Acts 23:11-35

Acts 23

¹¹ The following night the Lord stood next to Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have solemnly testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”

The Plot to Kill Paul

¹² When day came, the Jews ^[1] formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath, saying that they would not eat or drink until they had killed Paul. ¹³ There were more than forty who took part in this plot.

¹⁴ They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have bound ourselves under a solemn oath not to taste anything until we have killed Paul. ¹⁵ Now then, you and the Sanhedrin file charges with the commander so that he will bring him down to you ^[2] as if you were going to make a more thorough examination of his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets close to this place.”

¹⁶ But when the son of Paul’s sister heard about the ambush, he went into the barracks and told Paul. ¹⁷ Then Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commander, because he has something to report to him.”

¹⁸ So he brought him to the commander and said, “The prisoner Paul called for me and asked me to bring this young man to you, because he has something to tell you.”

¹⁹ The commander took him by the hand, led him aside, and asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?”

²⁰ He said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the Sanhedrin tomorrow, as if they want to gain more accurate information about him. ²¹ Don’t let them persuade you, because more than forty of their men are waiting in ambush for him. They have bound themselves under a solemn oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They are ready right now, waiting for your consent.”

²² So the commander dismissed the young man with this order: “Don’t tell anyone that you have reported these things to me.”

²³ Then he called two of the centurions and said, “Get two hundred soldiers ready, along with seventy cavalry and two hundred spearmen, to go as far as Caesarea at the third hour of the night. ^{[3] 24} Also provide mounts so that they can put Paul on one and bring him safely to Felix the governor.” ²⁵ He wrote a letter as follows:

³¹ So the soldiers, according to their orders, took Paul and brought him to Antipatris during the night. ³² The next day they let the cavalry go on with him, while they returned to the barracks. ³³ When the cavalry came to Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor, and they handed Paul over to him.

³⁴ After the governor had read the letter, he asked what province he was from. When he learned that he was from Cilicia, ³⁵ he said, “I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive.” Then he ordered that Paul should be kept under guard in Herod’s palace.