded him to be kept in Herod's judgment hall.

Paul before the Council

23 Now looking intently at ^{( A )} the ^{[ a ]} Council, Paul said, “ ^{[ b ]} ^{( B )} Brothers, ^{( C )} I have ^{[ c ]} lived my life with an entirely good conscience before God up to this day.” ² But the high priest ^{( D )} Ananias commanded those standing beside him ^{( E )} to strike him on the mouth. ³ Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, ^{( F )} you whitewashed wall! Do you ^{( G )} sit to try me according to the Law, and in violation of the Law, order me to be struck?” ⁴ But those present said, “Are you insulting God’s high priest?” ⁵ And Paul said, “I was not aware, brothers, that he is high priest; for it is written: ‘ ^{( H )} You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people .’”

⁶ But Paul, perceiving that one group were ^{( I )} Sadducees and the other Pharisees, began crying out in ^{( J )} the ^{[ d ]} Council, “ ^{[ e ]} ^{( K )} Brothers, ^{( L )} I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for ^{( M )} the hope and resurrection of the dead!” ⁷ When he said this, a dissension occurred between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. ⁸ For ^{( N )} the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. ⁹ And a great uproar occurred; and some of ^{( O )} the scribes of the Pharisaic party stood up and started arguing heatedly, saying, “ ^{( P )} We find nothing wrong with this man; ^{( Q )} suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” ¹⁰ And when a great dissension occurred, the commander was afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, and he ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force, and bring him into ^{( R )} the barracks.

¹¹ But on ^{( S )} the following night, the Lord stood near him and said, “ ^{( T )} Be courageous! For ^{( U )} as you have ^{( V )} testified to the truth about Me in Jerusalem, so you must testify in Rome also.”

A Conspiracy to Kill Paul

¹² When it was day, ^{( W )} the Jews formed a ^{[ f ]} conspiracy and ^{( X )} put themselves under an ^{[ g ]} oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. ¹³ There were more than forty who formed this plot. ¹⁴ They came to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have ^{( Y )} put ourselves under an ^{[ h ]} oath to taste nothing until we have killed Paul. ¹⁵ Now therefore, you ^{[ i ]} and ^{( Z )} the ^{[ j ]} Council notify the commander to bring him down to you, as though you were going to investigate his case more thoroughly; and as for us, we are ready to kill him before he comes near the place .”

¹⁶ But the son of Paul’s sister heard about their ambush, ^{[ k ]} and he came and entered ^{( AA )} the barracks and told Paul. ¹⁷ Paul called one of the centurions to himself and said, “Take this young man to the commander, for he has something to report to him.” ¹⁸ So he took him and led him to the commander and *said, “Paul ^{( AB )} the prisoner called me over to him and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.” ¹⁹ The commander took him by the hand, and stepping aside, began to inquire of him privately, “What is it that you have to report to me?” ²⁰ And he said, “ ^{( AC )} The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down tomorrow to ^{( AD )} the ^{[ l ]} Council, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more thoroughly about him. ²¹ So do not ^{[ m ]} listen to them, for more than forty ^{[ n ]} of them are ^{( AE )} in hiding to ambush him, and these men have ^{( AF )} put themselves under an oath not to eat or drink until they kill him; and now they are ready and waiting for assurance from you.” ²² Then the commander let the young man go, instructing him, “Tell no one that you have notified me of these things.”

Paul Moved to Caesarea

²³ And he called to him two of the centurions and said, “Get two hundred soldiers ready by ^{[ o ]} the third hour of the night to proceed to ^{( AG )} Caesarea, ^{[ p ]} with seventy horsemen and two hundred ^{[ q ]} spearmen.” ²⁴ They were also to provide mounts to put Paul on and bring him safely to ^{( AH )} Felix the governor. ²⁵ And he wrote a letter ^{[ r ]} with the following content:

²⁶ “Claudius Lysias, to the ^{( AI )} most excellent governor Felix: ^{( AJ )} Greetings.

²⁷ When this man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them, ^{( AK )} I came up to them with the troops and rescued him, ^{( AL )} after learning that he was a Roman. ²⁸ And ^{( AM )} wanting to ascertain the basis for the charges they were bringing against him, I ^{( AN )} brought him down to their ^{[ s ]} ^{( AO )} Council; ²⁹ and I found that he was being accused regarding ^{( AP )} questions in their Law, but ^{[ t ]} was ^{( AQ )} not charged with anything deserving death or ^{[ u ]} imprisonment.

³⁰ When I was ^{( AR )} informed that there would be ^{( AS )} a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, also instructing ^{( AT )} his accusers to ^{[ v ]} bring charges against him before you.”

³¹ So the soldiers, in accordance with their orders, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. ³² But on the next day they let ^{( AU )} the horsemen go on with him, and they returned to ^{( AV )} the barracks. ³³ When these horsemen had come to ^{( AW )} Caesarea and delivered the letter to ^{( AX )} the governor, they also presented Paul to him. ³⁴ Now when he had read it , he also asked from what ^{( AY )} province Paul was , and when he learned that ^{( AZ )} he was from Cilicia, ³⁵ he said, “I will give you a hearing when your ^{( BA )} accusers arrive as well,” giving orders for ^{[ w ]} Paul to be ^{( BB )} kept in Herod’s ^{[ x ]} Praetorium.

