A Plot and a Nephew

¹²When morning came, some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under a curse, saying they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. ¹³More than forty men were involved in this conspiracy. ¹⁴They went to the chief priests and elders and said, "We have bound ourselves under a great curse to eat nothing until we have killed Paul." ¹⁵"So now, you and the council should notify the commanding officer to bring him down to you tomorrow, as though you intended to examine his case more thoroughly. And we will be ready to kill him before he even gets near." ¹⁶But Paul's sister's son heard about the ambush. He went to the barracks and told Paul about it. ¹⁷Paul called one of the centurions over and said, "Take this young man to the commanding officer, for he has something to tell him." ¹⁸So the centurion brought him to the commanding officer and said, "The prisoner Paul called me over and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to tell you." ¹⁹The commanding officer took the young man by the hand, led him aside privately, and asked, "What is it you have to tell me?" ²⁰He said, "The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they intended to question him more thoroughly." ²¹"But do not give in to them, for more than forty of them are lying in wait for him. They have bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They are ready now, just waiting for your agreement." ²²The commanding officer dismissed the young man and instructed him, "Tell no one that you have reported this to me." ²³Then he summoned two centurions and said, "Get two hundred soldiers ready to march to Caesarea, along with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen. Be ready to leave at the third hour of the night." ²⁴"Also, provide mounts for Paul to ride, and bring him safely to Governor Felix." ²⁵He wrote a letter to this effect: ²⁶"Claudius Lysias, to His Excellency Governor Felix — greetings." ²⁷"This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them. I came with my troops and rescued him, having learned that he is a Roman citizen." ²⁸"Wanting to understand the reason for their accusations against him, I brought him before their council." ²⁹"I found that he was accused concerning questions of their law, but had nothing charged against him worthy of death or imprisonment." ³⁰"When I was informed of a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once. I have also ordered his accusers to state their case against him before you. Farewell." ³¹So the soldiers, following their orders, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. ³²The next day, they left the horsemen to go on with him and returned to the barracks. ³³When they arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and presented Paul before him. ³⁴After reading the letter, the governor asked what province Paul was from. When he learned that he was from Cilicia, ³⁵he said, "I will hear your case when your accusers arrive as well." Then he ordered Paul to be kept under guard in Herod's judgment hall.