Acts 23:4-14

4 But the bystanders said, "Do you revile God's high priest?
5 And Paul said, "I was not aware, brethren, that he was high priest; for it is written, '1YOU SHALL NOT SPEAK EVIL OF A RULER OF YOUR PEOPLE.' "
6 But perceiving that one group were 2Sadducees and the other Pharisees, Paul began crying out in 3the Council, "4Brethren *, 5I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for 6the hope and resurrection of the dead!"
7 As he said this, there occurred a dissension between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.
8 For 7the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.
9 And there occurred a great uproar; and some of 8the scribes of the Pharisaic party stood up and began to argue heatedly, saying, "9We find nothing wrong with this man; 10suppose * a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?"
10 And as a great dissension was developing, the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them and ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force, and bring him into 11the barracks.
11 But on 12the night immediately following, the Lord stood at his side and said, "13Take courage; for 14as you have 15solemnly witnessed to My cause * at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also."

A Conspiracy to Kill Paul

12 When it was day, 16the Jews formed a conspiracy and 17bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul.
13 There were more than forty who formed this plot.
14 They came to the chief priests and the elders and said, "We have 18bound ourselves under a solemn oath to taste nothing until we have killed Paul

Cross References 18

  • 1. Exodus 22:28
  • 2. Matthew 3:7; Matthew 22:23
  • 3. Acts 22:30; Acts 23:1, 15, 20, 28
  • 4. Acts 22:5
  • 5. Acts 26:5; Philippians 3:5
  • 6. Acts 24:15, 21; Acts 26:8
  • 7. Matthew 22:23; Mark 12:18; Luke 20:27
  • 8. Mark 2:16; Luke 5:30
  • 9. Acts 23:29
  • 10. John 12:29; Acts 22:6f
  • 11. Acts 21:34; Acts 23:16, 32
  • 12. Acts 18:9
  • 13. Matthew 9:2
  • 14. Acts 19:21
  • 15. Luke 16:28; Acts 28:23
  • 16. Acts 9:23; Acts 23:30; 1 Thessalonians 2:16
  • 17. Acts 23:14, 21
  • 18. Acts 23:12, 21

Footnotes 3

  • [a]. Or "Sanhedrin"
  • [b]. I.e. chiliarch, in command of one thousand troops
  • [c]. Or "mob"
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