ACTS Chapter 23 - Paul Before The Sanhedrin

Paul Before The Sanhedrin

Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said,

'MY BROTHERS I HAVE FULLFILLED MY DUTY TO GOD

IN ALL GOOD CONSCIENCE TO THIS DAY.'

2 At this the High Priest Ananias

Ordered those standing near Paul

to Strike him on the 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 YOURSELF VIOLATE THE LAW

BY COMMANDING THAT I BE STRUCK!'

4 Those who were standing hear Paul said,

'YOU DARE TO INSULT GOD'S HIGH PRIEST?'

5 Paul replied,

'BORTHERS, I DID NOT REALIZE THAT HE WAS THE HIGH PRIEST;

FOR IT IS WRITTEN:

'DO NOT SPEAK EVIL ABOUT THE RULER OF YOUR PEOPLE.'

6Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees

And the others Pharisees,

Called out in the Sanhedrin,

'MY BROTHERS, I AM A PHARISEE, THE SON OF A PHARISEE.

I STAND ON TRIAL BECAUSE OF MY HOPE

IN THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD.'

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,

AND THAT THERE ARE NEITHER ANGELS NOR SPIRITS,

BUT THE PHARISEES ACKNOWLEDGE THEM ALL.)

9 There was a Great Uproar,

And some of the Teachers of the Law who were Pharisees

Stood up and argued Vigorously.

'WE FIND NOTHNG WRONG WITH THIS MAN,' they said

'WHAT IF A SPIRIT OR AN ANGEL HAS SPOKEN TO HIM?'

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.

11 The following night

The Lord stood near Paul and said,

'TAKE COURAGE!

AS YOU HAVE TESTIFIED ABOUT ME IN JERUSALEM,

SO YOU MUST ALSO TESTIFY IN ROME.'

The Plot To Kill Paul

12 The next morning

The Jews formed a Conspiracy

And bound themselves with and Oath

Not to eat or drink until they had Killed Paul.

13 More than forty men were involved in this Plot.

14 They went to the Chief Priests and Elders

And said,

'WE HAVE TAKEN A SOLEMN OATH

NOT TO EAT ANYTHING UNTIL WE HAVE KILLED PAUL.

15 Now then,

You and the Sanhedrin 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 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, 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 yung man by the hand,

Drew him aside and asked,

'What is it you want to tell me?'

20 He said:

'THE JEWS HAVE AGREED TO ASK YOU

TO BRING PAUL BEFORE THE SANHEDRIN TOMORROW

ON THE PRETEXT

OF WANTING MORE ACCURATE INFORMATION ABOUT HIM.

21 DON'T GIVE IN TO THEM,

BECAUSE MORE THAN FORTY OF THEM

ARE WAITING IN AMBUSH FOR HIM.

THEY HAVE TAKEN AN OATH NOT TO EAT OR DRINK

UNTIL THEY HAVE KILLED HIM.

They are ready now,

Waiting for your consent to their request.'

22 The Commander dismissed the young man

And cautioned him,

'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

To go to Caesarea at nine tonight.

24 Provide mounts for Paul

So that he may be taken safely to Governor Felix.'

25 He wrote a letter as follows:

26 Claudius Lysias,

To his Excellency, Governor Felix:

Greetings.

27 This man was seized by the Jews

And they were about to Kill him,

But I came with my Troops and Rescued him,

For I had learned that he is a Roman Citizen.

28 I wanted to know why they were accusing him,

So I brought him to their Sanhedrin.

29 I found that the Accusation

Had to do with questions about their Law,

But there was No Charge against him

That deserved Death or Imprisonment.

30 When I was informed of a Plot

To be carried out against the man,

I sent him to you at once.

I also ordered his Accusers

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 go on with him,

While they returned to the Barracks.

33 When the Cavalry arrived in Caesarea,

They delivered the letter to the Governor

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,

35 He said,

'I will hear your case when your Accusers get here.'

Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard

In Herod's Palace.

(Acts 23)