Acts 23

1 And Paul looking earnestly upon the council, said: Brethren! I have ordered my life in all good conscience before God to this day.

And Poul bihelde in to the counsel, and seide, Britheren, Y with al good conscience haue lyued bifore God, `til in to this dai.

2 And the high-priest, Ananias, commanded those who stood by him to smite him on the mouth.

And Anany, prince of prestis, comaundide to men that stoden nyy hym, that thei schulden smyte his mouth.

3 Then Paul said to him, God will smite thee, thou whited wall! Art thou then sitting to judge me according to the law, and dost thou command me to be smitten contrary to the law?

Thanne Poul seide to hym, Thou whitid wal, God smyte thee; thou sittist, and demest me bi the lawe, and ayens the law thou comaundist me to be smytun.

4 And they that stood by said, Dost thou revile God's high-priest?

And thei that stoden niy, seiden, Cursist thou the hiyest prest of God?

5 Then said Paul, I knew not, brethren, that he was high-priest; for it is written, “Thou shalt not speak evil of a ruler of thy people.”

And Poul seide, Britheren, Y wiste not, that he is prince of preestis; for it is writun, Thou schalt not curse the prince of thi puple.

6 But Paul, perceiving one part to be Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, cried aloud in the council, Brethren! I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees; for the hope of the resurrection of the dead I am now tried.

But Poul wiste, that o parti was of Saduceis, and the othere of Fariseis; and he criede in the counsel, Britheren, Y am a Farisee, the sone of Farisees; Y am demyd of the hope and of the ayen rising of deed men.

7 And when he had said this, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the multitude was divided.

And whanne he hadde seid this thing, dissencioun was maad bitwixe the Fariseis and the Saduceis, and the multitude was departid.

8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees affirm both.

For Saduceis seien, that no `rysing ayen of deed men is, nether aungel, nether spirit; but Fariseis knowlechen euer eithir.

9 And there arose a great clamor; and scribes of the party of the Pharisees arose, and contended, saying, We find nothing amiss in this man; but if a spirit hath spoken to him or an angel—

And a greet cry was maad. And summe of Farisees rosen vp, and fouyten, seiynge, We fynden no thing of yuel in this man; what if a spirit, ether an aungel spak to hym?

10 And a great dissension arising, the chief captain, fearing that Paul would be torn in pieces by them, ordered the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the castle.

And whanne greet discencioun was maad, the tribune dredde, lest Poul schulde be to-drawun of hem; and he comaundide knyytis to go doun, and to take hym fro the myddil of hem, and to lede hym in to castels.

11 And the night following, the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good courage; for as thou hast borne witness concerning me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.

And in the niyt suynge the Lord stood niy to hym, and seide, Be thou stidfast; for as thou hast witnessid of me in Jerusalem, so it bihoueth thee to witnesse also at Rome.

12 And when it was day, the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.

And whanne the dai was come, summe of the Jewis gaderiden hem, and maden `avow, and seiden, that thei schulden nether eete, ne drinke, til thei slowen Poul.

13 And there were more than forty who took this oath together.

And there weren mo than fourti men, that maden this sweryng togider.

14 And they came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.

And thei wenten to the princis of prestis, and eldre men, and seiden, With deuocioun we han a vowid, that we schulen not taste ony thing, til we sleen Poul.

15 Now therefore do ye with the council give notice to the chief captain, that he bring him down to you, as though ye were about to examine his case more thoroughly; and we are ready to kill him before he cometh near you.

Now therfor make ye knowun to the tribune, with the counsel, that he bringe hym forth to you, as if ye schulden knowe sum thing more certeynli of hym; and we ben redi to sle hym, bifor that he come.

16 But Paul's sister's son hearing of the plot went, and entering the castle, told Paul.

And whanne the sone of Poulis sister hadde herd the aspies, he cam, and entride in to the castels, and telde to Poul.

17 Then Paul called one of the centurions to him, and said, Take this young man to the chief captain; for he hath something to tell him.

And Poul clepide to hym oon of the centuriens, and seide, Lede this yonge man to the tribune, for he hath sum thing to schewe to hym.

18 So he took him and brought him to the chief captain, and said, Paul the prisoner called me to him, and asked me to bring this young man to thee, as he hath something to say to thee.

