Before the Council

³⁰The next day, wanting to find out exactly why he was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and the entire council to assemble. Then he brought Paul down and set him before them. Chapter 23¹Paul looked directly at the council and said, "Brothers, I have lived my life with a completely clear conscience before God up to this very day." ²The high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. ³Paul said to him, "God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, and yet you order me to be struck in violation of that same law?" ⁴Those standing nearby said, "Do you dare insult God's high priest?" ⁵Paul replied, "I did not know he was the high priest, brothers. For it is written, 'You shall not speak evil of the ruler of your people.'" ⁶When Paul noticed that part of the council were Sadducees and the others were Pharisees, he called out in the council, "Brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I am on trial because of the hope and resurrection of the dead!" ⁷When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. ⁸The Sadducees say there is no resurrection, and that neither angels nor spirits exist, but the Pharisees affirm all of these. ⁹A great uproar erupted. Some of the scribes who belonged to the Pharisee party stood up and argued forcefully, "We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him? Let us not fight against God." ¹⁰When a great dispute arose, the commanding officer, fearing Paul would be torn apart by them, ordered the soldiers to go down, take him from among them by force, and bring him into the fortress. ¹¹That night the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Take courage, Paul! Just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, you must also testify in Rome."