Acts 23:16–35

¹⁶And when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their ^blying in wait, he went and entered into ^cthe castle, and told Paul. ¹⁷Then Paul called one of the centurions unto him, and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain: for he hath a certain thing to tell him. ¹⁸So he took him, and brought him to the chief captain, and said, Paul the prisoner called me unto him, and prayed me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say unto thee. ¹⁹Then the chief captain took him by the hand, and went with him aside privately, and asked him, What is that thou hast to tell me? ²⁰And he said, ^dThe Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest bring down Paul to morrow into ^ethe council, ^das though they would inquire somewhat of him more ^aperfectly. ²¹But do not thou yield unto them: for there ^flie in wait for him of them moe than forty men, which have bound themselves ^gwith an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now are they ready, looking for a promise from thee. ²²So the chief captain then let the young man depart, and charged him, ^hSee thou tell no man that thou hast shewed these things to me. ²³And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to ⁱCesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night; ²⁴and provide them beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe unto Felix ^jthe governor. ²⁵And he wrote a letter ^kafter this manner:

²⁶Claudius Lysias unto the ^lmost excellent ^jgovernor Felix ^msendeth greeting. ²⁷ⁿThis man was taken of the Jews, and should have been killed of them: then came I with ^oan army, and rescued him, ^phaving understood that he was a Roman. ²⁸And when I would have known the cause wherefore they ^qaccused him, I ^rbrought him forth into their ^ecouncil: ²⁹whom I perceived to be ^qaccused ^sof questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge ^tworthy of death or of bonds. ³⁰And ^uwhen it was told me how that the Jews ^vlaid wait for the man, I sent straightway to thee, and ^wgave commandment to his accusers also to say before thee what they had against him. ^xFarewell.

³¹Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul, and brought him by night to Antipatris. ³²On the morrow they left ^ythe horsemen to go with him, and returned to ^cthe castle: ³³who, when they came to ⁱCesarea, and delivered the epistle to ^jthe governor, presented Paul also before him. ³⁴And when ^jthe governor had read the letter, he asked of what ^zprovince he was: ^aand when he understood that he was of ^aCilicia; ^35bI will hear thee, said he, ^cwhen thine accusers are also come. And he commanded him to be kept in ^dHerod’s ^ejudgment hall.

XXIV.