Acts 23:1-18 ▼

1 And Paul earnestlie beholdyng the counsell, saide: Men & brethren, I haue lyued in al good conscience before God vntyll this day.

2 And ye hye priest Ananias, commaunded the that stoode by, to smyte hym on the mouth.

3 Then sayde Paul vnto him: God shall smite thee thou paynted wall: For, sittest thou & iudgest me after the lawe, & comaundest me to be smitten contrary to the lawe?

4 And they that stoode by, sayde: Reuilest thou Gods hye priest?

5 Then sayde Paul: I wyst not brethren, that he was the hye priest. For it is written: Thou shalt not curse the ruler of thy people.

6 But when Paul perceaued that the one part were saducees, and the other pharisees, he cryed out in the counsell: Men and brethren, I am a pharisee, the sonne of a pharisee: Of the hope & resurrection of the dead, I am iudged.

7 And when he had so sayde, there arose a debate betwene the pharisees and the saducees, & the multitude was deuided.

8 For the saducees say, that there is no resurrection, neither Angel, nor spirite: But the pharisees confesse both.

9 And there arose a great crye: and whe the scribes which were of the pharisees part arose, they stroue, saying, We fynde none euyll in this man: But yf a spirite or an Angel hath spoken to hym, let vs not striue agaynst God.

10 And when there arose a great debate, the chiefe captayne, fearyng lest Paul shoulde haue ben pluckt asunder of the, comaunded the souldiers to go downe, and to take him from among them, and to bryng hym into the castle.

11 And the nyght folowyng, the Lorde stoode by hym, and sayde: Be of good cheare Paul, for as thou hast testified of me in Hierusalem, so must thou beare witnesse also at Rome.

12 And when it was day, certayne of the Iewes gathered them selues together, and made a vowe, saying that they woulde neither eate nor drynke, tyl they had kylled Paul.

13 And they were mo then fourtie men, which had made this conspiracie.

14 And they came to the chiefe priestes and elders, and sayde: We haue bounde our selues with a vowe, that we wyll eate nothyng vntyll we haue slayne Paul.

15 Nowe therfore geue ye knowledge to the vpper captayne, and to the counsell, that he bryng hym foorth vnto you to morrowe, as though ye woulde knowe somethyng more perfectly of hym: And we, or euer he come neare, are redy to kyll hym.

16 And when Paules sisters sonne heard of their laying awaite, he went & entred into the castle, and tolde Paul.

17 And Paul called one of the vnder captaynes vnto hym, and sayde: Bryng this young man vnto the hye captayne, for he hath a certayne thyng to shewe hym.

18 And he toke hym, and brought hym to the hye captayne, and sayde: Paul the prisoner called me vnto him, and prayed me to bryng this young man vnto thee, which hath a certayne matter to shewe thee.