Paul Before the Sanhedrin
1And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. 2And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth. 3Then 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? 4And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high priest? 5Then 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.
6But 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. 7And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided. 8For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both. 9And 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. 10And 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.
11And 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.
The Plot to Kill Paul
(John 16:1-4)
12And 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. 13And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy. 14And 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. 15Now therefore ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you to morrow, as though ye would inquire something more perfectly concerning him: and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him.
16And when Paul's sister's son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and told Paul. 17Then 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. 18So 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. 19Then 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? 20And he said, The Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest bring down Paul to morrow into the council, as though they would inquire somewhat of him more perfectly. 21But 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. 22So 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.
Paul Sent to Felix at Caesarea
23And 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; 24And provide them beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe unto Felix the governor. 25And he wrote a letter after this manner:
26Claudius Lysias unto the most excellent governor Felix sendeth greeting.
27This 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. 28And when I would have known the cause wherefore they accused him, I brought him forth into their council: 29Whom I perceived to be accused of questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds.
30And 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. 31Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul, and brought him by night to Antipatris. 32On the morrow they left the horsemen to go with him, and returned to the castle: 33Who, when they came to Caesarea, and delivered the epistle to the governor, presented Paul also before him. 34And when the governor had read the letter, he asked of what province he was. And when he understood that he was of Cilicia; 35I will hear thee, said he, when thine accusers are also come. And he commanded him to be kept in Herod's judgment hall.
King James Bible
Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.
Paul before the Sanhedrin
1 Paul, looking steadfastly at the council, said, “Brothers, I have lived before God in all good conscience until this day.” 2 The high priest, Ananias, commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to judge me according to the law, and command me to be struck contrary to the law?” 4 Those who stood by said, “Do you malign God’s high priest?” 5 Paul said, “I didn’t know, brothers, that he was high priest. For it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”
6 But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Men and brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. Concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!” 7 When he had said this, an argument arose between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess all of these. 9 A great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees part stood up, and contended, saying, “We find no evil in this man. But if a spirit or angel has spoken to him, let’s not fight against God!” 10 When a great argument arose, the commanding officer, fearing that Paul would be torn in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the barracks.
11 The following night, the Lord stood by him, and said, “Cheer up, Paul, for as you have testified about me at Jerusalem, so you must testify also at Rome.”
The Plot to Kill Paul
(John 16:1–4)
12 When it was day, some of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. 13 There were more than forty people who had made this conspiracy. 14 They came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great curse, to taste nothing until we have killed Paul. 15 Now therefore, you with the council inform the commanding officer that he should bring him down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to judge his case more exactly. We are ready to kill him before he comes near.”
16 But Paul’s sister’s son heard of their lying in wait, and he came and entered into the barracks and told Paul. 17 Paul summoned one of the centurions, and said, “Bring this young man to the commanding officer, for he has something to tell him.” 18 So he took him, and brought him to the commanding officer, and said, “Paul, the prisoner, summoned me and asked me to bring this young man to you, who has something to tell you.” 19 The commanding officer took him by the hand, and going aside, asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?” 20 He said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though intending to inquire somewhat more accurately concerning him. 21 Therefore don’t yield to them, for more than forty men lie in wait for him, who have bound themselves under a curse neither to eat nor to drink until they have killed him. Now they are ready, looking for the promise from you.” 22 So the commanding officer let the young man go, charging him, “Tell no one that you have revealed these things to me.”
Paul Sent to Felix
23 He called to himself two of the centurions, and said, “Prepare two hundred soldiers to go as far as Caesarea, with seventy horsemen, and two hundred men armed with spears, at the third hour of the night.” 24 He asked them to provide animals, that they might set Paul on one, and bring him safely to Felix the governor. 25 He wrote a letter like this:
26 “Claudius Lysias to the most excellent governor Felix: Greetings.
27 “This man was seized by the Jews, and was about to be killed by them, when I came with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman. 28 Desiring to know the cause why they accused him, I brought him down to their council. 29 I found him to be accused about questions of their law, but not to be charged with anything worthy of death or of imprisonment.
30 When I was told that the Jews lay in wait for the man, I sent him to you immediately, charging his accusers also to bring their accusations against him before you. Farewell.” 31 So the soldiers, carrying out their orders, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. 32 But on the next day they left the horsemen to go with him, and returned to the barracks. 33 When they came to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him. 34 When the governor had read it, he asked what province he was from. When he understood that he was from Cilicia, he said, 35 “I will hear you fully when your accusers also arrive.” He commanded that he be kept in Herod’s palace.
Paul before the Sanhedrin
1 Paul looked directly at the Sanhedrin a and said, “Brothers, I have conducted myself before 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 here to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck.”
4 But those standing nearby said, “How dare you insult the high priest of God!”
5 “Brothers,” Paul replied, “I was not aware that he was the high priest, for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’ b”
6 Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. It is because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.”
7 As soon as he had said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 For the Sadducees say that there is neither a resurrection, nor angels, nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.
9 A great clamor arose, and some scribes from the party of the Pharisees got up and contended sharply, “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” 10 The dispute grew so violent that the commander was afraid they would tear Paul to pieces. He ordered the soldiers to go down and remove him 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 also you must testify in Rome.”
The Plot to Kill Paul
(John 16:1–4)
12 When daylight came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. 13 More than forty of them were involved in this plot. 14 They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have bound ourselves with 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 down to you on the pretext of examining his case more carefully. We are ready to kill him on the way.”
