XXI. assist four Nazarite. nistry. temple." (For they had seen before 29 with him Trophimus, an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.) And the 30 whole city was in motion, and the people ran together, and seized Paul, and dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors XXI. sias, and CHAP. house of James, and all the elders And when the seven days fired CHAP were present; and when he had sa- for the continuance of their vows, 19 luted them, he declared particular-were almost ended, the Jews of He is vio. ly what things God had wrought Asia, seeing him in the temple, set ed, and lently seiz among the Gentiles by his mi- all the multitude in an uproar, and dragged laid hands on him, crying out, out of the 20 Now, when they heard these" Men of Israel, help! This is the temple i He is per- things, they glorified God, and man who is teaching all men every 28 suaded to said unto Paul, "Thou seest, where against this people, and the men who brother, how many thousands of law, and this place, and besides, were under Jewish believers there are, all zcal-hath brought Greeks also into the the vows of ous for the law. But they have been informed concerning thee, 21 that thou teachest all the Jews, who live among the Gentiles, to forsake Moses; commanded them not to circumcise their children, nor to walk according to the customs of 22 the law. What then is to be done? A multitude will certainly get to-were shut. gether, for they will hear that thou Now, as they were about to kill 31 23 art come, Do this, therefore, him, tidings came to the captain of but reses which we advise thee: There are the guard, that all Jerusalem was in ed by Ly among us four men, who have a confusion; so he took with him carried to 24 yow on them. Take these with immediately soldiers and centuri- the castic ; thee, and purify thyself with ons, and ran down upon them; and 32 them, and be at expence for them, when they saw the captain and the that they may shave their heads, soldiers, they left off beating Paul. and all may know that those things Then the captain came near and 33 of which they were informed con-laid hold on him, and ordered him cerning thee are nothing, but that to be bound with two chains, and thou thyself also walkest in obedi-enquired who he was, and what he 25 ence to the law. But as to the Gen-had done. But as some cried one 34 tile believers, we have sent by let-thing, and some another, among the ter our judgment, that they only multitude, the captain was unable keep themselves from what is offer-to know the certainty, because of ed to idols, and from blood, and the uproar, and therefore ordered from things strangled, and from him to be carried into the castle. 26 fornication. Upon this, Paul took And when Paul came upon the 35 the men with him, and on the next steps leading into the castle, it so day he purified himself, and went happened that he was carried by into the temple with them, declar-the soldiers, owing to the violence ing what would be the end of the of the people; for the multitude of 36 days of purification, and intending the people followed, crying out, to stay there until an offering were "Kill him." made for every one of them. 2 'Put thyself in a state of separation, or abstinence, with them, for the remainder of the days which will complete their vow. In furnishing their sacrifices as well as thy own. It was a common and popular act in such Jews as could afford it, thus to And as Paul was about to be taken 37 XXII. CHAP. into the castle, he said unto the captain, "May I be allowed to 38 speak to thee." The captain said, "Canst thou speak Greek? Art thou not that Egyptian, who some time ago made a disturbance, and led out into the desart four thous39 and ruffians?" But Paul said, "I am a Jew, of Tarsus, in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city and I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people. =ps of ich he XXII. : : XXII. And I answered, Who art thou, CHAP. 40 Then Paul, when leave was givom the en, stood upon the steps, and waved with his hand unto the peodresses ple, and a great silence taking place, people. he addressed them in the Hebrew CHAP. tongue, saying, "Brethren and fathers, hear my defence, which I 2 make now unto you." (Now when they heard him speak in the Hebrew tongue, they were the more 3 silent and he went on,) "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city of Ci- "Then he said, The God of our 14 licia, but brought up in this city, fathers hath specially chosen thee being instructed at the feet of Ga- for himself, to know his will, and maliel, according to the exactness to see the righteous Jesus, and to of the law of our fathers, and zeal-hear a voice from his mouth; for 15 ous in the service of God, as ye are thou shalt be his witness to all men 4 all this day. And I persecuted of what thou hast seen and heard. this doctrine unto death, binding, And now, why delayest thou? 16 and delivering into prisons both arise, be baptized, and wash away 5 men and women, as even the thy sins, taking upon thyself his high priest and all the elders can name.' Now, after my return to 17 bear me witness, from whom I re- Jerusalem, as I was praying in the ceived letters also unto the bre-temple, I fell into a trance, and saw thren, and went to Damascus, to bring bound unto Jerusalem those also that were there, that they might be punished. 