But as one of the soldiers was stretching Paul out with the straps, Paul said to the centurion standing nearby, “Is it lawful for you to whip a Roman citizen without a proper trial?”
Now when the centurion and those who were keeping watch with him over Jesus saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they became very frightened and said, “Truly this man was the Son of God.”
But Paul said to them, “They beat us in public without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and they threw us into prison. And now they are sending us away secretly? Certainly not! Rather, let them come and escort us out themselves.”
This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them when I came with the troops and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen.
I answered them that it is not the custom of the Romans to hand anyone over for destruction before the accused faces his accusers and has an opportunity to make his defense concerning the charges.
But the centurion, wishing to save Paul's life, kept them from carrying out their plan. So he ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land,