A   Paul behelde the councel, and sayde: men, and brethren ^note I haue lyued in all good conscyence before God vntyll this daye. And the hye preste Ananias comma&ubar;ded them that stode by, to smyte hym on the mouth.

Then sayde Paul vnto hym: God shall smyte the thou paynted wall. ^noteSyttest þu; and iudgest me after the lawe: and comma&ubar;dest me to be smytten contrary to the lawe? And they that stode by, sayde ^note reuylest thou Goddes hye preste? Then sayd Paul: I wist not brethren, that he was the hye preste. For it is wrytten: ^note thou shalt not curse the ruler of thy people.

B   When Paul perceaued that the one parte were Saduces, and the other Pharises, he cryed out in the councell: Men and brethren, ^note I am a Pharisey, the sonne of a Pharisey. ^noteOf the hope and resurreccyon from death, I am iudged.

And whan he had so sayde, there arose a debate betwene the Phariseyes and the Saduces &abar;d the multitude was deuyded. ^noteFor the Saduces saye, that there is no resurreccyon, nether angel, nor sprete: But the Phariseyes graunt both.

And there arose a greate crye: and whan the Scrybes which were of the Phariseyes parte arose, they stroue saying: we fynde none euyll in thys man. Though a sprete or an angell hath apeared to hym, let vs not stryue agaynst God.

C   And when there arose greate debate, the captayne (fearyng, lest Paul shulde haue bene pluckte a sondre of them) commaunded the soudyers to go downe, and to take hym from amonge them, and to brynge hym into the castell.

^noteThe nyght folowynge, God stode by hym, and sayde: be of good cheare Paul: for as thou hast testifyed of me in Ierusalem ^note so must thou beare wytnesse also at Rome. And whan it was daye, certayne of the Iewes gathered them selues togeather, and made a vowe, sayinge: that they wolde nether eate nor dryncke, tyll they had kylled Paul. They were moo then fourtye men, which had made thys conspiracyon. And they came to the chefe prestes and elders, &abar;d sayde: we haue bounde oure selues with a vowe, that we wyll eate nothynge, vntyll we haue slayne Paul.

D   Nowe therfore geue ye knowledge to the vpper captayne and to the councell, that he brynge hym forth vnto vs to morowe, as though we wold knowe some thyng more perfectly of him. But we (or euer he come neare) are redy to kyll hym.

Whan Pauls systers sonne hearde of theyr layinge awayte, he went, and entred into the castell, and tolde Paul. And Paul called one of the vnder captaynes vnto him and sayde: brynge thys younge man vnto the hye captayne: for he hath a certayne thynge to shewe hym. And he toke hym and brought hym to the hye captayne, and sayd: Paul the presoner called me vnto hym, and prayed me to brynge thys younge man vnto the, whych hath a certayne matter to shewe the.

E   The hye captayne toke hym by the hand, and went with him out of the waye, and asked h&ibar;: what is yt that thou hast to tell me? And he sayde: the Iewes are determyned to desyre the, that thou woldest brynge forth Paul to morow into the counsell, as though they wolde enquyre somwhat of hym more perfectly. But folowe not thou theyr myndes: for there lye in wayte for hym of them, moo then fourtye men, which haue bounde them selues with a vowe, that they will nether eate nor dryncke, tyll they haue kylled hym. And now are they redy, and loke that thou shuldest promes.

F   The vpper captayne then let the younge man departe, and charged hym, sayinge: se thou, tell it oute to no man, that thou hast shewed these thynges to me:And he called vnto hym two vnder captaynes sayinge: make ready two hundred soudiers to go to Cesarea, and horssmen threscore, and ten: and speare men two hundred, at the thyrde houre of the nyghte. And delyuer them beastes, that they maye sett Paul on, and brynge hym safe vnto Felix the hye debyte (For he dyd feare lest happlye the Iewes shulde take hym awaye and kyll hym, and he hym selfe shulde be afterwarde blamed, as though he wolde take money,) and he wrote a letter after thys maner.

Claudius Lysias vnto the most myghty rular Felix, sendeth, gretynges. ^noteThys man was taken of the Iewes, and shuld haue bene kylled of them. Then came I with soudyers, and reskued hym, and perceaued that he was a Romayn. And when I wold haue knowen the cause, wherfore they accused hym, ^note I broughte hym forth into theyr councell. There perceaued I that he was accused of questions of their lawe. ^noteBut was not gyltye of eny thynge worthy of death or of bondes. And when it was shewed me, how that Iewes layde wayte ther for him, I sent hym strayght waye to the, and gaue commaundement to hys accusars, that

the thynges, which they haue agaynst hym, they shulde tell before the: fare well. Then the soudyers (as it was commaunded them) toke Paul, &abar;d brought hym by night to Antipatras. On the morow they left the horssmen to go with hym, and returned vnto the castle. Whych when they came to Cesarea, (and delyuered the epistle to the debyte) presented Paul also before him. When the debite had redde the lettre, he asked of what co&ubar;tre he was. And when he vnderstode that he was of Cilicia ^note I wyll heare the (sayde he) when thyne accusars are come also: and he commaunded hym to be kepte in Herodes iudgement hall.

Previous section

Next section