Acts 23

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¹Now looking intently at the Council, Paul said, “Brothers, I have lived my life with an entirely good conscience before God up to this day.” ✦ ²But the high priest Ananias commanded those standing beside him to strike him on the mouth. ✦ ³Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to try me according to the Law, and in violation of the Law, order me to be struck?” ✦ ⁴But those present said, “Are you insulting God’s high priest?” ⁵And Paul said, “I was not aware, brothers, that he is high priest; for it is written: ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’ ” ✦ ⁶But Paul, perceiving that one group were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, began crying out in the Council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead!” ✦ ⁷When he said this, a dissension occurred between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. ✦ ⁸For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. ✦ ⁹And a great uproar occurred; and some of the scribes of the Pharisaic party stood up and started arguing heatedly, saying, “We find nothing wrong with this man; suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” ✦ ¹⁰And when a great dissension occurred, the commander was afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, and he ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force, and bring him into the barracks. ✦ ¹¹But on the following night, the Lord stood near him and said, “Be courageous! For as you have testified to the truth about Me in Jerusalem, so you must testify in Rome also.” ✦ ¹²When it was day, the Jews formed a conspiracy and put themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. ✦ ¹³There were more than forty who formed this plot. ✦ ¹⁴They came to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have put ourselves under an oath to taste nothing until we have killed Paul. ✦ ¹⁵Now therefore, you and the Council notify the commander to bring him down to you, as though you were going to investigate his case more thoroughly; and as for us, we are ready to kill him before he comes near the place.” ✦ ¹⁶But the son of Paul’s sister heard about their ambush, and he came and entered the barracks and told Paul. ✦ ¹⁷Paul called one of the centurions to himself and said, “Take this young man to the commander, for he has something to report to him.” ✦ ¹⁸So he took him and led him to the commander and *said, “Paul the prisoner called me over to him and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.” ✦ ¹⁹The commander took him by the hand, and stepping aside, began to inquire of him privately, “What is it that you have to report to me?” ✦ ²⁰And he said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down tomorrow to the Council, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more thoroughly about him. ✦ ²¹So do not listen to them, for more than forty of them are in hiding to ambush him, and these men have put themselves under an oath not to eat or drink until they kill him; and now they are ready and waiting for assurance from you.” ✦ ²²Then the commander let the young man go, instructing him, “Tell no one that you have notified me of these things.” ✦ ²³And he called to him two of the centurions and said, “Get two hundred soldiers ready by the third hour of the night to proceed to Caesarea, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen.” ✦ ²⁴They were also to provide mounts to put Paul on and bring him safely to Felix the governor. ✦ ²⁵And he wrote a letter with the following content: ²⁶“Claudius Lysias, to the most excellent governor Felix: Greetings. ✦ ²⁷When this man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them, I came up to them with the troops and rescued him, after learning that he was a Roman. ✦ ²⁸And wanting to ascertain the basis for the charges they were bringing against him, I brought him down to their Council; ✦ ²⁹and I found that he was being accused regarding questions in their Law, but was not charged with anything deserving death or imprisonment. ✦ ³⁰When I was informed that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, also instructing his accusers to bring charges against him before you.” ✦ ³¹So the soldiers, in accordance with their orders, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. ✦ ³²But on the next day they let the horsemen go on with him, and they returned to the barracks. ✦ ³³When these horsemen had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him. ✦ ³⁴Now when he had read it, he also asked from what province Paul was, and when he learned that he was from Cilicia, ✦ ³⁵he said, “I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive as well,” giving orders for Paul to be kept in Herod’s Praetorium. ✦

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Where this chapter connects

Acts 23 ·30 Acts 24 ·18 Acts 25 ·13 Acts 22 ·12 Acts 26 ·5 Acts 28 ·5 Luke 23 ·4 Acts 21 ·4

Christ at the center

Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.

How Acts 23 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Resources, by level

Lay

★ Start hereAudioThrough the WordThrough the Word · ~10 min/chapter · Free · evangelical
A clear ~10-minute audio teaching for every one of the Bible's 1,189 chapters — the most systematic free way to study chapter by chapter.
DocumentaryDrive Thru History: Acts to RevelationDave Stotts · Free · evangelical
Follows Paul's missionary journeys and the early church on location across the Mediterranean — free on Tubi, great for families.

Pastoral

★ Start hereSermonMLJ Trust — Martyn Lloyd-Jones sermonsMartyn Lloyd-Jones · Free · reformed
1,600+ free sermons from "the Doctor," including landmark verse-by-verse series (Romans, John, Ephesians, Acts) — a gold standard of expository preaching.
SermonChuck Smith — C2000 SeriesChuck Smith · Free · evangelical
Free verse-by-verse audio through the entire Bible from the founder of Calvary Chapel.

Commentaries & study tools

VideoBibleProject — Acts videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
VideoWatch teaching on Acts 23YouTube · Lay · Free
Sermons and chapter teaching from across YouTube.
CommentaryEnduring Word — Acts 23David Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical
Readable, verse-by-verse exposition of the whole chapter.
CommentaryMatthew Henry on ActsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
ReferenceBlue Letter Bible — Acts 23Blue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free
Interlinear, lexicon, and study tools across the chapter.

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