MODERN LITERAL VERSION

23:1 And Paul, staring at the council, said, Brethren, I have behaved-as a Jewish citizen before God in all good conscience till this day.

23:2 And the high-priest Ananias commanded those who stood beside him to beat him on the mouth.

23:3 Then Paul said to him, God is about to beat you, you whitewashed wall. And you sit judging me according to the law and yet violating the law, you are commanding me to be beaten.

23:4 And those who stood beside him said, Are you reviling God's high-priest?

23:5 And Paul said, Brethren, I did not know that he was the high-priest; for* it has been written, ‘You will not speak evilly of a ruler of your people.' {Ex. 22:28}
23:6 But when Paul knew that the one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of a Pharisee. I am being judged concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead.
23:7 And when he said this, there became a dissension from the Pharisees and the assembly was split-apart.
23:8 (The Sadducees indeed say that there is no resurrection, neither messenger nor spirit, but the Pharisees are confessing both.)

23:9 And there became a great outcry and part of the scribes of the Pharisees stood up and were quarreling, saying, We are finding no evil in this man and what if a spirit has spoken to him or a messenger? We should not quarrel against God.
23:10 Now when much dissension happened, the commander, being scared, lest Paul might be torn to shreds by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and seize him from the midst of them and bring him into the encampment.

23:11 And the Lord stood by him the next night and said, Paul, have courage; for* as you have testified concerning me in Jerusalem, so it is essential for you to also testify in Rome .

23:12 And when it became day, some of the Jews made* a conspiracy and vowed, saying they are neither to eat nor to drink until they should have killed Paul.
23:13 And they were more-than forty that had made* this gang.
23:14 And they came to the high-priests and the elders and said, We have vowed, being accursed, to taste nothing until we should have killed Paul.
23:15 Therefore now, you*, with the council, disclose it to the commander *that tomorrow he may bring him down to you*, as if you * are about to investigate more accurately the things concerning him. And we are ready to kill him before he draws near.

23:16 But Paul's sister's son heard of their murderous plot and he came and entered into the encampment and reported to Paul.
23:17 And Paul called to him one of the centurions and said, Lead this young-man away to the commander; for* he has something to report to him.

23:18 Therefore indeed, he took him and brought him to the commander and says, Paul the prisoner called me to him and asked me to bring this young-man to you, who has something to say to you.

23:19 And the commander grabbed his hand and departed privately and inquired, What is it that you have to report to me?

23:20 And he said, The Jews have covenanted together to ask you *that tomorrow you might bring Paul down to the Jewish council, (as if you are about to inquire more accurately something concerning him).
23:21 Therefore do not be persuaded by them; for* more-than forty out of them are plotting against him, who have vowed neither to eat nor to drink until they should have assassinated him and they are ready now, waiting for the promise from you.

23:22 Therefore indeed, the commander released the young-man, commanding him, Tell no one that you have disclosed these things to me.
23:23 And he called to him a certain two of the centurions and said, Prepare for the third hour of the night two hundred soldiers and seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen, *that they should go to Caesarea,
23:24 and animals to be present, that* having mounted Paul upon one of them, they might save him for Felix the governor.
23:25 And he wrote a letter containing in this pattern:

23:26 Claudius Lysias to the most-excellent governor Felix. Hail to you.
23:27 This man was taken by the Jews and was about to be assassinated by them, when I stood against them with the soldiers and liberated him, having learned that he was a Roman.
23:28 And intending to know the accusation (because of which they accused him), I brought him down to their council;
23:29 whom I found to be accused concerning debates of their law, but having nothing in way of an accusation worthy of death or of bonds.
23:30 And when it was divulged to me that there was a murderous pact about to be carried out by the Jews *for the man, I promptly sent him to you, also commanding his accusers to speak the things to you about him before you. Good-bye.

23:31 Therefore indeed, the soldiers, according to the commands given to them, took Paul and brought him through the night to Antipatris.
23:32 But on the next-day they permitted the horsemen to go with him and returned to the encampment.
23:33 And having came to Caesarea and having given over the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul before him.
23:34 And the governor having read it and having asked what province he was from, and after inquiring, found he was from Cilicia.
23:35 He said, I will hear you fully, whenever your accusers have also come. And he commanded him to be kept in Herod's palace.
{May 30, 59 AD. Paul before Felix, a prisoner two years at Caesarea. In 59 AD Festus becomes governor of Judea.}