< preritāḥ 23 >
1 sabhāsadlokān prati paulo'nanyadṛṣṭyā paśyan akathayat, he bhrātṛgaṇā adya yāvat saralena sarvvāntaḥkaraṇeneśvarasya sākṣād ācarāmi|
Paul fixed his eyes on the Council, and began: ‘Brothers, for my part, I have always ordered my life before God, with a clear conscience, up to this very day.’
2 anena hanānīyanāmā mahāyājakastaṁ kapole capeṭenāhantuṁ samīpasthalokān ādiṣṭavān|
At this, the high priest Ananias ordered the men standing near to strike him on the mouth;
3 tadā paulastamavadat, he bahiṣpariṣkṛta, īśvarastvāṁ praharttum udyatosti, yato vyavasthānusāreṇa vicārayitum upaviśya vyavasthāṁ laṅghitvā māṁ praharttum ājñāpayasi|
Paul turned to him and said: ‘God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting there to try me in accordance with law, and yet, in defiance of law, order me to be struck?’
4 tato nikaṭasthā lokā akathayan, tvaṁ kim īśvarasya mahāyājakaṁ nindasi?
The people standing near said to Paul, ‘Do you know that you are insulting God’s high priest?’
5 tataḥ paulaḥ pratibhāṣitavān he bhrātṛgaṇa mahāyājaka eṣa iti na buddhaṁ mayā tadanyacca svalokānām adhipatiṁ prati durvvākyaṁ mā kathaya, etādṛśī lipirasti|
‘I did not know, brothers, that it was the high priest,’ said Paul, ‘for scripture says – “Of the ruler of your people you should speak no ill”.’
6 anantaraṁ paulasteṣām arddhaṁ sidūkilokā arddhaṁ phirūśilokā iti dṛṣṭvā proccaiḥ sabhāsthalokān avadat he bhrātṛgaṇa ahaṁ phirūśimatāvalambī phirūśinaḥ satnānaśca, mṛtalokānām utthāne pratyāśākaraṇād ahamapavāditosmi|
Noticing that some of those present were Sadducees and others Pharisees, Paul called out in the Council, ‘Brothers, I am a Pharisee and a son of Pharisees. It is on the question of hope for the dead and of their resurrection that I am on my trial.’
7 iti kathāyāṁ kathitāyāṁ phirūśisidūkinoḥ parasparaṁ bhinnavākyatvāt sabhāyā madhye dvau saṁghau jātau|
As soon as he said this, a dispute arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and there was a sharp division of opinion among those present.
8 yataḥ sidūkilokā utthānaṁ svargīyadūtā ātmānaśca sarvveṣām eteṣāṁ kamapi na manyante, kintu phirūśinaḥ sarvvam aṅgīkurvvanti|
(For Sadducees say there is no such thing as a resurrection, and that there is neither angel nor spirit, while Pharisees believe in both.)
9 tataḥ parasparam atiśayakolāhale samupasthite phirūśināṁ pakṣīyāḥ sabhāsthā adhyāpakāḥ pratipakṣā uttiṣṭhanto 'kathayan, etasya mānavasya kamapi doṣaṁ na paśyāmaḥ; yadi kaścid ātmā vā kaścid dūta enaṁ pratyādiśat tarhi vayam īśvarasya prātikūlyena na yotsyāmaḥ|
So a great uproar ensued, and some of the Teachers of the Law belonging to the Pharisees’ party stood up and hotly protested, ‘We find nothing whatever wrong in this man. Suppose a spirit did speak to him, or an angel…’
10 tasmād atīva bhinnavākyatve sati te paulaṁ khaṇḍaṁ khaṇḍaṁ kariṣyantītyāśaṅkayā sahasrasenāpatiḥ senāgaṇaṁ tatsthānaṁ yātuṁ sabhāto balāt paulaṁ dhṛtvā durgaṁ netañcājñāpayat|
The dispute was becoming so violent, that the commanding officer, fearing that Paul would be torn in pieces between them, ordered the Guard to go down and rescue him from them, and take him into the Fort.
