While they were attempting to kill him, news came to the tribune commander of the garrison that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.

At once he took soldiers and centurions, and rushed down upon them. When they saw the tribune and the troops, they left off beating Paul.

Then the tribune came up and seized him, and ordered that he be bound with two chains. "Who is he?" he began asking, "and what has he done?"

Some among the crowd kept shouting one thing, some another; and when the tribune could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered Paul into the barracks.

Just as he was about to be taken into the barracks, Paul said to the tribune, "May I speak to you?"

"Do you know Greek?" said the tribune; "Are you not, then, the Egyptian who in days gone by stirred up to sedition, and let into the wilderness the four thousand cutthroats?"

the tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks, and examined under the lash, to learn for what reason the people were thus crying out against him.

When the centurion heard that, he went to the tribune and said to him. "What are you intending to do? This man is a Roman citizen."

So the tribune came to Paul and asked him, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" "Yes," he said.

"I paid a large sum to get this citizenship," said the tribune. "But I was citizen-born," said Paul.

Then those who were about to scourge him, immediately left him. And the tribune too, was afraid, when he learned that Paul was a Roman citizen, for he had had him bound.

But when the dissension became violent, the tribune, fearing that they would tear Paul in pieces, ordered the troops to march down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the barracks.

"Now do you and the Sanhedrin ask the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you would judge his case more exactly; and we are ready to kill him, before he comes near the place."

And Paul called one of the centurions, and said, "Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to tell him."

So he took him, and brought his to the tribune, and said, "Paul, the prisoner, called me to him, and begged me to bring this young man to you, because he has something to tell you."

And the tribune took him by the hand, and going aside, asked him privately, "What is it that you have to tell me?"

So the tribune sent the young man home with the injunction, "Tell no man that you have given me this information."

At this point Felix, who had a pretty accurate knowledge of the Way, adjourned the case, saying to the Jews, "When Lysias the tribune comes down, I will go carefully into the matter."