Acts 23:16-35

Holman Christian Standard Bible

¹⁶But the son of Paul’s sister, hearing about their ambush, came and entered the barracks and reported it to Paul. ¹⁷Then Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commander, because he has something to report to him.”

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

¹⁹Then the commander took him by the hand, led him aside, and inquired privately, “What is it you have to report to me?”

²⁰“The Jews,” he said, “have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the Sanhedrin tomorrow, as though they are going to hold a somewhat more careful inquiry about him. ²¹Don’t let them persuade you, because there are more than 40 of them arranging to ambush him, men who have bound themselves under a curse not to eat or drink until they kill him. Now they are ready, waiting for a commitment from you.”^(A)

²²So the commander dismissed the young man and instructed him, “Don’t tell anyone that you have informed me about this.”

To Caesarea by Night

²³He summoned two of his centurions and said, “Get 200 soldiers ready with 70 cavalry and 200 spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine tonight.^[a]^(B) ²⁴Also provide mounts so they can put Paul on them and bring him safely to Felix the governor.”

²⁵He wrote a letter of this kind:

²⁶Claudius Lysias,

To the most excellent governor Felix:

Greetings.^(C)

²⁷When this man had been seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them, I arrived with my troops and rescued him because I learned that he is a Roman citizen.^(D) ²⁸Wanting to know the charge they were accusing him of, I brought him down before their Sanhedrin. ²⁹I found out that the accusations were about disputed matters in their law,^(E) and that there was no charge that merited death or chains.^(F) ³⁰When I was informed that there was a plot against the man,^[b]^(G) I sent him to you right away. I also ordered his accusers^(H) to state their case against him in your presence.^[c]

³¹Therefore, the soldiers took Paul during the night and brought him to Antipatris as they were ordered. ³²The next day, they returned to the barracks, allowing the cavalry to go on with him. ³³When these men entered Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him.^(I) ³⁴After he^[d] read it, he asked what province he was from. So when he learned he was from Cilicia,^(J) ³⁵he said, “I will give you a hearing whenever your accusers get here too.” And he ordered that he be kept under guard in Herod’s palace.^(K)