1 The proverbs of Solomon:
A wise child makes a father rejoice,
but a foolish child is a grief to his mother.
2 Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,
but righteousness delivers from death.
3 The Lord satisfies the appetite of the righteous,
but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
4 The one who is lazy becomes poor,
but the one who works diligently becomes wealthy.
5 The one who gathers crops in the summer is a wise son,
but the one who sleeps during harvest is a shameful son.
6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
but the speech of the wicked conceals violence.
7 The memory of the righteous is a blessing,
but the reputation of the wicked will rot.
8 The wise person accepts instructions,
but the one who speaks foolishness will come to ruin.
9 The one who conducts himself in integrity will live securely,
but the one who behaves perversely will be found out.
10 The one who winks his eye causes trouble,
and the one who speaks foolishness will come to ruin.
11 The speech of the righteous is a fountain of life,
but the speech of the wicked conceals violence.
12 Hatred stirs up dissension,
but love covers all transgressions.
13 Wisdom is found in the words of the discerning person,
but the one who lacks sense will be disciplined.
14 Those who are wise store up knowledge,
but foolish speech leads to imminent destruction.
15 The wealth of a rich person is like a fortified city,
but the poor are brought to ruin by their poverty.
16 The reward that the righteous receive is life;
the recompense that the wicked receive is judgment.
17 The one who heeds instruction is on the way to life,
but the one who rejects rebuke goes astray.
18 The one who conceals hatred utters lies,
and the one who spreads slander is certainly a fool.
19 When words abound, transgression is inevitable,
but the one who restrains his words is wise.
20 What the righteous say is like the best silver,
but what the wicked think is of little value.
21 The teaching of the righteous feeds many,
but fools die for lack of sense.
22 The blessing from the Lord makes a person rich,
and he adds no sorrow to it.
23 Carrying out a wicked scheme is enjoyable to a fool,
and so is wisdom for the one who has discernment.
24 What the wicked fears will come on him;
what the righteous desire will be granted.
25 When the storm passes through, the wicked are swept away,
but the righteous are an everlasting foundation.
26 Like vinegar to the teeth and like smoke to the eyes,
so is the sluggard to those who send him.
27 Fearing the Lord prolongs life,
but the life span of the wicked will be shortened.
28 The hope of the righteous is joy,
but the expectation of the wicked perishes.
29 The way of the Lord is like a stronghold for the upright,
but it is destruction to evildoers.
30 The righteous will never be moved,
but the wicked will not inhabit the land.
31 The speech of the righteous bears the fruit of wisdom,
but the one who speaks perversion will be destroyed.
32 The lips of the righteous know what is pleasing,
but the speech of the wicked is perverse.
1 Paul looked directly at the council and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life with a clear conscience before God to this day.” 2 At that the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit there judging me according to the law, and in violation of the law you order me to be struck?” 4 Those standing near him said, “Do you dare insult God’s high priest?” 5 Paul replied, “I did not realize, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You must not speak evil about a ruler of your people.’”
6 Then when Paul noticed that part of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, he shouted out in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection of the dead!” 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.” 19 The commanding officer took him by the hand, withdrew privately, and asked, “What is it that you want to report to me?” 20 He replied, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as if they were going to inquire more thoroughly about him. 21 So do not let them persuade you to do this, because more than forty of them are lying in ambush for him. They have bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink anything until they have killed him, and now they are ready, waiting for you to agree to their request.” 22 Then the commanding officer sent the young man away, directing him, “Tell no one that you have reported these things to me.” 23 Then he summoned two of the centurions and said, “Make ready 200 soldiers to go to Caesarea along with 70 horsemen and 200 spearmen by nine o’clock tonight, 24 and provide mounts for Paul to ride so that he may be brought safely to Felix the governor.” 25 He wrote a letter that went like this:
26 Claudius Lysias to His Excellency Governor Felix, greetings. 27 This man was seized by the Jews and they were about to kill him, when I came up with the detachment and rescued him, because I had learned that he was a Roman citizen. 28 Since I wanted to know what charge they were accusing him of, I brought him down to their council. 29 I found he was accused with reference to controversial questions about their law, but no charge against him deserved death or imprisonment. 30 When I was informed there would be a plot against this man, I sent him to you at once, also ordering his accusers to state their charges against him before you.
31 So the soldiers, in accordance with their orders, took Paul and brought him to Antipatris during the night. 32 The next day they let the horsemen go on with him, and they returned to the barracks. 33 When the horsemen came to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him. 34 When the governor had read the letter, he asked what province he was from. When he learned that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive too.” Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod’s palace.