30 The next day, the Romaios commander still wanted to know what was behind the anger of the Yehudim (Jews), so he had Paulos released from the cell, but brought him down to a room where he’d ordered the chief priests and the Jewish council to convene. Paulos was given a seat 23 and looking directly at the council members said, “Men, brothers, all my life I have lived before God as a good citizen and with a clean conscience.” 2 But Hananyah (Ananias; Grk. Hananias) the chief priest commanded one of his companions to whack Paulos on the mouth. 3 “God will strike you,” said Paulos, “you grand show-off. You’ve been brought here to judge me as someone who knows the law and yet you violate the law by commanding that I be hit in the face.”

4 But the others standing there said, “Are you insulting God’s chief priest?”

5 “Brothers,” said Paulos, “I didn’t realise that he’s the chief priest, because the scriptures teach us not to speak wrongly of our leaders.”[ref]

6 But then, knowing that the council consisted of some from the sect of the Saddoukaios (Sadducees) and some from the Farisaios’ party, Paulos continued loudly, “Men, brothers, like my father, I’m a member of the Farisaios and I’m being tried today concerning the hope and the resurrection of the dead!”

7 Well, as soon as he said this, the council was split as the Farisaios and the Saddoukaios started arguing. 8 (Saddoukaios say that the dead don’t come back to life, and there’s no messengers and no spirits, but the Farisaios believe there is.) 9 So then there was a big kerfuffle because some of the teachers of the law spoke up for the Farisaios saying, “We don’t see anything wrong with this man. Maybe it was a spirit or one of God’s messengers that spoke to him.”

10 But the Romaios commander was afraid that they might tear Paulos apart in the big argument, so he called for his soldiers to come down to uplift Paulos and return him to the barracks.

11 The following night, the master appeared to Paulos and told him, “Be brave because just like you testified about me here in Yerushalem (Jerusalem), so too you’ll tell them about me in Romai.”