Acts

And when Paul"s sister"s son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and told Paul.

Now therefore ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you to morrow, as though ye would enquire something more perfectly concerning him: and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him.

And 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.

And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy.

And 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.

And 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.

And 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.

And 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.

For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.

And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided.

But 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.

Then 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.

And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God"s high priest?

Then 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?

And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth.

And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.

On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them.

Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.

And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born.

Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea.

When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman.

And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?

The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him.

And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air,

And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live.

And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.

And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.

And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee:

And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.

And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;