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ACTS
CHAPTER
1
1
In ye former treatise O Theophilus, we haue spoke of all that Iesus began to do
and teache,
2 Untyll the day in which he was take vp, after that he through the holy ghost,
had geuen commaundementes vnto the Apostles, whom he had chosen,
3 To whom also he shewed hym selfe alyue after his passion, and that by manye
tokens, appearyng vnto them fourtie dayes, and speaking of the kingdome of God,
4 And gatheryng them together, commaunded them that they shoulde not depart from
Hierusalem, but wayte for the promise of the father, wherof [saith he] ye haue
hearde of me.
5 For Iohn truely baptized with water, but ye shalbe baptized with the holy
ghost, after these fewe dayes.
6 When they therfore were come together, they asked of hym, saying: Lorde, wylt
thou at this tyme restore agayne the kyngdome to
Israel
?
7 And he sayde vnto them: It is not for you to knowe the tymes, or the seasons,
which the father hath put in his owne power.
8 But ye shall receaue power, after that the holy ghost is come vpon you: And ye
shalbe witnesses vnto me, both in Hierusalem, and in al Iurie, & in Samarie,
and euen vnto the worldes ende.
9 And when he had spoken these thynges, whyle they behelde, he was taken vp an
hye, and a cloude receaued hym vp out of their syght.
10 And while they loked stedfastly vp towarde heaue, as he went, beholde, two
men stoode by them in whyte apparell,
11 Which also sayde: Ye men of
Galilee
, why stande ye gasyng vp into heauen? This same Iesus, which is taken vp from
you into heauen, shall so come, euen as ye haue seene hym go into heauen.
12 Then returned they vnto Hierusalem, from the mount that is called Oliuete,
which is from Hierusalem a Sabboth dayes iourney.
13 And when they were come in, they went vp into a parlour, where abode both
Peter, and Iames, and Iohn, and Andrewe, Philip and Thomas, Barthelmewe and
Matthewe, Iames the sonne of
Alpheus
, & Simo Zelotes, and Iudas the brother of Iames.
14 These all continued with one accorde in prayer and supplication with the
women, and Marie the mother of Iesus, and with his brethren.
15 And in those dayes, Peter stoode vp in the middes of the disciples, and said
(The number of names together, were about an hundred and twentie)
16 Ye men and brethren, this scripture must needes haue ben fulfylled, which the
holy ghost by the mouth of Dauid spake before of Iudas, which was guide to them
that toke Iesus:
17 For he was numbred with vs, & had obteyned felowship in this ministerie.
18 And the same hath nowe purchased a fielde, with the rewarde of iniquitie? And
when he was hanged, he burst a sunder in the middes, & all his bowels
gusshed out.
19 And it is knowen vnto all the dwellers at Hierusalem, in so much that the
same fielde is called in their mother tongue, Aceldema, that is to saye, the
blood fielde.
20 For it is written in ye booke of psalmes: Let his habitation be desert, and
no man be dwellyng therein: And his bishopricke let another take.
21 Wherfore, of these men which haue companyed with vs, all the tyme that the
Lorde Iesus went in and out among vs,
22 Begynnyng from the baptisme of Iohn, vnto that same day that he was take vp
from vs, must one be ordeyned, to be a witnesse with vs of his resurrection.
23 And they appoynted two, Ioseph which is called Barsabas, whose sirname was
Iustus, and Matthias.
24 And they prayed, saying: Thou Lord which knowest the heartes of all men,
shewe whether of these two thou haste chosen,
25 That he may take the rowme of this ministerie and Apostleship, from which
Iudas by transgression fell, that he myght go to his owne place.
26 And they gaue foorth their lottes, & the lot fell vpon Matthias, and he
was counted with the eleuen Apostles.
CHAPTER
2
1 And when the day of Pentecost was, they were all with one accorde in one
place:
2 And sodenly there came a sounde fro heauen, as it had ben the commyng of a
mightie wynde, and it fylled all the house where they sate.
3 And there appeared vnto them clouen tongues, lyke as they had ben of fyre, and
it sate vpon eche one of them.
4 And they were all fylled with the holy ghost, and began to speake with other
tongues, as the spirite gaue them vtteraunce.
5 There were dwellyng at Hierusalem, Iewes, deuout men, out of euery nation [of
them] that are vnder heauen.
6 When this was noysed about, the multitude came together and were astonnyed,
because that euery man hearde them speake with his owne language.
7 They wondred all, and marueyled, saying among themselues: Beholde, are not all
these which speake, of
Galilee
?
8 And howe heare we euery man his owne tongue, wherin we were borne?
9 Parthians, and Medes, & Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in
Iurie, and in Capadocia, in Pontus and Asia,
10 Phrygia, & Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parties of Lybia, which is
besyde Cyrene, & straungers of Rome, Iewes and Proselytes.
11 Cretes and Arabians: we haue hearde them speake in our tongues, the
wonderfull workes of God.
12 They were all amased, and wondred, saying one to another: What meaneth this?
13 Other mocked, saying: These men are full of newe wyne.
14 But Peter standyng foorth with the eleuen, lyft vp his voyce, and sayde vnto
them: Ye men of Iurie, and all ye that dwell at Hierusalem, be this knowen vnto
you, and with your eares heare my wordes.
15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeyng it is but the thirde houre
of the day.
16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophete Ioel:
17 And it shalbe in the last dayes (sayth God) of my spirite I wyll powre out
vpon all fleshe: And your sonnes and your daughters shall prophesie, and your
young men shall see visions, and your olde men shall dreame dreames.
18 And on my seruauntes, and on my handemaydens, I wyll powre out of my spirite
in those dayes, and they shall prophesie.
19 And I wyll shewe wonders in heauen aboue, and tokens in the earth beneath,
blood, and fyre, and the vapour of smoke.
20 The Sunne shalbe turned into darknesse, and the Moone into blood, before that
great and notable day of the Lord come.
21 And it shall come to passe, that whosoeuer shall call on the name of the
Lorde, shalbe saued.
22 Ye men of
Israel
, heare these wordes: Iesus of Nazareth, a man approued of God among you, with
miracles, wonders, and signes, which God dyd by hym in the middes of you, as ye
your selues also knowe.
23 Hym haue ye taken, by the handes of vnryghteous persons, after he was
deliuered by the determinate councell and foreknowledge of God, and haue
crucified and slayne hym.
24 Whom God hath raised vp, and loosed the sorowes of death, because it was
vnpossible, that he shoulde be holden of it.
25 For Dauid speaketh of hym, I sawe the Lorde alwayes set foorth before my
face: for he is on my ryght hande, that I shoulde not be moued.
26 Therfore dyd my heart reioyce, and my tongue was glad. Moreouer also my
fleshe shall reste in hope,
27 Because thou wylt not leaue my soule in hell, neither wylt thou suffer thyne
holy one to see corruption.
28 Thou hast shewed me the wayes of lyfe, thou shalt make me full of ioy with
thy countenaunce.
29 Ye men and brethren, let me freely speake vnto you of the patriarke Dauid:
For he is both dead and buryed, and his sepulchre remayneth with vs vnto this
day.
30 Therfore, seeyng he was a prophete, and knewe that God had sworne with an oth
to hym, that Christe, as concernyng the fleshe, should come of the fruite of his
loynes, & should syt on his seate:
31 He knowyng this before, spake of the resurrection of Christe, that his soule
shoulde not be left in hell, neither his fleshe shoulde see corruption.
32 This Iesus hath God raysed vp, wherof we all are witnesses.
33 Then sence that he by the ryght hande of God was exalted, and hath receaued
of the father the promise of the holy ghost, he hath shed foorth this, which ye
nowe see, and heare.
34 For Dauid is not ascended into heaue, but he sayeth: The Lorde sayde to my
Lorde, syt thou on my ryght,
35 Untill I make thy foes thy footstoole.
36 Therfore, let all the house of
Israel
know for a suretie, that God hath made that same Iesus, whom ye haue crucified,
Lorde and Christe.
37 Nowe when they hearde this, they were pricked in their heartes, and sayde
vnto Peter, & vnto the other Apostles: Ye men & brethren, what shall we
do?
38 Then Peter sayde vnto them: Repent, and be baptized euery one of you in the
name of Iesus Christe, for the remission of sinnes, and ye shall receaue the
gyft of the holy ghost.
39 For the promise was made vnto you, and to your chyldren, and to all that are
a farre of, euen as many as the Lorde our God shall call.
40 And with many other wordes bare he witnesse, and exhorted them, saying: Saue
your selues from this vntowarde generation.
41 Then they that gladly receaued his worde, were baptized: And the same day
there were added [vnto them,] about three thousande soules.
42 And they continued stedfastly in the Apostles doctrine and felowship, and in
breakyng of bread, and in prayers.
43 And feare came vpon euery soule. And many wonders and signes were done by the
Apostles.
44 And all that beleued, kept them selues together, and had all thynges common,
45 And solde their possessions & goodes, and parted them to all men, as
euery man had neede.
46 And they continued dayly with one accorde in the temple, and brake bread from
house to house, and dyd eate their meate together, with gladnesse and
singlenesse of heart,
47 Praysyng God, & had fauour with all the people. And the Lorde added to
the Churche dayly, such as should be saued.
CHAPTER
3
1 Nowe Peter and Iohn went vp together into the temple at the nynth houre of
prayer.
2 And a certayne man, that was lame from his mothers wombe, was brought, whom
they layde dayly at the gate of the temple which is called beawtifull, to aske
almes of them that entred into the temple.
3 When he sawe Peter and Iohn that they woulde go into the temple, he desired to
receaue an almes.
4 And Peter fastenyng his eyes vpon hym with Iohn, sayde: Loke on vs.
5 And he gaue heede vnto the, trustyng to receaue somethyng of them.
6 Then sayde Peter: Syluer and golde haue I none, but such as I haue, geue I
thee: In the name of Iesus Christe of
Nazareth
, ryse vp, and walke.
7 And he toke hym by the ryght hande, and lyft hym vp. And immediatly his feete
and ancle bones receaued strength.
8 And he sprang, stoode, and walked, and entred with them into the temple,
walkyng, and leaping, & praysyng God.
9 And all the people sawe hym walke, and prayse God.
10 And they knewe hym, that it was he, which sate and begged at the beawtifull
gate of the temple. And they wondred, and were sore astonyed at that which had
happened vnto hym.
11 And as the lame which was healed, helde Peter and Iohn, all the people ran
amased vnto them, in the porche that is called Solomons.
12 And when Peter sawe that, he aunswered vnto the people: Ye men of
Israel
, why maruayle ye at this, or why loke ye so on vs, as though by our owne power
or godlynesse, we had made this man to go?
13 The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Iacob, the God of our fathers hath
glorified his sonne Iesus, whom ye betrayed and denyed in the presence of
Pilate, when he had iudged hym to be loosed.
14 But ye denyed the holy and iust, and desired a murtherer to be geuen you,
15 And kylled the Lorde of lyfe, whom God hath raysed from the dead: of the
which we are witnesses.
16 And his name, through the fayth in his name, hath made this man sounde, whom
ye see and knowe: And the fayth which is by hym, hath geuen to this man health,
in the presence of you all.
17 And nowe brethren, I wote that through ignoraunce ye dyd it, as dyd also your
rulers.
18 But those thynges which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his
prophetes, that Christe shoulde suffer, he hath so fulfylled.
19 Repent ye therfore and conuert, that your sinnes may be done away, when the
tyme of refreshyng shall come, in the presence of the Lorde.
20 And he shall sende Iesus Christ, which before was preached vnto you.
21 Whom the heauen must receaue, vntill the tyme that all thynges be restored,
which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophetes since the world
began.
22 Moyses truely sayde vnto the fathers: A prophete shall the Lorde your God
rayse vp vnto you, of your brethren, lyke vnto me: hym shall ye heare in all
thynges, whatsoeuer he shall say vnto you.
23 For the tyme wyll come, that euery soule which wyll not heare that same
prophete, shalbe destroyed from among the people.
24 All the prophetes also fro Samuel & thencefoorth, as many as haue spoken,
haue lykewise tolde you of these dayes.
25 Ye are the chyldren of the prophetes, and of the couenaunt which God made
vnto our fathers, saying to Abraham: Euen in thy seede shall all the kinredes of
the earth be blessed.
26 Unto you first, God hath raysed vp his sonne Iesus, and hath sent hym to
blesse you, in turnyng euery one of you from his iniquities.
CHAPTER
4
1 And as they spake vnto ye people, the priestes & the ruler of the temple,
and the saducees, came vpon them,
2 Takyng it greuously that they taught the people, and preached in Iesus the
resurrection from the dead.
3 And they layde handes on them, and put them in holde, vntyll the next day: for
it was nowe euentyde.
4 Howbeit, many of them which hearde the worde, beleued: and the number of the
men was about fyue thousande.
5 And it came to passe on the morowe, that their rulers, and elders, &
scribes,
6 And Annas the chiefe priest, and Caiaphas, and Iohn, and Alexander, and as
many as were of the kynrede of the hye priestes, were gathered together at
Hierusalem.
7 And when they had set them before them, they asked: by what power, or in what
name haue ye done this?
8 Then Peter, full of the holy ghost, sayde vnto them: Ye rulers of the people,
and elders of Israel,
9 If we this day be examined of the good deede done to the sicke man, by what
meanes he is made whole:
10 Be it knowen vnto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name
of Iesus Christe of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raysed agayne from the
dead: euen by hym doth this man stande here before you whole.
11 This is the stone which was cast asyde of you buylders, which is the head of
the corner:
12 Neither is there saluation in any other. For among men vnder heauen, there is
geuen none other name, wherin we must be saued.
13 Nowe when they sawe the boldnesse of Peter and Iohn, and vnderstoode that
they were vnlearned and lay men, they marueyled, and they knewe them that they
had ben with Iesu:
14 And beholdyng also the man which was healed, standyng with them, they coulde
not say agaynst it,
15 But commaundyng them to go asyde out of the counsel, and counseled among them
selues,
16 Saying: What shall we do to these men? For a manifest signe is done by them,
and is openly knowen to all them that dwell in Hierusalem, and we can not denie
it.
17 But that it be noysed no farther among the people, let vs threaten and charge
them that they speake hencefoorth to no man in this name.
18 And they called them, and commaunded them, that in no wyse they shoulde
speake, nor teache in the name of Iesu.
19 But Peter and Iohn aunswered, and sayde vnto them: Whether it be ryght in the
syght of God, to hearken vnto you more then to God, iudge ye.
20 For we cannot but speake that, which we haue seene and hearde.
21 So threatned they them, and let them go, and founde nothyng how to punishe
them, because of the people: For all men praysed God, because of that which was
done.
22 For the man was about fourtie yere olde, on whom this miracle of healyng was
shewed.
23 Then assoone as they were let go, they came to their felowes, and shewed all
that the hye priestes and elders had sayde vnto them.
24 And when they hearde that, they lyft vp their voyces to God with one accorde,
and sayde: Lorde, thou art God, which hast made heauen and earth, the sea, and
all that in them is,
25 Which by the mouth of thy seruaunt Dauid, hast sayde: Why dyd the Heathen
rage, & the people imagine vayne thynges?
26 The kynges of the earth stoode vp, and the rulers came together, agaynst the
Lorde, and agaynst his Christe.
27 And of a trueth, agaynst thy holye chylde Iesus, who thou hast anoynted, both
Herode and also Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel,
gathered them selues together,
28 For to do whatsoeuer thy hande & thy counsel determined before to be
done.
29 And nowe Lorde, beholde their threatnynges, & graunt vnto thy seruauntes,
that with all boldensse they may speake thy worde.
30 So that thou stretch foorth thyne hande, that healyng, and signes, and
wonders, be done by the name of thy holy chylde Iesus.
31 And assoone as they had prayed, the place moued where they were assembled
together, and they were all fylled with the holy ghost, and they spake the worde
of God boldely.
32 And the multitude of them that beleued, were of one heart, and of one soule:
Neither sayde any of them, that ought of ye thynges which he possessed, was his
owne: but they had all thinges common.
33 And with great power gaue the Apostles witnesse of the resurrection of the
Lorde Iesu: And great grace was with them all.
