Acts

Before the Council

Paul looked directly at the Council and said: “Brothers, to this day I have lived my life with a clear conscience before God.”

At that, high priest Ananias ordered his attendants to strike him on the mouth.

Then Paul said:

“God is about to strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, and you break the law by ordering me to be struck!”

At this, the attendants protested:

“How dare you insult God’s high priest!”

Paul answered:

“Brothers, I didn’t realize he was the high priest, for Scripture says:

‘You shall not curse the ruler of your people.’

Paul knew that some members of the Council were Sadducees, and others were Pharisees; so he spoke out in the Council:

“Brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. It is for the hope of the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial here.”

At these words, an argument broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the whole assembly was divided.

For the Sadducees claim that there is neither resurrection, nor angels, nor spirits, while the Pharisees acknowledge all these things.

Then the shouting grew louder, and some teachers of the law from the Pharisee party protested:

“We see nothing wrong with this man. Maybe a spirit or an angel has spoken to him.”

With this, the argument became so violent that the commander feared that Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He, therefore, ordered the soldiers to go down, rescue him from their midst, and take him back to the fortress.

That night, the Lord stood beside Paul and said:

“Courage! As you’ve witnessed me here in Jerusalem, you must do the same in Rome.”

Plot Against Paul

During the day, some Jews plotted together. They made a vow not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.

There were more than forty of them who took part in this plot.

They went to the high priests and the elders and said:

“We have sworn not to eat until we have killed Paul.

Now, it’s up to you and the Council to persuade the Roman commander to bring him to you under the false pretense of conducting a more thorough investigation. We, on our part, are ready to kill him before he arrives.”

But Paul’s sister’s son heard about the planned ambush. So he went to the headquarters and told Paul.

Paul called one of the officers and said:

“Take this young man to the commander because he has something to report to him.”

So the officer took him and brought him to the commander, saying:

“The prisoner, Paul, called me and asked me to bring this boy to you, because he has something to tell you.”

The commander took him by the hand and, pulling him aside, asked privately:

“What is it that you have to report to me?”

The boy replied:

“The Jews have agreed among themselves to ask you tomorrow to have Paul brought before the Council, as if to inquire more thoroughly about him.

But do not be persuaded by them, for there are more than forty of them ready to ambush him, having bound themselves by an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They are now ready to do it and are waiting for your decision.”

The commander let the boy go with this advice: “Keep this information to yourself and do not tell anyone that you gave it to me.”

Sent to Felix

Then the commander summoned two of his officers and told them:

“Get ready to leave for Caesarea by nine o’clock tonight with two hundred infantrymen, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen.

Provide horses for Paul to ride so he can be safely taken to Felix, the governor.”

He then wrote a letter to the governor as follows:

“Claudius Lysias greets the Most Excellent Governor Felix and shares the following:

The Jews arrested this man and were about to kill him when I intervened with my troops and took him out of their hands, as I knew he was a Roman citizen.

Since I wanted to understand their charge against him, I presented him before the Sanhedrin;

and I found that the accusation related to their law, but there was nothing that deserved death or imprisonment.

When I was informed that the Jews had plotted against this man, I decided to send him to you and told his accusers to present their complaints before you. Farewell.”

The soldiers followed these instructions and took Paul to Antipatris by night.

The next day, they returned to the fortress, but the horsemen continued the journey with him.

Upon arriving in Caesarea, they handed the letter to the governor and presented Paul to him.

When Felix had read the letter, he asked Paul which province he was from; and upon learning that Paul was from Cilicia,

he said:

“I will hear your accusers when they come.”

And ordered that he be kept in custody in Herod’s palace.