nkjv Acts:23 SEEK
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Then Paul ,
looking earnestly at the council ,
said , "
Men and brethren ,
I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day ."
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And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth .
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Then Paul said to him , "
God will strike you ,
you whitewashed wall !
For you sit to judge me according to the law ,
and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law ?"
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And those who stood by said , "
Do you revile God '
s high priest ?"
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Then Paul said , "
I did not know ,
brethren ,
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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But when Paul perceived that 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 ;
concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged !"
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And when he had said this ,
a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees ;
and the assembly was divided .
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For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection--and no angel or spirit ;
but the Pharisees confess both .
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Then there arose a loud outcry .
And the scribes of the Pharisees '
party arose and protested ,
saying , "
We find no evil in this man ;
but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him ,
let us not fight against God ."
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Now when there arose a great dissension ,
the commander ,
fearing lest Paul might be pulled to pieces by them ,
commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them ,
and bring him into the barracks .
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But the following night the Lord stood by him and said , "
Be of good cheer ,
Paul ;
for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem ,
so you must also bear witness at Rome ."
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And when it was day ,
some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under an oath ,
saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul .
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Now there were more than forty who had formed this conspiracy .
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They came to the chief priests and elders ,
and said , "
We have bound ourselves under a great oath that we will eat nothing until we have killed Paul .
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Now you ,
therefore ,
together with the council ,
suggest to the commander that he be brought down to you tomorrow ,
as though you were going to make further inquiries concerning him ;
but we are ready to kill him before he comes near ."
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So when Paul '
s sister '
s son heard of their ambush ,
he went and entered the barracks and told Paul .
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Then Paul called one of the centurions to him and said , "
Take this young man to the commander ,
for he has something to tell him ."
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So he took him and brought him to the commander and said , "
Paul the prisoner called me to him and asked me to bring this young man to you .
He has something to say to you ."
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Then the commander took him by the hand ,
went aside ,
and asked privately , "
What is it that you have to tell me ?"
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And he said , "
The Jews have agreed to ask that you bring Paul down to the council tomorrow ,
as though they were going to inquire more fully about him .
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But do not yield to them ,
for more than forty of them lie in wait for him ,
men who have bound themselves by an oath that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him ;
and now they are ready ,
waiting for the promise from you ."
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So the commander let the young man depart ,
and commanded him , "
Tell no one that you have revealed these things to me ."
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And he called for two centurions ,
saying , "
Prepare two hundred soldiers ,
seventy horsemen ,
and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at the third hour of the night ;
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and provide mounts to set Paul on ,
and bring him safely to Felix the governor ."
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He wrote a letter in the following manner :
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Claudius Lysias ,
To the most excellent governor Felix :
Greetings .
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This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them .
Coming with the troops I rescued him ,
having learned that he was a Roman .
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And when I wanted to know the reason they accused him ,
I brought him before their council .
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I found out that he was accused concerning questions of their law ,
but had nothing charged against him deserving of death or chains .
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And when it was told me that the Jews lay in wait for the man ,
I sent him immediately to you ,
and also commanded his accusers to state before you the charges against him .
Farewell .
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Then the soldiers ,
as they were commanded ,
took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris .
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The next day they left the horsemen to go on with him ,
and returned to the barracks .
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When they came to Caesarea and had delivered the letter to the governor ,
they also presented Paul to him .
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And when the governor had read it ,
he asked what province he was from .
And when he understood that he was from Cilicia ,
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he said , "
I will hear you when your accusers also have come ."
And he commanded him to be kept in Herod '
s Praetorium .