34 Neither was there any among them, that lacked: For as many as were possessers
of landes, or houses, solde them, & brought the price of the thynges that
were solde,
35 And layed it downe at the Apostles feete: And distribution was made vnto
euery man, accordyng as he had neede.
36 And Ioses, which was also called of the Apostles Barnabas (that is to say)
the sonne of consolation, being a Leuite, and of the countrey of Cypers,
37 When he had lande, solde it, and layde the money downe at the Apostles feete.
CHAPTER
5
1 But a certayne man, named Ananias, with Saphyra his wyfe, solde a possession,
2 And kept away part of the price, his wyfe also beyng of counsell, and brought
a certayne part, and layde it downe at the Apostles feete.
3 But Peter sayde: Ananias, howe is it, that Satan hath fylled thyne heart, that
thou shouldest lye vnto the holy ghost, and kepe away part of the price of the
lande?
4 Whyles it remayned, was it not thyne owne? And after it was solde, was it not
in thyne owne power? Why haste thou conceaued this thyng in thyne heart? Thou
hast not lyed vnto men, but vnto God.
5 When Ananias hearde these wordes, he fell downe, and gaue vp the ghost. And
great feare came on all them that hearde these thynges.
6 And the young rose vp, and put hym a part, and caryed hym out, and buryed hym.
7 And it came to passe, that as it were about the space of three houres after,
his wyfe came in, ignoraunt of that which was done.
8 And Peter sayde vnto her: Tell me, Solde ye not the lande for so much? And she
sayde: Yea, for so much.
9 Then Peter sayde vnto her: Why haue ye agreed together, to tempt the spirite
of the Lorde? Beholde, the feete of the which haue buried thy husbande, are at
the doore, and shall
cary
thee out.
10 Then fell she downe strayghtway at his feete, and yelded vp the ghost. And
the young men came in, and founde her dead, and caryed her out, and buryed her
by her husbande.
11 And great feare came vpon all the Churche, and vpon as many as hearde these
thynges.
12 And by the handes of the Apostles, were many signes & wonders shewed
among the people. (And they were all together with one accord in Solomons porche.
13 And of other durst no man ioyne hym selfe to them, neuerthelesse, the people
magnified them.
14 The number of them that beleued in the Lorde, both of men and women, grewe
more and more.)
15 In so much that they brought the sicke into the streates, & layde the on
beddes and couches, that at the least way, the shadowe of Peter when he came by,
myght shadowe some of them.
16 There came also a multitude of the cities rounde about, vnto Hierusalem,
bryngyng sicke folkes, and them which were vexed with vncleane spirites: And
they were healed euery one.
17 Then the chiefe priest rose vp, and all they that were with hym, which is the
sect of the Saducees, and were full of indignation:
18 And layed handes on the Apostles, and put them in the common prison.
19 But the Angel of the Lorde by nyght opened the prison doores, and brought
them foorth, and sayde:
20 Go, and stande & speake in the temple to the people, all the wordes of
this lyfe.
21 And when they hearde that, they entred into the temple early in ye mornyng,
and taught: But the chiefe priest came, and they that were with hym, &
called a counsayle together, and all the elders of the chyldren of
Israel
, and sent to the pryson to fet them.
22 But when the officers came, & founde them not in the pryson, they
returned, and tolde,
23 Saying: The pryson truely founde we shut with all diligence, & the kepers
standyng without, before the doores: But when we had opened, we founde no man
within.
24 Then when the chiefe priest and the ruler of the temple, and the hye priestes
hearde these thynges, they doubted of them, whervnto this woulde growe.
25 Then came one and shewed them, saying: Beholde, the men that ye put in pryson,
stande in the temple, and teache the people.
26 Then went the ruler of the temple, with the officers, and brought them
without violence: (For they feared the people, lest they should haue ben stoned)
27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the counsell. And the
chiefe priest asked them,
28 Saying: dyd not we strayghtly commaunde you, that ye shoulde not teache in
this name? And beholde, ye haue fylled Hierusalem with your doctrine, and
intende to bryng this mans blood vpon vs.
29 Then Peter and the other Apostles aunswered, and sayde: We ought more to obey
God then men.
30 The God of our fathers raysed vp Iesus, whom ye slewe, & hanged on tree.
31 Hym hath God lyft vp with his ryght hande, to be a prince and a sauiour, for
to geue repentaunce to
Israel
, and forgeuenesse of sinnes.
32 And we are recordes of these thynges which we say, & so is also the holy
ghost, whom God hath geuen to them that obey hym.
33 When they hearde that, they claue asunder, and sought meanes to slea the.
34 Then stoode there vp one in the counsell, a pharisee, named Gamaliel, a
doctour of lawe, had in reputation among all the people, and commaunded the
Apostles to go asyde a litle space,
35 And sayde vnto them: Ye men of Israel, take heede to your selues, what ye
entende to do, as touchyng these men.
36 For before these dayes rose vp one Theudas, boastyng him selfe, to whom
resorted a number of men, about a foure hundred, which was slayne: and they all
which beleued hym, were scattered abrode, and brought to naught.
37 After this man, arose vp one Iudas of Galilee, in the dayes of tribute, and
drewe away much people after hym: He also perished, and all, euen as many as
hearkened to hym, were scattered abrode.
38 And nowe I saye vnto you, refrayne your selues fro these men, and let them
alone: For yf this counsell or this worke be of men, it wyll come to naught.
39 But and yf it be of God, ye can not destroy it, lest haply ye be founde to
stryue agaynst God.
40 And to hym agreed the other: And when they had called the Apostles, they beat
them, and commaunded that they shoulde not speake in the name of Iesu, and let
them go.
41 And they departed from the counsell, reioycing that they were counted worthy
to suffer rebuke for his name.
42 And dayly in the temple, and in euery house, they ceassed not to teach &
preach Iesus Christe.
CHAPTER
6
1 And in those dayes, when the number of ye disciples grewe, there arose a
grudge among the Grekes agaynst ye Hebrues, because their wydowes were despysed
in the dayly ministerie.
2 Then the twelue called the multitude of the disciples together, and sayde: It
is not good that we shoulde leaue the worde of God, and serue tables.
3 Wherfore brethren, loke ye out among you seuen men of honest report, &
full of the holy ghost, and wysedome, to who we may commit this busynesse.
4 But we wyll geue our selues continually to prayer, and to the ministerie of
the worde.
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Steuen, a man full
of fayth, and of the holy ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, &
Timon, and Permenas, and Nicolas a conuert of Antioche.
6 These they set before the apostles: and whe they had prayed, they layde their
handes on them.
7 And the worde of God encreased, & the number of ye disciples multiplied in
Hierusalem greatly, and a great companie of the priestes were obedient to ye
fayth.
8 And Steuen full of fayth & power, dyd great wonders & miracles among
the people.
9 Then there arose certaine of the synagogue, which is called [the synagogue] of
the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and of
Alexandria
, and of Cilicia, & of
Asia
, disputyng with Steuen.
10 And they coulde not resiste the wisedome and the spirite by the whiche he
spake.
11 Then they priuilie prepared men, whiche sayde, we haue heard him speake
blasphemous wordes agaynst Moyses, and agaynst God.
12 And they moued the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came vppon
hym, and caught him, and brought him to the counsell.
13 And brought foorth false witnesses, which sayde: This man ceasseth not to
speake blasphemous wordes agaynste this holy place and the lawe.
14 For we hearde hym say, that this Iesus of Nazareth shal destroy this place,
& shall chaunge the ordinaunces which Moyses gaue vs:
15 And all that sate in the counsell, loking stedfastly on him, saw his face as
it had ben the face of an angell.
CHAPTER
7
1 Then said ye chiefe priest: Are these thynges so?
2 And he said: Ye men, brethren, and fathers, hearken. The God of glorie
appeared vnto our father Abraham, when he was in
Mesopotamia
, before he dwelt in Charran,
3 And sayde vnto him: Get thee out of thy countrey, & fro thy kinrede, &
come into the lande which I shall shew thee.
4 Then came he out of the lande of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from
thence, whe his father was dead, he brought hym into this lande wherin ye nowe
dwell.
5 And he gaue hym none inheritaunce in it, no not the breadth of a foote: and
promised that he woulde geue it to hym to possesse, and to his seede after hym,
when as yet he had no chylde.
6 God veryly spake on this wyse, that his seede shoulde soiourne in a straunge
lande, and that they shoulde kepe it in bondage, and entreate them euyl foure
hundreth yeres.
7 And the nation to whom they shalbe in bondage, wyll I iudge, sayde God: And
after that, shall they come foorth, & serue me in this place.
8 And he gaue hym the couenaunt of circumcision: And he begate Isaac, and
circumcised hym the eyght day, and Isaac [begate] Iacob, and Iacob [begate] the
twelue patriarkes.
9 And the patriarkes moued with enuie, solde Ioseph into
Egypt
: and God was with hym,
10 And deliuered hym out of all his aduersities, and gaue hym fauour &
wisedome in the syght of Pharao kyng of
Egypt
: and he made hym gouernour ouer
Egypt
, & ouer all his housholde.
11 But there came a dearth ouer all the land of
Egypt
and Chanaan: and great affliction, that our fathers founde no sustenaunce.
12 But when Iacob hearde that there was corne in
Egypt
, he sent our fathers first.
13 And at the second time, Ioseph was knowen of his brethren, and Iosephes
kinrede was made knowen vnto Pharao.
14 Then sent Ioseph, and caused his father to be brought, and all his kynne,
three score and fyfteene soules.
15 And Iacob descended into
Egypt
, and dyed, both he and our fathers,
16 And were caryed ouer into Sichem, and layde in the sepulchre, that Abraha
bought for money of the sonnes of Emor, the sonne of Sichem.
17 But when the tyme of the promyse drewe nye, whiche God had sworne to Abraham,
the people grewe and multiplied in
Egypt:
18 Tyll another king arose, which knew not of Ioseph.
19 The same dealt subtilly with our kinrede, and euyll intreated our fathers,
& made them caste out their young chyldren, that they shoulde not remayne
alyue.
20 The same tyme was Moyses borne, and was acceptable vnto God, and norished vp
in his fathers house three monethes.
21 And when he was cast out, Pharaos daughter toke hym vp, & norished hym
for her owne sonne.
22 And Moyses was learned in all maner of wisedome of the Egyptians, and was
myghtie in deedes and in wordes.
23 And when he was full fourtie yeres olde, it came into his heart to visite his
brethren the chyldren of
Israel
.
24 And when he sawe one of them suffer wrong, he defended hym, and auenged his
quarrell that had the harme done to hym, and smote the Egyptian.
25 For he supposed his brethren woulde haue vnderstande, howe that God by his
hande shoulde delyuer them: But they vnderstoode not.
26 And the next day he shewed hym selfe vnto them as they stroue, and woulde
haue set them at one agayne, saying: Sirs, ye are brethren, why do ye wrong one
to another?
27 But he that did his neighbour wrong, thrust hym awaye, saying: Who made thee
a ruler and a iudge ouer vs?
28 Wylt thou kyll me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday?
29 Then fledde Moyses at that saying, and was a straunger in the lande of Madian,
where he begate two sonnes.
30 And whe fourtie yeres were expired, there appeared to hym in the wyldernesse
of
mount
Sina
, an Angel of the Lorde in a flambe of fire in a busshe.
31 When Moyses sawe it, he wondred at ye sight: And as he drue neare to behold,
the voyce of the Lord came vnto hym.
32 I am the God of thy fathers, ye God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and ye
God of Iacob. Then Moyses trembled, & durst not beholde.
33 Then sayde the Lorde to hym: Put of thy shoes from thy feete, for the place
where thou standest, is holy grounde.
34 I haue seene, I haue seene the afflictio of my people which is in
Egypt
, and I haue hearde their gronyng, and am come downe to deliuer them: And now
come, & I wyll sende thee into
Egypt
.
35 This Moyses, whom they forsoke saying, who made thee a ruler and a iudge? the
same dyd God sende, to be a ruler, and a deliuerer, by the handes of the angell,
whiche appeared to hym in the busshe.
36 He brought them out, shewyng wonders and signes in
Egypt
, & in the read sea, & in the wyldernesse fourtie yeres.
37 This is that Moyses which saide vnto the chyldren of
Israel
: A prophete shall the Lorde your God raise vp vnto you of your brethren, lyke
vnto me, him shall ye heare.
38 This is he that was in the Churche in ye wyldernesse with the angel, which
spake to hym in the mount Sinai, and with our fathers: This man receaued the
worde of lyfe to geue vnto vs.
39 To whom our fathers woulde not obey, but thrust it from them, and in their
hearts turned backe againe into Egypt,
40 Saying vnto Aaron, Make vs gods to go before vs. For as for this Moyses that
brought vs out of the lande of Egypt, we wote not what is become of hym.
41 And they made a Calfe in those dayes, and offred sacrifice vnto the idoll,
and reioyced ouer the workes of their owne handes.
42 Then God turned hym selfe away, & gaue them vp to worship the hoast of
heauen, as it is written in ye booke of the prophetes: O ye house of Israel,
haue ye offered to me slayne beastes, and sacrifices, by the space of fourtie
yeres in the wyldernesse?
43 And ye toke vnto you the tabernacle of Moloch, and the starre of your god
Remphan, figures whiche ye made to worship them: And I wyll carry you away
beyonde
Babylon
.
44 Our fathers had ye tabernacle of witnesse in the wyldernesse, as he had
appoynted, speakyng vnto Moyses, that he shoulde make it accordyng to the
fasshion that he had seene.
45 Whiche also our fathers that came after, brought in with Iesus into the
possession of the gentiles, who God draue out before the face of our fathers,
vnto the dayes of Dauid.
46 Which founde fauour before God, and woulde fayne haue founde a tabernacle for
the God of Iacob.
47 But Solomon buylt hym an house.
48 Howebeit, he that is hyest of al, dwelleth not in teples made with handes, as
sayth the prophete:
49 Heauen is my seate, and earth is my footstoole. What house wyll ye buylde for
me, saith the Lord? Or which is the place of my rest?
50 Hath not my hande made all these thynges?
51 Ye styfnecked and of vncircumcised heartes and eares, ye haue alwayes
resisted the holy ghost: as your fathers dyd, so do ye.
52 Which of the prophetes haue not your fathers persecuted? And they haue slayne
them which shewed before of the commyng of that iuste, of whom ye are nowe the
betrayers and murtherers:
53 Whiche also haue receaued the lawe, by the disposition of angels, and haue
not kept it.
54 When they hearde these thynges, their heartes claue a sunder, and they
gnasshed on hym with their teeth.
55 But he being full of the holy ghost, loked vp stedfastly into heauen, and
sawe the glory of God, and Iesus standyng on the ryght hande of God,
56 And sayde: Beholde, I see the heauens open, & the sonne of man standyng
on the ryght hande of God.
57 Then they gaue a shoute with a loude voyce, and stopped their eares, and ran
vpon hym all at once,
58 And cast hym out of the citie, and stoned him. And ye witnesses layde downe
their clothes at a young mans feete, whose name was Saul.
59 And they stoned Steuen, callyng on, and saying: Lorde Iesu receaue my spirite.
60 And he kneeled downe, and cryed with a loude voyce: Lorde lay not this sinne
to their charge. And when he had thus spoken, he fell a sleepe.
CHAPTER
8
1 And Saul consented vnto his death. And at that time there was a great
persecution against ye Churche which was at Hierusalem, and they were all
scattered abrode thorowout the regions of Iurie, and
Samaria
, except the apostles.
2 And deuout men were carefull together touchyng Steuen, and made great
lamentation ouer hym.
3 As for Saul, he made hauocke of the Churche, and entred into euery house,
& drewe out both men and women, and put them into pryson.
4 Therfore, they that were scattered abrode, went euery where preachyng the
worde of God.
5 Then came Philip into the citie of
Samaria
, & preached Christe vnto the.
6 And the people gaue heede vnto those thynges whiche Philip spake with one
accorde, hearyng and seing the miracles which he dyd.
7 For vncleane spirites, crying with loude voyce, came out of manye that were
possessed with them. And many taken with paulsies, & many that haulted, were
healed.
