This is a simplified version of the Bible story found in Acts 23:12-22, written for children to understand. For the original version, please refer to the Bible passage.
There was a man named Paul who loved Jesus very much. He was imprisoned because some people didn’t like that Paul was telling others about Jesus. They made a plan to hurt him.
Over 40 people agreed to not eat or drink anything until they had killed Paul! They went to some important leaders and asked them to bring Paul to them so they could talk to him more. But really, they wanted to hurt him.
One day, Paul’s nephew found out about the plan and ran to tell Paul. He said, “Uncle Paul, some people want to hurt you! They made a plan to not eat or drink anything until they have killed you! We have to do something!”
Paul was very worried and knew he needed to do something. He asked one of the soldiers in charge to take his nephew to a very important person who could help him. He said, “Please take my nephew to the tribune. He has important news to tell him.”
When they got to the tribune, Paul’s nephew told him about the plan to hurt Paul. He said, “Sir, my uncle Paul asked me to tell you something. Some bad people are planning to hurt him. They want you to bring him to the leaders so they can talk to him. But really, they want to hurt him. Over 40 people have agreed not to eat or drink anything until they have killed him. Please help my uncle!”
The tribune was very concerned and asked lots of questions to make sure it was true. He didn’t want Paul to get hurt! So he said, “Thank you for telling me this important news. I need to make sure it’s true. Please don’t tell anyone else about this. We need to keep it a secret for now.”
Biblical Lessons
- God always protects His people, even in difficult situations.
- We should always be on the lookout for people who might be in danger or need our help. The soldier who helped Paul’s nephew didn’t have to do that, but he saw that someone needed help and he stepped up to do the right thing.
- It’s important to be truthful and honest, even if it might be difficult or scary. Paul’s nephew could have kept quiet about the plan to hurt Paul, but he chose to tell the truth and that helped to keep Paul safe.