²⁴ but Saul learned of their plan.^(A) Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him.

³² In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me.^(A)

³ They requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.^(A)

¹⁹ I served the Lord with great humility and with tears^(A) and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents.^(B)

³ where he stayed three months. Because some Jews had plotted against him^(A) just as he was about to sail for Syria,^(B) he decided to go back through Macedonia.^(C)

¹¹ If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!”^(A)

The Plot to Kill Paul

¹² The next morning some Jews formed a conspiracy^(A) and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.^{(B) 13} More than forty men were involved in this plot. ¹⁴ They went to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have taken a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul.^{(C) 15} Now then, you and the Sanhedrin^(D) petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here.”

¹⁶ But when the son of Paul’s sister heard of this plot, he went into the barracks^(E) and told Paul.

¹⁷ Then Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commander; he has something to tell him.” ¹⁸ So he took him to the commander.

The centurion said, “Paul, the prisoner,^(F) sent for me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.”

¹⁹ The commander took the young man by the hand, drew him aside and asked, “What is it you want to tell me?”

²⁰ He said: “Some Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul before the Sanhedrin^(G) tomorrow on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about him.^{(H) 21} Don’t give in to them, because more than forty^(I) of them are waiting in ambush for him. They have taken an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him.^(J) They are ready now, waiting for your consent to their request.”

In Berea

¹⁰ As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas^(A) away to Berea.^(B) On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.^{(C) 11} Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica,^(D) for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures^(E) every day to see if what Paul said was true.^{(F) 12} As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.^(G)

¹³ But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea,^(H) some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. ¹⁴ The believers^(I) immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas^(J) and Timothy^(K) stayed at Berea. ¹⁵ Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens^(L) and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.^(M)