And he took hym, and ledde to the tribune, and seide, Poul, that is boundun, preide me to lede to thee this yonge man, that hath sum thing to speke to thee.

19 Then the chief captain took him by the hand and went aside privately, and asked him, What is it that thou hast to tell me?

And the tribune took his hoond, and wente with hym asidis half, and axide hym, What thing is it, that thou hast to schewe to me?

20 And he said, The Jews have agreed to ask thee to bring down Paul tomorrow into the council, as though thou wert about to inquire more thoroughly concerning him.

And he seide, The Jewis ben acordid to preye thee, that to morewe thou brynge forth Poul in to the counsel, as if thei schulden enquere sum thing more certeynli of hym.

21 But do not thou yield to them; for there lie in wait for him more than forty men of them, who have bound themselves with an oath neither to eat nor drink till they have killed him; and they are now ready, looking for the promise from thee.

But bileue thou not to hem; for mo than fourti men of hem aspien hym, which han a vowid, that thei schulen not eete nether drynke, til thei sleen hym; and now thei ben redi, abidinge thi biheest.

22 The chief captain then dismissed the young man with the charge, Tell no one that thou hast disclosed these things to me.

Therfor the tribune lefte the yonge man, and comaundide, that he schulde speke to no man, that he hadde maad these thingis knowun to hym.

23 And he called to him two of the centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea, and seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen, at the third hour of the night;

And he clepide togidre twei centuriens, and he seide to hem, Make ye redi twei hundrid knyytis, that thei go to Cesarie, and horse men seuenti, and spere men twey hundrid, fro the thridde our of the nyyt.

24 and provide beasts, whereon they may set Paul, and carry him safe to Felix the governor.

And make ye redy an hors, for Poul to ride on, to lede hym saaf to Felix, the presydent.

25 And he wrote a letter after this manner:

For the tribune dredde, lest the Jewis wolden take hym bi the weie, and sle hym, and aftirward he miyte be chalengid, as he hadde take money.

26 Claudius Lysias to the moss excellent governor Felix, greeting.

And wroot hym `a pistle, conteynynge these thingis. Claudius Lisias to the beste Felix, president, heelthe.

27 This man was taken by the Jews, and was about to be killed by them; but I came upon them with the soldiery, and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman.

This man that was take of the Jewis, and bigan to be slayn, Y cam vpon hem with myn oost, and delyuerede hym fro hem, whanne Y knewe that he was a Romayn.

28 And wishing to know the crime of which they accused him, I brought him down to their council;

And Y wolde wite the cause, which thei puttiden ayens hym; and Y ledde hym to the counsel of hem.

29 but I found him to be accused only on account of questions of their law, and to have nothing laid to his charge deserving death or bonds.

And Y foond, that he was accusid of questiouns of her lawe, but he hadde no cryme worthi the deth, ethir boondis.

30 And having been informed of a plot against the man, I sent him at once to thee, and directed his accusers also to bring their charges against him before thee.

And whanne it was teeld me of the aspies, that thei arayden for hym, Y sente hym to thee, and Y warnede also the accuseris, that thei seie at thee. Fare wel.

31 Then the soldiers, as was commanded them, took Paul, and brought him by night to Antipatris.

And so the knyytis, as thei weren comaundid, token Poul, and ledde hym bi nyyt into Antipatriden.

32 But on the morrow they left the horsemen to go on with him, and returned to the castle.

And in the dai suynge, whanne the horsmen weren left, that schulden go with hym, thei turneden ayen to the castels.

33 And they, when they had come to Caesarea, and delivered the letter to the governor, presented Paul also before him.

And whanne thei camen to Cesarie, thei token the pistle to the president, and thei setten also Poul byfore him.

34 And having read the letter, he asked of what province he was; and when he understood that he was of Cilicia,

And whanne he hadde red, and axide, of what prouynce he was, and knewe that he was of Cilicie,

35 he said, I will hear thee fully, when thy accusers also have arrived. And he ordered him to be kept in Herod's palace.

Y schal here thee, he seide, whanne thin accuseris comen. And he comaundide hym to be kept in the moot halle of Eroude.