1 Paulo, fixando os olhos no sinédrio, disse: Irmãos, eu me tenho portado diante de Deus com toda a boa consciência até o dia de hoje.2 Ananias, sumo sacerdote, mandou aos que estavam ao lado de Paulo que lhe dessem na boca.3 Então Paulo lhe disse: Deus te ferirá, parede branqueada; tu estás aí sentado para me julgar segundo a Lei, e contra a Lei mandas que eu seja ferido.4 Os que estavam ali, perguntaram: Injurias tu o sumo sacerdote de Deus?5 Respondeu Paulo: Eu não sabia, irmãos, que ele era sumo sacerdote; porque escrito está: Não falarás mal do chefe do teu povo.6 Paulo, sabendo que uma parte pertencia aos saduceus e a outra aos fariseus, clamou no sinédrio: Irmãos, eu sou fariseu, filho de fariseus; por causa da esperança e da ressurreição dos mortos é que eu estou sendo julgado.7 Dizendo isto, houve dissensão entre os fariseus e saduceus, e a multidão dividiu-se.8 Pois os saduceus dizem que não há ressurreição, e que não há anjos nem espíritos, mas os fariseus confessam uma e outra coisa.9 Suscitou-se grande clamor e, levantando-se alguns escribas do partido dos fariseus, altercavam, dizendo: Não achamos neste homem mal algum; e quem sabe se lhe falou algum espírito ou algum anjo?10 Tornando-se grande a dissensão, o tribuno, temendo que Paulo fosse despedaçado pelo povo, mandou que os soldados descessem e o tirassem do meio deles e o levassem para a cidadela.11 Na noite seguinte o Senhor, pondo-se ao lado dele, disse: Tem bom ânimo; pois assim como deste testemunho de mim em Jerusalém, assim importa também que o dês em Roma.12 Quando amanheceu, os judeus coligaram-se e juraram sob pena de anátema que não comeriam nem beberiam, enquanto não matassem a Paulo.13 Os que fizeram esta conjuração, eram mais de quarenta;14 e estes, indo ter com os principais sacerdotes e os anciãos, disseram: Juramos sob pena de anátema não provar coisa alguma enquanto não matássemos a Paulo.15 Agora vós, com o sinédrio, notificai ao tribuno que vo-lo apresente, como se houvesse de investigar com mais precisão a sua causa; e nós, antes que ele chegue, estamos prontos para o matar.16 Mas o filho da irmã de Paulo, sabendo da cilada, foi, entrou na cidadela e avisou a Paulo.17 Então Paulo, chamando um dos centuriões, disse: Leva este moço ao tribuno, porque tem alguma coisa a comunicar-lhe.18 Assim, pois, tomando-o ele consigo, levou-o ao tribuno e disse: O preso Paulo, chamando-me, pediu que eu trouxesse à tua presença este moço que tem alguma coisa que dizer-te.19 O tribuno, tomando-o pela mão e retirando-se à parte, perguntou-lhe em particular: Que é o que tens a comunicar-me?20 Respondeu ele: Os judeus combinaram rogar-te que amanhã apresentes Paulo ao sinédrio, como se houvesse de inquirir com mais precisão alguma coisa a seu respeito.21 Tu, pois, não te deixes persuadir por eles; porque mais de quarenta homens dentre eles lhe armam ciladas, os quais juraram sob pena de anátema não comer nem beber, enquanto o não matarem; e agora estão prontos, esperando a tua promessa.22 O tribuno, pois, despediu o moço recomendando-lhe que a ninguém dissesse que o havia informado disso.23 Chamando dois centuriões, disse: Tende prontos, desde a hora terceira da noite, duzentos soldados de infantaria, setenta de cavalaria e duzentos lanceiros, para irem até Cesaréia;24 e ordenou-lhes que aprontassem animais, para que Paulo montasse, e que o levassem salvo ao governador Félix,25 a quem escreveu uma carta nestes termos:26 Cláudio Lísias ao potentíssimo governador Félix, saúde.27 Este homem foi preso pelos judeus, e estava prestes a ser morto por eles, quando eu, sobrevindo com a tropa, o livrei, ao saber que era romano.28 Querendo saber a causa por que o acusavam, levei-o ao sinédrio;29 e achei que era acusado de questões da lei deles, mas que não havia acusação alguma que merecesse morte ou prisão.30 Sendo eu informado de que haveria uma cilada contra este homem, envio-to sem demora, intimando também aos acusadores que digam perante ti o que há contra ele.31 Os soldados, pois, conforme lhes fora ordenado, tomaram a Paulo e conduziram-no de noite a Antipátride;32 e no dia seguinte voltaram para a cidadela, deixando os soldados de cavalaria para o acompanhar;33 os quais, chegando a Cesaréia, entregaram a carta ao governador, e apresentaram-lhe também Paulo.34 Ele depois de a ler e perguntar de que província era, e sabendo que era da Cilícia, disse:35 Ouvir-te-ei, quando chegarem os teus acusadores; e mandou que fosse retido no Pretório de Herodes.