8 And there was great ioy in that citie.
9 But there was a certayne man called Simon, which beforetyme in the same citie
vsed witchcraft, and bewitched the people of
Samaria
, saying that he was a man that coulde do great thynges:
10 Whom they regarded from the least to the greatest, saying: This man is the
great power of God.
11 And hym they sette much by, because that of long tyme he had bewitched the
with sorseries.
12 But assoone as they gaue credence to Philips preachyng of the kyngdome of
God, and of the name of Iesus Christe, they were baptized, both men & wome.
13 Then Simon him selfe beleued also: And whe he was baptized, he continued with
Philip, & wondred, beholding the miracles & signes which were shewed.
14 When the apostles whiche were at Hierusalem, hearde say that
Samaria
hadde receaued the worde of God, they sent vnto them Peter and Iohn.
15 Which when they were come downe, prayed for the that they myght receaue the
holy ghost.
16 (For as yet he was come downe vpon none of them, but they were baptized only
in the name of Christ Iesu.)
17 Then layde they their handes on the, and they receaued the holy ghost.
18 And when Simon sawe, that thorow laying on of the apostles handes, ye holy
ghost was geuen, he offred the money,
19 Saying: Geue me also this power, that on whomsoeuer I put the hands, he may
receaue the holy ghost.
20 But Peter sayde vnto him: Thy money perishe with thee, because thou hast
thought that the gyfte of God may be obteyned with money.
21 Thou hast neither part nor felowship in this busynesse: For thy hearte is not
ryght in the syght of God.
22 Repent therefore of this thy wickednesse, & praye God, if perhaps ye
thought of thyne heart may be forgeuen thee.
23 For I perceaue yt thou art in the gall of bitternesse, & wrapped in
iniquitie.
24 The aunswered Simon & said: Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of
these thinges which ye haue spoke fall on me.
25 And they, when they had testified and preached the worde of the Lorde,
returned towarde Hierusalem, and preached the Gospell in many townes of the
Samaritanes.
26 And the Angell of the Lorde spake vnto Philip, saying: Aryse, and go towarde
the South, vnto the waye that goeth downe from Hierusalem vnto
Gaza
, which is desert.
27 And he arose, & went on: and behold a man of
Ethiopia
, an Eunuch, & of great auctoritie with Candace, Queene of the
Ethiopias
, & had the rule of all her treasure, came to Hierusale for to worship.
28 And as he returned home agayne, sittyng in his charet, he read Esaias the
prophete.
29 Then the spirite said vnto Philip: Go neare, & ioyne thy selfe to yonder
charet.
30 And Philip ran thither to him, & heard hym reade the prophete Esaias,
& saide: vnderstandest thou what thou readest?
31 And he said: how can I, except I had a guyde? And he desired Philip that he
woulde come vp, and sit with hym.
32 The tenour of the scripture which he read, was this: He was ledde as a sheepe
to the slaughter, & lyke a lambe dumbe before his shearer, so opened he not
his mouth.
33 In his humilitie, his iudgement is exalted: But who shall declare his
generation? For his lyfe is taken from the earth.
34 And the Eunuche aunswered Philip, and sayde: I pray thee of whom speaketh the
prophete this? Of hym selfe, or of some other man?
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached
vnto hym Iesus.
36 And as they went on their way, they came vnto a certayne water, and the
Eunuche sayde: See, here is water, what doth let me to be baptized?
37 Philip sayde [vnto hym] If thou beleuest with all thine heart, thou mayest.
And he aunswered, and saide: I beleue that Iesus Christe is the sonne of God.
38 And he commaunded the charet to stande styll: and they went downe both into
the water, both Philip and also the Eunuche: and he baptized hym.
39 And assoone as they were come out of the water, the spirite of ye Lorde
caught away Philip, that the Eunuche sawe hym no more. And he went on his way
reioycyng.
40 But Philip was founde at Azotus. And he walked throughout the countrey,
preachyng in all the cities, tyll he came to Cesarea.
CHAPTER
9
1 And Saul yet breathyng out threatnings and slaughter agaynst the disciples of
ye Lord, went vnto ye hie priest,
2 And desired of him letters to carrye to Damascus, to the synagogues: that yf
he founde any of this waye, whether they were men or women, he myght bryng them
bounde vnto Hierusalem.
3 And when he iourneyed, it came to passe, that as he was come nye to
Damascus
, sodenly there shyned rounde about hym a lyght from heauen:
4 And he fell to the earth, and hearde a voyce saying to him: Saul, Saul, why
persecutest thou me?
5 And he sayde: Who art thou Lorde? And the Lorde said: I am Iesus who thou
persecutest, It is harde for thee to kicke agaynst the prickes.
6 And he both tremblyng and astonyed, sayde: Lord, what wylt thou haue me to do?
And the Lorde sayde vnto hym: Aryse, and go into the citie, and it shalbe tolde
thee what thou must do.
7 The men also which iourneyed with him, stoode amased, hearing a voyce, but
seyng no man.
8 And Saul arose from the earth, and when he opened his eyes, he sawe no man:
But they ledde him by the hande, and brought hym into
Damascus
.
9 And he was three dayes without syght, and neither dyd eate nor drynke.
10 And there was a certayne disciple at
Damascus
, named Ananias: & to him sayde the Lorde in a vision, Ananias. And he said,
Behold [I am here] Lorde.
11 And the Lorde sayde vnto hym: aryse, and go into the streate, whiche is
called strayght, and seeke in the house of Iudas, after one called Saul, of
Tarsus: for beholde he prayeth,
12 And hath seene in a vision a man named Ananias commyng in to hym, and puttyng
his handes on hym, that he myght receaue his syght.
13 Then Ananias aunswered: Lorde, I haue heard by many, of this man, how much
euyll he hath done to thy saintes, at Hierusalem.
14 And here he hath aucthoritie of ye hye priestes, to bynde all yt call on thy
name.
15 The Lord sayde vnto hym: Go thy way, for he is a chosen vessell vnto me, to
beare my name before the gentiles, & kynges, and the chyldren of
Israel
.
16 For I wyl shew hym how great thinges he must suffer for my names sake.
17 And Ananias went his way, and entred into the house, and put his handes on
hym, and sayde: Brother Saul, the Lorde (euen Iesus that appeared vnto thee in
the waye as thou camest) hath sent me, that thou myghtest receaue thy syght,
& be fylled with the holy ghost.
18 And immediatly there fell from his eyes as it had ben scales, & he
receaued syght foorthwith, and arose, and was baptized,
19 And receaued meate, and was comforted. Then was Saul certaine dayes with the
disciples whiche were at Damasco.
20 And strayghtway he preached Christe in the synagogues, that he was ye sonne
of God.
21 But all that hearde hym, were amased, and sayde: Is not this he that
destroyed them which called on this name in Hierusalem, and came hyther for that
intent, that he myght bryng the bounde vnto the hye priestes?
22 But Saule increased the more in strength, and confounded the Iewes whiche
dwelt at Damasco, affirmyng that this was very Christe.
23 And after that many dayes were fulfilled, the Iewes toke counsell together to
kyll hym.
24 But their laying awayte was knowen of Saule. And they watched ye gates day
and nyght to kyll hym.
25 Then the disciples toke him by night, and put hym through the wall, and let
hym downe in a basket.
26 And when Saule was come to Hierusalem, he assayde to couple hym selfe to the
disciples: but they were all afrayde of hym, & beleued not that he was a
disciple.
27 But Barnabas toke hym, & brought hym to the Apostles, and declared to
them howe he had seene the Lorde in the way, & that he had spoken to hym,
and howe he had done boldely at Damasco in the name of Iesu.
28 And he had his conuersation with the at Hierusalem,
29 Speakyng boldly in the name of the Lorde Iesu. And he spake and disputed
agaynst the Grekes: but they went about to slea hym.
30 Which whe the brethren knewe, they brought hym to Cesarea, and sent hym
foorth to
Tarsus
.
31 Then had the Churches rest throughout all Iurie, and Galilee, and
Samaria
, and were edified, and walked in the feare of the Lorde, & multiplied by
the comfort of the holy ghost.
32 And it came to passe, as Peter walked throughout all quarters, he came also
to the Saintes which dwelt at Lydda.
33 And there he founde a certayne man, named Eneas, which had kept his bed eyght
yeres, & was sicke of the paulsie.
34 And Peter sayde vnto hym, Eneas, Iesus Christe make thee whole: aryse, and
make thy bedde. And he arose immediatly.
35 And all that dwelt at Lydda, and Saron sawe hym, and turned to the Lorde.
36 There was also at Ioppa a certayne woman, a disciple, named Tabitha, which by
interpretatio is called Dorcas: the same was full of good workes and almes
deedes, which she dyd.
37 And it came to passe in those dayes that she was sicke, and dyed: Whom when
they had wasshed, they layde her in an vpper chamber:
38 And forasmuch as Lydda was nye to Ioppa, and the disciples hadde hearde that
Peter was there, they sent vnto hym two men, desyryng hym that he woulde not be
greeued to come vnto them.
39 Then Peter arose, & came with them, and when he was come, they brought
hym into the vpper chamber: And all the wydowes stoode rounde about him weepyng,
and shewyng the coates and garmentes which Dorcas made whyle she was with them.
40 And Peter put them all foorth, and kneled downe, and prayed, and turned hym
to the body, and sayde: Tabitha aryse. And she opened her eyes, and when she
sawe Peter, she sate vp.
41 And he gaue her the hande, and lyfte her vp: and when he hadde called the
saintes and wydowes, he deliuered her alyue.
42 And it was knowen throughout all Ioppa, & many beleued in the Lorde.
43 And it came to passe, that he taryed many dayes in Ioppa, with one Simo a
tanner.
CHAPTER
10
1 There was a certayne man in Cesarea, called Cornelius, a captayne of the bande
called the Italian bande,
2 A deuoute man, & one yt feared God, with all his housholde, which gaue
much almes to the people, and prayed God alway.
3 The same sawe by a vision euidently, about the ninth houre of the daye, an
Angel of God commyng in to hym, and saying vnto hym, Cornelius.
4 And when he loked on hym, he was afrayde, and sayde: What is it Lorde? And he
sayde vnto hym: Thy prayers and thyne almes, are come vp into remembraunce
before God.
5 And nowe sende men to Ioppa, & call for one Simo, whose sirname is Peter.
6 He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea syde: He shall
tell thee what thou oughtest to do.
7 And when the Angell whiche spake vnto Cornelius was departed, he called two of
his household seruauntes, and a deuout souldier of them that wayted on hym,
8 And tolde them all the matter, & sent them to Ioppa.
9 On the morowe as they went on their iourney, and drewe nye vnto the citie,
Peter went vp vnto the highest part of the house to pray, about the sixth houre.
10 And whe he waxed hungry, he would haue eaten: But whyle they made redie, he
fell into a traunce.
11 And saw heauen opened, and a certaine vessell come downe vnto him, as it had
ben a great sheete, knyt at the foure corners, & was let downe to the earth.
12 Wherin were all maner of fourefooted beastes of the earth, & wilde
beastes, and wormes, and foules of the ayre.
13 And there came a voyce to hym: ryse Peter, kyll and eate.
14 But Peter sayde, Not so Lorde: For I haue neuer eaten any thyng that is
common or vncleane.
15 And the voyce spake vnto hym againe the seconde tyme: What God hath cleansed,
that call not thou common.
16 This was done thryse, and the vessell was receaued vp agayne into heauen.
17 Nowe whyle Peter doubted in hym selfe, what this vision whiche he hadde seene
meant: beholde, the men whiche were sent from Cornelius, had made inquiraunce
for Simons house, & stoode before the doore,
18 And called, and asked whether Simo which was sirnamed Peter, were lodged
there.
19 Whyle Peter thought on the vision, the spirite said vnto hym: beholde, three
men seke thee.
20 Arise therfore, and get the downe, and go with them, & doubt not, for I
haue sent them.
21 Then Peter went downe to the men which were set vnto him fro Cornelius, &
said: Behold, I am he who ye seeke, what is the cause wherfore ye are come?
22 And they sayde: Cornelius the capitayne, a iust man, and one that feareth
God, and of good report among all the people of the Iewes, was warned by an holy
Angel to sende for thee into his house, and to heare wordes of thee.
23 Then called he them in, and lodged them. And on the morowe, Peter went away
with them, and certaine brethren from Ioppa accompanied hym.
24 And the thirde day after, entred they into Cesarea: And Cornelius wayted for
them, and hadde called together his kinsemen and speciall friendes.
25 And it came to passe, as Peter came in, Cornelius met hym, & fell downe
at his feete, and worshipped [hym.]
26 But Peter toke him vp, saying: stande vp, I my selfe also am a man.
27 And as he talked with him, he came in, & found many that were come
together.
28 And he said vnto the: Ye knowe how that it is an vnlawful thyng for a man
that is a Iew, to companie or come vnto one of another natio: But God hath
shewed me, that I shoulde not call any man common or vncleane.
29 Therefore came I vnto you without delay, assoone as I was sent for: I aske
therfore, for what intent ye haue sent for me?
30 And Cornelius sayde: This day nowe foure dayes, about this houre, I sate
fasting, and at the ninth houre, I prayed in my house: And beholde, a man stoode
before me in bryght clothyng,
31 And sayde: Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thyne almes deedes are had in
remembraunce in the syght of God.
32 Sende therfore to Ioppa, and call for Simon, whose sirname is Peter: He is
lodged in the house of one Simo, a tanner, by the sea syde, who when he commeth,
shall speake vnto thee.
33 Then sent I for thee immediatly, and thou hast well done that thou art come.
Nowe therfore are we all here present before God, to heare all thynges that are
commaunded vnto thee of God.
34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said: Of a trueth I perceaue that God hath
no regarde of persons:
35 But in euery nation, he that feareth hym, and worketh ryghteousnes, is
accepted with hym.
36 Touchyng the worde which God set vnto the chyldren of
Israel
, preachyng peace by Iesus Christe (he is Lord ouer all.)
37 Ye knowe howe the worde was publisshed through all Iurie, begynnyng in
Galilee, after the baptisme whiche Iohn preached:
38 Howe God annoynted Iesus of Nazareth, with the holy ghoste, and with power:
Who went about doyng good, and healyng all that were oppressed of the deuyll,
for God was with hym.
39 And we are witnesses of all thynges which he dyd in the land of the Iewes,
and at Hierusalem, whom they slewe, and hanged on tree.
40 Hym God raysed vp the thirde daye, and shewed hym openly,
41 Not to al the people, but vnto vs witnesses, chosen before of God, euen to vs
whiche dyd eate and drynke with hym after he arose from the dead.
42 And he commaunded vs to preache vnto the people, and to testifie that it is
he whiche was ordeyned of God to be the iudge of quicke and dead.
43 To hym geue all the prophetes witnesse, that through his name whosoeuer
beleueth in hym, shall receaue remission of sinnes.
44 Whyle Peter yet spake these wordes, the holy ghost fell on all them whiche
hearde the worde.
45 And they of the circumcision which beleued, were astonied, as many as came
with Peter, because that on the gentiles also was shedde out the gyft of the
holy ghost.
46 For they hearde them speake with tounges, & magnifie God. Then aunswered
Peter:
47 Can any man forbid water, that these shoulde not be baptized, which haue
receaued the holy ghost aswell as we?
48 And he commaunded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed
they him to tary certaine dayes.
CHAPTER
11
1 And the apostles & brethre that were in Iurie, hearde that ye heathe had
also receaued the worde of God.
2 And when Peter was come vp to Hierusalem, they that were of the circumcision
contended agaynst hym,
3 Saying: Thou wentest in to men vncircucised, & diddest eate with them.
4 But Peter rehearsed the matter from the begynnyng, and expounded it by order
vnto them, saying:
5 I was in the citie of Ioppa praying, and in a traunce I sawe a vision, a
certayne vessell descende, as it had ben a great sheete, let downe from heauen
by the foure corners, and it came to me.
6 Upon the which whe I had fastened mine eyes, I considered, & sawe
fourefooted beastes of the earth, and wylde beastes, and wormes, and foules of
the ayre.
7 And I hearde a voyce, saying vnto me: aryse Peter, slay, and eate.
8 But I sayde, Not so Lorde: For nothyng common or vncleane hath at any tyme
entred into my mouth.
