Acts 23:10-26

¹⁰And when much dissension developed, the commander, fearing lest Paul might be torn apart by them, commanded the detachment of soldiers to go down and seize him from the midst of them, and to bring him into the barracks.

¹¹Now on the next night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, Paul; for as you solemnly testified about the things concerning Me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”

¹²Now when it was day, some of the Jews joined in a conspiracy and bound themselves by a curse, saying neither would they eat nor drink until they had killed Paul.

¹³And there were over forty who had made this plot;

¹⁴who came to the chief priests and to the elders and said, “We have bound ourselves by oath with a curse to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.

¹⁵Now you, therefore, together with the council, suggest to the commander that he be brought down to you tomorrow, as though you are going to determine more accurately the things concerning him; but we, before he comes near, are prepared to kill him.”

¹⁶But when Paul's sister's son heard about the ambush, he came and entered into the barracks, and told this to Paul.

¹⁷And Paul, summoning one of the centurions, said, “Lead this young man away to the commander, for he has something to tell him.”

¹⁸Therefore taking him along, he brought him to the commander and said, “The prisoner Paul, having summoned me, asked me to bring this young man to you, for he has something to tell you.”

¹⁹And the commander, taking him by his hand, withdrew to a private place and inquired, “What is it that you have to tell me?”

²⁰And he said, “The Jews have agreed to ask that tomorrow you bring Paul down to the Sanhedrin, as though they are going to learn something more accurate concerning him.

²¹Therefore you must not be persuaded by them; for more than forty of them are lying in wait for him, who have bound themselves by a curse neither to eat nor to drink until they have killed him; and now they are prepared, waiting for the promise from you.”

²²Then the commander dismissed the young man, and commanded him, “Tell no one that you have made known these things to me.”

²³And having summoned two of the centurions he said, “Make ready two hundred soldiers, and seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen, in order that they may go to Caesarea, to leave at the third hour of the night;

²⁴and place mounts at their disposal, in order that they may put Paul on them, and bring him safely to Felix the governor.”

²⁵And he wrote a letter which contained this content:

²⁶Claudius Lysias, to the most excellent governor Felix: Greetings.