---
title: "Acts 23 – Catholic Bible (CPDV) & Latin Vulgate · Bless"
url: https://blessbible.app/bible/acts/23/
description: "Paul stands before the council. The Jews conspire his death. He is sent away to… Acts 23 in the Catholic Public Domain Version, with the Latin Vulgate."
---

# Acts 23

Acts 23 is chapter 23 of 28 in the Acts of the Apostles. Here are all 35 verses in the Catholic Public Domain Version, with the Latin of the Clementine Vulgate beside them.

> Paul stands before the council. The Jews conspire his death. He is sent away to Cesarea.
>
> — Bp. Richard Challoner, chapter summary

## Acts 23 (Catholic Public Domain Version)

1. Then Paul, gazing intently at the council, said, “Noble brothers, I have spoken with all good conscience before God, even to this present day.”
2. And the high priest, Ananias, instructed those who were standing nearby to strike him on the mouth.
3. Then Paul said to him: “God shall strike you, you whitewashed wall! For would you sit and judge me according to the law, when, contrary to the law, you order me to be struck?”
4. And those who were standing nearby said, “Are you speaking evil about the high priest of God?”
5. And Paul said: “I did not know, brothers, that he is the high priest. For it is written: ‘You shall not speak evil of the leader of your people.’”
6. Now Paul, knowing that one group were Sadducees and the other were Pharisees, exclaimed in the council: “Noble brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees! It is over the hope and resurrection of the dead that I am being judged.”
7. And when he had said this, a dissension occurred between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. And the multitude was divided.
8. For the Sadducees claim that there is no resurrection, and neither angels, nor spirits. But the Pharisees confess both of these.
9. Then there occurred a great clamor. And some of the Pharisees, rising up, were fighting, saying: “We find nothing evil in this man. What if a spirit has spoken to him, or an angel?”
10. And since a great dissension had been made, the tribune, fearing that Paul might be torn apart by them, ordered the soldiers to descend and to seize him from their midst, and to bring him into the fortress.
11. Then, on the following night, the Lord stood near him and said: “Be constant. For just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so also it is necessary for you to testify at Rome.”
12. And when daylight arrived, some of the Jews gathered together and bound themselves with an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul.
13. Now there were more than forty men who had taken this oath together.
14. And they approached the leaders of the priests, and the elders, and they said: “We have sworn ourselves by an oath, so that we will taste nothing, until we have killed Paul.
15. Therefore, with the council, you should now give notice to the tribune, so that he may bring him to you, as if you intended to determine something else about him. But before he approaches, we have made preparations to put him to death.”
16. But when Paul’s sister’s son had heard of this, about their treachery, he went and entered into the fortress, and he reported it to Paul.
17. And Paul, calling to him one of the centurions, said: “Lead this young man to the tribune. For he has something to tell him.”
18. And indeed, he took him and led him to the tribune, and he said, “Paul, the prisoner, asked me to lead this young man to you, since he has something to say to you.”
19. Then the tribune, taking him by the hand, withdrew with him by themselves, and he asked him: “What is it that you have to tell me?”
20. Then he said: “The Jews have met to ask you to bring Paul tomorrow to the council, as if they intended to question him about something else.
21. But truly, you should not believe them, for they would ambush him with more than forty men from among them, who have bound themselves by an oath neither to eat, nor to drink, until they have put him to death. And they are now prepared, hoping for an affirmation from you.”
22. And then the tribune dismissed the young man, instructing him not to tell anyone that he had made known these things to him.
23. Then, having called two centurions, he said to them: “Prepare two hundred soldiers, so that they may go as far as Caesarea, and seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen, for the third hour of the night.
24. And prepare beasts of burden to carry Paul, so that they may lead him safely to Felix, the governor.”
25. For he was afraid, lest perhaps the Jews might seize him and kill him, and that afterwards he would be falsely accused, as if he had accepted a bribe. And so he wrote a letter containing the following:
26. “Claudius Lysias, to the most excellent governor, Felix: greetings.
27. This man, having been apprehended by the Jews and being about to be put to death by them, I rescued, overwhelming them with soldiers, since I realized that he is a Roman.
28. And wanting to know the reason that they objected to him, I brought him into their council.
29. And I discovered him to be accused about questions of their law. Yet truly, nothing deserving of death or imprisonment was within the accusation.
30. And when I had been given news of ambushes, which they had prepared against him, I sent him to you, notifying his accusers also, so that they may plead their accusations before you. Farewell.”
31. Therefore the soldiers, taking Paul according to their orders, brought him by night to Antipatris.
32. And the next day, sending the horsemen to go with him, they returned to the fortress.
33. And when they had arrived at Caesarea and had delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul before him.
34. And when he had read it and had asked which province he was from, realizing that he was from Cilicia, he said:
35. “I will hear you, when your accusers have arrived.” And he ordered him to be kept in the praetorium of Herod.