9 But the voyce aunswered me agayne from heaue: Make them not comon which God
hath cleansed.
10 And this was done three tymes: And all were taken vp agayne into heauen.
11 And beholde, immediatly there were three men, alredy come vnto the house
where I was, sent from Cesarea vnto me.
12 And the spirite sayde vnto me, that I shoulde go with the, without doubting.
Moreouer, these sixe brethren accompanyed me, & we entred into the mans
house:
13 And he shewed vs, howe he had seene an Angel in his house, which stoode and
sayde vnto hym: Sende men to Ioppa, and call for Simon, whose sirname is Peter:
14 He shal tell thee wordes, wherby both thou and all thyne house shalbe saued.
15 And as I began to speake, the holy ghost fell on them, as he dyd on vs at the
begynnyng.
16 Then came it to my remembraunce, howe that the Lorde sayde: Iohn baptized
with water, but ye shalbe baptized with the holy ghost.
17 For as much then, as God gaue them the lyke gyft as he dyd vnto vs, when we
beleued on the Lorde Iesus Christ: what was I, that I shoulde haue withstande
God?
18 When they hearde these thynges, they helde their peace, and glorified God,
saying: Then hath God also to ye Gentiles, graunted repentaunce vnto lyfe.
19 They also which were scattered abrode through the affliction that arose about
Steuen, walked throughout vnto Phenices, and Cypers, and Antioche, preachyng the
worde to no man, but vnto the Iewes only.
20 And some of the were men of Cypers, and Cyrenes, which when they were come to
Antioche, spake vnto ye Grekes, and preached the Lorde Iesus.
21 And the hande of the Lorde was with them, and a great number beleued and
turned vnto the Lorde.
22 Then tydynges of these thinges came vnto the cares of the Churche, which was
in Hierusale: And they sent foorth Barnabas, that he shoulde go vnto Antioche.
23 Which when he came, and had seene the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted
them all, that with purpose of heart they woulde cleaue vnto the Lorde.
24 For he was a good man, and full of the holy ghost, and of fayth: And much
people was added vnto the Lorde.
25 Then departed Barnabas to
Tarsus
, for to seeke Saul.
26 And when he had founde hym, he brought hym vnto Antioche. And it came to
passe, that a whole yere they had their couersation with the Church there, &
taught much people: in so much, that the disciples of Antioche, were the first
that were called Christians.
27 And in those dayes, came prophetes from Hierusalem vnto Antioche.
28 And there stoode vp one of them named Agabus, and signified by the spirite,
that there shoulde be great dearth throughout all the worlde: which came to
passe in the dayes of Claudius Cesar.
29 Then the disciples, euery man accordyng to his abilitie, purposed to sende
succour vnto the brethren which dwelt in Iurie.
30 Which thyng they also dyd, and sent it to the elders by the handes of
Barnabas and Saul.
CHAPTER
12
1 At the same tyme Herode the king stretched foorth his handes to vexe certayne
of the Churche.
2 And he killed Iames the brother of Iohn with the sworde.
3 And because he sawe it pleased the Iewes, he proceaded further, and toke Peter
also. (Then were the dayes of sweete bread.)
4 And when he had caught hym, he put hym in pryson also, and delyuered hym to
foure quaternions of souldiers to be kept, intendyng after Easter to bryng hym
foorth to the people.
5 And Peter was kept in pryson: But prayer was made without ceassyng of the
Churche, vnto God for hym.
6 And when Herode woulde haue brought hym foorth vnto the people, the same nyght
slept Peter betweene two souldiers, bounde with two chaynes, and the kepers
before the doore kept the pryson.
7 And beholde, the Angel of ye Lorde was there present, and a lyght shyned in
the habitation: And he smote Peter on the syde, and stirred hym vp, saying:
Aryse vp quickly. And his chaynes fell of from his handes.
8 And the Angel sayde vnto hym: gyrde thy selfe, & bynde on thy sandales.
And so he dyd. And he sayeth vnto hym: cast thy garment about thee, and folow
me.
9 And he came out and folowed hym, and wyse not that it was trueth which was
done by the Angel, but thought he had seene a vision.
10 When they were past the first and the seconde watch, they came vnto the yron
gate, that leadeth vnto the citie, which opened to them by the owne accorde: And
they went out, and passed through one streate, and foorthwith the Angel departed
from hym.
11 And when Peter was come to hym selfe, he sayde: Nowe I knowe of a suertie,
that the Lorde hath sent his Angel, and hath deliuered me out of the hande of
Herode, and from all the waytyng for, of the people of the Iewes.
12 And as he considered the thyng, he came to the house of Marie the mother of
Iohn, whose sirname was Marke, where many were gathered together in prayer.
13 As Peter knocked at the entrie doore, a damsell came foorth to hearken, named
Rhoda.
14 And when she knewe Peters voyce, she opened not the doore for gladnesse, but
ran in, and tolde howe Peter stoode before the doore.
15 And they sayde vnto her: thou art mad. But she affirmed that it was euen so.
Then sayde they: it is his Angel.
16 But Peter continued knockyng: And when they had opened the doore, and sawe
hym, they were astonyed.
17 And when he had beckened vnto the with the hande, that they myght holde their
peace, he tolde them by what meanes the Lorde had brought hym out of the pryson.
And he sayde: Go shewe these thynges vnto Iames and to the brethren. And he
departed, and went into another place.
18 Nowe assoone as it was day, there was no litle adoe among the souldiers, what
was become of Peter.
19 And when Herode had sought for hym, and founde hym not, he examined the
kepers, and commaunded them to be caryed away. And he descended from Iurie to
Cesarea, and there abode.
20 And Herode was displeased with them of
Tyre
and
Sidon
: But they came all with one accorde to hym, and made intercession vnto Blastus
the kynges chaumberlayne, and desired peace, because their countrey was
norisshed by the kyng.
21 And vpon a day appoynted, Herode arayed hym in royall apparell, and set hym
in his seate, and made an oration vnto them.
22 And the people gaue a shout [saying] It is the voyce of God, & not of a
man.
23 And immediatly the Angel of ye Lorde smote hym, because he gaue not God ye
honour, & he was eaten of wormes, and gaue vp the ghost.
24 And the worde of God grewe and multiplied.
25 And Barnabas and Saul returned to Hierusalem, when they had fulfylled their
office, and toke with them Iohn, whose sirname was Marke.
CHAPTER
13
1 There was also in the Churche that was at Antioche, certayne prophetes, and
teachers: as Barnabas and Simeon that was called
Niger
, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manahen, which had ben norisshed vp with Herode the
tetrarch, and Saul.
2 As they ministred to the Lorde and fasted, the holy ghost sayde: Separate me
Barnabas and Saul, for the worke wherunto I haue called them.
3 And when they had fasted & prayed, & layde their hades on the, they
let the go.
4 And they, after they were sent foorth of the holy ghost, departed vnto
Seleucia
, & from thence they sealed to
Cyprus
.
5 And when they were at Salamine, they preached the worde of God in the
synagogues of the Iewes: And they had also Iohn to their minister.
6 And when they had gone through the Ile vnto Paphos, they founde a certayne
sorcerer, a false prophete, a Iewe, whose name was Bariesu:
7 Which was with the deputie of the countrey, one Sergius Paulus, a prudent man:
The same called vnto hym Barnabas and Saul, and desired to heare the worde of
God.
8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstoode
them, and sought to turne the deputie away from the fayth.
9 Then Saul (which also is called Paul) beyng full of the holy ghost, set his
eyes on hym,
10 And sayde: O full of all subtiltie and all mischiefe, thou chylde of the
deuyll, thou enemie of all righteousnesse, wylt thou not cease to peruert the
wayes of the Lorde?
11 And nowe beholde, the hande of the Lorde is vpon thee, and thou shalt be
blynde, and not see the sunne for a season. And immediatly, there fell on hym a
myste, and a darcknesse, and he went about, seekyng [them] that shoulde leade
hym by the hande.
12 Then the deputie, when he sawe what was done, beleued, and wondred at the
doctrine of the Lorde.
13 Nowe when they that were with Paul, were departed fro Paphos, they came to
Perga in Pamphylia: And Iohn departed from them, and returned to Hierusalem.
14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioche in Pisidia, and went
into the synagogue on ye Sabboth day, and sate downe.
15 And after the lecture of the lawe and the prophetes, the rulers of the
synagogue sent vnto them, saying: Ye men and brethren, yf ye haue any worde to
exhort the people, say on.
16 Then Paul stoode vp, and beckened with the hande, and sayde: Men of Israel,
& ye that feare God, geue audience.
17 The God of this people of Israel, chose our fathers, & exalted the
people, when they dwelt as straungers in the lande of Egypt, and with an hye
arme brought he them out of it.
18 And about the tyme of fourtie yeres, suffred he their maners in the
wyldernesse.
19 And he destroyed seuen nations in the lande of Chanaan, and deuyded their
lande to them by lot.
20 And afterwarde, he gaue vnto them iudges, about the space of foure hundred
and fyftie yeres, vnto the tyme of Samuel the prophete.
21 And afterwarde, they desired a kyng, and God gaue vnto them Saul, the sonne
of Cis, a man of the tribe of Beniamin, by the space of fourtie yeres.
22 And when he was put downe, he set vp Dauid to be their kyng, of whom he
reported, saying: I haue founde Dauid the sonne of Iesse, a man after mine owne
heart, which shall fulfyll all my wyll.
23 Of this mans seede, hath God accordyng to his promise brought foorth to
Israel
, the sauiour Iesus.
24 When Iohn had first preached before his commyng, the baptisme of repentaunce
to all the people of
Israel
.
25 And when Iohn had fulfylled his course, he sayde: Whom ye thynke that I am,
the same am I not. But behold, there commeth one after me, whose shoes of his
feete I am not worthy to loose.
26 Ye men and brethren, chyldren of the generation of Abraham, and whosoeuer
among you feareth God, to you is the worde of this saluation sent.
27 For they that dwell at Hierusalem, and their rulers, because they knewe hym
not, nor yet the voyces of the prophetes which are read euery Sabboth day, they
haue fulfylled them in condempnyng hym:
28 And though they founde no cause of death in hym, yet desired they Pilate to
kyll hym.
29 And when they had fulfylled all that were written of hym, they toke hym downe
from the tree, and put hym in a sepulchre.
30 But God raysed hym agayne from the dead:
31 And he was seene many dayes of them which came vp with hym from
Galilee
to Hierusalem, which are his witnesses vnto the people.
32 And we declare vnto you, howe that the promise which was made vnto the
fathers,
33 God hath fulfylled the same vnto vs their chyldren, in that he raysed vp
Iesus agayne. As it is written in the seconde psalme: Thou art my sonne, this
day haue I begotten thee.
34 And as concernyng that he raysed him vp from the dead, nowe no more to
returne to corruption, he sayde on this wyse: I wyll geue you ye holy thynges of
Dauid, which are faythfull.
35 Wherfore, he sayeth also in another place. Thou shalt not suffer thyne holy
one to see corruption.
36 For Dauid, after he had serued his tyme, by the wyll of God fell on slepe,
and was layde vnto his fathers, and sawe corruption:
37 But he whom God raysed agayne, sawe no corruption.
38 Be it knowen vnto you therfore, ye men & brethren, that through this man
is preached vnto you the forgeuenesse of sinnes,
39 And that by hym, all that beleue, are iustified from all thynges, from which
ye coulde not be iustified by the lawe of Moyses.
40 Beware therfore, lest that fall on you, which is spoken of in the prophetes:
41 Beholde ye despisers, and wonder, and perishe ye: for I do a worke in your
dayes, a worke which ye shal not beleue though a man declare it you.
42 And when they were gone out of the synagogue of the Iewes, the Gentiles
besought that they woulde preache these wordes to them ye next Sabboth.
43 Nowe when the congregation was broken vp, many of the Iewes and vertuous
proselytes folowed Paul & Barnabas, which spake to them, and exhorted them
to continue in the grace of God.
44 And the next Sabboth day came almost the whole citie together, to heare the
worde of God.
45 But when the Iewes sawe the people, they were full of indignation, and spake
agaynst those thynges which were spoken of Paul, speakyng against, and raylyng.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas wared bolde, and sayde: It was meete that the worde of
God shoulde first haue ben spoken to you: but seeyng ye put it from you, and
thynke your selues vnworthy of euerlastyng lyfe, loe, we turne to the Gentiles,
47 For so hath the Lorde commaunded vs. I haue made thee a lyght of the
Gentiles, that thou be the saluation vnto the ende of the worlde.
48 And when the Gentiles hearde this, they were glad, and glorified the worde of
the Lorde, and as many as were ordayned to eternall lyfe, beleued.
49 And the worde of the Lorde was publisshed throughout all the region.
50 But the Iewes moued the deuout and honest women, and the chiefe men of the
citie, and raysed persecution agaynst Paule and Barnabas, and expelled them out
of their coastes:
51 But they shoke of the dust of their feete against them, and came vnto
Iconium.
52 And the disciples were fylled with ioy, and with the holy ghost.
CHAPTER
14
1 And it came to passe in Iconium, that they went both together into the
synagogue of the Iewes, & so spake, that a great multitude both of the Iewes,
& also of the Grekes beleued.
2 But the vnbeleuyng Iewes, stirred vp, and corrupted the myndes of the Gentiles
agaynst the brethren.
3 Long tyme therfore abode they there, and quyt them selues boldely, with the
helpe of the Lorde, which gaue testimonie vnto the worde of his grace, and
graunted signes & wonders to be done by their handes.
4 But the multitude of the citie was deuided: and part helde with the Iewes, and
part with the Apostles.
5 And when there was an assault made both of the gentiles, and also of the Iewes,
with their rulers, to do them violence, and to stone them,
6 They were ware of it, and fled vnto Lystra & Derbe, cities of Lycaonia,
and vnto the regio that lieth rounde about:
7 And there preached the Gospell.
8 And there sate a certayne man at Lystra, weake in his feete, beyng a creple
from his mothers wombe, and neuer had walked.
9 The same hearde Paul speake: which beholdyng hym, and perceauyng that he had
sayth to be whole,
10 Sayde with a loude voyce: stande vpryght on thy feete. And he start vp, and
walked.
11 And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lyft vp their voyces, saying
in the speache of Lycaonia: Gods are come downe to vs in the lykenesse of men.
12 And they called Barnabas Iupiter, and Paul Mercurius, because he was the
chiefe speaker.
13 Then Iupiters priest, which was before their citie, brought oxen and
garlandes vnto the doore, and woulde haue done sacrifice with the people.
14 Which when the Apostles, Barnabas & Paul heard of, they rent their
clothes, and ran in among the people, crying,
15 And saying: Sirs, why do ye these thynges? We are mortall men lyke vnto you,
and preach vnto you, that ye shoulde turne from these vanities, vnto the lyuyng
God, which made heauen and earth, and the sea, and all thynges that are therin.
16 The which in tymes past suffred all nations to walke in their owne wayes.
17 Neuerthelesse, he left not hym selfe without witnesse, in that he shewed his
benefites from heauen, in geuyng vs rayne and fruitefull seasons, fillyng our
heartes with foode and gladnesse.
18 And with these sayinges, scarce refrayned they the people, that they had not
done sacrifice vnto them.
19 Then thyther came certayne Iewes from Antioche and Iconium: which, whe they
had perswaded the people, and had stoned Paule, drewe hym out of the citie,
supposyng he had ben dead.
20 Howbeit, as the disciples stoode round about hym, he arose vp, and came into
the citie: And the next day, he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.
21 And when they had preached to that citie, and had taught many, they returned
agayne to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioche,
22 And strengthed the disciples soules agayne, and exhorted them to continue in
the fayth, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kyngdome of
God.
23 And when they had ordeyned them elders by election in euery Churche, and had
prayed, with fastyng, they commended them to the Lorde, on whom they beleued.
24 And when they had gone throughout Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia,
25 And when they had spoken the worde in Perga, they descended into Attalia,
26 And thence departed by shippe to Antioche, from whence they were committed
vnto the grace of God, to the worke which they fulfylled.
27 And when they were come, and had gathered the Churche together, they
rehearsed all that God had done with them, & howe he had opened the doore of
fayth vnto the gentiles.
