Acts 22:
"Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defense [which I
make] now to you. (And when they heard that he spoke to them
in the Hebrew language, they kept the more silence: and he
saith,) I am verily a man [who is] a Jew, born in Tarsus,
[a city] in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet
of Gamaliel, [and] taught according to the perfect manner of
the law of the fathers, being zealous toward God, as ye all
are this day. And I persecuted this way (Christianity) to
the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and
women. As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all
the council of the elders: from whom also I received letters
to the brethren (of Israel), and went to Damascus, to bring
them who were there bound to Jerusalem, to be punished. And
it came to pass, that, as I was on my journey, and had come
near to Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from
heaven a great light around me. And I fell to the ground,
and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest
thou Me? And I answered, Who art Thou, Lord? And He said to
me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. And they
that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but
they heard not the voice of Him that spoke to me. And I
said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said to me, Arise,
and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee
concerning all things which are appointed for thee to do.
And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being
led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into
Damascus. And one Ananias, a devout man according to the
law, having a good report of all the Jews who dwelt [there],
Came to me, and stood, and said to me, Brother Saul, receive
thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him. And he
said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou
shouldest know His will, and see that Just One, and
shouldest hear the voice of His mouth. For thou shalt be his
witness to all men of what thou hast seen and heard. And now
why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy
sins, calling on the name of YHWH. And it came to pass,
that, when I had come again to Jerusalem, even while I
prayed in the temple, I was in a trance; And saw him saying
to me, Make haste, and depart quickly from Jerusalem: for
they will not receive thy testimony concerning me. And I
said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every
synagogue them that believed on thee: And when the blood of
thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and
consenting to his death, and kept the raiment of them that
slew him. And he said to me, Depart: for I will send thee
far away to the Gentiles (Nations). And they hearkened to
him until this word, and [then] lifted up their voices, and
said, Away with such a [fellow] from the earth: for it is
not fit that he should live. And as they cried out, and cast
off [their] clothes, and threw dust into the air, The chief
captain commanded him to be brought into the barracks, and
bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might
know for what cause they cried so against him. And as they
bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion that stood
by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman,
and uncondemned? When the centurion heard [that], he went
and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou
doest: for this man is a Roman. Then the chief captain
came, and said to him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said,
Yea. And the chief captain answered, With a great sum I
obtained this freedom. And Paul said, But I was [free] born.
Then immediately they departed from him who were about to
examine him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he
knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.
{examined him: or, tortured him} On the next day, because he
would have known the certainty why he was accused by the
Jews, he loosed him from [his] bands, and commanded the
chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought
Paul down, and set him before them."
Acts 23:12-30:
"And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together,
and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would
neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. {under a
curse: or, with an oath of execration} And they were more
than forty who had made this conspiracy. And they came to
the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound
ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing
until we have slain Paul. Now therefore ye with the council
signify to the chief captain that he bring him down to you
to morrow, as though ye would enquire something more
perfectly concerning him: and we, before he shall come near,
are ready to kill him."
Note:- No pretext of a trial, just murder Paul.
"And when the son of Paul's sister heard of their lying in
wait, he went and entered into the barracks, and told Paul.
Then Paul called one of the centurions to [him], and said,
Bring this young man to the chief captain: for he hath a
certain thing to tell him. So he took him, and brought [him]
to the chief captain, and said, Paul the prisoner called me
to [him], and asked me to bring this young man to thee, who
hath something to say to thee. Then the chief captain took
him by the hand, and went [with him] aside privately, and
asked [him], What is that thou hast to tell me? And he said,
The Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest bring
down Paul to morrow into the council, as though they would
enquire somewhat concerning him more perfectly. But do not
thou yield to them: for there are of them who lie in wait
for him (Paul) more than forty (40) men, who have bound
themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor
drink till they have killed him: and now they are ready,
looking for a promise from thee. So the chief captain [then]
let the young man depart, and charged [him, See thou] tell
no man that thou hast shown these things to me. And he
called to [him] two centurions, saying, Make ready two
hundred (200) soldiers to go to Caesarea, and seventy
horsemen, and spear men two hundred, at the third hour of
the night; And provide for [them] beasts, that they may set
Paul on, and bring [him] safe to Felix the governor. And he
wrote a letter after this manner: Claudius Lysias to the
most excellent governor Felix [sendeth] greeting. This man
was taken by the Jews, and should have been killed by them:
then I came with a body of soldiers, and rescued him, having
understood that he was a Roman. And when I would have known
the cause for which they accused him, I brought him forth
into their council: Whom I perceived to be accused of
questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his
charge worthy of death or of bonds. And when it was told to
me that the Jews laid wait for the man, I sent immediately
to thee, and gave commandment to his accusers also to say
before thee what [they had] against him. Farewell."
