Acts 23

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

And Paul, after looking intently at the council, said, Men, brothers, I have been a citizen in all good conscience to God until this day.

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

And the high priest Ananias ordered those who stood by him to strike his mouth.

3 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.

Then Paul said to him, God is going to smite thee, a whitewashed wall. Thou even sit judging me according to the law, and violating law, thou command me to be struck?

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

And those who stood by said, Thou revile God's high priest?

5 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.

And Paul said, I had not known, brothers, that he is a high priest, for it is written, Thou shall not speak ill of a ruler of thy people.

6 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.

But when Paul ascertained that the one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men, brothers, I am a Pharisee, son of a Pharisee. About the hope and resurrection of the dead I am judged.

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

And when he said this, there developed a conflict of the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the group was divided.

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

For in fact Sadducees say to be no resurrection nor agent nor spirit, but Pharisees acknowledge them all.

9 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?

And there developed a great clamor. And some of the scholars of the Pharisees part having risen, they argued vehemently, saying, We find nothing wrong in this man. But if a spirit spoke to him, or an agent, we should not fight against God.

10 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.

And a great conflict having developed, the chief captain, having been alarmed lest Paul might be torn apart by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him away from the midst of them, and bring him into the fort.

11 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.

And the following night the Lord, having stood by him, said, Cheer up, Paul, for as thou have testified these things about me at Jerusalem, so thou must testify also at Rome.

12 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.

And when it became day, some of the Jews, having made a conspiracy, put themselves under a curse, saying neither to eat nor to drink until they would kill Paul.

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

And there were more than forty who made this conspiracy,

14 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.

who, having come near to the chief priests and the elders, said, We have put ourselves under a curse, a curse to taste of nothing until we would kill Paul.

15 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.

Now therefore ye with the council report to the chief captain that tomorrow he may bring him down to you, as though going to inquire more accurately the things about him. And we, before he comes near, are prepared to kill him.

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

But the son of Paul's sister, having heard of the ambush, having come and entered into the fort, he informed Paul.

17 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.

And Paul, having called one of the centurions, said, Take this young man to the chief captain, for he has something to inform him.

18 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.

Indeed therefore having taken him, he brought him to the chief captain, and says, Paul the prisoner, having called me, asked me to bring this young man to thee, who has something to say to thee.

19 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?

And the chief captain having grasped his hand, and having gone in private, he asked him, What is it that thou have to inform me?

20 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.

And he said, The Jews have agreed to ask thee that tomorrow thou would bring Paul down to the council, as though going to inquire something more accurately about him.

21 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.

Therefore thou should not be persuaded by them, for more than forty men of them wait to ambush him, who have put themselves under an oath, neither to eat nor drink until they have killed him. And now they are ready, expecting the promise from thee.

22 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.

Indeed therefore the chief captain dismissed the young man, having ordered, Tell no man that thou have shown these things to me.

23 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.

And having summoned a certain two of the centurions, he said, Prepare two hundred soldiers that they may go to Caesarea, and seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen at the third hour of the night.

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

And provide beasts, so that after mounting Paul, they may bring him safely to Felix the governor,

25 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.

after writing a letter containing this form:

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

Claudius Lysias to the eminent governor Felix, greeting.

27 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.

This man who was seized by the Jews, and was going to be killed by them, having stood by with the soldiers, I rescued him, having learned that he is a Roman.

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

And wanting to know for what reason they accused him, I brought him down to their council,

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

whom I found accusing about issues of their law, having not one accusation worthy of death or of bonds.

30 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.

And when it was reported to me of a plot going to be against the man by the Jews, I immediately sent him to thee, also having commanded the accusers to speak before thee the things against him. Be strong.

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

Indeed therefore, the soldiers, according to that which was precisely arranged for them, having taken Paul, they brought him through the night to Antipatris.

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

But on the morrow they returned to the fort, having allowed the horsemen to depart with him,

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

who, after coming to Caesarea and having delivered the letter to the governor, also presented Paul to him.

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

And the governor having read it, and having questioned from what province he was, and having found out that he was from Cilicia,

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

he said, I will hear thee when thine accusers also will arrive. And he commanded him to be kept in the Praetorium of Herod.