11 rātro prabhustasya samīpe tiṣṭhan kathitavān he paula nirbhayo bhava yathā yirūśālamnagare mayi sākṣyaṁ dattavān tathā romānagarepi tvayā dātavyam|
That night the Lord came and stood by Paul, and said, ‘Courage! You have borne witness for me in Jerusalem and you must bear witness in Rome also.’
12 dine samupasthite sati kiyanto yihūdīyalokā ekamantraṇāḥ santaḥ paulaṁ na hatvā bhojanapāne kariṣyāma iti śapathena svān abadhnan|
In the morning some Jewish men combined together, and took an oath that they would not eat or drink until they had killed Paul.
13 catvāriṁśajjanebhyo'dhikā lokā iti paṇam akurvvan|
There were more than forty in the plot;
14 te mahāyājakānāṁ prācīnalokānāñca samīpaṁ gatvā kathayan, vayaṁ paulaṁ na hatvā kimapi na bhokṣyāmahe dṛḍhenānena śapathena baddhvā abhavāma|
and they went to the chief priests and the elders, and said, ‘We have taken a solemn oath not to touch food until we have killed Paul.
15 ataeva sāmprataṁ sabhāsadlokaiḥ saha vayaṁ tasmin kañcid viśeṣavicāraṁ kariṣyāmastadarthaṁ bhavān śvo 'smākaṁ samīpaṁ tam ānayatviti sahasrasenāpataye nivedanaṁ kuruta tena yuṣmākaṁ samīpaṁ upasthiteḥ pūrvvaṁ vayaṁ taṁ hantu sajjiṣyāma|
So we want you now, with the consent of the Council, to suggest to the commanding officer that he should bring Paul down before you, as though you intended to go more fully into his case; but, before he comes here, we will be ready to make away with him.’
16 tadā paulasya bhāgineyasteṣāmiti mantraṇāṁ vijñāya durgaṁ gatvā tāṁ vārttāṁ paulam uktavān|
However, the son of Paul’s sister, hearing of the plot, went to the Fort, and on being admitted, told Paul about it.
17 tasmāt paula ekaṁ śatasenāpatim āhūya vākyamidam bhāṣitavān sahasrasenāpateḥ samīpe'sya yuvamanuṣyasya kiñcinnivedanam āste, tasmāt tatsavidham enaṁ naya|
Paul called one of the garrison centurion and asked him to take the young man to the commanding officer, as he had something to tell him.
18 tataḥ sa tamādāya sahasrasenāpateḥ samīpam upasthāya kathitavān, bhavataḥ samīpe'sya kimapi nivedanamāste tasmāt bandiḥ paulo māmāhūya bhavataḥ samīpam enam ānetuṁ prārthitavān|
The centurion went with him to the commanding officer, and said, ‘The prisoner Paul called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, as he has something to tell you.’
19 tadā sahasrasenāpatistasya hastaṁ dhṛtvā nirjanasthānaṁ nītvā pṛṣṭhavān tava kiṁ nivedanaṁ? tat kathaya|
The commanding officer took the young man by the hand, and, stepping aside, asked what it was he had to tell him.
20 tataḥ sokathayat, yihūdīyalākāḥ paule kamapi viśeṣavicāraṁ chalaṁ kṛtvā taṁ sabhāṁ netuṁ bhavataḥ samīpe nivedayituṁ amantrayan|
‘Some men have agreed,’ he answered, ‘to ask you to bring Paul down before the Council tomorrow, on the plea of your making further inquiry into his case.
21 kintu mavatā tanna svīkarttavyaṁ yatasteṣāṁ madhyevarttinaścatvāriṁśajjanebhyo 'dhikalokā ekamantraṇā bhūtvā paulaṁ na hatvā bhojanaṁ pānañca na kariṣyāma iti śapathena baddhāḥ santo ghātakā iva sajjitā idānīṁ kevalaṁ bhavato 'numatim apekṣante|
But do not let them persuade you, for more than forty of them are lying in wait for him, who have taken an oath that they will not eat or drink, until they have made away with him; and they are at this very moment in readiness, counting on your promise.’
22 yāmimāṁ kathāṁ tvaṁ niveditavān tāṁ kasmaicidapi mā kathayetyuktvā sahasrasenāpatistaṁ yuvānaṁ visṛṣṭavān|
The commanding officer then dismissed the young man, cautioning him not to mention to anybody that he had given him that information.
