Acts 23:9-35

⁹So a large uproar occurred, and some of the scribes belonging to the Pharisees stood up and argued, saying, “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”

¹⁰When there arose a great argument, the chief captain feared that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, so he commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among the council members, and bring him into the fortress.

¹¹The following night the Lord stood beside him and said, “Do not be afraid, for as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome.”

¹²When it became day, some Jews formed a conspiracy and called a curse down upon themselves with an oath not to eat nor drink anything until they had killed Paul.

¹³There were more than forty men who formed this conspiracy.

¹⁴They went to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have put ourselves under a great curse, to eat nothing until we have killed Paul.

¹⁵Now, therefore, let the council tell the chief captain to bring him down to you, as if you would decide his case more precisely. As for us, we are ready to kill him before he comes here.”

¹⁶But Paul's sister's son heard that they were lying in wait, so he went and entered the fortress and told Paul.

¹⁷Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the chief captain, for he has something to tell him.”

¹⁸So the centurion took the young man and brought him to the chief captain and said, “Paul the prisoner called me to him, and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to say to you.”

¹⁹The chief captain took him by the hand to a private place and asked him, “What is it that you have to tell me?”

²⁰The young man said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring down Paul tomorrow to the council, as if they were going to ask more precisely about his case.

²¹But do not give in to them, because there are more than forty men who are lying in wait for him. They have called a curse down on themselves, neither to eat nor to drink until they have killed him. Even now they are ready, waiting for consent from you.”

²²So the chief captain let the young man go, after instructing him, “Tell no one that you have said these things to me.”

²³Then he called to him two of the centurions and said, “Get two hundred soldiers ready to go as far as Caesarea, and seventy horsemen also, and two hundred spearmen. You will leave at the third hour of the night.”

²⁴He also ordered them to provide animals which Paul could ride, and to take him safely to Felix the governor.

²⁵Then he wrote a letter like this:

²⁶“Claudius Lysias to the most excellent Governor Felix, greetings.

²⁷This man was arrested by the Jews and was about to be killed by them, when I came upon them with soldiers and rescued him, since I learned that he was a Roman citizen.

²⁸I wanted to know why they accused him, so I took him down to their council.

²⁹I learned that he was being accused about questions concerning their own law, but that there was no accusation against him that deserved death or imprisonment.

³⁰Then it was made known to me that there was a plot against the man, so I immediately sent him to you, and instructed his accusers also to bring their charges against him in your presence. Farewell.”

³¹So the soldiers obeyed their orders. They took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris.

³²On the next day, most of the soldiers left the horsemen to go with him and they themselves returned to the fortress.

³³When the horsemen reached Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him.

³⁴When the governor read the letter, he asked what province Paul was from. When he learned that he was from Cilicia,

³⁵he said, “I will hear you fully when your accusers come here.” Then he commanded him to be kept in Herod's government headquarters.