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Monday, July 28th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

Contemporary English Version

Acts 23:14

Then some of them went to the chief priests and the nation's leaders and said, "We have promised God that we would not eat a thing until we have killed Paul.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Claudius Lysius;   Conspiracy;   Malice;   Minister, Christian;   Oath;   Paul;   Vows;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Hatred;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Jerusalem;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Kill, Killing;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Ordination;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Anathema;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Lysias Claudius;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Acts;   Ambush;   Crimes and Punishments;   Persecution in the Bible;   Sanhedrin;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Caesarea;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Excommunication (2);   Sanhedrin (2);   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Claudius;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Presbyter;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
These men went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have bound ourselves under a solemn curse that we won’t eat anything until we have killed Paul.
King James Version (1611)
And they came to the chiefe Priests and Elders, and said, Wee haue bound our selues vnder a great curse, that wee will eate nothing vntill wee haue slaine Paul.
King James Version
And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul.
English Standard Version
They went to the chief priests and elders and said, "We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul.
New American Standard Bible
They came to the chief priests and the elders and said, "We have put ourselves under an oath to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.
New Century Version
They went to the leading priests and the elders and said, "We have taken an oath not to eat or drink until we have killed Paul.
Amplified Bible
They went to the chief priests and elders and said, "We have bound ourselves under a solemn oath not to taste anything [neither food nor drink] until we have killed Paul.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
They came to the chief priests and the elders and said, "We have bound ourselves under a solemn oath to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.
Legacy Standard Bible
They came to the chief priests and the elders and said, "We have bound ourselves under a curse to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.
Berean Standard Bible
They went to the chief priests and elders and said, "We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul.
Complete Jewish Bible
They went to the head cohanim and the elders and said, "We have bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food until we have killed Sha'ul.
Darby Translation
and they went to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have cursed ourselves with a curse to taste nothing until we kill Paul.
Easy-to-Read Version
They went and talked to the leading priests and the older Jewish leaders. They said, "We have promised ourselves that we will not eat or drink until we have killed Paul.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And they came to the chiefe Priestes and Elders, and said, We haue bound our selues with a solemne curse, that wee will eate nothing, vntill we haue slaine Paul.
George Lamsa Translation
And they went to the priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under an oath, not to taste anything till we have killed Paul.
Good News Translation
Then they went to the chief priests and elders and said, "We have taken a solemn vow together not to eat a thing until we have killed Paul.
Lexham English Bible
who went to the chief priests and the elders and said, "We have bound ourselves under a curse to partake of nothing until we have killed Paul.
Literal Translation
who, having come near to the chief priests and to the elders, said, With a curse we have cursed ourselves to taste of nothing until we shall kill Paul.
American Standard Version
And they came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.
Bible in Basic English
And they came to the chief priests and the rulers and said, We have taken a great oath to take no food till we have put Paul to death
Hebrew Names Version
They came to the chief Kohanim and the Zakenim, and said, "We have bound ourselves under a great curse, to taste nothing until we have killed Sha'ul.
International Standard Version
They went to the high priests and elders and said, "We have taken a solemn oath not to taste any food before we have killed Paul.
Etheridge Translation
And they drew nigh to the priests and to the elders, and said, A vow we have vowed upon us, that nothing will we taste until we have killed Paulos.
Murdock Translation
And they went to the priests and Elders, and said: We have bound ourselves by imprecations, that we will taste of nothing, until we shall have slain Paul.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And they came to the chiefe priestes and elders, and sayde: We haue bounde our selues with a vowe, that we wyll eate nothyng vntyll we haue slayne Paul.
English Revised Version
And they came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.
World English Bible
They came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, "We have bound ourselves under a great curse, to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves by a solemn curse, not to taste anything, till we have killed Paul.
Weymouth's New Testament
They went to the High Priests and Elders and said to them, "We have bound ourselves under a heavy curse to take no food till we have killed Paul.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thei wenten to the princis of prestis, and eldre men, and seiden, With deuocioun we han a vowid, that we schulen not taste ony thing, til we sleen Poul.
Update Bible Version
And they came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.
Webster's Bible Translation
And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul.
New English Translation
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.
New King James Version
They came to the chief priests and elders, and said, "We have bound ourselves under a great oath that we will eat nothing until we have killed Paul.
New Living Translation
They went to the leading priests and elders and told them, "We have bound ourselves with an oath to eat nothing until we have killed Paul.
New Life Bible
These people came to the head religious leader and to the leaders of the people and said, "We have made a promise not to eat any food until we have killed Paul.
New Revised Standard
They went to the chief priests and elders and said, "We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food until we have killed Paul.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And they went unto the High-priests and Elders, and said - With a curse have we bound ourselves, to taste, nothing, until we have slain Paul.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Who came to the chief priests and the ancients and said: We have bound ourselves under a great curse that we will eat nothing till we have slain Paul.
Revised Standard Version
And they went to the chief priests and elders, and said, "We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And they cam to ye chefe prestes and elders and sayde: we have boude oure selves with a vowe that we will eate nothinge vntill we have slayne Paul.
Young's Literal Translation
who having come near to the chief priests and to the elders said, `With an anathema we did anathematize ourselves -- to taste nothing till we have killed Paul;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
These came to the hye prestes and Elders, and sayde: We haue bounde oure selues wt a vowe, that we wil eate nothinge, tyll we haue slayne Paul.
Mace New Testament (1729)
went to the chief priests and senators, and said, "we have bound our selves by oath not to eat till we have slain Paul.
Simplified Cowboy Version
They went to the Jewish movers and shakers and told them of their vow. They said, "We've made an oath not to eat or drink until the outlaw Paul is dead.