Footnotes

Acts 23:1 Or Sanhedrin
Acts 23:1 Lit Men, brothers
Acts 23:1 Or conducted myself as a citizen
Acts 23:6 Or Sanhedrin
Acts 23:6 Lit Men, brothers
Acts 23:12 Or mob
Acts 23:12 I.e., an oath with a self-imposed curse
Acts 23:14 See note 2 v 12
Acts 23:15 Lit with
Acts 23:15 Or Sanhedrin
Acts 23:16 Or having been present with them, and he also entered
Acts 23:20 Or Sanhedrin
Acts 23:21 Lit be persuaded by them
Acts 23:21 Lit men of them
Acts 23:23 I.e., 9 p.m.
Acts 23:23 Lit and
Acts 23:23 Or slingers ; or bowmen
Acts 23:25 Or to this effect
Acts 23:28 Or Sanhedrin
Acts 23:29 Lit had no charge of
Acts 23:29 Lit bonds
Acts 23:30 Lit speak against him
Acts 23:35 Lit him
Acts 23:35 I.e., governor’s official residence

23 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin ^{( A )} and said, “My brothers, ^{( B )} I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience ^{( C )} to this day.” ² At this the high priest Ananias ^{( D )} ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. ^{( E )} ³ Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! ^{( F )} You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!” ^{( G )}

⁴ Those who were standing near Paul said, “How dare you insult God’s high priest!”

⁵ Paul replied, “Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’ ^{[ a ]} ” ^{( H )}

⁶ Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees ^{( I )} and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “My brothers, ^{( J )} I am a Pharisee, ^{( K )} descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead.” ^{( L )} ⁷ When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. ⁸ (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, ^{( M )} and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these things.)

⁹ There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees ^{( N )} stood up and argued vigorously. “We find nothing wrong with this man,” ^{( O )} they said. “What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” ^{( P )} ¹⁰ The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks. ^{( Q )}

¹¹ The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! ^{( R )} As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” ^{( S )}

The Plot to Kill Paul

¹² The next morning some Jews formed a conspiracy ^{( T )} and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. ^{( U )} ¹³ More than forty men were involved in this plot. ¹⁴ They went to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have taken a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul. ^{( V )} ¹⁵ Now then, you and the Sanhedrin ^{( W )} petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here.”

¹⁶ But when the son of Paul’s sister heard of this plot, he went into the barracks ^{( X )} and told Paul.

¹⁷ Then Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commander; he has something to tell him.” ¹⁸ So he took him to the commander.

The centurion said, “Paul, the prisoner, ^{( Y )} sent for me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.”

¹⁹ The commander took the young man by the hand, drew him aside and asked, “What is it you want to tell me?”

²⁰ He said: “Some Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul before the Sanhedrin ^{( Z )} tomorrow on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about him. ^{( AA )} ²¹ Don’t give in to them, because more than forty ^{( AB )} of them are waiting in ambush for him. They have taken an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. ^{( AC )} They are ready now, waiting for your consent to their request.”

²² The commander dismissed the young man with this warning: “Don’t tell anyone that you have reported this to me.”

Paul Transferred to Caesarea

²³ Then he called two of his centurions and ordered them, “Get ready a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen ^{[ b ]} to go to Caesarea ^{( AD )} at nine tonight. ^{( AE )} ²⁴ Provide horses for Paul so that he may be taken safely to Governor Felix.” ^{( AF )}

²⁵ He wrote a letter as follows:

²⁶ Claudius Lysias,

To His Excellency, ^{( AG )} Governor Felix:

Greetings. ^{( AH )}

²⁷ This man was seized by the Jews and they were about to kill him, ^{( AI )} but I came with my troops and rescued him, ^{( AJ )} for I had learned that he is a Roman citizen. ^{( AK )} ²⁸ I wanted to know why they were accusing him, so I brought him to their Sanhedrin. ^{( AL )} ²⁹ I found that the accusation had to do with questions about their law, ^{( AM )} but there was no charge against him ^{( AN )} that deserved death or imprisonment. ³⁰ When I was informed ^{( AO )} of a plot ^{( AP )} to be carried out against the man, I sent him to you at once. I also ordered his accusers ^{( AQ )} to present to you their case against him.

³¹ So the soldiers, carrying out their orders, took Paul with them during the night and brought him as far as Antipatris. ³² The next day they let the cavalry ^{( AR )} go on with him, while they returned to the barracks. ^{( AS )} ³³ When the cavalry ^{( AT )} arrived in Caesarea, ^{( AU )} they delivered the letter to the governor ^{( AV )} and handed Paul over to him. ³⁴ The governor read the letter and asked what province he was from. Learning that he was from Cilicia, ^{( AW )} ³⁵ he said, “I will hear your case when your accusers ^{( AX )} get here.” Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard ^{( AY )} in Herod’s palace.

Footnotes

Acts 23:5 Exodus 22:28
Acts 23:23 The meaning of the Greek for this word is uncertain.

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Table of Contents

Acts 23

Paul speaks to the meeting of Jewish leaders

The Jews in Jerusalem decide to kill Paul

The soldiers' leader sends Paul to Felix

Footnotes

Some Jews Plan to Kill Paul

Paul Is Sent to Caesarea

Footnotes

Paul before the Council

A Conspiracy to Kill Paul

Paul Moved to Caesarea

Footnotes

Cross references

The Plot to Kill Paul

Paul Transferred to Caesarea

Footnotes

Cross references

BibleStudyIt Acts 23

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Acts 23

Paul speaks to the meeting of Jewish leaders

The Jews in Jerusalem decide to kill Paul

The soldiers' leader sends Paul to Felix

Footnotes

Some Jews Plan to Kill Paul

Paul Is Sent to Caesarea

Footnotes

Paul before the Council

A Conspiracy to Kill Paul

Paul Moved to Caesarea

Footnotes

Cross references

The Plot to Kill Paul

Paul Transferred to Caesarea

Footnotes

Cross references

Acts 23's Chapter Tabs
Scroll past these tabs to continue or click on one of them to navigate out of this webpage.