28 And there they abode long tyme with the disciples.
CHAPTER
15
1 And certayne men whiche came downe fro Iurie, taught the brethren, except ye
be circumcised after the maner of Moyses, ye can not be saued.
2 So, when there was rysen discention and disputyng, not a litle vnto Paul and
Barnabas, agaynst them: they determyned that Paul and Barnabas, and certayne
other of them, shoulde go vp to Hierusalem, vnto the Apostles and elders, about
this question.
3 And after they were brought on their way by ye Churche, they passed through
Phenices and
Samaria
, declaryng the conuersation of the gentiles, and they brought great ioy vnto
all the brethen.
4 And when they were come to Hierusalem, they were receaued of ye Church, and of
the Apostles and elders: And they declared all thynges that God had done with
them.
5 Then rose vp certayne of the sect of the pharisees, which dyd beleue, saying
that it was needefull to circumcise the, and to commaunde to kepe the lawe of
Moyses.
6 And the Apostles and elders came together, for to consider of this matter.
7 And when there had ben much disputyng, Peter rose vp, and sayde vnto the: Ye
men & brethren, ye knowe how that a good while ago, God did chose among vs,
that the gentiles by my mouth, shoulde heare the worde of the Gospel, and beleue.
8 And God whiche knoweth the heartes, bare them witnesse, and gaue vnto them the
holy ghost, euen as he dyd vnto vs:
9 And put no difference betwene vs and them, purifiyng their heartes by fayth.
10 Nowe therfore, why tempt ye God, to put on the disciples neckes, the yoke
which neither our fathers nor we were able to beare?
11 But we beleue, that through the grace of the Lorde Iesu Christe, we shalbe
saued, euen as they.
12 Then all the multitude was scilent, and gaue audience to Barnabas and Paul,
which tolde what signes and wonders, God had shewed among the gentiles by them.
13 And when they helde their peace, Iames aunswered, saying: Men and brethren,
hearken vnto me.
14 Simeon tolde, howe God at the begynnyng dyd visite, to receaue of the
gentiles, a people in his name.
15 And to this agree the wordes of the prophetes, as it is written:
16 After this I wyll returne, and wyll buylde agayne the tabernacle of Dauid,
which is fallen downe: and that which is fallen in decay of it, wyll I buylde
agayne, and I wyll set it vp:
17 That the residue of men myght seke after the Lorde, and all the gentiles vpon
whom my name is called, sayth the Lorde, which doth all these thynges.
18 Knowen vnto God are all his workes from the begynnyng of the worlde.
19 Wherfore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the
gentiles, are turned to God:
20 But that we write vnto them, that they absteyne themselues from fylthynesse
of idols, and fro fornication, and from strangled, and from blood.
21 For Moyses of olde tyme, hath in euery citie, them that preache hym in the
synagogues, when he is read euery Sabboth day.
22 Then pleased it the Apostles & elders, with the whole Church, to sende
chosen me of their owne companie to
Antioch
, with Paul and Barnabas: [That is] Iudas, whose sirname was Barsabas, and
Silas, which were chiefe men among the brethren,
23 And wrote letters by them, after this maner.
24 The Apostles, and elders, & brethren, sende greetinges vnto ye brethren,
which are of the gentiles in
Antiochia
,
Syria
, &
Cilicia
. Forasmuch as we haue heard, that certayne which departed from vs, haue
troubled you with wordes, & cumbred your myndes, saying ye must be
circumcised and kepe the lawe, to who we gaue no such commaundent:
25 It seemed therfore to vs a good thing, when we were come together with one
accorde, to sende chosen men vnto you, with our beloued Barnabas and Paul,
26 Men that haue ieoparded their lyues, for ye name of our Lorde Iesus Christe.
27 We haue sent therefore Iudas and Silas, which shall also tell you ye same
thynges by mouth.
28 For it seemed good to the holy ghost, and to vs, to charge you with no more
then these necessarie thynges [That is to say]
29 That ye abstayne from thynges offered to idols, and from blood, and from
strangled, and from fornication: From which yf ye kepe your selues, ye shall do
well. So fare ye well.
30 Nowe therfore, when they were departed, they came to Antioche, and gathered
the multitude together, and delyuered the epistle.
31 Which when they had read, they reioyced of the consolation.
32 And Iudas, and Silas, beyng prophetes, exhorted ye brethren with many wordes,
and strengthed them.
33 And after they had taryed there a space, they were let go in peace of the
brethren, vnto the Apostles.
34 Notwithstandyng, it pleased Silas to abyde there styll.
35 Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioche, teachyng and preachyng the
worde of the Lorde, with other many.
36 But after a certayne space, Paul sayde vnto Barnabas: Let vs go agayne, and
visite our brethren, in euery citie where we haue shewed ye worde of the Lorde,
[and see] howe they do.
37 And Barnabas gaue counsell to take with them Iohn, whose sirname was Marke.
38 But Paul woulde not take hym vnto their companie, which departed from them
from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the worke.
39 And the contention was so sharpe betwene the, that they departed a sunder,
one from the other, and so Barnabas toke Marke, & sayled vnto Cypers.
40 And Paul chose Silas, and departed, beyng committed of the brethren vnto the
grace of God.
41 And he went through Cyria & Cilicia, stablisshyng the Churches.
CHAPTER
16
1 Then came he to Derbe and to Lystra: And beholde, a certayne disciple was
there, named Timotheus, a womans sonne which was a Iewesse, and beleued: but his
father was a Greke.
2 Of whom the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium, reported well.
3 Paul woulde that he should go foorth with hym, and toke & circumcised hym,
because of the Iewes, which were in those quarters: for they knewe all, that his
father was a Greke.
4 And as they went through the cities, they delyuered them the decrees for to
kepe, that were ordayned of ye Apostles and elders, which were at Hierusalem.
5 And so were the Churches stablisshed in the fayth, and encreased in number
dayly.
6 Nowe when they had gone throughout Phrygia, and the region of Galatia, and
were forbidden of the holy ghost to preache the worde in Asia,
7 They commyng to Mysia, sought to go into Bithynia: but the spirite suffred
them not.
8 And they passyng through
Mysia
, came downe to Troada.
9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the nyght: There stoode a man of
Macedonia
, and prayed hym, saying: Come into
Macedonia
, and helpe vs.
10 And after he had seene ye visio, immediatly we prepared to go into
Macedonia
, beyng certified that ye Lorde had called vs, for to preache the Gospel vnto
them.
11 When we loosed foorth then from Troada, we came with a strayght course to
Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis:
12 And from thence, to Philippos, which is the chiefe citie in the partes of
Macedonia
, and a free citie: And we were in that citie abydyng certayne dayes.
13 And on the day of the Sabbothes, we went out of the citie, besydes a ryuer,
where prayer was wont to be made: And we sate downe, and spake vnto the women
which resorted thyther.
14 And a certayne woman, named
Lydia
, a seller of purple, of the citie of the Thyatirians, which worshipped God,
gaue vs audience: Whose hearte the Lorde opened, that she attended vnto the
thynges which Paul spake.
15 And when she was baptized, and her householde, she besought vs, saying: Yf ye
haue iudged me to be faythfull to the Lorde, come into my house, and abyde
there. And she constrayned vs.
16 And it came to passe, as we went to prayer, a certayne damsell, possessed
with a spirite of southsaying met vs: which brought her maisters much vantage
with southsaying.
17 The same folowed Paul and vs, and cryed, saying: These men are the seruauntes
of the most hye God, which shewe vnto vs the way of saluation.
18 And this dyd she many dayes. But Paul not content, turned about, & sayde
to the spirite, I commaunde thee in the name of Iesu Christe, that thou come out
of her. And he came out the same houre.
19 And when her maisters sawe that the hope of their gaynes was gone, they
caught Paul & Silas, and drewe them into the market place, vnto the rulers,
20 And brought them to the officers, saying: These men trouble our citie, being
Iewes:
21 And preache ordinaunces, which are not lawfull for vs to receaue, neither to
obserue, seeyng we are Romanes.
22 And the people ran agaynst them, and the officers rent their clothes, and
commaunded them to be beaten with roddes.
23 And when they had beaten them sore, they cast them into pryson, commaundyng
the iayler of the pryson to kepe them diligently.
24 Which when he had receaued such commaundement, thrust them into the inner
pryson, and made their feete fast in the stockes.
25 And at mydnyght Paul and Silas prayed, and lauded God. And the prysoners
hearde them.
26 And sodenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundation of the
pryson was shaken, and immediatly all the doores opened, and euery mans bandes
were loosed.
27 When the keper of the pryson waked out of his sleepe, and sawe the pryson
doores open, he drewe out his sworde and woulde haue kylled hym selfe, supposyng
that the prysoners had ben fled.
28 But Paul cryed with a loude voyce, saying: Do thy selfe no harme, for we are
all here.
29 Then he called for a lyght, and sprang in, and came tremblyng, and fell downe
before Paul and Silas,
30 And brought them out, & sayde: Syrs, what must I do to be saued?
31 And they sayde: beleue on the Lorde Iesus Christe, and thou shalt be saued,
and thy householde.
32 And they spake vnto hym the worde of the Lorde, and to all that were in his
house.
33 And he toke them the same houre of the nyght, and wasshed their woundes, and
was baptized hym selfe, & all they of his householde strayghtway.
34 And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and
ioyed that he with all his householde beleued on God.
35 And when it was day, the officers sent the sergeauntes, saying: Let those men
go.
36 And the keper of the pryson tolde this saying to Paul, the officers haue sent
worde to loose you. Nowe therfore, get you hence, and go in peace.
37 Then sayde Paul vnto them: They haue beaten vs openly vncondempned, beyng
Romanes, and haue cast vs into pryson: and nowe woulde they thrust vs out
priuily? Nay veryly, but let them come them selues, and fet vs out.
38 And the sergeaunts tolde these wordes vnto the officers, and they feared when
they hearde that they were Romanes.
39 And they came and besought them, and brought them out, and desired the to
depart out of the citie.
40 And they went out of the pryson, and entred into the [house] of
Lydia
, & when they had seene the brethren, they comforted them, and departed.
CHAPTER
17
1 As they made their iourney thorowe Amphipolis, and Apollonia, they came to
Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Iewes.
2 And Paul, as his maner was, went in vnto them, and three Sabboth dayes
disputed with the out of the scriptures,
3 Openyng and alleagyng, that Christ must needes haue suffred, and rysen agayne
from the dead, and that this is Christe Iesus, which I preache to you.
4 And some of them beleued, and ioyned with Paul and Silas, and of the deuout
Grekes a great multitude, and of the chiefe women not a fewe.
5 But the Iewes whiche beleued not, moued with enuie, toke vnto them certaine
vagaboundes and euyll men, and gathered a companie, and set all the citie on a
rore, and made assault vnto the house of Iason, & sought to bryng them out
to the people.
6 And when they founde them not, they drewe Iason and certaine brethren vnto the
heades of the citie, crying: these that trouble the world, are come hyther also,
7 Whom Iason hath receaued [priuily.] And these al do contrary to the decrees of
Caesar, saying that there is another kyng [one] Iesus.
8 And they troubled the people, and the officers of the citie, when they hearde
these thynges.
9 And when they were sufficiently aunswered of Iason, and of the other, they let
them go.
10 And the brethren immediatlye sent away Paul & Silas by nyght, vnto
Berea
: Which when they were come thyther, they entred into the synagogue of the Iewes.
11 These were the noblest of birth among them of Thessalonica, which receaued
the worde with all redynesse of mynde, and searched the scriptures dayly,
whether those thynges were so.
12 Therfore many of them beleued. Also of honest women which were Grekes, and of
men not a fewe.
13 But when the Iewes of Thessalonica had knowledge that ye worde of God was
preached of Paul at
Berea
, they came thyther and moued the people.
14 And then immediatly the brethren sent away Paul, to go as it were to the sea:
but Silas & Timotheus abode there styll.
15 And they that guyded Paul, brought hym vnto
Athens
, and receaued a commaundement vnto Silas & Timotheus for to come to hym
with speede, & went their way.
16 Whyle Paul wayted for them at
Athens
, his spirite was moued in hym, when he sawe the citie geue to worshippyng of
idoles.
17 Therfore disputed he in the synagogue with the Iewes, and with the deuout
persons, and in the market dayly with them that came vnto hym by chaunce.
18 Then certaine philosophers of the Epicures, and of the Stoickes disputed with
hym. And some saide: What wyll this babler say? Other some, he seemeth to be a
setter foorth of newe gods: because he preached vnto them Iesus, and the
resurrection.
19 And they toke hym, and brought him into Marce streate, saying: Maye we not
knowe what this newe doctrine wherof thou speakest is?
20 For thou bryngest certaine straunge thinges to our eares: We would knowe
therfore what these thynges meane.
21 For all the Athenians and straungers which were there, gaue them selues to
nothing els, but either to tell or to heare some newe thyng.
22 Then Paul stoode in the myddes of Marce streate, and sayde: ye men of
Athens
, I perceaue that in all thynges ye are to superstitious.
23 For as I passed by, and behelde the maner howe ye worship your gods, I founde
an aulter, wherin was written, vnto the vnknowe god. Whom ye then ignorauntly
worship, him shewe I vnto you.
24 God that made the worlde, & all that are in it, seing that he is Lorde of
heaue and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with handes:
25 Neither is worshipped with mens handes, as though he needed of any thing,
seing he him selfe geueth life and breath to all, euery where.
26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men, for to dwell on all ye face of
the earth, & hath determined the tymes before appoynted, and also the
boundes of their habitation:
27 That they shoulde seke the Lorde, yf perhappes they myght haue felt and
founde hym, though he be not farre fro euery one of vs.
28 For in hym we liue, and moue, & haue our beyng, as certaine of your owne
poetes sayde: for we are also his offpryng.
29 Forasmuch then as we are the offpring of God, we ought not to thynke that the
Godhead is lyke vnto golde, siluer, or stone, grauen by art, and mans deuice.
30 And the tyme of this ignoraunce God wyncked at: but nowe byddeth all men
euery where to repent:
31 Because he hath appoynted a day in the which he wyll iudge the worlde in
ryghteousnesse, by that man by whom he hath appoynted, and hath offered fayth to
all men, in that he hath raysed hym from the dead.
32 And when they hearde of the resurrection from the dead, some mocked, and
other sayde, we wyll heare thee agayne of this matter.
33 So Paul departed from among them.
34 Howe be it, certaine men claue vnto hym, and beleued: among the whiche was
Denys Areopagita, and a woman named Damaris, & other with them.
CHAPTER
18
1 After these thynges, Paul departed fro Athens, & came to Corinth,
2 And found a certaine Iewe, named Aquila, borne in Ponthus, lately come fro
Italie with his wyfe Priscilla (because that Claudius had commaunded all Iewes
to depart from Rome) and he came vnto them.
3 And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought (for
their craft was to make tentes)
4 And he disputed in the synagogue euery Sabboth, and exhorted the Iewes and the
Grekes.
5 And when Silas and Timotheus were come fro
Macedonia
, Paul was constrayned by the spirite to testifie to the Iewes that Iesus was
Christe.
6 And when they sayde contrary, and blasphemed, he shoke his rayment, & said
vnto them: Your blood be vpon your owne heades. From hencefoorth wyll I go
blamelesse vnto the gentiles.
7 And he departed thence, and entred into a certaine mans house, named Iustus, a
worshipper of God, whose house ioyned harde to the synagogue.
8 And one Crispus the chiefe ruler of the synagogue beleued on the Lorde, with
all his housholde: and many of the Corinthians hearyng, beleued, and were
baptized.
9 Then spake the Lorde to Paul in the nyght by a vision: Be not afrayde, but
speake, and holde not thy peace:
10 For I am with thee, and no man shal inuade thee to hurt thee. For I haue much
people in this citie.
11 And he continued there a yere and sixe monethes, and taught the word of God
among them.
12 And when Gallio was the deputie of Achaia, the Iewes made insurrection with
one accord against Paul, & brought hym to the iudgement seate,
13 Saying: This felow counselleth men to worship God contrary to the lawe.
14 And when Paul nowe was about to open his mouth, Gallio sayde vnto the Iewes:
Yf it were a matter of wrong, or an euyll deede, O ye Iewes, reason woulde that
I shoulde beare with you:
15 But yf it be a question of wordes and names, or of your lawe, loke ye to it
your selues: for I wyll be no iudge of such matters.
