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Acts 23:9

Made Simple — Modern English Translation

Translated by Verse Made Simple Editorial
KJV ORIGINAL
And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees’ part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE

The whole place erupted, people were shouting everywhere. The religious teachers who were Pharisees jumped up and started arguing hard for Paul, saying, 'We don't see anything wrong with this guy. What if a spirit or an angel actually did speak to him? We don't want to end up fighting against God.'

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

Even Paul's enemies had to admit, maybe God really was behind what he was doing.

📚 Historical Context

In the book of Acts, Paul is on trial before the Sanhedrin, a Jewish council divided between Pharisees and Sadducees, with the Pharisees believing in resurrection, angels, and spirits, while the Sadducees rejected these ideas. This division erupted into chaos when Paul claimed his hope in the resurrection, prompting the Pharisee scribes to defend him by declaring they found no evil in him. They cautioned that if a spirit or angel had spoken to Paul, the council should not oppose God, highlighting the deep theological rift within Judaism at the time.

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