Acts 23:23–35

Paul Transferred to Caesarea

²³Then he called two of his centurions and ordered them, “Get ready a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen^b to go to Caesarea^y at nine tonight.^{z 24}Provide horses for Paul so that he may be taken safely to Governor Felix.”^a

²⁵He wrote a letter as follows:

²⁶Claudius Lysias,

To His Excellency,^b Governor Felix:

Greetings.^c

²⁷This man was seized by the Jews and they were about to kill him,^d but I came with my troops and rescued him,^e for I had learned that he is a Roman citizen.^{f 28}I wanted to know why they were accusing him, so I brought him to their Sanhedrin.^{g 29}I found that the accusation had to do with questions about their law,^h but there was no charge against himⁱ that deserved death or imprisonment. ³⁰When I was informed^j of a plot^k to be carried out against the man, I sent him to you at once. I also ordered his accusers^l to present to you their case against him.

³¹So the soldiers, carrying out their orders, took Paul with them during the night and brought him as far as Antipatris. ³²The next day they let the cavalry^m go on with him, while they returned to the barracks.^{n 33}When the cavalry^o arrived in Caesarea,^p they delivered the letter to the governor^q and handed Paul over to him. ³⁴The governor read the letter and asked what province he was from. Learning that he was from Cilicia,^{r 35}he said, “I will hear your case when your accusers^s get here.” Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard^t in Herod’s palace.