7. When he said this, an argument began between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.
8. (For the Sadducees say there is no resurrection, or angel, or spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.)
9. There was a great commotion, and some experts in the law from the party of the Pharisees stood up and protested strongly, “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”
10. When the argument became so great the commanding officer feared that they would tear Paul to pieces, he ordered the detachment to go down, take him away from them by force, and bring him into the barracks.
11. The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Have courage, for just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”
12. When morning came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink anything until they had killed Paul.
13. There were more than forty of them who formed this conspiracy.
14. They went to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath not to partake of anything until we have killed Paul.
15. So now you and the council request the commanding officer to bring him down to you, as if you were going to determine his case by conducting a more thorough inquiry. We are ready to kill him before he comes near this place.”
16. But when the son of Paul’s sister heard about the ambush, he came and entered the barracks and told Paul.
17. Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commanding officer, for he has something to report to him.”
18. So the centurion took him and brought him to the commanding officer and said, “The prisoner Paul called me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.”