Acts 23:11-22 - The Plot Against Paul

¹¹ And the night after, the Lord came to his side and said, Be of good heart, for as you have been witnessing for me in Jerusalem, so will you be my witness in Rome.

¹² And when it was day, the Jews came together and put themselves under an oath that they would take no food or drink till they had put Paul to death. ¹³ And more than forty of them took this oath. ¹⁴ And they came to the chief priests and the rulers and said, We have taken a great oath to take no food till we have put Paul to deat ¹⁵ So now, will you and the Sanhedrin make a request to the military authorities to have him sent down to you, as if you were desiring to go into the business in greater detail; and we, before ever he gets to you, will be waiting to put him to death.

¹⁶ But Paul's sister's son had word of their design, and he came into the army building and gave news of it to Paul. ¹⁷ And Paul sent for a captain and said, Take this young man to your chief, for he has news for him.

¹⁸ So he took him to the chief captain and said, Paul, the prisoner, made a request to me to take this young man to you, for he has something to say to you.

¹⁹ And the chief took him by the hand and, going on one side, said to him privately, What is it you have to say to me

²⁰ And he said, The Jews are in agreement together to make a request to you for Paul to be taken, on the day after this, into the Sanhedrin, to be questioned in greater detail. ²¹ But do not give way to them, for more than forty of them are waiting for him, having taken an oath not to take food or drink till they have put him to death: and now they are ready, waiting for your order

²² So the chief captain let the young man go, saying to him, Do not say to anyone that you have given me word of these things.