17Now it came to pass, that, when I had returned to Jerusalem, and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance; 18and beheld him saying to me, Make haste, and depart quickly from Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony of me. 19And I said, Lord, they know that I was imprisoning and scourging from synagogue to synagogue those who believe on thee: 20and when the blood of Stephen thy martyr was shed, I myself even stood by, and took delight in his execution, and guarded the garments of those who slew him. 21And he said to me, Go: for I will send thee forth to the Gentiles afar off.
22And they gave him audience to this sentence, and lifted up their voice, saying, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live. 23So when they began raising a vast clamour, and stripping off their garments, and casting dust into the air, 24the military tribune commanded him to be brought into the fortress, ordering that he should be put to the question by scourging; that he might know for what cause they clamoured so loudly against him. 25So as they were tying him up for the thongs, Paul said to the centurion standing by him, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman citizen, and uncondemned? 26And when the centurion heard this, he came and told the military tribune, saying, Consider what you are going to do: for this man is a Roman citizen. 27Then the tribune came, and said to him, Tell me, art thou a Roman citizen? And he said, Yes. 28And the tribune replied, With a large sum of money I purchased this citizenship. And Paul said, But I enjoy it as my birthright. 29Immediately then they who were about to put him to the question, withdrew from him: and indeed the tribune dreaded the consequences, when he knew that he was a Roman citizen, that he had even gone so far as to bind him. 30So on the morrow, desirous to know of a certainty what it was of which he was accused by the Jews, he loosed him from the bonds, and commanded the high-priest and all the sanhedrim to appear, and bringing Paul down, set him before them.
[CHAP. XXIII.]
THEN Paul, looking earnestly at the sanhedrim, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience unto God even to this day.
2Then the high-priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to smite him on the mouth.
3Then said Paul unto him, God is ready to smite thee, thou whited wall: for art thou sitting to judge me according to the law, and violating that law, commandest me to be smitten?
4Then they who stood by, said, Revilest thou God’s high-priest? 5And Paul said, I had not observed, brethren, that he was high-priest: for it is written, “Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people [47].”
6Now when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried in the sanhedrim, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: for the hope and resurrection of the dead am I brought to this bar.
7So when he had said this, a great dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided. 8For the Sadducees say indeed, that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both. 9And a great clamour arose: and the scribes rising up who were of the party of the Pharisees, contended stoutly, saying, We find no fault in this man: but if a spirit have spoken to him, or an angel, let us not fight against God. 10Then a great tumult arising, the tribune, apprehensive that Paul might be pulled in pieces by them, commanded the guard to go down, and take him by force from the midst of them, and bring him into the fortress.
11And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good courage, Paul: for as thou hast borne testimony of the things concerning me at Jerusalem, so must thou bear a testimony at Rome also.