Acts 23:11–22

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

The Plot to Kill Paul

¹²The next morning some Jews formed a conspiracy^o and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.^{p 13}More than forty men were involved in this plot. ¹⁴They went to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have taken a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul.^{q 15}Now then, you and the Sanhedrin^r petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here.”

¹⁶But when the son of Paul’s sister heard of this plot, he went into the barracks^s and told Paul.

¹⁷Then Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commander; he has something to tell him.” ¹⁸So he took him to the commander.

The centurion said, “Paul, the prisoner,^t sent for me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.”

¹⁹The commander took the young man by the hand, drew him aside and asked, “What is it you want to tell me?”

²⁰He said: “Some Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul before the Sanhedrin^u tomorrow on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about him.^{v 21}Don’t give in to them, because more than forty^w of them are waiting in ambush for him. They have taken an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him.^x They are ready now, waiting for your consent to their request.”

²²The commander dismissed the young man with this warning: “Don’t tell anyone that you have reported this to me.”