6 "But it came to pass, as I was on the road near Damascus, about noon, that a great light from heaven suddenly flashed around me, 7 and I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?' An impostor, who, pretending that he would miraculously take Jerusalem, was put to flight by Felix, and six hundred of his men killed on the Mount of Olives, Jesus, saying unto me, Make 18 haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem; for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.' And I said, Lord, they know that 19 I have been accustomed to imprison, and beat throughout the synagogues, them who believe on thee. And when the blood of thy witness 20 Stephen was shed, I stood by, consenting to his death, and taking care CHAP. of the upper garments of his mur- 22 by the ve XXIII. pleading the high myself with a good conscience be- CHAP. xxii. 28. And they gave him an hearing to He is in these words, and then lifted up their terrupted voices, saying, "Away with such hement a fellow from the earth, for it is clamours of not fit that he should live." And the people; as they cried, and shook their upper 23 garments, and threw dust into the 24 air, the captain ordered him to be brought into the castle, and examined by scourging, that he might know for what cause they cried out 25 so against him. And when they had stretched him out with cords, Paul said to the centurion, who Then Paul, perceiving one part 6 was standing by, "Is it lawful for you to scourge a Roman-citizen, to be Sadducees, and the other Pha- The Pha26 and uncondemned?" Now, when risees, cried out in the council, risees take his part the centurion had heard this, he "Brethren, I am a Pharisee, the against the went and told the captain, saying, son of a Pharisee; concerning the Sadducees. "Take care what thou art about, hope of a resurrection of the dead, for this man is a Roman-citizen." I am now judged." And when he had 7 27 Then the captain came up and said this, a dissension arose between said unto Paul," Tell me, art thou the Pharisees and Sadducees, and a Roman citizen?" And he the multitude was divided; for the 8 said, "Yes." Then the captain Sadducees maintain that there is no Sanhedrim. answered, "I bought the freedom resurrection, and no angel, or spi29 of that city with a great sum." And rit, but the Pharisees allow both. Paul said," But I was born free." And there was great shouting; and 9 Upon this, they who were going to the Scribes on the part of the Phaexamine him by scourging, imme-risees rose up, and strove earnestly, diately left him; and the captain al- saying, "We find nothing amiss so was afraid, when he knew that in this man; and if an angel, or a 30 Paul was a Roman-citizen. Now, spirit have spoken to him, let us on the morrow, wishing to know not fight against God." So a great 10 from the Jews the certainty of what dissension taking place, the captain, he was accused, he loosed him through fear that Paul would be from his bonds, and ordered the torn in pieces by them, ordered chief priests, and all their council, the soldiers to go down, and to to meet, and brought Paul down, take him by force from among and set him before them. them, and bring him into the castle. and the next day brought before the CHAP. Then Paul looking earnestly upXXIII. on the council, said thus, "Brethren, I have always conducted Meaning the whited wall of a tomb, fair without, and polluted within. There seems to have been too much warmth in this rely. 3 Now the night following, the 11 Lord stood by him, and said, Ananias had been dispossessed of his office, and had now taken upon him a trust to which he was not entitled. 3 Spiritual beings, and a resurrection. CHAP XXIII. kill him; XXIII. sends him to Cesarea Take courage Paul, for as thou | charging him, "Tell no one what CHAP. hast testified of me at Jerusalem, thou hast signified to me." The Jews so must thou testify also at Rome." hire to And when it was day, some of the Jews combined together, and bound 12 themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink, until they had killed 13 Paul; and more than forty had 14 taken this oath together; and they went up to the chief priests, and elders, saying, "We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will taste nothing until we have 15 killed Paul. Now, therefore, do ye and the council signify to the captain, that he bring Paul down unto you to-morrow, as if ye were going to determine more exactly about him, and we are prepared to destroy him before he can come to you." Then he called unto him two 23 centurions, and said, “Make rea- Lysias dy two hundred soldiers, to go as far as Cesarea, and seventy horse- with a letmen, and two hundred spearmen, ter toFelix, at the third hour of the night: and 24 provide them beasts, that they set Paul on one of them, and convey him safe to Felix the governor. 32 And he wrote a letter to this pur- 25 pose: discover ed by phew. : 16 Now Paul's sister's son heard of but the plot this plot and came up and went into the castle, and told Paul of it. Paul's ne- Then Paul called one of the centurions to him, and said, "Take 17 this young man to the captain; for he hath something to tell him." 18 Accordingly the centurion brought him to the captain, and saith, "Paul the prisoner called me to him, and desired me to bring this young man, who hath something 19 to tell thee." So the captain took the young man by the hand, and going aside privately, asked him, "What hast thou to tell me?" 20 And he said, "The Jews have agreed to ask thee to bring Paul down into the council to-morrow, as if they were going to enquire 21 more exactly concerning him; but do not thou be persuaded by them; for more than forty of them, who have bound themselves by an oath, neither to eat nor drink until they have killed him, are lying in wait for that purpose, and are now in readiness, expecting this promise 22 from thee." Then the captain sent away the young man, after "Claudius Lysias to the most 26 his trial Then the soldiers, according to 31 their orders, took Paul, and con- who defers veyed him by night to Antipatris ; until his and on the morrow, leaving the accusers horsemen to go with him, they re- come. turned to the castle; but the horse- 33 men came to Cesarea, and delivered the letter to the governor, and presented Paul also to him. Now when the governor had read 34 the letter, he asked of what province Paul was; and understanding that he was of Cilicia, "I will 35 give thee a full hearing," saith he, when thy accusers are also come." And the governor commanded him CHAP to be kept in 'Herod's judgment- Tertullus, before Felix, XXIV. ther, either in the synagogues, or CHAP CHAP. Now, five days after, Ananias, His defence. : Then Felix put them off by 22 saying, "When Lysias the cap- Felix detain, is come down, after I have lays giving judgment. gained a more exact knowledge of this doctrine, I will enquire fully into your business. And he gave 23 orders to a centurion to have Paul office, an And after some days, Felix came 24 with his wife Drusilla, a Jewess, Goes out and sent for Paul, and heard him leaves Pau concerning the faith in Christ. in custody And as he discoursed of righteous- 25 |