<t /><p class="bodytext">When he entered Capernaum,<n id="1" /> a centurion<n id="2" /> came to him asking for help:<n id="3" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">Now there was a man in Caesarea<n id="1" /> named Cornelius, a centurion<n id="2" /> of what was known as the Italian Cohort.<n id="3" />

A centurion<n id="1" /> there<n id="2" /> had a slave<n id="3" /> who was highly regarded,<n id="4" /> but who was sick and at the point of death.

He ordered the centurion<n id="1" /> to guard Paul,<n id="2" /> but to let him have some freedom,<n id="3" /> and not to prevent any of his friends<n id="4" /> from meeting his needs.<n id="5" />p>

There the centurion<n id="1" /> found<n id="2" /> a ship from Alexandria<n id="3" /> sailing for Italy, and he put us aboard it.

But the centurion<n id="1" /> was more convinced<n id="2" /> by the captain<n id="3" /> and the ship&#8217;s owner than by what Paul said.<n id="4" />

Then Jesus said to the centurion, &#8220;Go; just as you believed, it will be done for you.&#8221; And the servant<n id="1" /> was healed at that hour.p>

<p class="bodytext">Now when the centurion<n id="1" /> saw what had happened, he praised God and said, &#8220;Certainly this man was innocent!&#8221;<n id="2" />

He<n id="1" /> immediately took<n id="2" /> soldiers and centurions<n id="3" /> and ran down to the crowd.<n id="4" /> When they saw<n id="5" /> the commanding officer<n id="6" /> and the soldiers, they stopped beating<n id="7" /> Paul.

When they had stretched him out for the lash,<n id="1" /> Paul said to the centurion<n id="2" /> standing nearby, &#8220;Is it legal for you to lash a man who is a Roman citizen<n id="3" /> without a proper trial?&#8221;<n id="4" />

When the centurion<n id="1" /> heard this,<n id="2" /> he went to the commanding officer<n id="3" /> and reported it,<n id="4" /> saying, &#8220;What are you about to do?<n id="5" /> For this man is a Roman citizen.&#8221;<n id="6" />

Paul called<n id="1" /> one of the centurions<n id="2" /> and said, &#8220;Take this young man to the commanding officer,<n id="3" /> for he has something to report to him.&#8221;

<t /><p class="bodytext">When it was decided we<n id="1" /> would sail to Italy,<n id="2" /> they handed over Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion<n id="3" /> of the Augustan Cohort<n id="4" /> named Julius.

Paul said to the centurion<n id="1" /> and the soldiers, &#8220;Unless these men stay with the ship, you<n id="2" /> cannot be saved.&#8221;

But the centurion replied,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Instead, just say the word and my servant will be healed.

Now when the centurion<n id="1" /> and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and what took place, they were extremely terrified and said, &#8220;Truly this one was God&#8217;s Son!&#8221;

Then<n id="1" /> he summoned<n id="2" /> two of the centurions<n id="3" /> and said, &#8220;Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea<n id="4" /> along with seventy horsemen<n id="5" /> and two hundred spearmen<n id="6" /> by<n id="7" /> nine o&#8217;clock tonight,<n id="8" />

But the centurion,<n id="1" /> wanting to save Paul&#8217;s life,<n id="2" /> prevented them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land,<n id="3" />

So<n id="1" /> Jesus went with them. When<n id="2" /> he was not far from the house, the centurion<n id="3" /> sent friends to say to him, &#8220;Lord, do not trouble yourself,<n id="4" /> for I am not worthy<n id="5" /> to have you come under my roof.

They said, &#8220;Cornelius the centurion,<n id="1" /> a righteous<n id="2" /> and God-fearing man, well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation,<n id="3" /> was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and to hear a message<n id="4" /> from you.&#8221;