16 And he draue them fro the iudgement seate.
17 Then all the Grekes toke Softenes the chiefe ruler of ye synagogue, &
smote hym before the iudgement seate: And Gallio cared for none of those thinges.
18 And Paul after this, taried there yet a good whyle, and then toke his leaue
of the brethren, & sayled thence into
Syria
, (Aquila & Priscilla accompanying him) And he shore his head in Cenchrea,
for he had a vowe.
19 And he came to
Ephesus
, and left the there, but he hym selfe entred into the synagogue, & reasoned
with ye Iewes.
20 When they desired him to tary longer tyme with them, he consented not:
21 But bade them farewell, saying, I must needes at this feast that commeth be
in Hierusalem: but I wyll returne agayne vnto you yf God wyll. And he sayled
from
Ephesus
.
22 And whe he was come vnto Cesarea, and ascended vp & saluted the Churche,
he went to Antioche.
23 And whe he had taried there a while, he departed, and went ouer al the
countrey of
Galatia
and
Phrygia
by order, strengthyng all the disciples.
24 And a certaine Iewe, named Apollos, borne at
Alexandria
, came to
Ephesus
, an eloquent man, and myghtie in the scriptures.
25 The same was infourmed in the way of the Lorde, and spake feruently in the
spirite, & taught diligently the thynges of the Lorde, and knewe but the
baptisme of Iohn only.
26 And the same began to speake boldly in the synagogue. Whom when
Aquila
and Priscilla had hearde, they toke him vnto them, and expounded vnto him the
way of God more perfectly.
27 And when he was disposed to go into Achaia, the brethre wrote, exhorting the
disciples to receaue hym: Which when he was come, helped them much which had
beleued through grace.
28 For he ouercame the Iewes myghtilye, and that openly, shewyng by the
scriptures, that Iesus was Christe.
CHAPTER
19
1 And it came to passe, yt whyle Apollo was at Corinth, Paul passed through the
vpper coastes, and came to Ephesus, and founde certaine disciples,
2 And sayde vnto them: Haue ye receaued the holy ghost sence ye beleued? And
they saide vnto hym: We haue not hearde whether there be any holy ghost or no.
3 And he sayde vnto them: Unto what then were ye baptized? And they sayde: vnto
Iohns baptisme.
4 Then sayde Paul: Iohn veryly baptized with the baptisme of repentaunce, saying
vnto the people, that they should beleue on hym which shoulde come after hym,
that is, on Christe Iesus.
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lorde Iesu.
6 And whe Paul had layde his handes vpon them, the holy ghost came on the, and
they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
7 And all the men were about twelue.
8 And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldlye for the space of three
monethes, disputyng & perswadyng those thynges that appertayne to the
kyngdome of God.
9 But when diuers waxed harde hearted, and beleued not, but spake euyll of the
way [of the Lorde) and that before the multitude, he departed from them, &
seperated ye disciples. And he disputed dayly in the scoole of one called
Tyrannus.
10 And this continued by the space of two yeres, so that all they whiche dwelt
in
Asia
, hearde the worde of the Lord Iesu, both Iewes and Grekes.
11 And God wrought speciall miracles by the handes of Paul.
12 So that from his body, were brought vnto the sicke, napkins, and partlettes,
and the diseases departed from them, & the euyll spirites went out of them.
13 Then certaine of the vagabounde Iewes, exorcistes, toke vpon them to call
ouer them which had euyll spirites, the name of the Lorde Iesus, saying: We
adiure you by Iesus, whom Paul preacheth.
14 And there were seuen sonnes of one Sceua a Iewe, and chiefe of ye priestes,
which dyd so.
15 And the euyll spirite aunswered, and sayde, Iesus I knowe, and Paul I knowe:
but who are ye?
16 And the man in whom the euyll spirite was, ran on them, & ouercame the,
& preuayled agaynst them, so that they fled out of that house naked &
wouded.
17 And this was knowen to all ye Iewes & Grekes also which dwelt at
Ephesus
, and feare came on them all, & the name of the Lorde Iesus was magnified.
18 And many that beleued, came & confessed, and shewed their workes.
19 Many also of the whiche vsed curious craftes, brought their bookes, &
burned them before all men, and they counted the price of them, & founde it
fiftie thousande peeces of syluer.
20 So myghtyly grew the word of God, and preuayled.
21 After these thinges were ended, Paul purposed in the spirite, when he had
passed ouer
Macedonia
and Achaia, to go to Hierusalem, saying: After I haue ben there, I must also
see
Rome
.
22 So sent he into
Macedonia
two of them that ministred vnto hym, Timotheus and Erastus, but he hym selfe
remayned in
Asia
for a season.
23 And the same time there arose no litle a do about that way.
24 For a certaine man, named Demetrius, a syluer smyth, which made shrines for
Diana, was not a litle beneficiall vnto the craftes men.
25 Whom he called together, with the workemen of like occupation, and sayde:
Sirs, ye knowe that by this craft we haue aduauntage.
26 Moreouer, ye see and heare, that not alone at
Ephesus
, but almost throughout all
Asia
, this Paul hath perswaded and turned away much people, saying that they be not
gods which are made with handes.
27 So that not only this our craft commeth into peryll to be set at naught, but
also that the temple of ye great goddesse Diana should be despised, and her
magnificence should be destroyed, whom all
Asia
and the worlde worshippeth.
28 And when they hearde these sayinges, they were full of wrath, and cryed out,
saying: great is Diana of ye Ephesians.
29 And all the citie was on a rore, & they russhed into the common hall with
one assent, and caught Gaius & Aristarcus, men of
Macedonia
, Paules companions.
30 When Paule woulde haue entred in vnto ye people, the disciples suffred hym
not.
31 But certaine of ye chiefe of
Asia
, which were his friendes, sent vnto hym, desiryng hym that he would not preasse
into the common hall.
32 Some therfore cryed one thyng, and some another, and the assemblie was all
out of quiet, and the more part knew not wherfore they were come together.
33 And they drewe Alexander out of the multitude, the Iewes thrustyng hym
forwardes. And Alexander beckened with the hande, and would haue geuen the
people an aunswere.
34 But when they knewe that he was a Iewe, there arose a shoute almost for the
space of two houres, of all men, crying: great is Diana of the Ephesians.
35 And when the towne clarke had pacified the people, he sayde: Ye men of
Ephesus, what man is it that knoweth not how that the citie of the Ephesians is
a worshipper of the great goddesse Diana, and of the [image] whiche came downe
from Iupiter?
36 Seing then that these thinges can not be spoken against, ye ought to be
contet, and to do nothyng rasshely.
37 For ye haue brought hyther these men, which are neither robbers of Churches
nor yet despisers of your goddesse.
38 Wherfore, yf Demetrius & the craftes men which are with hym, haue a
matter agaynst any man, the lawe is open, and there are deputies, let them
accuse one another.
39 But yf ye inquire any thyng concernyng other matters, it shalbe determined in
a lawfull assemblie.
40 For we are in ieopardie to be accused of this dayes vprore, forasmuch as
there is no cause, wherby we may geue a reckenyng of this concourse of people.
41 And when he had thus spoken, he let the assemblie depart.
CHAPTER
20
1 And after the vprore was ceassed, Paul called the disciples, & toke his
leaue of them, and departed, for to go into
Macedonia
.
2 And whe he had gone ouer those parties, and had geuen them a long exhortation,
he came into Grece.
3 And [there] abode three monethes. And when the Iewes layde wayte for hym as he
was about to sayle into
Syria
, he purposed to returne through
Macedonia
.
4 And there accompanied him into Asia Sopater of Berrea, and of the
Thessalonians Aristarcus and Secundus, and Gaius of Derbe and Timotheus, and out
of Asia Tychicus and Trophimus.
5 These going before, taried vs at
Troas
.
6 And we sayled away fro Philippos, after the dayes of sweete bread, & came
vnto the to
Troas
in fiue dayes, where we abode seuen dayes.
7 And vpon one of the Sabboth dayes, when the disciples came together for to
breake bread, Paul reasoned with the, redy to depart on the morowe, and
continued the worde vnto mydnyght.
8 And there were many lyghtes in an vpper chamber, where they were gathered
together.
9 And there sate in a window a certaine young man, named Eutychus, being fallen
into a deepe sleepe: And as Paul was long reasonyng, he was the more ouercome
with sleepe, and fell downe from the thirde loft, and was taken vp dead.
10 But whe Paul went downe, he fell on hym, and imbraced hym, & saide: make
nothyng a do, for his lyfe is in hym.
11 And so when he was come vp againe, and had broken bread and eaten, &
talked a long while, euen tyll the morning, and so he departed.
12 And they brought the young man alyue, and were not a litle comforted.
13 And we went afore to shippe, & loosed vnto Asson, there to receaue Paul:
For so had he appoynted, and woulde hym selfe go a foote.
14 And when he was come to vs to Asso, we toke hym in, and came to Mytilene.
15 And we sayled thence, and came the next day ouer agaynst Chios: and the next
daye we arryued at
Samos
, and taryed at Trogylliu. The next day we came to Miletum:
16 For Paul had determined to sayle ouer by
Ephesus
, because he would not spend the tyme in
Asia
. For he hasted, yf it were possible for hym, to kepe at Hierusalem the day of
Pentecost.
17 And from Miletum, he sent to
Ephesus
, and called the elders of the Church.
18 Which when they were come to hym, he saide vnto them: Ye knowe from the first
daye that I came into
Asia
, after what maner I haue ben with you at all seasons.
19 Seruyng the Lorde with all humblenesse of mynde, and with many teares, and
temptations whiche came vnto me by the layinges awayte of the Iewes:
20 And howe I kept backe nothing that was profitable vnto you, but haue shewed
you, and haue taught you openly, and throughout euery house.
21 Witnessyng both to the Iewes & also to the Grekes, the repentaunce that
is towarde God, and the fayth whiche is towarde our Lorde Iesus.
22 And nowe beholde I go bounde in the spirite vnto Hierusale, not knowyng the
thynges that shall come vnto me:
23 But that the holy ghost witnesseth in euery citie, saying that bondes &
trouble abyde me.
24 But none of these thynges moue me, neither is my lyfe deare vnto my selfe, so
that I myght fulfyll my course with ioy, and the ministerie whiche I haue
receaued of the Lorde Iesu, to testifie the Gospell of the grace of God.
25 And nowe beholde, I am sure that hencefoorth ye al, through who I haue gone
preachyng the kyngdome of God, shall see my face no more.
26 Wherefore, I take you to recorde this day, that I am pure from the blood of
all men.
27 For I haue kept nothyng backe, but haue shewed you all ye counsell of God.
28 Take heede therfore vnto your selues, and to all the flocke, ouer the which
the holy ghost hath made you ouerseers, to rule the Church of God, which he hath
purchased with his owne blood.
29 For I knowe this, that after my departyng, shall greeuous wolfes enter in
among you, not sparyng the flocke.
30 Also of your owne selues shall men aryse, speakyng peruerse thynges, to drawe
disciples after them.
31 Therfore watch, and remember that by the space of three yeres I ceassed not
to warne euery one night and day with teares.
32 And nowe brethren I commende you to God, and to the worde of his grace, which
is able to buylde further, and to geue you an inheritaunce among all the which
are sanctified.
33 I haue desired no mans syluer, golde, or vesture.
34 Yea, ye your selues knowe, that these handes haue ministred vnto my
necessities, and to them that were with me.
35 I haue shewed you all thinges, howe that so labouryng ye ought to receaue the
weake, and to remember ye wordes of the Lorde Iesu, howe that he said, it is
more blessed to geue, then to receaue.
36 And when he hadde thus spoken, he kneled downe, & prayed with them all.
37 And they all wepte sore, and fell on Paules necke, and kyssed hym,
38 Sorowyng most of all for the wordes whiche he spake, that they shoulde see
his face no more. And they accompanied hym vnto the shippe.
CHAPTER
21
1 And when it came to passe that we had lauched forth, and were departed from
them, we came with a straight course vnto Choos, and the day folowyng vnto the
Rhodes
, and from thence vnto Patara.
2 And when we had gotten a shippe that woulde sayle vnto Phenice, we went
aboorde, and set foorth.
3 Nowe when
Cyprus
began to appeare vnto vs, we left it on the left hande, and sayled into
Syria
, and came vnto
Tyre
: For there the shippe vnladed the burthen.
4 And when we had founde disciples, we taryed there seuen dayes: who said to
Paule through the spirite, that he shoulde not go vp to Hierusalem.
5 And when the dayes were ended, we departed, and went our way, and they all
brought vs on our way, with wyues and chyldren, tyll we were come out of the
citie. And we kneeled downe in the shore, and prayed.
6 And whe we had taken our leaue one of another, we toke shippe, and they
returned home agayne.
7 When we had full ended the course from
Tyre
, we went downe to Ptolomaida, and saluted the brethren, and abode with them one
day.
8 And the next daye, they that were of Paules companie departed, and came vnto
Cesarea: And we entred into the house of Philip the Euangelist (which was one of
the seuen) and abode with hym.
9 And the same man had foure daughters, virgins, which dyd prophesie.
10 And as we taryed there a good many of dayes, there came a certaine prophete
from Iurie, named Agabus.
11 And when he was come vnto vs, he toke Paules girdle, & bounde his owne
handes and feete, & sayde: Thus sayth the holy ghost, so shall the Iewes at
Hierusalem bynde the man that oweth this girdle, and shall delyuer hym into the
handes of the gentiles.
12 And when we hearde these thynges, both we and other whiche were of the same
place, besought him that he would not go vp to Hierusalem.
13 Then Paule aunswered: What do ye weepyng and vexyng myne heart? For I am redy,
not to be bounde only, but also to dye at Hierusalem for the name of the Lorde
Iesu.
14 And when we coulde not turne his mynde, we ceassed, saying: the wyll of the
Lorde be fulfylled.
15 And after those dayes, we toke vp our burthens, and went vp to Hierusalem.
16 There went with vs also [certayne] of the disciples of Cesarea, & brought
with them one Mnason of Cyprus, an olde disciple, with whom we shoulde lodge.
17 And when we were come to Hierusalem, the brethren receaued vs gladly.
18 And on the morowe, Paule went in with vs vnto Iames, and all the elders came
together.
19 And when he had saluted them, he tolde by order all thinges that God had
wrought among the gentiles by his ministerie.
20 And when they hearde it, they glorified the Lorde, & sayde vnto hym: Thou
seest brother, howe many thousande Iewes there are which beleue, & they are
all earnest folowers of the lawe.
21 And they are infourmed of thee, that thou teachest all the Iewes whiche are
among the Gentiles to forsake Moyses, and sayest that they ought not to
circucise their chyldren, neither to walke after the customes.
22 What is it therefore? The multitude must needes come together: For they shall
heare that thou art come.
23 Do therfore this that we saye to thee. We haue foure men, which haue a vow on
them:
24 Them take, & purifie thy selfe with them, and do coste on them, that they
may shaue their heades: And all shall knowe, that those thynges whiche they haue
hearde concernyng thee, are nothyng, but that thou thy selfe also walkest and
kepest the lawe.
25 As touchyng the Gentiles which beleue, we haue written and concluded, that
they obserue no suche thyng, saue only that they kepe them selues from thynges
offered to idoles, & from blood, and from strangled, & from fornication.
26 Then Paul toke the men, and the next day purifiyng hym selfe with them,
entred into the temple, declaryng the accomplishement of the dayes of the
purification, vntyll that an offeryng should be offered for euery one of them.
27 And when the seuen dayes were almost ended, the Iewes which were of
Asia
, when they sawe hym in the temple, moued al the people, & layde handes on
hym,
28 Crying: Men of Israel helpe. This is the man that teacheth all men euery
where against the people, and the lawe, and this place: He hath also brought
Grekes into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place.
29 For they had seene before with hym in the citie Trophimus an Ephesian, whom
they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.
30 And all the citie was moued, and the people swarmed together: And they toke
Paul & drewe hym out of the temple, & foorthwith the doores were shut.
