The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

but that the holy goost witnesseth in every cite sayinge: that bondes and trouble abyde me.

But none of tho thinges move me: nether is my lyfe dere vnto my selfe that I myght fulfill my course with ioye and the ministracion which I have receaved of the Lorde Iesu to testify the gospell of the grace of god.

And now beholde I am sure that hence forth ye all (thorow who I have gone preachinge the kyngdome of God) shall se my face no moore.

Wherfore I take you to recorde this same daye that I am pure from the bloude of all men.

For I have kepte nothinge backe: but have shewed you all the counsell of God.

Take hede therfore vnto youre selves and to all the flocke wherof the holy goost hath made you oversears to rule the congregacion of God which he hath purchased with his bloud.

For I am sure of this that after my departynge shall greveous wolves entre in amonge you which will not spare the flocke.

Moreover of youre awne selves shall men aryse speakinge perverse thinges to drawe disciples after them.

Therfore awake and remember that by the space of .iii. yeares I ceased not to warne every one of you both nyght and daye with teares.

And now brethren I comende you to God and to the worde of his grace which is able to bylde further and to geve you an inheritaunce amonge all them which are sanctified.

I have desyred no mans silver golde or vesture.

Ye knowe well that these hondes have ministred vnto my necessities and to them that were with me.

I have shewed you all thinges how that so laborynge ye ought to receave the weake and to remember the wordes of the Lorde Iesu howe that he sayde: It is more blessed to geve then to receave.

When he had thus spoken he kneled doune and prayed with them all.

And they wept all aboundantly and fell on Pauls necke and kissed him

sorowinge most of all for the wordes which he spake that they shuld se his face no moore. And they acompanyed him vnto the shyppe.

And it chaunsed that assone as we had launched forth and were departed from them we came with a strayght course vnto Choon and the daye folowinge vnto the Rhodes and from thence vnto Patara.

And we founde a shippe redy to sayle vnto Phenices and went a borde and set forthe.

Then appered vnto vs Cyprus and we lefte it on the lefte honde and sayled vnto Syria and came vnto Tyre. For there the shyppe vnladed her burthen.

And when we had founde brethren we taryed there .vii. dayes. And they tolde Paul thorowe the sprete that he shuld not goo vp to Ierusalem.

And when the dayes were ended we departed and went oure wayes and they all brought vs on oure waye with their wyves and chyldren tyll we were come out of the cyte. And we kneled doune in the shore and prayde.

And when we had taken oure leave one of another we toke shyppe and they returned home agayne.

When we had full ended the course from Tyre we aryved at Ptolomaida and saluted the brethren and abode with the one daye.

The nexte daye we that were of Pauls company departed and came vnto Cesarea. And we entred into the housse of Philip the Evagelist which was one of the seve deacones and abode with him.

The same man had fower doughters virges which dyd prophesy.

And as we taried there a good many dayes there came a certayne prophete from Iurie named Agabus.

When he was come vnto vs he toke Pauls gerdell and bounde his hondes and fete and sayde: thus saith the holy goost: so shall the Iewes at Ierusalem bynde the man that oweth this gerdell and shall delyver him into the hondes of the gentyls.

When we hearde this both we and other of the same place besought him that he wolde not goo vp to Ierusalem.

Then Paul answered and sayde: what do ye wepynge and breakinge myne hert? I am redy not to be bound only but also to dye at Ierusalem for the name of the Lorde Iesu.

When we coulde not turne his mynde we ceased sayinge: the will of the Lorde be fulfilled.

After those dayes we made oure selfes redy and went vp to Ierusalem.

There went with vs also certayne of his disciples of Cesarea and brought with them one Mnason of Cyprus an olde disciple with whom we shuld lodge.

And when we were come to Ierusalem the brethren receaved vs gladly.

And on the morowe Paul wet in with vs vnto Iames. And all the elders came to geder.

And when he had saluted them he tolde by order all thinges that God had wrought amonge the getyls by his ministracion.

And when they hearde it they glorified the Lorde and sayde vnto him: thou seist brother how many thousande Iewes ther are which beleve and they are all zelous over the lawe.

