The Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 23ΠΡΑΞΕΙΣ ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΩΝ ΚΓ′

Ἀτενίσας δὲ ὁ Παῦλος τῷ συνεδρίῳ εἶπεν· Ἄνδρες ἀδελφοί, ἐγὼ πάσῃ συνειδήσει ἀγαθῇ πεπολίτευμαι τῷ θεῷ ἄχρι ταύτης τῆς ἡμέρας.

And Paul, looking intently at the council, said, 'Brothers, I have lived my life before God with a completely clear conscience up to this day.'

ὁ δὲ ἀρχιερεὺς Ἁνανίας ἐπέταξεν τοῖς παρεστῶσιν αὐτῷ τύπτειν αὐτοῦ τὸ στόμα.

The high priest Ananias ordered those standing beside him to strike him on the mouth.

τότε ὁ Παῦλος πρὸς αὐτὸν εἶπεν· Τύπτειν σε μέλλει ὁ θεός, τοῖχε κεκονιαμένε· καὶ σὺ κάθῃ κρίνων με κατὰ τὸν νόμον, καὶ παρανομῶν κελεύεις με τύπτεσθαι;

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 in violation of the law you order me to be struck?'

οἱ δὲ παρεστῶτες εἶπαν· Τὸν ἀρχιερέα τοῦ θεοῦ λοιδορεῖς;

Those standing by said, 'Do you insult the high priest of God?'

ἔφη τε ὁ Παῦλος· οὐκ ᾔδειν, ἀδελφοί, ὅτι ἐστὶν ἀρχιερεύς· γέγραπται γὰρ ὅτι Ἄρχοντα τοῦ λαοῦ σου οὐκ ἐρεῖς κακῶς.

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."'

Γνοὺς δὲ ὁ Παῦλος ὅτι τὸ ἓν μέρος ἐστὶν Σαδδουκαίων τὸ δὲ ἕτερον Φαρισαίων, ἔκραξεν ἐν τῷ συνεδρίῳ· Ἄνδρες ἀδελφοί, ἐγὼ Φαρισαῖός εἰμι, υἱὸς Φαρισαίων· περὶ ἐλπίδος καὶ ἀναστάσεως νεκρῶν [ἐγὼ] κρίνομαι.

But Paul, knowing that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, cried out in the council, 'Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees! It is about the hope of the resurrection of the dead that I am being judged!'

τοῦτο δὲ αὐτοῦ εἰπόντος ἐγένετο στάσις τῶν Φαρισαίων καὶ Σαδδουκαίων, καὶ ἐσχίσθη τὸ πλῆθος.

And when he said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.

Σαδδουκαῖοι μὲν γὰρ λέγουσιν μὴ εἶναι ἀνάστασιν μήτε ἄγγελον μήτε πνεῦμα, Φαρισαῖοι δὲ ὁμολογοῦσιν τὰ ἀμφότερα.

For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees confess them all.

ἐγένετο δὲ κραυγὴ μεγάλη, καὶ ἀναστάντες τινὲς τῶν γραμματέων τοῦ μέρους τῶν Φαρισαίων διεμάχοντο λέγοντες· οὐδὲν κακὸν εὑρίσκομεν ἐν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τούτῳ· εἰ δὲ πνεῦμα ἐλάλησεν αὐτῷ ἢ ἄγγελος—

Then a great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees' party stood up and contended vigorously, saying, 'We find nothing wrong in this man. What if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?'

πολλῆς δὲ γινομένης στάσεως εὐλαβηθεὶς ὁ χιλίαρχος μὴ διασπασθῇ ὁ Παῦλος ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν, ἐκέλευσεν τὸ στράτευμα καταβὰν ἁρπάσαι αὐτὸν ἐκ μέσου αὐτῶν ἄγειν τε εἰς τὴν παρεμβολήν.

And when the dissension became great, the tribune, fearing that Paul would be torn apart by them, commanded the troops to go down and forcibly take him out of their midst and bring him into the barracks.

Τῇ δὲ ἐπιούσῃ νυκτὶ ἐπιστὰς αὐτῷ ὁ κύριος εἶπεν· Θάρσει· ὡς γὰρ διεμαρτύρω τὰ περὶ ἐμοῦ εἰς Ἰερουσαλήμ, οὕτω σε δεῖ καὶ εἰς Ῥώμην μαρτυρῆσαι.