31 And as they went about to kyll hym, tydynges came vnto the hye captaine of
the souldiers, that all Hierusalem was in an vprore.
32 Which immediatly toke souldiers, and vnder captaines, and ran downe vnto
them: And when they sawe the vpper captaine and the souldiers, they left smytyng
of Paul.
33 Then the chiefe captaine came neare, & toke hym, and comaunded hym to be
bounde with two chaynes, & demaunded who he was, & what he had done.
34 And some cryed one thyng, some another, among the people. And when he coulde
not knowe the certaintie for the rage, he commaunded him to be caryed into the
castle.
35 And when he came vpon the stayres, it was so that he was borne of the
souldyers for the violence of the people.
36 For the multitude of the people folowed after, crying, away with hym.
37 And when Paul began to be caryed into the castle, he saide vnto the hye
captaine: May I speake vnto thee? Who sayde: Canst thou speake Greke?
38 Art not thou that Egyptian which before these dayes madest an vprore, and
leddest out into the wyldernesse foure thousande men that were murtherers?
39 But Paul saide: I am a man which am a Iewe, of
Tarsus
, a citie in
Cilicia
, a citezin of no vyle citie, and I beseche the suffer me to speake vnto the
people.
40 And when he had geuen hym licence, Paul stoode on the stayres, & beckened
with ye hande vnto the people: And whe there was made a great scilece, he spake
vnto them in the Hebrue tongue, saying:
CHAPTER
22
1 Men, brethren, & fathers, heare ye mine aunswer whiche I make vnto you.
2 (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrue tongue to the, they kept ye
more scilence. And he saith:)
3 I am verily a man which am a Iewe, borne in Tarsus in Cilicia, and yet brought
vp in this citie at ye feete of Gamaliel, and infourmed accordyng to the perfect
maner of the lawe of ye fathers, and was zelous towarde God, as ye all are this
same day.
4 And I persecuted this way vnto the death, byndyng & delyueryng into prison
both men and women,
5 As also the chiefe priest doth beare me witnesse, and all the estate of the
elders: of whom also I receaued letters vnto the brethren, and went to Damascus,
to bryng them whiche were there, bounde vnto Hierusalem for to be punisshed.
6 And it came to passe, that as I made my iourney, & was come nye vnto
Damascus
, about noone, sodeinly there shone from heauen a great light rounde about me.
7 And I fell vnto the earth, and hearde a voyce saying vnto me: Saul, Saul, why
persecutest thou me:
8 And I aunswered: Who art thou Lorde? And he sayde vnto me: I am Iesus of
Nazareth whom thou persecutest.
9 And they that were with me, sawe veryly a lyght, and were afrayde: but they
hearde not the voyce of hym that spake with me.
10 And I saide: What shall I do Lord? And the Lorde sayde vnto me: Aryse, and go
into
Damascus
, & there it shalbe tolde thee of all thynges whiche are appoynted for thee
to do.
11 And when I sawe nothyng for the bryghtnesse of the lyght, I was ledde by the
hande of the that were with me, and came into
Damascus
.
12 And one Ananias, a deuout man as perteynyng to the lawe, hauyng a good report
of all the Iewes whiche there dwelt,
13 Came vnto me, and stoode, and sayde vnto me: Brother Saul, receaue thy syght.
And the same houre I [receaued my syght, and] sawe hym.
14 And he said: The God of our fathers hath ordeyned thee before, that thou
shouldest knowe his wyll, and see that iuste one, and shouldest heare the voyce
of his mouth.
15 For thou shalt be his witnesse vnto all men, of those thynges which thou hast
seene and hearde:
16 And nowe why taryest thou? aryse, & be baptized, & wasshe away thy
sinnes, in callyng on the name of the Lorde.
17 And it came to passe, that whe I was come agayne to Hierusalem, and prayed in
the temple, I was in a traunce,
18 And sawe him, saying vnto me: Make haste and get thee quickly out of
Hierusalem: for they wyl not receaue thy witnesse concernyng me.
19 And I sayde: Lord, they knowe that I prisoned and beat in euery synagogue
them that beleued on thee.
20 And when the blood of thy wytnesse Steuen was shedde, I also stoode by, and
consented vnto his death, and kept the rayment of them that slue hym.
21 And he sayde vnto me: depart, for I wyll sende thee farre hence vnto the
gentiles.
22 And they gaue him audience vnto this worde, and then lift vp their voyces and
sayde: away with suche a felowe from the earth, for it is no reason yt he
shoulde lyue.
23 And as they cryed, and caste of their clothes, and threwe dust into the ayre,
24 The chiefe captaine comaunded hym to be brought into the castle, & bade
that he shoulde be scourged, and examined, that he myght knowe wherefore they
cryed so on hym.
25 And as they boude him with thonges, Paul saide vnto ye Centurion that stoode
by: Is it lawfull for you to scourge a man that is a Romane, and vncondempned?
26 When the Centurion hearde that, he went and tolde the vpper captaine, saying:
Take heede what thou doest, for this man is a Romane.
27 Then the vpper captaine came, & saide vnto him: Tel me, art thou a Romane?
He sayde, yea.
28 And the chiefe captaine aunswered: With a great summe obteyned I this
freedome. And Paul saide: I was free borne.
29 Then strayghtway departed fro him they which should haue examined him. And
the hie captaine also was afrayde, after he knew that he was a Romane, and
because he had bounde hym.
30 On the morowe, because he woulde haue knowen the certaintie wherefore he was
accused of the Iewes, he loosed hym from his bandes, and commaunded the hye
priestes & all the counsell to come together, & brought Paul foorth, and
set hym before them.
CHAPTER
23
1 And Paul earnestlie beholdyng the counsell, saide: Men & brethren, I haue
lyued in al good conscience before God vntyll this day.
2 And ye hye priest Ananias, commaunded the that stoode by, to smyte hym on the
mouth.
3 Then sayde Paul vnto him: God shall smite thee thou paynted wall: For, sittest
thou & iudgest me after the lawe, & comaundest me to be smitten contrary
to the lawe?
4 And they that stoode by, sayde: Reuilest thou Gods hye priest?
5 Then sayde Paul: I wyst not brethren, that he was the hye priest. For it is
written: Thou shalt not curse the ruler of thy people.
6 But when Paul perceaued that the one part were saducees, and the other
pharisees, he cryed out in the counsell: Men and brethren, I am a pharisee, the
sonne of a pharisee: Of the hope & resurrection of the dead, I am iudged.
7 And when he had so sayde, there arose a debate betwene the pharisees and the
saducees, & the multitude was deuided.
8 For the saducees say, that there is no resurrection, neither Angel, nor
spirite: But the pharisees confesse both.
9 And there arose a great crye: and whe the scribes which were of the pharisees
part arose, they stroue, saying, We fynde none euyll in this man: But yf a
spirite or an Angel hath spoken to hym, let vs not striue agaynst God.
10 And when there arose a great debate, the chiefe captayne, fearyng lest Paul
shoulde haue ben pluckt asunder of the, comaunded the souldiers to go downe, and
to take him from among them, and to bryng hym into the castle.
11 And the nyght folowyng, the Lorde stoode by hym, and sayde: Be of good cheare
Paul, for as thou hast testified of me in Hierusalem, so must thou beare
witnesse also at
Rome
.
12 And when it was day, certayne of the Iewes gathered them selues together, and
made a vowe, saying that they woulde neither eate nor drynke, tyl they had
kylled Paul.
13 And they were mo then fourtie men, which had made this conspiracie.
14 And they came to the chiefe priestes and elders, and sayde: We haue bounde
our selues with a vowe, that we wyll eate nothyng vntyll we haue slayne Paul.
15 Nowe therfore geue ye knowledge to the vpper captayne, and to the counsell,
that he bryng hym foorth vnto you to morrowe, as though ye woulde knowe
somethyng more perfectly of hym: And we, or euer he come neare, are redy to kyll
hym.
16 And when Paules sisters sonne heard of their laying awaite, he went &
entred into the castle, and tolde Paul.
17 And Paul called one of the vnder captaynes vnto hym, and sayde: Bryng this
young man vnto the hye captayne, for he hath a certayne thyng to shewe hym.
18 And he toke hym, and brought hym to the hye captayne, and sayde: Paul the
prisoner called me vnto him, and prayed me to bryng this young man vnto thee,
which hath a certayne matter to shewe thee.
19 Then the hye captayne toke hym by the hande, and went with hym out of the
way, and asked hym: What is it that thou hast to tell me?
20 And he sayde: The Iewes are determined to desire thee, that thou wouldest
bryng foorth Paul to morowe into the counsell, as though they would enquire
somewhat of hym more perfectly.
21 But folowe not thou their myndes: For there lye in wayte for him, of them, mo
the fourtie men, which haue bounde themselues with a vowe, that they will
neither eate nor drynke, tyll they haue kylled hym. And nowe are they redy, and
loke that thou shouldest promise.
22 The vpper captayne then let ye young man depart, and charged hym, see thou
tell it out to no man, that thou hast shewed these thynges to me.
23 And he called vnto hym two vnder captaynes, saying: Make redy two hundred
souldyers, to go to Cesarea, and horsmen threescore and ten, and spearemen two
hundred, at the thirde houre of the nyght:
24 And delyuer them beastes, that they may set Paul on, and bryng hym safe vnto
Felix the hye deputie.
25 And he wrote a letter, after this maner.
26 Claudius Lysias, vnto the most mightie ruler Felix, sendeth greetinges.
27 This man was taken of the Iewes, and shoulde haue ben kylled of them: Then
came I with souldeirs, & rescued hym, and perceaued that he was a Romane.
28 And whe I would haue knowen the cause, wherfore they accused hym, I brought
hym foorth into their counsell.
29 Whom I perceaued to be accused of questions of their lawe, but was not gyltie
of any thyng worthy of death, or of bondes.
30 And when it was shewed me howe that the Iewes layde wayte for the man, I sent
[hym] strayghtway to thee, and gaue commaundement to his accusers, that the
thynges which they haue agaynst hym, they shoulde tell before thee. Fare well.
31 Then the souldyers, as it was commaunded them, toke Paul, and brought hym by
nyght to Antipatris.
32 On the morowe, they left the horsmen to go with hym, and returned vnto the
castle.
33 Which when they came to Cesarea, and delyuered the epistle to the deputie,
presented Paul also before hym.
34 And when the deputie had read [the letter] he asked of what coutrey he was.
And when he vnderstoode that he was of Celicia,
35 I wyll heare thee, sayde he, when thyne accusars are come also. And he
comaunded hym to be kept in Herodes iudgement hall.
CHAPTER
24
1 And after fyue dayes, Ananias the hie priest descended, with the elders, and
with a certayne oratour, named Tartullus, which appeared before the deputie
agaynst Paul.
2 And when Paul was called foorth, Tartullus began to accuse hym, saying: Seyng
that we obtayned great quietnesse by the meanes of thee, and that many good
thynges are done vnto this nation through thy prouidence,
3 That alowe we euer, & in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankes.
4 Notwithstandyng, that I be not tedious vnto thee, I pray thee, that thou
wouldest heare vs of thy curtesie a fewe wordes.
5 For we haue founde this man a pestilent felowe, and a mouer of debate vnto all
the Iewes in the whole worlde, and a maynteyner of the sect of the Nazarites.
6 And hath gone about to pollute the temple: Whom we toke, and woulde haue
iudged accordyng to our lawe.
7 But the hye captayne Lysias, came vpon vs, and with great violence toke hym
away out of our handes,
8 Commaundyng his accusers to come vnto thee: Of whom thou mayest, yf thou wilt
enquire, knowe the certayntie of all these thynges, wherof we accuse hym.
9 And the Iewes lykewyse affirmed, saying that these thynges were so.
10 The Paul, after that the deputie hym selfe had beckened vnto hym that he
shoulde speake, aunswered: With a more quiet mynde do I aunswere for my selfe,
forasmuch as I vnderstande, that thou haste ben of many yeres a iudge vnto this
nation:
11 Because that thou mayest knowe, that there are yet but twelue dayes, sence I
went vp to Hierusalem for to worshyp.
12 And they neither founde me in the
temple
disputyng
with any man, either raysyng vp the people, neither in the synagogues, nor in
the citie.
13 Neither can they proue the thynges wherof they accuse me.
14 But this I confesse vnto thee, that after the way which they call heresie, so
worship I the God of my fathers, beleuyng all thynges which are written in the
lawe and the prophetes,
15 And haue hope towardes God, that the resurrection of the dead which they them
selues loke for also, shalbe both of the iust and vniust.
16 And herein studie I, to haue alway a cleare conscience toward God, and toward
men.
17 Nowe after many yeres, I came and brought almes to my nation, and offerynges:
18 In the which they founde me purified in the temple, neither with multitude,
nor yet with vnquietnesse: Howbeit, there were certayne Iewes out of Asia,
19 Which ought to be here present before thee, & accuse me, yf they had
ought agaynst me:
20 Or els let these same here say, yf they haue founde any euyll doyng in me,
whyle I stande here in the counsell:
21 Except it be for this one voyce, that I cryed standyng among them, of the
resurrection from the dead, am I iudged of you this day.
22 And when Felix hearde these thynges, he deferred them, for he knewe very well
of that way, and sayde: When Lysias the captayne is come downe, I will knowe the
utmost of your matter.
23 And he commaunded an vnder captayne to kepe Paul, and to let hym haue rest,
and that he shoulde forbyd none of his acquayntaunce to minister vnto hym, or to
come vnto hym.
24 And after certayne dayes, when Felix came, with his wyfe Drusilla, which was
a Iewesse, he called foorth Paul, and hearde hym of the fayth which is towarde
Christe.
25 And as he reasoned of ryghteousnesse, temperaunce, and iudgement to come,
Felix trembled, and aunswered: Go thy way for this tyme, when I haue a
conuenient season, I will sende for thee.
26 He hoped also, that money shoulde haue ben geuen hym of Paul, that he myght
loose hym: wherfore, he sent for hym the oftener, and communed with hym.
27 But after two yere, Porcius Festus came into Felix rowme: And Felix wyllyng
to shewe the Iewes a pleasure, left Paul bounde.
CHAPTER
25
1 Then when Festus was come into the prouince, after three dayes, he ascended
from Cesarea vnto Hierusalem.
2 Then enfourmed him the hye priest, and the chiefe of the Iewes, of Paul: And
they besought hym,
3 And desired fauour agaynst hym, that he woulde sende for hym to Hierusalem:
& they layde awayte in the way, to kyll hym.
4 But Festus aunswered, that Paul shoulde be kept at Cesarea, and that he
himselfe woulde shortly depart thither.
5 Let them therfore, sayde he, which among you are able, come downe with vs, and
accuse hym, yf there be any fault in this man.
6 And when he had taryed among them more then ten dayes, he went downe vnto
Cesarea, & the next day sate downe in the iudgement seate, and commaunded
Paul to be brought.
7 Who beyng come, the Iewes which were come from Hierusalem, stoode about [hym]
and layde many & greeuous complayntes agaynst Paul, which they coulde not
proue,
8 Whyles he aunswered [for hym selfe] that he had agaynst the lawe of the Iewes,
neither agaynst the temple, nor yet agaynst Caesar offended any thyng at all.
9 But Festus wyllyng to do ye Iewes a pleasure; aunswered Paul, and sayde: Wylt
thou go vp to Hierusalem, & there be iudged of these thynges before me?
10 Then said Paul: I stande at Caesars iudgement seate, where I ought to be
iudged: To the Iewes haue I no harme done, as thou very wel knowest.
11 For yf I had done any hurt, or committed any thyng worthy of death, I refuse
not to dye: But yf there be none of these thinges, wherof they accuse me, no man
may delyuer me to them. I appeale vnto Caesar.
12 Then spake Festus, with the counsell, and aunswered: Hast thou appealed vnto
Caesar? vnto Caesar shalt thou go.
13 And after certayne dayes, King Agrippa and Bernice came vnto Cesarea, to
salute Festus.
14 And when they had ben there a good season, Festus rehearsed Paules cause vnto
the kyng, saying: There is a certayne man left in bondes of Felix,
15 About whom, when I came to Hierusalem, the hye priestes and elders of the
Iewes enfourmed me, and desired to haue iudgement agaynst hym.