## Acts 23 in Latin (Clementine Vulgate, 1592)

1. Intendens autem in concilium Paulus, ait: Viri fratres, ego omni conscientia bona conversatus sum ante Deum usque in hodiernum diem.
2. Princeps autem sacerdotum Ananias præcepit astantibus sibi percutere os ejus.
3. Tunc Paulus dixit ad eum: Percutiet te Deus, paries dealbate. Et tu sedens judicas me secundum legem, et contra legem jubes me percuti?
4. Et qui astabant dixerunt: Summum sacerdotem Dei maledicis.
5. Dixit autem Paulus: Nesciebam, fratres, quia princeps est sacerdotum. Scriptum est enim: Principem populi tui non maledices.
6. Sciens autem Paulus quia una pars esset sadducæorum, et altera pharisæorum, exclamavit in concilio: Viri fratres, ego pharisæus sum, filius pharisæorum: de spe et resurrectione mortuorum ego judicor.
7. Et cum hæc dixisset, facta est dissensio inter pharisæos et sadducæos, et soluta est multitudo.
8. Sadducæi enim dicunt non esse resurrectionem, neque angelum, neque spiritum: pharisæi autem utraque confitentur.
9. Factus est autem clamor magnus. Et surgentes quidam pharisæorum, pugnabant, dicentes: Nihil mali invenimus in homine isto: quid si spiritus locutus est ei, aut angelus?
10. Et cum magna dissensio facta esset, timens tribunus ne discerperetur Paulus ab ipsis, jussit milites descendere, et rapere eum de medio eorum, ac deducere eum in castra.
11. Sequenti autem nocte assistens ei Dominus, ait: Constans esto: sicut enim testificatus es de me in Jerusalem, sic te oportet et Romæ testificari.
12. Facta autem die collegerunt se quidam ex Judæis, et devoverunt, se dicentes neque manducaturos, neque bibituros donec occiderent Paulum.
13. Erant autem plus quam quadraginta viri qui hanc conjurationem fecerant:
14. qui accesserunt ad principes sacerdotum et seniores, et dixerunt: Devotione devovimus nos nihil gustaturos, donec occidamus Paulum.
15. Nunc ergo vos notum facite tribuno cum concilio, ut producat illum ad vos, tamquam aliquid certius cognituri de eo. Nos vero priusquam appropiet, parati sumus interficere illum.
16. Quod cum audisset filius sororis Pauli insidias, venit, et intravit in castra, nuntiavitque Paulo.
17. Vocans autem Paulus ad se unum ex centurionibus, ait: Adolescentem hunc perduc ad tribunum, habet enim aliquid indicare illi.
18. Et ille quidem assumens eum duxit ad tribunum, et ait: Vinctus Paulus rogavit me hunc adolescentem perducere ad te, habentem aliquid loqui tibi.
19. Apprehendens autem tribunus manum illius, secessit cum eo seorsum, et interrogavit illum: Quid est quod habes indicare mihi?
20. Ille autem dixit: Judæis convenit rogare te ut crastina die producas Paulum in concilium, quasi aliquid certius inquisituri sint de illo:
21. tu vero ne credideris illis: insidiantur enim ei ex eis viri amplius quam quadraginta, qui se devoverunt non manducare, neque bibere donec interficiant eum: et nunc parati sunt, exspectantes promissum tuum.
22. Tribunus igitur dimisit adolescentem, præcipiens ne cui loqueretur quoniam hæc nota sibi fecisset.
23. Et vocatis duobus centurionibus, dixit illis: Parate milites ducentos ut eant usque Cæsaream, et equites septuaginta, et lancearios ducentos a tertia hora noctis,
24. et jumenta præparate ut imponentes Paulum, salvum perducerent ad Felicem præsidem.
25. (Timuit enim ne forte raperent eum Judæi, et occiderent, et ipse postea calumniam sustineret, tamquam accepturus pecuniam.)
26. Scribens epistolam continentem hæc: Claudius Lysias optimo præsidi Felici, salutem.
27. Virum hunc comprehensum a Judæis, et incipientem interfici ab eis, superveniens cum exercitu eripui, cognito quia Romanus est.
28. Volensque scire causam quam objiciebant illi, deduxi eum in concilium eorum.
29. Quem inveni accusari de quæstionibus legis ipsorum, nihil vero dignum morte aut vinculis habentem criminis.
30. Et cum mihi perlatum esset de insidiis quas paraverant illi, misi eum ad te, denuntians et accusatoribus ut dicant apud te. Vale.
31. Milites ergo secundum præceptum sibi assumentes Paulum, duxerunt per noctem in Antipatridem.
32. Et postera die dimissis equitibus ut cum eo irent, reversi sunt ad castra.
33. Qui cum venissent Cæsaream, et tradidissent epistolam præsidi, statuerunt ante illum et Paulum.
34. Cum legisset autem, et interrogasset de qua provincia esset, et cognoscens quia de Cilicia:
35. Audiam te, inquit, cum accusatores tui venerint. Jussitque in prætorio Herodis custodiri eum.

## Catechism of the Catholic Church

Paragraph numbers and the Catechism's own section headings (never quoted); text at vatican.va.
- CCC ¶ 993: Christ's Resurrection and Ours ([vatican.va index](https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM))

## Read at Mass (US)

- Thu, May 13, 2027: Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter — First Reading, Acts 22:30; 23:6-11
- Thu, Jun 1, 2028 (computed): St. Justin, Martyr — First Reading, Acts 22:30; 23:6-11

Citations as published in the USCCB liturgical calendar (principal Mass, first option). Dates after May 31, 2027 are computed by Bless from the US Lectionary cycle — confirm with your parish.

Source: Catholic Public Domain Version (Ronald L. Conte Jr., 2009), public domain; Latin: Clementine Vulgate (1592).