Contextual Overview

12The next morning more than forty Jewish men got together and vowed that they would not eat or drink anything until they had killed Paul. 14 Then some of them went to the chief priests and the nation's leaders and said, "We have promised God that we would not eat a thing until we have killed Paul. 15 You and everyone in the council must go to the commander and pretend that you want to find out more about the charges against Paul. Ask for him to be brought before your court. Meanwhile, we will be waiting to kill him before he gets there." 16 When Paul's nephew heard about the plot, he went to the fortress and told Paul about it. 17 So Paul said to one of the army officers, "Take this young man to the commander. He has something to tell him." 18 The officer took him to the commander and said, "The prisoner named Paul asked me to bring this young man to you, because he has something to tell you." 19 The commander took the young man aside and asked him in private, "What do you want to tell me?" 20 He answered, "Some men are planning to ask you to bring Paul down to the Jewish council tomorrow. They will claim that they want to find out more about him. 21 But please don't do what they say. More than forty men are going to attack Paul. They have made a vow not to eat or drink anything until they have killed him. Even now they are waiting to hear what you decide." 22 The commander sent the young man away after saying to him, "Don't let anyone know that you told me this."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Psalms 52:1, Psalms 52:2, Isaiah 3:9, Jeremiah 6:15, Jeremiah 8:12, Hosea 4:9, Micah 7:3

Reciprocal: Numbers 30:2 - to bind Judges 11:35 - I cannot Esther 5:14 - the thing Psalms 64:2 - secret Proverbs 18:7 - his lips Acts 23:21 - an oath 1 Corinthians 16:22 - Anathema Galatians 1:8 - accursed Galatians 5:11 - why 1 John 3:15 - hateth

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they came to the chief priests, and elders,.... Who were members of the sanhedrim, to acquaint them with their designs:

and said, we have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul: these chief priests and elders, had they acted according to the character they bore, on such an information, would have taken up those men, and punished them, at least would have dissuaded them from so vile an action; but they knew the men to whom they applied, and very likely they were all of them of the sect of the Sadducees, whom Paul had so much offended the day before; and therefore were pleased with what they had done, approved of their scheme, and readily fell in with the following proposal.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And they came ... - Probably by a deputation.

To the chief priests and elders - The members of the Great Council, or Sanhedrin. It is probable that the application was made to the party of the Sadducees, as the Pharisees had shown their determination to defend Paul. They would have had no prospect of success had they attacked the castle, and they therefore devised this mode of obtaining access to Paul, where they might easily despatch him.

Under a great curse - Greek: “We have anathematized ourselves with an anathema.” We have made the vow as solemn as possible.


 
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