The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

And when ther was moche disputinge Peter rose vp and sayde vnto them: Ye men and brethren ye knowe how that a good whyle agoo God chose amonge vs that the getyls by my mouth shuld heare the worde of the gospell and beleve.

And God which knoweth the herte bare them witnes and gave vnto them the holy goost even as he dyd vnto vs

and he put no difference bitwene them and vs but with fayth purified their hertes.

Now therfore why tempte ye God that ye wolde put a yoke on the disciples neckes which nether oure fathers nor we were able to beare.

But we beleve that thorowe the grace of the Lorde Iesu Christ we shalbe saved as they doo.

Then all the multitude was peased and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul which tolde what signes and wondres God had shewed amonge the gentyls by them.

And when they helde their peace Iames answered sayinge: Men and brethren herken vnto me.

Simeon tolde how God at the begynnynge dyd visit the gentyls and receaved of them people vnto his name.

And to this agreith the wordes of the Prophetes as it is written.

After this I will returne and wyll bylde agayne the tabernacle of David which is fallen doune and that which is fallen in dekey of it will I bilde agayne and I will set it vp

that the residue of men might seke after the Lorde and also the gentyls vpo whom my name is named saith the Lorde which doth all these thinges:

knowne vnto God are all his workes from the begynninge of the worlde.

Wherfore my sentence is that we trouble not them which from amonge the gentyls are turned to God:

but that we write vnto them that they abstayne them selves from filthynes of ymages from fornicacion from straglyd and from bloude.

For Moses of olde tyme hath in every cite that preache him and he is rede in the synagoges every saboth daye.

Then pleased it the Apostles and elders with the whole congregacion to sende chosyn men of their owne company to Antioche with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Iudas called also Barsabas and Silas which were chefe men amonge the brethren

and gave them lettres in their hondes after this maner. The Apostles elders and brethren send gretynges vnto the brethren which are of the gentyls in Antioche Siria and Celicia.

For as moche as we have hearde that certayne which departed from vs have troubled you with wordes and combred youre myndes sayinge: Ye must be circumcised and kepe the lawe to whom we gave no soche commaundement.

It semed therfore to vs a good thinge when we were come to gedder with one accorde to sende chosyn men vnto you with oure beloved Barnabas and Paul

men that have ieoperded their lyves for the name of oure Lorde Iesus Christ.

We have sent therfore Iudas and Sylas which shall also tell you the same thinges by mouth.

For it semed good to the holy gost and to vs to put no grevous thinge to you more then these necessary thinges: that is to saye

that ye abstayne from thinges offered to ymages from bloud from strangled and fornicacion. From which yf ye kepe youre selves ye shall do well. So fare ye well.

When they were departed they came to Antioche and gaddred the multitude togeder and delyvered the pistle.

When they had redde it they reioysed of that consolacion.

And Iudas and Sylas beinge prophetes exhorted the brethren with moche preachynge and strengthed them.

And after they had taryed there a space they were let goo in peace of the brethren vnto the Apostles.

Not with stondynge it pleasyd Sylas to abyde there still.

Paul and Barnabas continued in Antioche teachynge and preachynge the worde of the Lorde with other many.

But after a certayne space Paul sayde vnto Barnabas: Let vs goo agayne and visite oure brethren in every cite where we have shewed the worde of the Lorde and se how they do.

And Barnabas gave counsell to take with them Iohn called also Marke.

But Paul thought it not mete to take him vnto their company whiche departed from them at Pamphylia and went not with them to the worke.

And the dissencion was so sharpe bitwene them that they departed a sunder one from the other: so that Barnabas toke Marke and sayled vnto Cypers.

And Paul chose Sylas and departed delyvered of the brethren vnto the grace of god.

And he went thorowe all Cyria and Cilicia stablisshynge the congregacions.

Then came he to Derba and to Lystra. And beholde a certayne disciple was there named Timotheus a womans sonne which was a Iewas and beleved: but his father was a Greke.

Of whom reported well the brethren of Lystra and of Iconium.

The same Paul wolde that he shuld goo forth with him and toke and circumcised him because of the Iewes which were in those quarters: for they knewe all that his father was a Greke.

As they went thorow the cities they delyvered the the decrees for to kepe ordeyned of the Apostles and elders which were at Ierusalem.

And so were the congregacions stablisshed in the fayth and encreased in noumbre dayly.

When they had goone thorow out Phrigia and the region of Galacia and were forbydde of the holy gost to preach the worde in Asia

they came to Misia and sought to goo into Bethinia. But the sprete soffered them not.

Then they went over Misia and cam doune to Troada.

And a vision appered to Paul in the nyght. There stode a man of Macedonia and prayed him sayinge: come into Macedonia and helpe vs.

After he had sene the vision immediatly we prepared to goo into Macedonia certified that the lorde had called vs for to preache the gospell vnto them.

Then lowsed we forth from Troada and with a strayght course came to Samothracia and the nexte daye to Neapolim

and from thence to Philippos which is the chefest citie in the partes of Macedonia and a fre cite. We were in that cite abydynge a certayne dayes.

And on the saboth dayes we went out of the cite besydes a ryver where men were wont to praye and we sate doune and spake vnto the wemen which resorted thyther.

And a certayne woman named Lydia a seller of purple of the cite of Thiatira which worshipped God gave vs audience. Whose hert the Lorde opened that she attended vnto the thinges which Paul spake.

When she was baptised and her housholde she besought vs sayinge: Yf ye thinke that I beleve on the Lorde come into my housse and abyde there. And she constrayned vs.

And it fortuned as we went to prayer a certayn damsell possessed with a sprete that prophesied met vs which brought her master and mastres moche vauntage with prophesyinge.