16 To whom I aunswered: It is not the maner of the Romanes, for fauour to
delyuer any man that he shoulde perishe, before that he which is accused, haue
the accusers before hym, and haue licence to aunswere for hymselfe, concernyng
the cryme layde agaynst hym.
17 Therfore, when they were come hyther, without any delay, on the morowe I sate
to geue iudgement, and commaunded the man to be brought foorth.
18 Agaynst whom, when the accusers stoode vp, they brought none accusation of
such thynges as I supposed:
19 But had certayne questions agaynst hym of their owne superstition, and of one
Iesus which was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alyue.
20 And because I doubted of such maner of questions, I asked hym whether he
woulde go to Hierusalem, and there be iudged of these matters.
21 But when Paul had appealed to be kept vnto the knowledge of Augustus, I
commaunded hym to be kept, tyll I myght sende hym to Caesar.
22 Then Agrippa sayde vnto Festus: I woulde also heare the man my selfe. To
morowe sayd he, thou shalt heare hym.
23 And on the morowe, when Agrippa was come, and Bernice, with great pompe, and
were entred into the counsell house, with the chiefe captaynes, and chiefe men
of the citie, at Festus commaundement was Paul brought foorth.
24 And Festus sayde: Kyng Agrippa, and al men which are here present with vs, ye
see this man, about whom all the multitude of the Iewes haue intreated me, both
at Hierusalem, and also here, crying, that he ought not to lyue any longer.
25 Yet founde I nothyng worthy of death, that he had committed: Neuerthelesse,
seeyng that he hath appealed to Augustus, I haue determined to sende hym:
26 Of whom I haue no certayne thyng to write vnto my Lorde. Wherfore, I haue
brought hym foorth vnto you, and specially vnto thee, O kyng Agrippa, that after
examination had, I myght haue somewhat to write.
27 For me thynketh it vnreasonable, for to sende a prysoner, and not to shewe
the causes which are laide agaynst him.
CHAPTER
26
1 Then Agrippa sayde vnto Paul, thou art permitted to speake for thy selfe. Then
Paul stretched foorth the hande, and aunswered [for hym selfe]
2 I thynke my selfe happy, king Agrippa, because I shall aunswere this day
before thee, of all the thynges whereof I am accused of the Iewes:
3 Namely, because thou art expert in all customes and questions, whiche are
among the Iewes: Wherefore I beseche thee to heare me patiently.
4 My lyfe, that I haue led of a chylde, which was at the first among myne owne
nation at Hierusalem, knowe all the Iewes,
5 Which knewe me from the beginning, (yf they woulde testifie) that after the
most straytest sect of our religion, I lyued a pharisee.
6 And nowe I stande and am iudged, for the hope of the promise made of God vnto
our fathers:
7 Unto which promise, our twelue tribes instantly seruyng God day & nyght,
hope to come. For which hopes sake, kyng Agrippa, I am accused of the Iewes.
8 Why shoulde it be thought a thyng incredible vnto you, that God shoulde rayse
agayne the dead?
9 I also veryly thought in my selfe that I ought to do many contrary thynges,
cleane agaynst the name of Iesus of Nazareth:
10 Which thyng I also dyd in Hierusalem. And many of the Saintes dyd I shut vp
in pryson, hauyng receaued aucthoritie of the hye priestes: And when they were
put to death, I gaue the sentence.
11 And I punished them oft in euery synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme:
and was yet more mad vpon them, and persecuted them, euen vnto straunge cities.
12 About which thynges, as I went to
Damascus
, with auctoritie and commission of the hye priestes:
13 Euen at mydday, O kyng, I sawe in the way, a lyght from heauen, aboue the
bryghtnesse of the Sunne, shyne rounde about me and them which iourneyed with
me.
14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I hearde a voyce speakyng vnto me,
and saying in the Hebrewe tongue: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is
harde for thee to kicke agaynste the prickes.
15 And I sayde: Who art thou Lorde? And he sayde: I am Iesus whom thou
persecutest.
16 But ryse and stande vpon thy feete. For I haue appeared vnto thee for this
purpose, to make thee a minister and a witnesse, both of those thynges which
thou hast seene, and of those thynges in the which I wyll appeare vnto thee,
17 Delyueryng thee from the people, and from the gentiles, vnto whom nowe I
sende thee,
18 To open their eyes, that they may be turned from darknesse to lyght, &
from the power of Satan vnto God, that they may receaue forgeuenes of sinnes,
& inheritaunce among them which are sanctified by fayth that is towarde me.
19 Wherfore, O kyng Agrippa, I was not disobedient vnto the heauenly visio:
20 But shewed first vnto them of
Damascus
, & at Hierusalem, and throughout all the coastes of Iurie, and then to the
gentiles, that they shoulde repent, and turne to God, and do such workes as
become them that repent.
21 For this cause the Iewes caught me in the temple, & went about to kyll
me.
22 Seyng therefore, that I haue obtayned helpe of God, I continue vnto this day,
witnessyng both to small and to great, saying none other thynges, then those
which the prophetes and Moyses dyd say shoulde come:
23 That Christe shoulde suffer, and that he shoulde be the first that shoulde
ryse from the dead, and shoulde shewe lyght vnto the people, and to the
gentiles.
24 And as he thus spake for hym selfe, Festus sayde with a loude voyce: Paul,
thou art besyde thy selfe, much learnyng doth make thee mad.
25 But he sayde: I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speake foorth the wordes
of trueth and sobernesse.
26 For the kyng knoweth of these thynges, before whom also I speake freely,
neither thynke I, that any of these thynges are hydden from him: For this thyng
was not done in a corner.
27 Kyng Agrippa, beleuest thou the prophetes? I wote wel that thou beleuest.
28 Then Agrippa sayde vnto Paul: Somewhat thou perswadest me to be a christian.
29 And Paul sayde: I woulde to God, that not only thou, but also all that heare
me to day, were both somewhat, and also in a great deale, such as I am, except
these bondes.
30 And when he had thus spoken, the king rose vp, and the deputie, &
Bernice, and they that sate with them.
31 And when they were gone apart, they talked betwene the selues, saying: This
man doth nothyng worthy of death, or of bondes.
32 Then sayde Agrippa vnto Festus: This man myght haue ben let loose, yf he had
not appealed vnto Caesar.
CHAPTER
27
1 And when it was cocluded, that we shoulde sayle into Italie, they delyuered
both Paul, & certayne other prysoners, vnto one named Iulius, an vnder
captayne of Augustus bande.
2 And we entred into a shippe of Adramyttium, & loosed from lande, appoynted
to sayle by the coastes of Asia, one Aristarchus out of Macedonia, of the
countrey of Thessalonia, tarying styll with vs.
3 And the next day we came to Sidon: And Iulius curteouslye entreated Paul, and
gaue hym libertie to go vnto his friendes, and to refreshe hym selfe.
4 And when we had launched from thence, we sayled harde by Cypers, because the
wyndes were contrarye.
5 And when we had sayled ouer the
sea
of
Cilicia
, and Pamphylia, we came to
Myra
, which is in
Lycia
.
6 And there the vnder captayne founde a shippe of
Alexandria
redy, that sayled into Italie, and he put vs therin.
7 And whe we had sayled slowly many dayes, & scarce were come ouer agaynst
Guydum, because ye wynde withstoode vs, we sayled harde by Candie, ouer agaynst
Salmo,
8 And with much worke sayled beyonde it, and came vnto a place wich is called
the Fayre hauens, nye whervnto was the citie of Lasea.
9 When much tyme was spent, & when saylyng was nowe ieopardus, because also
that they had ouerlong fasted, Paul put them in remembraunce,
10 And sayde vnto them: Syrs, I perceaue that this vyage will be with hurt and
much damage, not of the ladyng and shippe only, but also of our lyues.
11 Neuerthelesse, the vnder captayne beleued the gouernour and the maister of
the shippe, more then those thynges which were spoken of Paul.
12 And because the hauen was not commodious to wynter in, many toke counsell to
depart thence, yf by any meanes they myght attayne to Phenice, & there to
winter, which is an hauen of Candie, and lyeth towarde the southwest and
northwest wynde.
13 And when the south wynde blewe softly, they supposyng to obtayne their
purpose, loosed vnto Asson, and sayled past Candie.
14 But not long after, there arose against their purpose, a flawe of wynde out
of the northeast.
15 And when the shippe was caught, and coulde not resist the wynde, we let her
go, and were dryuen with the weather.
16 But we were caryed into an Ile which is named Clauda, and had much worke to
come by a boate,
17 Which they toke vp, and vsed helpe, and made fast the shippe, fearyng least
they shoulde fall into the Syrtes: And so they let downe a vessel, & were
caried.
18 The next day, when we were tossed with an exceading tempest, they lighted the
shippe,
19 And the thirde day, we cast out with our owne handes, the tacklyng of the
shippe.
20 And when neither ye sunne nor starres in many dayes appeared, and no small
tempest lay vpon vs, all hope that we should be saued, was then taken away.
21 But after long abstinence, Paul stoode foorth in the middes of them, and
sayde: Syrs, ye shoulde haue harkened to me, & not to haue loosed fro Candie,
neither to haue brought vnto vs this harme and losse.
22 And nowe I exhort you to be of good chere: For there shalbe no losse of any
mans lyfe among you, but of the shippe.
23 For there stoode by me this nyght, the Angel of God, whose I am, and whom I
serue,
24 Saying: Feare not Paul, thou must be brought before Caesar. And lo, God hath
geuen thee all them that sayle with thee.
25 Wherfore syrs be of good cheare: for I beleue God, that it shalbe euen as it
was tolde me.
26 Howbeit, we must be cast into a certayne Ilande.
27 But when the fourtenth nyght was come, as we were saylyng in Adria, about
mydnyght the shypmen deemed that there appeared some countrey vnto them:
28 And sounded, and founde it twentie faddomes. And when they had gone a litle
further, they sounded agayne, and founde it fyfteene faddomes.
29 Then fearyng lest they shoulde haue fallen on some rocke, they caste foure
anckers out of the sterne, and wisshed for the day.
30 And as the shypmen were about to flee out of the shippe, when they had let
downe the boate into the sea, vnder a colour, as though they woulde haue cast
anckers out of the foreshippe,
31 Paul sayde vnto the vnder captayne, and to the souldiers: Except these abide
in the shippe, ye can not be safe.
32 Then the souldyers cut of the rope of the boate, and let it fall away.
33 And when the day began to appeare, Paul besought them all to take meate,
saying: This is the foureteenth day, that ye haue taryed & continued
fasting, receauyng nothyng at all.
34 Wherfore, I pray you to take meate, for this no doubt is for your health: for
there shall not an heere fall from the head of any of you.
35 And when he had thus spoken, he toke bread, and gaue thankes to God in
presence of them all: And when he had broken it, he began to eate.
36 Then were they all of good cheare, and they also toke meate.
37 And we were altogether in the shippe, two hudred threescore & sixteene
soules.
38 And when they had eaten enough, they lyghted the shippe, and cast out the
wheate into the sea.
39 And when it was day, they knewe not the lande: but they spyed a certayne
hauen with a banke, into the which they were mynded, yf it were possible, to
thrust in the shippe.
40 And when they had taken vp the anckers, they committed [themselues] vnto the
sea, and loosed the rudder bondes, and hoyssed vp the mayne sayle to the wynde,
and drewe to lande.
41 And when they fell into a place which had the sea on both sydes, they thrust
in the shippe: And the forepart stucke fast & moued not, but the hynder part
brake with the violence of the waues.
42 And the souldiers counsel was to kyll the prysoners, lest any of them, when
he had swomme out, should runne away.
43 But the vnder captayne wyllyng to saue Paul, kept the from their purpose,
& commaunded that they which coulde swymme, shoulde cast them selues first
into the sea, and scape to lande:
44 And the other, some on boordes, and some on broke peeces of the shippe. And
so it came to passe, that they escaped all safe to lande.
CHAPTER
28
1 And when they were scaped, then they knewe that the Ile was called Melite.
2 And ye straungers shewed vs no litle kyndnesse: for they kyndled a fyre, and
receaued vs euery one, because of the present rayne, and because of the colde.
3 And when Paul had gathered a bondell of stickes, and layde them on the fyre,
there came a Uiper out of the heat, and caught hym by the hande.
4 And when the straungers sawe the beast hang on his hande, they sayde among
them selues, No doubt this man is a murtherer: Whom though he haue escaped the
sea, yet vengeance suffreth not to lyue.
5 And he shoke of the Uiper into the fyre, and felt no harme.
6 Howbeit, they wayted whe he shoulde haue swolne, or fallen downe dead sodenlie:
But after they had loked a great while, and sawe no harme come to him, they
chaunged their myndes, and sayde that he was a God.
7 In the same quarters were possessios of ye chiefe man of the Ile, whose name
was Publius, which receaued vs, and lodged vs three dayes curteouslye.
8 And it came to passe, that the father of Publius lay sicke of a feuer, and of
a bloody flixe: to whom Paul entred in, & prayed, and layde his handes on
hym, and healed hym.
9 So when this was done, other also which had diseases in the Ile, came and were
healed:
10 Which also dyd vs great honour, and when we departed, they laded vs with such
thynges as were necessary.
11 And after three monethes we departed in a shippe of
Alexandria
, which had wyntred in the Ile, whose badge was Castor and Pollux.
12 And when we came to Syracusa, we taryed there three dayes.
13 And from thence we fet a compasse, and came to Rhegium, & after one day
the south wynde blewe, and we came the next day to Puteolus:
14 Where we founde brethren, and were desired to tary with them seuen dayes, and
so we came towarde
Rome
.
15 And from thence, when the brethren hearde of vs, they came to meete vs at
Appii forum, and at the three tauernes. When Paul sawe the, he thanked God, and
waxed bolde.
16 And when we came to
Rome
, ye vnder captayne delyuered the prysoners to the chiefe captayne of the hoast:
But Paul was suffred to dwell by him selfe, with a souldyer that kept hym.
17 And it came to passe, that after three dayes Paul called ye chiefe of the
Iewes together. And whe they were come, he sayde vnto them: Men and brethren,
though I haue committed nothyng agaynst the people, or lawes of the fathers, yet
was I delyuered prysoner from Hierusalem, into the handes of the Romanes.
18 Which when they had examined me, woulde haue let me go, because there was no
cause of death in me.
19 But when the Iewes spake contrary, I was constrayned to appeale vnto Caesar:
not that I had ought to accuse my people of.
20 For this cause then haue I called for you, euen to see [you] and to speake
with you: because that for the hope of
Israel
, I am bounde with this chayne.
21 And they said vnto him: We neither receaued letters out of Iurie concernyng
thee, neither any of the brethren that came, shewed or spake any harme of thee.
22 But we wyll heare of thee, what thou thynkest: For as concernyng this sect,
we knowe that euery where it is spoke agaynst.
23 And when they had appoynted hym a day, there came many to hym into his
lodgyng, to whom he expounded and testified the kyngdome of God, perswadyng them
concernyng Iesus, both out of the lawe of Moyses, and out of the prophetes, euen
from morning to night.
24 And some were perswaded in the thynges which were spoken, and some beleued
not.
25 And when they agreed not among them selues, they departed after that Paul had
spoken one worde, [that is to say] well spake the holy ghost by Esaias the
prophete, vnto our fathers,
26 Saying: Go vnto this people, and say, with your eares shall ye heare, and
shall not vnderstande: and with your eyes shall ye see, and not perceaue.
27 For the heart of this people is waxed grosse, & their eares are dull of
hearing, and their eyes haue they closed: lest they shoulde see with their eyes,
and heare with their eares, and vnderstande with their heartes, and shoulde be
conuerted, and I shoulde heale them.
28 Be it knowen therfore vnto you, that this saluation of God is sent to the
gentiles, and they shall heare it.
29 And when he had sayde these wordes, the Iewes departed, and had great
reasonyng among them selues.
30 And Paul dwelt two yeres full in his owne hired house, and receaued all that
came in vnto hym,
31 Preachyng the kyngdome of God, and teachyng those thynges which concerne the
Lorde Iesus Christe, with all confidence, no man forbyddyng hym.
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