16 But when the son of Paul’s sister heard about the plot, c 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 the centurion took him to the commander and said, “Paul the prisoner sent and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to tell you.”
19 The commander took the young man by the hand, drew him aside, and asked, “What do you need to tell me?”
20 He answered, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul to the Sanhedrin tomorrow on the pretext of acquiring more information about him. 21 Do not let them persuade you, because more than forty men are waiting to ambush him. They have bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him; they are ready now, awaiting your consent.”
22 So the commander dismissed the young man and instructed him, “Do not tell anyone that you have reported this to me.”
Paul Sent to Felix
23 Then he called two of his centurions and said, “Prepare two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea in the third hour of the night. d 24 Provide mounts for Paul to take him safely to Governor Felix.” 25 And he wrote the following letter:
26 Claudius Lysias,
To His Excellency, Governor Felix:
Greetings.
27 This man was seized by the Jews, and they were about to kill him when I came with my troops to rescue him. For I had learned that he is a Roman citizen, 28 and since I wanted to understand their charges against him, I brought him down to their Sanhedrin. 29 I found that the accusation involved questions about their own law, but there was no charge worthy of death or imprisonment.
30 When I was informed that there was a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once. I also instructed his accusers to present their case against him before you.
31 So the soldiers followed their orders and brought Paul by night to Antipatris. 32 The next day they returned to the barracks and let the horsemen go on with him. 33 When the horsemen arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and presented Paul to him.
34 The governor read the letter and asked what province Paul was from. Learning that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will hear your case when your accusers arrive.” Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod’s Praetorium.
Footnotes:
1 a Or the Council ; also in verses 6, 15, 20, and 28
5 b Exodus 22:28 (see also LXX)
16 c Or the ambush
23 d That is, at nine tonight
Paul Before the Sanhedrin
1And Paul having earnestly beheld the sanhedrim, said, 'Men, brethren, I in all good conscience have lived to God unto this day;' 2and the chief priest Ananias commanded those standing by him to smite him on the mouth, 3then 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!' 4And those who stood by said, 'The chief priest of God dost thou revile?' 5and 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;'
6and 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.' 7And he having spoken this, there came a dissension of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees, and the crowd was divided, 8for Sadducees, indeed, say there is no rising again, nor messenger, nor spirit, but Pharisees confess both. 9And 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;' 10and 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.
11And 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.'
The Plot to Kill Paul
(John 16:1-4)
12And 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; 13and they were more than forty who made this conspiracy by oath, 14who 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; 15now, 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.'
16And the son of Paul's sister having heard of the lying in wait, having gone and entered into the castle, told Paul, 17and Paul having called near one of the centurions, said, 'This young man lead unto the chief captain, for he hath something to tell him.' 18He 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.' 19And the chief captain having taken him by the hand, and having withdrawn by themselves, inquired, 'What is that which thou hast to tell me?' 20and 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; 21thou, 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.' 22The chief captain, then, indeed, let the young man go, having charged him to tell no one, 'that these things thou didst shew unto me;'
Paul Sent to Felix at Caesarea
23and 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; 24beasts also provide, that, having set Paul on, they may bring him safe unto Felix the governor;' 25he having written a letter after this description:
26'Claudius Lysias, to the most noble governor Felix, hail:
27This 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; 28and, intending to know the cause for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their sanhedrim, 29whom I found accused concerning questions of their law, and having no accusation worthy of death or bonds;
30and 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.' 31Then, indeed, the soldiers according to that directed them, having taken up Paul, brought him through the night to Antipatris, 32and on the morrow, having suffered the horsemen to go on with him, they returned to the castle; 33those having entered into Caesarea, and delivered the letter to the governor, did present also Paul to him. 34And the governor having read it, and inquired of what province he is, and understood that he is from Cilicia; 35'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.
Paul Before the Sanhedrin
¹ Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brothers, I have lived my life with a clear conscience before God up 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 near Paul said, “How dare you insult God’s high priest!” ⁵ Paul replied, “Brothers, I did not realize he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’”
Division Among the Pharisees and Sadducees
⁶ Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of 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, nor angels, nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe in all these things.) ⁹ There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. “We find nothing 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.
The Lord’s Encouragement
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 some Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an 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 the 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 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 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 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 to go to Caesarea at nine tonight. ²⁴ Provide horses 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.
Paul Sent to Felix
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.
Footnotes:
23:2: The high priest ordering Paul to be struck on the mouth shows the tension between Paul’s boldness in defense of his faith and the authority of the religious leaders, who feel threatened by his teachings.
23:3: Paul’s sharp response, calling the high priest a “whitewashed wall,” echoes Jesus’ criticism of the Pharisees as hypocrites (Matthew 23:27), further illustrating the confrontation between religious leaders and the early Christian movement.
23:6: By declaring his belief in the resurrection, Paul strategically causes division between the Pharisees and Sadducees, knowing the deep theological differences between the two groups.
23:11: Jesus’ words of encouragement to Paul in the barracks reaffirm that Paul’s mission is not over—he will continue to testify in Rome, the heart of the empire, despite the growing danger.
23:12: The plot to kill Paul highlights the intensity of the opposition he faced, but it also shows how God’s protection, through various means, kept Paul’s mission on track.
23:16: Paul’s nephew’s involvement in uncovering the plot underscores the role of providence and divine intervention in protecting Paul’s life.
23:24: The elaborate escort to Caesarea, with hundreds of soldiers, emphasizes both the value placed on Paul’s safety as a Roman citizen and the severity of the threats against him.
