Acts 23:12-35 - A Conspiracy To Kill Paul
12 When daylight came, [a group of] Jews conspired together, agreeing under oath that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. 13 There were more than forty men who made this pact. 14 They went to the leading priests and [Jewish] elders and told them, "We have bound ourselves under an oath [with serious consequences] to eat nothing until we have killed Paul. 15 Therefore, [all of] you, together with the Jewish Council, should notify the commander so that he will bring Paul [back] down to you, as though you wanted to consider his case further. Then we will be ready to kill him, [even] before he comes near [you]."
16 But Paul's nephew learned of their plot and went to the headquarters and told Paul [all about it]. 17 So, Paul called for one of the officers and said [to him], "Take this young man to the commander; he has something [important] to tell him."
18 So, the officer took Paul's nephew to the commander and said, "Paul, the prisoner, called for me and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to tell you."
19 The commander took him by the hand, and walking along together, asked him privately, "What is it that you have to tell me?"
20 And the lad said, "The Jews have plotted to ask you to take Paul down to the Council [meeting] tomorrow, as though you were going to question him further. 21 But, do not listen to them, because over forty men have laid a plot and bound themselves under an oath [with serious consequences] neither to eat nor drink [anything] until they have killed him. They are now ready [to carry out the plot] and are just waiting for you to agree [to their arrangement]."
22 So, the commander let the young man go, urging him, "Do not tell anyone that you have reported this to me."
23 Then he called two of his officers and said, "Get two hundred soldiers ready to go to Caesarea, along with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen, by nine o'clock tonight." [Note: This was calculated according to Jewish time]. 24 And he [also] requested that they furnish animals for Paul to ride so he could be brought safely to Felix, the governor.
25 The commander then wrote a letter like this:
26 "Claudius Lysias, [commander of the battalion, is writing] to His Excellency, Governor Felix. Greetings:
27 This man [i.e., Paul] was grabbed by the Jews and almost killed by them when I discovered what they were doing and rescued him, after learning that he was a Roman citizen. 28 So, I brought him before the Council because I wanted to know the reasons for the charges [they were] bringing against him. 29 I found out that he was being accused over questions regarding their law, but that they had no charges against him deserving of the death penalty, or [even] of being kept in prison. 30 And when I was told that there was a plot against the man, I sent him to you immediately, also ordering his accusers to present their case against him in front of you."
31 So, the soldiers took charge of Paul and took him at night to Antipatris [Note: This was a town on the road between Jerusalem and Caesarea] as they were ordered. 32 The next day the soldiers allowed the horsemen to go on with Paul, while they [themselves] returned to headquarters. 33 When they came to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul before him. 34 And when the governor read the letter, he asked what province Paul was from. When he learned that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, "I will hear your case fully when your accusers also get here." Then he ordered that Paul be kept [under guard] in Herod's palace.