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Cornelius Calls for Peter
At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment.
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The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.”
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As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?”
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When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. “What are you going to do?” he asked. “This man is a Roman citizen.”
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Then Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commander; he has something to tell him.”
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So he took him to the commander. The centurion said, “Paul, the prisoner, sent for me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.”
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Paul Transferred to Caesarea
Then he called two of his centurions and ordered them, “Get ready a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine tonight.
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He ordered the centurion to keep Paul under guard but to give him some freedom and permit his friends to take care of his needs.
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Paul Sails for Rome
When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment.
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There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board.
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But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship.
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Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.”
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But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land.
