Acts 23:15

 

Acts 23:15

(KJV) Now therefore ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you to morrow, as though ye would inquire something more perfectly concerning him: and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him.

(1611 KJV) Now therefore ye with the Councill, signifie to the chiefe captaine that he bring him downe vnto you to morrow, as though yee would enquire something more perfectly concerning him: and we, or euer he come neere, are ready to kill him.

(1587 Geneva Bible) Nowe therefore, ye and the Council signifie to the chiefe captaine, that hee bring him foorth vnto you to morow: as though you would know some thing more perfectly of him, and we, or euer he come neere, will be readie to kill him.

(1526 Tyndale) Now therfore geve ye knowlege to the vpper captayne and to the counsell that he bringe him forth vnto vs to morow as though we wolde knowe some thinge more perfectly of him. But we (or ever he come neare) are redy in ye meane season to kill him.

 

Counterfeit Versions

(1881 RV) Now therefore do ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you, as though ye would judge of his case more exactly: and we, or ever he come near, are ready to slay him.

(1901 ASV) Now therefore do ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you, as though ye would judge of his case more exactly: and we, before he comes near, are ready to slay him.

(CSB) So now you, along with the Sanhedrin, make a request to the commander that he bring him down to you as if you were going to investigate his case more thoroughly. But, before he gets near, we are ready to kill him.”

(NIV) Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here."

(NASV) "Now therefore, you and the Council notify the commander to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case by a more thorough investigation; and we for our part are ready to slay him before he comes near the place."

(THE MESSAGE) But we need your help. Send a request from the council to the captain to bring Paul back so that you can investigate the charges in more detail. We'll do the rest. Before he gets anywhere near you, we'll have killed him. You won't be involved."

(AMP) So now you, along with the council (Sanhedrin), give notice to the commandant to bring [Paul] down to you, as if you were going to investigate his case more accurately. But we [ourselves] are ready to slay him before he comes near.

(NLT) So you and the high council should ask the commander to bring Paul back to the council again. Pretend you want to examine his case more fully. We will kill him on the way.”

(ESV) Now therefore you, along with the council, give notice to the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more exactly. And we are ready to kill him before he comes near."

(CEV) 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."

(NCV) So this is what we want you to do: Send a message to the commander to bring Paul out to you as though you want to ask him more questions. We will be waiting to kill him while he is on the way here."

(HCSB) So now you, along with the Sanhedrin, make a request to the commander that he bring him down to you as if you were going to investigate his case more thoroughly. However, before he gets near, we are ready to kill him."

(NIRV) Now then, you and the Sanhedrin must make an appeal to the commanding officer. Ask him to bring Paul to you. Pretend you want more facts about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here."

(RSV) You therefore, along with the council, give notice now to the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more exactly. And we are ready to kill him before he comes near."

(NAB-Roman Catholic) You, together with the Sanhedrin, must now make an official request to the commander to have him bring him down to you, as though you meant to investigate his case more thoroughly. We on our part are prepared to kill him before he arrives."

(NWT- Jehovah’s Witnesses) Now, therefore, YOU together with the San´he·drin make it clear to the military commander why he should bring him down to YOU as though YOU intended to determine more accurately the matters involving him. But before he gets near we will be ready to do away with him.”

 

Textus Receptus - Traditional Text

νυν ουν υμεις εμφανισατε τω χιλιαρχω συν τω συνεδριω οπως αυριον αυτον καταγαγη προς υμας ως μελλοντας διαγινωσκειν ακριβεστερον τα περι αυτου ημεις δε προ του εγγισαι αυτον ετοιμοι εσμεν του ανελειν αυτον

 

Hort-Westcott - Critical Text

νυν ουν υμεις εμφανισατε τω χιλιαρχω συν τω συνεδριω οπως καταγαγη αυτον εις υμας ως μελλοντας διαγινωσκειν ακριβεστερον τα περι αυτου ημεις δε προ του εγγισαι αυτον ετοιμοι εσμεν του ανελειν αυτον

 

Corrupted Manuscripts

This verse is corrupted in the following manuscripts:

Aleph 01 - Sinaiticus - Nineteenth Century Counterfeit
A 02 - Alexandrinus - Fifth century

B 03 - Vaticanus - Fourth century

C 04 - Ephraemi Rescriptus - Fifth century

E 08 - Sixth century

 

Manuscripts which agree with the Textus Receptus for this verse

Byzantine Text (450-1450 A.D.)

L 020 - Ninth century

P 025 - Ninth century

 

Published Critical Greek Texts with Corruptions

Omit “tomorrow”

Greisbach, Johann - 1805

Lachmann, Karl - 1842

Tischendorf, Constantine - 1869

Tregelles, Samuel - 1857

Alford, Henry - 1849 revised in 1871

Wordsworth, Christopher - 1856 revised in 1870

Westcott and Hort - 1881

Nestle - 1927 as revised in seventeenth edition in 1941

Nestle-Aland - 1979 - Twenty Sixth Edition

Nestle-Aland - 1993 - Twenty Seventh Edition

United Bible Societies - 1983 - Fourth Edition

 

Affected Teaching

Here is another case of confusion in the modern versions. The Jews had planned to kill Paul so they plotted against him. They were going to summon him and then while he was being transported, they would ambush him and the squad of soldiers who were protecting him. This was to take place the following day after the plans were made. (Acts 23:20 KJV) And he said, The Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest bring down Paul to morrow into the council, as though they would inquire somewhat of him more perfectly. When Paul’s nephew told the Chief Captain or Centurion, he told them that this plot would take place tomorrow. The modern versions omit the word “tomorrow” in verse 15. It sounds like they are going to bring Paul out today and then ambush him tomorrow. However, the entire event was to take place on one day which was the day after the Chief Captain received the information as we saw in verse 20. So the Chief Captain took the necessary precautions and saved the life of Paul. The modern versions are sources of confusion and we know who the author of confusion is!

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