And they are informed of the that thou teachest all the Iewes which are amonge the gentyls to forsake Moses and sayst that they ought not to circumcise their chyldren nether to live after the customes.

What is it therfore? The multitude must nedes come togeder. For they shall heare that thou arte come.

Do therfore this that we saye to the. We have .iiii. men which have a vowe on them.

Them take and purifye thy selfe with them and do cost on them that they maye shave their heeddes and all shall knowe that tho thinges which they have hearde concerninge the are nothinge: but that thou thy selfe also walkest and kepest the lawe.

For as touchinge the gentyls which beleve we have written and concluded that they observe no soche thinges: but that they kepe them selves from thinges offred to ydoles from bloud from strangled and from fornicacion.

Then the nexte daye Paul toke the men and purified him selfe with them and entred into the temple declaringe that he observed the dayes of the purificacion vntyll that an offeringe shuld be offred for every one of them.

And as the seven dayes shuld have bene ended the Iewes which were of Asia when they sawe him in the temple they moved all the people and layde hondes on him

cryinge: men of Israel helpe. This is the man that teacheth all men every where agaynst the people and the lawe and this place. Moreover also he hath brought Grekes into the temple and hath polluted this holy place.

For they sawe one Trophimus an Ephesian with him in the cyte. Him they supposed Paul had brought into the temple.

And all the cyte was moved and the people swarmed to geder. And they toke Paul and drue him out of the temple and forthwith the dores were shut to.

As they went about to kyll him tydinges came vnto the hye captayne of the soudiers that all Ierusalem was moved.

Which immediatly toke soudiers and vndercaptaynes and ranne doune vnto them. When they sawe the vpper captayne and the soudiers they lefte smytinge of Paul.

Then the captayne came neare and toke him and commaunded him to be bounde with two chaynes and demaunded what he was and what he had done.

And one cryed this another that amonge the people. And when he coulde not knowe the certayntie for the rage he commaunded him to be caryed into the castle.

And when he came vnto a grece it fortuned that he was borne of the soudiers of the violence of the people.

For the multitude of the people folowed after cryinge: awaye with him.

And as Paul shuld have bene caryed into the castle he sayde vnto the hye Captayne: maye I speake vnto the? Which sayde: canst thou speake Greke?

Arte not thou that Egypcian which before these dayes made an vproure and ledde out into the wildernes .iiii. thousande men that were mortherers?

But Paul sayde: I am a man which am a Iewe of Tharsus a cite in Cicill a Citesyn of no vyle cite I beseche the soffre me to speake vnto the people.

When he had geve him licence Paul stode on the steppes and beckned with the honde vuto the people and ther was made a greate silence. And he spake vnto the in the Ebrue tonge sayinge:

Ye men brethren and fathers heare myne answere which I make vnto you.

When they hearde that he spake in the Ebrue tonge to them they kept the moore silence. And he sayde:

I am verely aman which am a Iewe borne in Tharsus a cite in Cicill: neverthelesse yet brought vp in this cite at the fete of Gamaliel and informed diligently in the lawe of the fathers and was fervent mynded to Godwarde as ye all are this same daye

and I persecuted this waye vnto the deeth byndynge and delyveringe into preson bothe men and wemen

as the chefe prest doth beare me witnes and all the elders: of whom also I receaved letters vnto the brethren and wet to Damasco to bringe them which were there bounde vnto Ierusalem for to be punysshed.

And it fortuned as I made my iorney and was come nye vnto Damasco aboute none that sodenly ther shone from heaven a greate lyght rounde aboute me

and I fell vnto the erth and hearde a voyce sayinge vnto me: Saul Saul why persecutest thou me?

And I answered: what arte thou Lorde? And he sayd vnto me: I am Iesus of Nazareth whom thou persecutest.

And they that were with me sawe verely a lyght and were a frayde: but they hearde not the voyce of him that spake with me.

And I sayde: what shall I do Lorde? And the Lorde sayde vnto me: Aryse and goo into Damasco and there it shalbe tolde the of all thinges which are apoynted for the to do.

And when I sawe nothynge for the brightnes of that light I was ledde by the honde of them that were with me and came into Damasco.