Acts 25:1-15:
"Now when Festus had come into the province, after three
days he ascended from Caesarea to Jerusalem. Then the high
priest and the chief of the Jews informed him against Paul,
and besought him, And desired favour against him, that he
would send for him (Paul) to Jerusalem, laying wait in the
way to kill him. But Festus answered, that Paul should be
kept at Caesarea, and that he himself would depart shortly
[there]. Let them therefore, said he, who among you are
able, go down with [me], and accuse this man, if there is
any wickedness in him. And when he had tarried among them
more than ten days, he went down to Caesarea; and the next
day sitting on the judgment seat commanded Paul to be
brought. {more...or, as some copies read, no more than eight
or ten days} And when he had come, the Jews who came down
from Jerusalem stood around, and laid many and grievous
complaints against Paul, which they could not prove. While
he answered for himself, Neither against the law of the
Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar,
have I committed any offence. But Festus, willing to do the
Jews a favour, answered Paul, and said, Wilt thou go to
Jerusalem, and there be judged concerning these things
before me? Then said Paul, I stand at Caesar's judgment
seat, where I ought to be judged: to the Jews have I done no
wrong, as thou very well knowest. For if I am an offender,
or have committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to
die: but if there is none of these things of which these
accuse me, no man may deliver me to them. I appeal to
Caesar. Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council,
answered, Hast thou appealed to Caesar? to Caesar thou
shalt go. And after certain days king Agrippa and Bernice
came to Caesarea to greet Festus. And when they had been
there many days, Festus declared Paul's cause to the king,
saying, There is a certain man left in bonds by Felix: About
whom, when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the
elders of the Jews informed [me], desiring [to have]
judgment against him."
Acts 26:20 and 21:
"But showed first to them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem,
and throughout all the region of Judaea, and [then] to the
Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do
works fit for repentance. For these causes the Jews caught
me (Paul) in the temple, and went about to kill [me].
First Corinthians 2:6-8:
"However we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet
not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this
world, that come to nothing: But we speak the wisdom of God
in a mystery, [even] the hidden [wisdom], which God ordained
before the world to our glory: Which none of the princes of
this world knew: for had they known [it], they would not
have crucified the Lord of glory."
Second Corinthians 11:23-33:
"Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I (Paul)
[am] more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above
measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths often. From the
Jews five (5) times I received forty (40) [stripes] save
one. Thrice (3x) was I beaten with rods, once I was stoned,
thrice (3x) I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have
been in the deep; [In] journeyings often, [in] perils of
waters, [in] perils of robbers, [in] perils by [my own]
countrymen, [in] perils by the heathen, [in] perils in the
city, [in] perils in the wilderness, [in] perils in the sea,
[in] perils among false brethren (Jews posing as
Israelites); In weariness and painfulness, in watchings
often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and
nakedness. Besides those things that are without, that
which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is led into sin, and I
am not incensed? If I must needs glory, I will glory of the
things which concern my infirmities. The God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed for evermore, knoweth
that I lie not. In Damascus the governor under Aretas the
king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison,
desirous to apprehend me: And through a window in a basket I
was let down by the wall, and escaped his hands."
Note: This was because of the jews see Acts Chapter 9:23
and 34.
Galatians 5:11:
"And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I
yet suffer persecution? then hath the offence of the cross
ceased.
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