The following night the Lord stood beside him and said, 'Take courage, for as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.'

Γενομένης δὲ ἡμέρας ποιήσαντες συστροφὴν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἀνεθεμάτισαν ἑαυτοὺς λέγοντες μήτε φαγεῖν μήτε πιεῖν ἕως οὗ ἀποκτείνωσιν τὸν Παῦλον.

When day came, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink until they had killed Paul.

ἦσαν δὲ πλείους τεσσεράκοντα οἱ ταύτην τὴν συνωμοσίαν ποιησάμενοι·

There were more than forty of those who had made this conspiracy.

οἵτινες προσελθόντες τοῖς ἀρχιερεῦσιν καὶ τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις εἶπαν· Ἀναθέματι ἀνεθεματίσαμεν ἑαυτοὺς μηδενὸς γεύσασθαι ἕως οὗ ἀποκτείνωμεν τὸν Παῦλον.

They went to the chief priests and elders and said, 'We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.'

νῦν οὖν ὑμεῖς ἐμφανίσατε τῷ χιλιάρχῳ σὺν τῷ συνεδρίῳ ὅπως καταγάγῃ αὐτὸν εἰς ὑμᾶς ὡς μέλλοντας διαγινώσκειν ἀκριβέστερον τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ· ἡμεῖς δὲ πρὸ τοῦ ἐγγίσαι αὐτὸν ἕτοιμοί ἐσμεν τοῦ ἀνελεῖν αὐτόν.

Now therefore you, together with the council, notify the tribune to bring him down to you as if you were going to examine his case more carefully, and we are ready to kill him before he comes near.

Ἀκούσας δὲ ὁ υἱὸς τῆς ἀδελφῆς Παύλου τὴν ἐνέδραν, παραγενόμενος καὶ εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὴν παρεμβολὴν ἀπήγγειλεν τῷ Παύλῳ.

But Paul's sister's son heard of the ambush, and he came and entered the barracks and told Paul.

προσκαλεσάμενος δὲ ὁ Παῦλος ἕνα τῶν ἑκατοντάρχων ἔφη· τὸν νεανίαν τοῦτον ἀπάγαγε πρὸς τὸν χιλίαρχον, ἔχει γάρ τι ἀπαγγεῖλαι αὐτῷ.

Paul called one of the centurions and said, 'Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to report to him.'

ὁ μὲν οὖν παραλαβὼν αὐτὸν ἤγαγεν πρὸς τὸν χιλίαρχον καί φησιν· ὁ δέσμιος Παῦλος προσκαλεσάμενός με ἠρώτησεν τοῦτον τὸν νεανίσκον ἀγαγεῖν πρὸς σέ, ἔχοντά τι λαλῆσαί σοι.

So the centurion took him and brought him to the tribune and said, 'The prisoner Paul called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, as he has something to say to you.'

ἐπιλαβόμενος δὲ τῆς χειρὸς αὐτοῦ ὁ χιλίαρχος καὶ ἀναχωρήσας κατ᾽ ἰδίαν ἐπυνθάνετο· τί ἔστιν ὃ ἔχεις ἀπαγγεῖλαί μοι;

The tribune took him by the hand and drawing him aside privately asked, 'What is it that you have to report to me?'

εἶπεν δὲ ὅτι Οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι συνέθεντο τοῦ ἐρωτῆσαί σε ὅπως αὔριον τὸν Παῦλον καταγάγῃς εἰς τὸ συνέδριον ὡς μέλλοντές τι ἀκριβέστερον πυνθάνεσθαι περὶ αὐτοῦ.

And he said, 'The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as if they were going to inquire somewhat more carefully about him.

σὺ οὖν μὴ πεισθῇς αὐτοῖς· ἐνεδρεύουσιν γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐξ αὐτῶν ἄνδρες πλείους τεσσεράκοντα, οἵτινες ἀνεθεμάτισαν ἑαυτοὺς μήτε φαγεῖν μήτε πιεῖν ἕως οὗ ἀνέλωσιν αὐτόν, καὶ νῦν εἰσιν ἕτοιμοι προσδεχόμενοι τὴν ἀπὸ σοῦ ἐπαγγελίαν.

So do not yield to them, for more than forty of them are lying in wait for him, having bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink until they have done away with him. And now they are ready, waiting for your promise.'