And one Ananias a perfect man and as pertayninge to the lawe havinge good reporte of all the Iewes which there dwelt

came vnto me and stode and sayd vnto me: Brother Saul loke vp. And that same houre I receaved my sight and sawe him.

And he sayde the God of oure fathers hath ordeyned the before that thou shuldest knowe his will and shuldest se that which is rightfull and shuldest heare the voyce of his mouth:

for thou shalt be his witnes vnto all men of tho thinges which thou thou hast sene and hearde.

And now: why tariest thou? Aryse and be baptised and wesshe awaye thy synnes in callinge on the name of the Lorde.

And it fortuned when I was come agayne to Ierusalem and prayde in the temple that I was in a trauce

and sawe him sayinge vnto me. Make haste and get the quickly out of Ierusalem: for they will not receave thy witnes that thou bearest of me.

And I sayde: Lorde they knowe that I presoned and bet in every synagoge them that beleved on the.

And when the bloud of thy witnes Steven was sheed I also stode by and consented vnto his deeth and kept the rayment of them that slewe him.

And he sayde vnto me: departe for I will sende the a farre hence vnto the Gentyls.

They gave him audience vnto this worde and then lifte vp their voyces and sayde: a waye with soche a felowe from the erth: that is pitie that he shuld live.

And as they cryed and cast of their clothes and thrue dust into the ayer

the captayne bade him to be brought into the castle and commaunded him to be scourged and to be examined that he myght knowe wherfore they cryed on him.

And as they bounde him with thonges Paul sayde vnto the Centurion that stode by: Ys it laufull for you to scourge a man that is a Romain and vncondempned?

When the Centurion hearde that he went and tolde the vpper captayne sayinge: What intendest thou to do? This man is a Romayne.

Then the vpper captayne came and sayde to him: tell me art thou a Romayne? He sayde: Yee.

And the captayne answered: with a greate some obtayned I this fredome. And Paul sayde: I was fre borne.

Then strayght waye departed from him they which shuld have examyned him. And the hye captayne also was a frayde after he knewe that he was a Romayne: because he had bounde him.

On the morowe because he wolde have knowen the certayntie wherfore he was accused of the Iewes he lowsed him from his bondes and commaunded the hye Prestes and all the counsell to come together and brought Paul and set him before them.

Paul behelde the counsell and sayde: men and brethren I have lived in all good conscience before God vntill this daye.

The hye prest Ananias commaunded the that stode by to smyte him on the mouth.

Then sayde Paul to him: God smyte the thou payntyd wall. Sittest thou and iudgest me after the lawe: and commaundest me to be smytten contrary to the lawe?

And they that stode by sayde: revylest thou Goddes hye preste?

Then sayd Paul: I wist not brethren that he was the hye preste. For it is written thou shalt not curse the rular of thy people.

When Paul perceaved that the one parte were Saduces and the other Pharises: he cryed oute in the counsell. Men and brethren I am a Pharisaye the sonne of a Pharisaye. Of the hope and resurreccion from deeth I am iudged.

And when he had so sayde ther arose a debate bitwene the Pharisayes and the Saduces and the multitude was devided.

For the Saduces saye that ther is no resurreccion nether angell nor sprete. But the Pharisayes graunt bothe.

And ther arose a great crye and the Scribes which were of the Pharisayes parte arose and strove sayinge: we fynde none evyll in this man. Though a sprete or an angell hath apered to him let vs not stryve agaynst God.

And when ther arose greate debate the captayne fearynge lest Paul shuld have bene pluckt asondre of them commaunded the soudiers to goo doune and to take him from amonge them and to bringe him into the castle.

The nyght folowyng God stode by him and sayde: Be of good cheare Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Ierusalem so must thou beare witnes at Rome.

When daye was come certayne of the Iewes gaddered them selves to geder and made a vowe sayinge that they wolde nether eate nor drinke till they had killed Paul.

They were aboute .xl. which had made this conspiracion.

And they cam to the chefe prestes and elders and sayde: we have boude oure selves with a vowe that we will eate nothinge vntill we have slayne Paul.