Paul Sent to Felix

The commander calls for two centurions and orders a large night escort of soldiers, horsemen, and spearmen to take Paul to Caesarea, with mounts provided for his safety before Felix. He also prepares a written report to accompany the transfer.

T²³hen he called two of his centurions and said, “Prepare two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea in the third hour of the night. ²⁴Provide mounts for Paul to take him safely to Governor Felix.” ²⁵And he wrote the following letter:

In the letter, Claudius Lysias introduces himself and summarizes the case by saying Paul was rescued from a Jewish assault, examined before the Sanhedrin, and found to be charged only over questions of Jewish law rather than anything deserving death or imprisonment. Because of the plot against him, Lysias says he has sent Paul on at once and directed the accusers to bring their case before Felix.

²⁶Claudius Lysias, ²⁷This man was seized by the Jews, and they were about to kill him when I came with my troops to rescue him. For I had learned that he is a Roman citizen, ²⁸and since I wanted to understand their charges against him, I brought him down to their Sanhedrin. ²⁹I found that the accusation involved questions about their own law, but there was no charge worthy of death or imprisonment. ³⁰When I was informed that there was a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once. I also instructed his accusers to present their case against him before you.

The soldiers carry Paul by night as far as Antipatris, then the horsemen continue with him to Caesarea and present both the letter and the prisoner to the governor. Felix learns Paul is from Cilicia, agrees to hear the case when the accusers arrive, and orders him kept under guard in Herod’s Praetorium.

³¹So the soldiers followed their orders and brought Paul by night to Antipatris. ³²The next day they returned to the barracks and let the horsemen go on with him. ³³When the horsemen arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and presented Paul to him. ³⁴The governor read the letter and asked what province Paul was from. Learning that he was from Cilicia, ³⁵he said, “I will hear your case when your accusers arrive.” Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod’s Praetorium.