The same folowed Paul and vs and cryed sayinge: these men are the servauntes of the most hye God which shewe vnto vs the waye of salvacion.

And this dyd she many dayes. But Paul not content, turned about and sayd to the sprete: I commaunde the in the name of Iesu Christ that thou come out of her. And he came out the same houre.

And when her master and mastres sawe that the hope of their gaynes was gone they caught Paul and Sylas and drue the into the market place vnto the rulars

and brought them to the officers sayinge: These men trouble oure cite which are Iewes

and preache ordinaunces which are not laufull for vs to receave nether to observe seinge we are Romayns.

And the people ranne on them and the officers rent their clothes and commaunded them to be beaten with roddes.

And when they had beaten them sore they cast them into preson commaundynge the iayler to kepe them surely.

Which iayler when he had receaved suche commaundment thrust them into the ynner preson and made their fete fast in the stockes.

At mydnyght Paul and Sylas prayed and lauded God. And the presoners hearde them.

And sodenly ther was a greate erth quake so that the fonndacion of the preson was shaken and by and by all the dores opened and every mannes bondes were lowsed.

When the keper of the preson waked out of his slepe and sawe the preson dores open he drue out his swearde and wolde have kylled him selfe supposynge the presoners had bene fledde.

But Paul cryed with a lowde voyce sayinge: Do thy selfe no harme for we are all heare.

Then he called for a lyght and sprange in and came tremblynge and fell doune before Paul and Sylas

and brought them out and sayde: Syrs what must I do to be saved?

And they sayde: beleve on the Lorde Iesus and thou shalt be saved and thy housholde.

And they preached vnto him the worde of the Lorde and to all that were in his housse.

And he toke them the same houre of the nyght and wasshed their woundes and was baptised with all that belonged vnto him strayght waye.

When he had brought them into his housse he set meate before them and ioyed that he with all his housholde beleved on God.

And when it was daye the officers sent the ministres sayinge: Let those men goo.

The keper of the preson tolde this sayinge to Paul the officiers have sent worde to lowse you. Now therfore get you hence and goo in peace.

Then sayde Paul vnto them: they have beaten vs openly vncomdempned for all that we are Romayns and have cast vs into preson: and now wolde they sende vs awaye prevely? Naye not so but let them come the selves and set vs out.

When the ministres tolde these wordes vnto the officers they feared when they hearde that they were Romayns

and came and besought them and brought them out and desyred them to departe out of the cite.

And they wet out of the preson and entred into the housse of Lidia and when they had sene the brethren they comforted them and departed.

As they made their iorney thorow Amphipolis and Appolonia they came to Thessalonica where was a synagoge of the Iewes.

And Paul as his maner was went in vnto them and thre saboth doyes declared oute of the scripture vnto them

openynge and allegynge that Christ must nedes have suffred and rysen agayne from deeth and that this Iesus was Christ whom (sayde he) I preache to you.

And some of them beleved and came and companyed with Paul and Sylas: also of the honourable Grekes a greate multitude and of the chefe wemen not a feawe.

But the Iewes which beleved not havynge indignacion toke vnto the evyll men which were vagabondes and gadered a company and set all the cite on a roore and made asaute vnto the housse of Iason and sought to bringe the out to the people.

But when they founde them not they drue Iason and certayne brethren vnto the heedes of the cite cryinge: these that trouble the worlde are come hydder also

which Iason hath receaved prevely. And these all do contrary to the elders of Cesar affirmynge another kynge one Iesus.

And they troubled the people and the officers of the cite when they hearde these thinges.

And when they were sufficiently answered of Iason and of the other they let the goo.

And the brethren immediatly sent awaye Paul and Sylas by nyght vnto Berrea. Which when they were come thyther they entred into the synagoge of the Iewes.

These were the noblest of byrthe amonge the of Thessalonia which receaved the worde with all diligence of mynde and searched the scriptures dayly whether those thinges were even so.

And many of the beleved: also of worshipfull weme which were Grekes and of men not afeawe.

When the Iewes of Thessalonia had knowledge that the worde of God was preached of Paul at Berrea they came there and moved the people.

And then by and by the brethren sent awaye Paul to goo as it were to ye see: but Sylas and Timotheus abode there still.

And they that gyded Paul brought him vnto Attens and receaved a commaundment vnto Sylas and Timotheus for to come to him at once and came their waye.

Whyll Paul wayted for them at Attens his sprete was moved in him to se the cite geven to worshippinge of ymages.

Then he disputed in the synagoge with the Iewes and with the devout persones and in the market dayly with the that came vnto him.

Certayne philosophers of the Epicures and of the stoyckes disputed with him. And some ther were which sayde: what will this babler saye. Other sayd: he semeth to be a tydynges bringer of newe devyls because he preached vnto them Iesus and the resurreccion.

And they toke him and brought him into Marsestrete sayinge: maye we not knowe what this newe doctrine wher of thou speakest is?

For thou bringest straunge tydynges to oure eares. We wolde knowe therfore what these thinges meane.

For all the Attenians and straungers which were there gave the selves to nothinge els but ether to tell or to heare newe tydynges.

Paul stode in the myddes of Marse strete and sayde: ye men of Attens I perceave that in all thinges ye are to supersticious.

For as I passed by and behelde the maner how ye worship youre goddes I founde an aultre wher in was written: vnto the vnknowen god. Whom ye then ignorantly worship him shewe I vnto you.

God that made the worlde and all that are in it seynge that he is Lorde of heven and erth he dwelleth not in temples made with hondes

nether is worshipped with mennes hondes as though he neded of eny thinge seinge he him selfe geveth lyfe and breeth to all men every where