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Acts 23

1Paul looked intently at the council and said, “Brothers, I have lived before God with an entirely good conscience to this day.” 2The high priest Ananias ordered those standing near him to strike his mouth. 3Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit judging me according to the law, yet in violation of the law you order me struck?” 4Those standing nearby said, “Do you insult God's high priest?” 5Paul said, “I did not know, brothers, that he was high priest. For it is written, ‘You must not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

6Knowing that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, Paul cried out in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am being judged concerning hope and the resurrection of the dead.” 7As he said this, a dispute arose between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the gathering was divided. 8For the Sadducees say there is no resurrection, nor angel nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge both. 9A great outcry arose, and some of the scribes from the Pharisees' party stood up and argued forcefully, saying, “We find nothing evil in this man. What if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?” 10As the dispute grew intense, the commander feared that Paul would be torn apart by them. He ordered the troops to go down, snatch him from their midst, and bring him into the barracks.

11The following night the Lord stood beside him and said, “Take courage. For as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome.” 12When day came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they killed Paul. 13More than forty had made this plot. 14They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have solemnly bound ourselves under a curse not to taste anything until we kill Paul. 15So now you and the council notify the commander to bring him down to you, as though you intended to investigate his case more carefully. We are ready to kill him before he comes near.”

16But the son of Paul's sister heard about the ambush, went into the barracks, and reported it to Paul. 17Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commander, for he has something to report to him.” 18So he took him, brought him to the commander, and said, “The prisoner Paul called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, since he has something to tell you.” 19The commander took him by the hand, drew him aside privately, and asked, “What is it you have to report to me?” 20He said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though it intended to inquire more carefully about him. 21So do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of their men are lying in ambush for him. They have bound themselves under a curse neither to eat nor drink until they kill him. They are ready now, waiting for your agreement.” 22The commander dismissed the young man, ordering him, “Tell no one that you have reported these things to me.”

23He called two of the centurions and said, “Prepare two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen to travel to Caesarea at the third hour of the night.” 24They were also to provide mounts to put Paul on and bring him safely to Felix the governor. 25He wrote a letter in this form: 26“Claudius Lysias, to the most excellent governor Felix: Greetings. 27This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them when I came with the troops and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen. 28Wanting to learn why they accused him, I brought him down to their council. 29I found that he was accused about questions of their law but faced no charge deserving death or imprisonment. 30When I was informed of a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, also instructing his accusers to state their case against him before you.”

31So the soldiers, following their orders, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. 32The next day they let the horsemen go on with him and returned to the barracks. 33The horsemen arrived in Caesarea, delivered the letter to the governor, and also presented Paul to him. 34After reading it, he asked what province he was from. Learning that he was from Cilicia, 35he said, “I will hear your case when your accusers arrive.” He ordered him kept under guard in Herod's headquarters.

Translation notes 5

23:1–5 — Conscience and insult. The good-conscience claim is Paul's statement. “Whitewashed wall” preserves his image for a deceptive exterior. His statement that he did not know the high priest is not supplied with poor eyesight, irony, or a reconstructed seating arrangement.

23:6–9 — Parties and belief. “Son of Pharisees” follows the base's plural. “Both” follows the Greek even though the preceding list names resurrection, angel, and spirit; the latter two can form one grouped category. The unfinished conditional in verse 9 is expressed as “What if …?” Some witnesses add “Let us not fight against God,” but the base does not.

23:12–22 — Conspiracy. “The Jews” here refers to the conspirators, numbered at more than forty, not every Jew in Jerusalem. The curse expresses a solemn self-binding oath. Paul's nephew's age and any eventual release of the conspirators from their vow are not specified.

23:23–30 — Troops and letter. The third hour of the night is about nine in the evening. “Spearmen” is a provisional identification of an uncommon military term. Lysias's letter says he learned Paul's citizenship before rescuing him; the narrative gives the discovery later. Both presentations remain rather than rewriting the letter to agree with the narrator.

23:35 — Headquarters. Herod's headquarters is the governor's residence or palace complex used for custody. It is not a new reference to Jesus' trial before Herod in Luke.