Acts 23:10–22

¹⁰And a great tumult having arisen, the chiliarch, fearing lest Paul should have been torn in pieces by them, commanded the troop to come down and take him by force from the midst of them, and to bring him into the fortress. ¹¹But the following night the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good courage; for as thou hast testified the things concerning me at Jerusalem, so thou must bear witness at Rome also.

¹²And when it was day, the Jews, having banded together, put themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they should kill Paul. ¹³And they were more than forty who had joined together in this oath; ¹⁴and they went to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have cursed ourselves with a curse to taste nothing until we kill Paul. ¹⁵Now therefore do ye with the council make a representation to the chiliarch so that he may bring him down to you, as about to determine more precisely what concerns him, and we, before he draws near, are ready to kill him. ¹⁶But Paul’s sister’s son, having heard of the lying in wait, came and entered into the fortress and reported it to Paul. ¹⁷And Paul, having called one of the centurions, said, Take this youth to the chiliarch, for he has something to report to him. ¹⁸He therefore, having taken him with him, led him to the chiliarch, and says, The prisoner Paul called me to him and asked me to lead this youth to thee, who has something to say to thee. ¹⁹And the chiliarch having taken him by the hand, and having gone apart in private, inquired, What is it that thou hast to report to me? ²⁰And he said, The Jews have agreed together to make a request to thee, that thou mayest bring Paul down to-morrow into the council, as about to inquire something more precise concerning him. ²¹Do not thou then be persuaded by them, for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, who have put themselves under a curse neither to eat nor drink till they kill him; and now they are ready waiting the promise from thee. ²²The chiliarch then dismissed the youth, commanding him, Utter to no one that thou hast represented these things to me.