1 Paul looked straight at the Council and said, "Brothers, with a clear conscience I have done my duty before God up to this very day."2 Then the high priest Ananias ordered the men standing near him to strike him on the mouth.3 At this Paul said to him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! How can you sit there and judge me according to the law and yet in violation of the law order me to be struck?"4 The men standing near him asked, "Do you mean to insult God's high priest?"5 Paul answered, "I didn't realize, brothers, that he is the high priest. After all, it is written, ‘You must not speak evil about a ruler of your people.’"6 When Paul saw that some of them were Sadducees and others were Pharisees, he shouted in the Council, "Brothers, I am a Pharisee and a descendant of Pharisees. I am on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection of the dead."7 After he said that, an angry quarrel broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection and that there is no such thing as an angel or spirit, but the Pharisees believe in all those things.9 There was a great deal of shouting until some of the scribes who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and argued forcefully, "We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?"10 The quarrel was becoming violent, and the tribune was afraid that they would tear Paul to pieces. So he ordered the soldiers to go down, take him away from them by force, and bring him into the barracks.11 That night the Lord stood near him and said,"Have courage! For just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, you must testify in Rome, too."12 In the morning, the Jews formed a conspiracy and took an oath not to eat or drink anything before they had killed Paul.13 More than forty men formed this conspiracy.14 They went to the high priests and elders and said, "We have taken a solemn oath not to taste any food before we have killed Paul.15 Now then, you and the Council must notify the tribune to bring him down to you on the pretext that you want to look into his case more carefully, but before he arrives we'll be ready to kill him."16 But the son of Paul's sister heard about the ambush, so he came and got into the barracks and told Paul.17 Then Paul called one of the centurions and said, "Take this young man to the tribune, because he has something to tell him."18 So he took him, brought him to the tribune, and said, "The prisoner Paul called me and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to tell you."19 The tribune took him by the hand, stepped aside to be alone with him, and asked, "What have you got to tell me?"20 He answered, "The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the Council tomorrow as though they were going to examine his case more carefully.21 Don't believe them, because more than forty of them are planning to ambush him. They have taken an oath not to eat or drink before they have killed him. They are ready now, just waiting for your consent."22 The tribune dismissed the young man and ordered him not to tell anyone that he had notified him.23 Then he summoned two of the centurions and said, "Get 200 soldiers ready to leave for Caesarea at nine o'clock tonight, along with seventy mounted soldiers and 200 soldiers with spears.24 Provide an animal for Paul to ride, and take him safely to Governor Felix."25 He wrote a letter with this message:26 "From Claudius Lysias to Your Excellency, Governor Felix. Greetings.27 This man had been seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them when I went with the guard and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen.28 I wanted to know the exact charge they were making against him, so I had him brought before their Council.29 I found that, although he was charged with questions about their law, there was no charge against him deserving death or imprisonment.30 Since a plot against the man has been reported to me, I am at once sending him to you and have also ordered his accusers to present their charges against him before you."31 So the soldiers, in keeping with their orders, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris.32 The next day they let the horsemen ride on with him while they returned to their barracks.33 When these came to Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and handed Paul over to him.34 After reading the letter, he asked which province he was from. On learning that he was from Cilicia,35 he said, "I will hear your case when your accusers arrive." Then he ordered him to be kept in custody in Herod's palace.