23 anantaraṁ sahasrasenāpati rdvau śatasenāpatī āhūyedam ādiśat, yuvāṁ rātrau praharaikāvaśiṣṭāyāṁ satyāṁ kaisariyānagaraṁ yātuṁ padātisainyānāṁ dve śate ghoṭakārohisainyānāṁ saptatiṁ śaktidhārisainyānāṁ dve śate ca janān sajjitān kurutaṁ|
Then he called two Captains, and ordered them to have two hundred soldiers ready to go to Caesarea, as well as seventy troopers and two hundred lancers, by nine o’clock that night,
24 paulam ārohayituṁ phīlikṣādhipateḥ samīpaṁ nirvvighnaṁ netuñca vāhanāni samupasthāpayataṁ|
and to have horses ready for Paul to ride, so that they might take him safely to Felix, the Governor.
25 aparaṁ sa patraṁ likhitvā dattavān tallikhitametat,
He also wrote a letter along these lines:
26 mahāmahimaśrīyuktaphīlikṣādhipataye klaudiyaluṣiyasya namaskāraḥ|
“Claudius Lysias sends his compliments to His Excellency Felix the Governor.
27 yihūdīyalokāḥ pūrvvam enaṁ mānavaṁ dhṛtvā svahastai rhantum udyatā etasminnantare sasainyohaṁ tatropasthāya eṣa jano romīya iti vijñāya taṁ rakṣitavān|
The man whom I send with this had been seized by some Jews, and was on the point of being killed by them, when I came upon them with the force under my command, and rescued him, as I learned that he was a Roman citizen.
28 kinnimittaṁ te tamapavadante tajjñātuṁ teṣā sabhāṁ tamānāyitavān|
Wanting to know exactly the ground of the charges they made against him, I brought him before their Council,
29 tatasteṣāṁ vyavasthāyā viruddhayā kayācana kathayā so'pavādito'bhavat, kintu sa śṛṅkhalabandhanārho vā prāṇanāśārho bhavatīdṛśaḥ kopyaparādho mayāsya na dṛṣṭaḥ|
when I found that their charges were connected with questions of their own Law, and that there was nothing alleged involving either death or imprisonment.
30 tathāpi manuṣyasyāsya vadhārthaṁ yihūdīyā ghātakāiva sajjitā etāṁ vārttāṁ śrutvā tatkṣaṇāt tava samīpamenaṁ preṣitavān asyāpavādakāṁśca tava samīpaṁ gatvāpavaditum ājñāpayam| bhavataḥ kuśalaṁ bhūyāt|
Having, however, information of a plot against the man, which was about to be put into execution, I am sending him to you at once, and I have also directed his accusers to prosecute him before you.”
31 sainyagaṇa ājñānusāreṇa paulaṁ gṛhītvā tasyāṁ rajanyām āntipātrinagaram ānayat|
The soldiers, in accordance with their orders, took charge of Paul and conducted him by night to Antipatris;
32 pare'hani tena saha yātuṁ ghoṭakārūḍhasainyagaṇaṁ sthāpayitvā parāvṛtya durgaṁ gatavān|
and on the next day, leaving the troopers to go on with him, they returned to the Fort.
33 tataḥ pare ghoṭakārohisainyagaṇaḥ kaisariyānagaram upasthāya tatpatram adhipateḥ kare samarpya tasya samīpe paulam upasthāpitavān|
On arriving at Caesarea, the troopers delivered the letter to the Governor, and brought Paul before him.
34 tadādhipatistatpatraṁ paṭhitvā pṛṣṭhavān eṣa kimpradeśīyo janaḥ? sa kilikiyāpradeśīya eko jana iti jñātvā kathitavān,
As soon as Felix had read the letter, he enquired to what province Paul belonged, and, learning that he came from Cilicia, he said,
35 tavāpavādakagaṇa āgate tava kathāṁ śroṣyāmi| herodrājagṛhe taṁ sthāpayitum ādiṣṭavān|
‘I will hear all you have to say as soon as your accusers have arrived.’ And he ordered Paul to be kept under guard in Herod’s Government house.