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1Small Man (Paul) looked deeply into the eyes of the members of the Grand Council.
“My fellow Tribal Members,” he said to the council, “All my life I have walked in a good way, with a pure heart before the Great Spirit.”
2Hearing this , Creator Shows Kindness (Ananias) the chief holy man ordered the ones standing near Small Man (Paul) to strike his mouth.
3“Creator will strike you, you false-faced pretender!” Small Man (Paul) said back to him. “Do you sit there using our own tribal law to decide my fate, and then break the same law by ordering me struck?”
4The ones standing near him said, “How dare you speak in a disrespectful manner to Creator’s chief holy man?”
5“Fellow Tribal Members,” he replied, “I did not recognize that he was the chief holy man, for it is written in the Sacred Teachings, ‘You must not speak against a leader of your people.’”[#23:5 Exodus 22:28]
6Small Man (Paul) , knowing that both the Upright Ones (Sadducees) and the Separated Ones (Pharisees) sat on the Grand Council, said to them, “My fellow Tribal Members, I am a Separated One (Pharisee) . It is because of my hope that the dead will rise to life again that I am on trial here today.”
7When he said this, an argument broke out between the Separated Ones (Pharisees) and the Upright Ones (Sadducees) . This created a division in the council,
8for the Upright Ones (Sadducees) say the dead will not rise and that there are no spirits or spirit-messengers, but the Separated Ones (Pharisees) believe in them all.
9The arguments grew louder and louder. Then some scroll keepers who were among the Separated Ones (Pharisees) stood up and voiced their argument forcefully.
“We find no reason to condemn this man,” they cried out. “It could be that a spirit or spirit-messenger has spoken to him!”
10The division broke out into violence. The head officer, afraid that Small Man (Paul) would be torn apart by them, ordered his soldiers to take him by force and bring him back to their lodge.
11That night Creator Sets Free (Jesus) came and stood near him in a sacred vision .
“Be strong of heart,” he said to him, “for in the same manner you have represented me in Village of Peace (Jerusalem) , you must also represent me in Village of Iron (Rome) .”
12Early the next day, some of the Tribal Members schemed together against Small Man (Paul) . They bound themselves in a solemn promise that they would not eat or drink until they had killed him.
13There were more than forty men who bound themselves to each other in this twisted plan.
14They went to the head holy men and elders and said to them, “We have bound ourselves with a solemn promise to neither eat nor drink until we have killed Small Man (Paul) .
15So we want you and the council to ask the head officer to bring him to you. Tell him that you plan to ask Small Man (Paul) some more questions. We will then be ready to ambush him on the way and kill him.”
16But when Small Man’s (Paul’s) nephew heard about the ambush, he snuck into the place where Small Man (Paul) was being held and warned him.
17Small Man (Paul) then called out to one of the head soldiers, “This young man has something important to report, so take him to your head officer.”
18Hearing this, the head soldier took him to the head officer, and said, “The prisoner Small Man (Paul) asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something important to tell you.”
19So the head officer took the young man aside, and asked, “What is it you want to report to me?”
20“Some Tribal Members from the council have agreed to ask you to bring Small Man (Paul) before them, as if they want to question him some more,” he told the head officer.
21“But do not let them fool you, for there are more than forty men waiting to ambush him on the way. They have bound themselves by a solemn promise to neither eat nor drink until they have killed him. They are ready now and waiting for you to agree to bring him.”
22The head officer told the young man to say nothing, sent him away,
23and then called two head soldiers to himself.
“I want you to be ready by the third hour of the night,” he instructed them. “Gather seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen and take them as far as Chief Village (Caesarea) .”
24The head officer also provided a horse and horsemen for Small Man (Paul) , to bring him safely to Happy Man (Felix) , the governor for the People of Iron (Romans) .
25Then he wrote a letter for them to give to the governor:
26“Greetings from Limping Man Who Sets Free (Claudius Lysias) to the most noble Happy Man (Felix) , governor representing the People of Iron (Romans) .
27“This man, who has been brought before you , was taken captive by the Tribal People, who were about to kill him. But when I learned that he was also a citizen of the People of Iron (Romans) , I had my soldiers rescue him.
28To find out what he was accused of, I took him before their Grand Council.
29I learned that he was being accused of matters relating to their own tribal laws, but nothing deserving death or imprisonment.
30When I was told of a plot against this man, I had him sent to you at once, and told his accusers to bring their accusations to you.”
31So the soldiers, following their instructions, took Small Man (Paul) by night to First Ancestor Village (Antipatris) .
32The next day the soldiers let the horsemen take him further, while they returned to their lodge.
33When the horsemen came to Chief Village (Caesarea) , they gave the letter to the governor and turned Small Man (Paul) over to him.
34After reading the letter, the governor asked which territory he was from. Learning that Small Man (Paul) was from Turns Over (Cilicia) , he agreed to hear his case.
35“I will make my decision,” he said to Small Man (Paul) , “after your accusers arrive.”
He then ordered that Small Man (Paul) should be kept under guard in their lodge, which used to be the lodge of Looks Brave (Herod) , the bad-hearted chief of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel) .