English Standard Version ESV
The Darby Translation DBY
1 And looking intently at the council, Paul said, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day. ”
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And Paul, fixing his eyes on the council, said, Brethren, I have walked in all good conscience with God unto this day.
2 And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth.
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But the high priest Ananias ordered those standing by him to smite his mouth.
3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck? ”
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Then Paul said to him, God will smite thee, whited wall. And *thou*, dost thou sit judging me according to the law, and breaking the law commandest me to be smitten?
4 Those who stood by said, “Would you revile God’s high priest? ”
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And those that stood by said, Dost thou rail against the high priest of God
5 And Paul said, “I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people. ’”
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And Paul said, I was not conscious, brethren, that he was high priest; for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evilly of the ruler of thy people.
6 Now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial. ”
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But Paul, knowing that the one part [of them] were of the Sadducees and the other of the Pharisees, cried out in the council, Brethren, *I* am a Pharisee, son of Pharisees: *I* am judged concerning the hope and resurrection of [the] dead.
7 And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.
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And when he had spoken this, there was a tumult of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the multitude was divided.
8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.
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For Sadducees say there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit; but Pharisees confess both of them.
9 Then a great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ party stood up and contended sharply, “We find nothing wrong in this man. What if a spirit or an angel spoke to him? ”
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And there was a great clamour, and the scribes of the Pharisees' part rising up contended, saying, We find nothing evil in this man; and if a spirit has spoken to him, or an angel ...
10 And when the dissension became violent, the tribune, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him away from among them by force and bring him into the barracks.
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And a great tumult having arisen, the chiliarch, fearing lest Paul should have been torn in pieces by them, commanded the troop to come down and take him by force from the midst of them, and to bring [him] into the fortress.
11 The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome. ”
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But the following night the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good courage; for as thou hast testified the things concerning me at Jerusalem, so thou must bear witness at Rome also.
12 When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.
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And when it was day, the Jews, having banded together, put themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they should kill Paul.
13 There were more than forty who made this conspiracy.
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And they were more than forty who had joined together in this oath;
14 They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul.
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and they went to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have cursed ourselves with a curse to taste nothing until we kill Paul
15 Now therefore you, along with the council, give notice to the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more exactly. And we are ready to kill him before he comes near. ”
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Now therefore do ye with the council make a representation to the chiliarch so that he may bring him down to you, as about to determine more precisely what concerns him, and we, before he draws near, are ready to kill him.
16 Now the son of Paul’s sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered the barracks and told Paul.
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But Paul's sister's son, having heard of the lying in wait, came and entered into the fortress and reported [it] to Paul.
17 Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to tell him. ”
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And Paul, having called one of the centurions, said, Take this youth to the chiliarch, for he has something to report to him.
18 So he took him and brought him to the tribune and said, “Paul the prisoner called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, as he has something to say to you. ”
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He therefore, having taken him with [him], led him to the chiliarch, and says, The prisoner Paul called me to [him] and asked me to lead this youth to thee, who has something to say to thee.
19 The tribune took him by the hand, and going aside asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me? ”
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And the chiliarch having taken him by the hand, and having gone apart in private, inquired, What is it that thou hast to report to me
20 And he said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more closely about him.
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And he said, The Jews have agreed together to make a request to thee, that thou mayest bring Paul down to-morrow into the council, as about to inquire something more precise concerning him.
21 But do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of their men are lying in ambush for him, who have bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they have killed him. And now they are ready, waiting for your consent. ”
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Do not thou then be persuaded by them, for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, who have put themselves under a curse neither to eat nor drink till they kill him; and now they are ready waiting the promise from thee
22 So the tribune dismissed the young man, charging him, “Tell no one that you have informed me of these things. ”
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The chiliarch then dismissed the youth, commanding [him], Utter to no one that thou hast represented these things to me.
23 Then he called two of the centurions and said, “Get ready two hundred soldiers, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go as far as Caesarea at the third hour of the night.
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And having called to [him] certain two of the centurions, he said, Prepare two hundred soldiers that they may go as far as Caesarea, and seventy horsemen, and two hundred light-armed footmen, for the third hour of the night.
24 Also provide mounts for Paul to ride and bring him safely to Felix the governor. ”
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And [he ordered them] to provide beasts, that they might set Paul on them and carry [him] safe through to Felix the governor,
25 And he wrote a letter to this effect:
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having written a letter, couched in this form:
26 “Claudius Lysias, to his Excellency the governor Felix, greetings.
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Claudius Lysias to the most excellent governor Felix, greeting.
27 This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them when I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen.
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This man, having been taken by the Jews, and being about to be killed by them, I came up with the military and took out [of their hands], having learned that he was a Roman.
28 And desiring to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their council.
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And desiring to know the charge on which they accused him, I brought him down to their council;
29 I found that he was being accused about questions of their law, but charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment.
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whom I found to be accused of questions of their law, but to have no charge laid against him [making him] worthy of death or of bonds.
30 And when it was disclosed to me that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, ordering his accusers also to state before you what they have against him. ”
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But having received information of a plot about to be put in execution against the man [by the Jews], I have immediately sent him to thee, commanding also his accusers to say before thee the things that are against him. [Farewell.]
31 So the soldiers, according to their instructions, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris.
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The soldiers therefore, according to what was ordered them, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris,
32 And on the next day they returned to the barracks, letting the horsemen go on with him.
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and on the morrow, having left the horsemen to go with him, returned to the fortress.
33 When they had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him.
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And these, having entered into Caesarea, and given up the letter to the governor, presented Paul also to him.
34 On reading the letter, he asked what province he was from. And when he learned that he was from Cilicia,
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And having read [it], and asked of what eparchy he was, and learned that [he was] of Cilicia,
35 he said, “I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive. ” And he commanded him to be guarded in Herod’s praetorium.
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he said, I will hear thee fully when thine accusers also are arrived. And he commanded him to be kept in Herod's praetorium.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2025
The Darby Translation is in the public domain.