ὁ μὲν οὖν χιλίαρχος ἀπέλυσεν τὸν νεανίσκον παραγγείλας μηδενὶ ἐκλαλῆσαι ὅτι ταῦτα ἐνεφάνισας πρός με.

So the tribune dismissed the young man, ordering him to tell no one that he had reported these things to him.

Καὶ προσκαλεσάμενός τινας δύο τῶν ἑκατοντάρχων εἶπεν· ἑτοιμάσατε στρατιώτας διακοσίους ὅπως πορευθῶσιν ἕως Καισαρείας, καὶ ἱππεῖς ἑβδομήκοντα καὶ δεξιολάβους διακοσίους, ἀπὸ τρίτης ὥρας τῆς νυκτός,

And he summoned two of the centurions and said, 'Get ready two hundred soldiers to go as far as Caesarea, as well as seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen, at the third hour of the night,

κτήνη τε παραστῆσαι ἵνα ἐπιβιβάσαντες τὸν Παῦλον διασώσωσιν πρὸς Φήλικα τὸν ἡγεμόνα.

and provide animals so that they may put Paul on them and bring him safely to Felix the governor.'

γράψας ἐπιστολὴν ἔχουσαν τὸν τύπον τοῦτον·

And he wrote a letter having the following content:

Κλαύδιος Λυσίας τῷ κρατίστῳ ἡγεμόνι Φήλικι χαίρειν.

Claudius Lysias to the most excellent governor Felix, greetings.

τὸν ἄνδρα τοῦτον συλλημφθέντα ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων καὶ μέλλοντα ἀναιρεῖσθαι ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν ἐπιστὰς σὺν τῷ στρατεύματι ἐξειλάμην, μαθὼν ὅτι Ῥωμαῖός ἐστιν.

This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them when I came with the troops and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen.

βουλόμενός τε ἐπιγνῶναι τὴν αἰτίαν δι᾽ ἣν ἐνεκάλουν αὐτῷ, κατήγαγον αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ συνέδριον αὐτῶν·

And wanting to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their council,

ὃν εὗρον ἐγκαλούμενον περὶ ζητημάτων τοῦ νόμου αὐτῶν, μηδὲν δὲ ἄξιον θανάτου ἢ δεσμῶν ἔγκλημα ἔχοντα.

and I found that he was being accused about questions of their law, but had no charge worthy of death or imprisonment.

μηνυθείσης δέ μοι ἐπιβουλῆς εἰς τὸν ἄνδρα ἔσεσθαι, ἐξαυτῆς ἔπεμψα πρὸς σέ, παραγγείλας καὶ τοῖς κατηγόροις λέγειν [τὰ] πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐπὶ σοῦ.

When I was informed of a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, ordering his accusers also to state their case against him before you.

Οἱ μὲν οὖν στρατιῶται κατὰ τὸ διατεταγμένον αὐτοῖς ἀναλαβόντες τὸν Παῦλον ἤγαγον διὰ νυκτὸς εἰς τὴν Ἀντιπατρίδα.

So the soldiers, according to their orders, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris.

τῇ δὲ ἐπαύριον ἐάσαντες τοὺς ἱππεῖς ἀπέρχεσθαι σὺν αὐτῷ ὑπέστρεψαν εἰς τὴν παρεμβολήν·

On the next day they let the horsemen go on with him, and returned to the barracks.

οἵτινες εἰσελθόντες εἰς τὴν Καισάρειαν καὶ ἀναδόντες τὴν ἐπιστολὴν τῷ ἡγεμόνι παρέστησαν καὶ τὸν Παῦλον αὐτῷ.

When they entered Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also to him.

ἀναγνοὺς δὲ καὶ ἐπερωτήσας ἐκ ποίας ἐπαρχείας ἐστίν, καὶ πυθόμενος ὅτι ἀπὸ Κιλικίας,

And having read it and having asked from what province he was, and learning that he was from Cilicia,

Διακούσομαί σου, ἔφη, ὅταν καὶ οἱ κατήγοροί σου παραγένωνται· κελεύσας ἐν τῷ πραιτωρίῳ τοῦ Ἡρῴδου φυλάσσεσθαι αὐτόν.

he said, 'I will give you a hearing when your accusers also arrive.' And he commanded him to be kept in Herod's praetorium.