Chapter 23

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

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

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!'

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

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;'

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.'

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

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

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;'

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.

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.'

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;

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

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;

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.'

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

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.'

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.'

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?'

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;

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.'

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;'

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;

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

he having written a letter after this description:

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

This man having been taken by the Jews, and being about to be killed by them -- having come with the soldiery, I rescued him, having learned that he is a Roman;

and, intending to know the cause for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their sanhedrim,

whom I found accused concerning questions of their law, and having no accusation worthy of death or bonds;

and a plot having been intimated to me against this man -- about to be of the Jews -- at once I sent unto thee, having given command also to the accusers to say the things against him before thee; be strong.'

Then, indeed, the soldiers according to that directed them, having taken up Paul, brought him through the night to Antipatris,

and on the morrow, having suffered the horsemen to go on with him, they returned to the castle;

those having entered into Caesarea, and delivered the letter to the governor, did present also Paul to him.

And the governor having read [it], and inquired of what province he is, and understood that [he is] from Cilicia;

'I will hear thee -- said he -- when thine accusers also may have come;' he also commanded him to be kept in the praetorium of Herod.