Shǐtúxíngzhuàn 23

1 Bǎoluó déngjīng kàn zhe gōng de rén , shuō , dìxiōng men , wǒ zaì shén miànqián xíngshì wéirén , dōu shì píng zhe liángxīn , zhídào jīnrì .

2 Dàjìsī Yàná ní yà , jiù fēnfu pángbiān zhàn zhe de rén dǎ tāde zuǐ.

3 Bǎoluó duì tā shuō , nǐ zhè fĕnshì de qiáng . shén yào dǎ nǐ . nǐ zuò táng wéi de shì àn lǜfǎ shĕnwèn wǒ , nǐ jìng wéibeì lǜfǎ , fēnfu rén dǎ wǒ má .

4 Zhàn zaì pángbiān de rén shuō , nǐ rǔmà shén de Dàjìsī má .

5 Bǎoluó shuō , dìxiōng men , wǒ bú xiǎodé tā shì Dàjìsī . jìng shǎng jì zhe shuō , bùkĕ huǐbàng nǐ bǎixìng de guān zhǎng.

6 Bǎoluó kàn chū dà zhòng , yī bàn shì Sādūgāi rén , yī bàn shì Fǎlìsaìrén , jiù zaì gōnghuì zhòng dàshēng shuō , dìxiōng men , wǒ shì Fǎlìsaìrén , yĕ shì Fǎlìsaìrén de zǐsūn . wǒ xiànzaì shòu shĕnwèn , shì wéi pànwàng sǐ rén fùhuó .

7 Shuō le zhè huà , Fǎlìsaìrén hé Sādūgāi rén , jiù zhēnglùn qǐlai , huì zhòng fèn wéi liǎng dǎng .

8 Yīnwei Sādūgāi rén shuō , méiyǒu fùhuó , yĕ méiyǒu tiānshǐ , hé guǐ hún , Fǎlìsaìrén què shuō , liǎngyàng dōu yǒu .

9 Yúshì dàdà de xuān nāng qǐlai . yǒu jǐ gè fǎ lì saì dǎng de Wénshì zhàn qǐlai , zhēng biàn shuō , wǒmen kàn bú chū zhè rén yǒu shénme ĕ chù , tǎngruò yǒu guǐ hún , huò shì tiānshǐ , duì tā shuǒ guò huà , zĕnmeyàng ne .

10 Nàshí dà qǐ zhēng chǎo , qiā fú zhǎng kǒngpà Bǎoluó beì tāmen chĕ suì le , jiù fēnfu bīng dīng xià qù , bǎ tā cóng zhòngrén dāngzhōng qiǎng chūlai , daì jìn yíng lóu qù .

11 Dàng yè , zhǔ zhàn zaì Bǎoluó pángbiān shuō , fàngxīn bā , nǐ zĕnyàng zaì Yēlùsǎlĕng wéi wǒ zuò jiànzhèng , yĕ bì zĕnyàng zaì Luómǎ wéi wǒ zuò jiànzhèng .

12 Dào le tiān liàng , Yóutaìrén tóng móu qǐshì , shuō , ruò bú xiān shā Bǎoluó , jiù bú chī bú hē .

13 Zhèyàng tóngxīn qǐshì de , yǒu sì shí duō rén .

14 Tāmen lái jiàn Jìsīzhǎng hé zhǎnglǎo shuō , wǒmen yǐjing qǐ le yī gè dà shì , ruò bú xiān shā Bǎoluó , jiù bú chī shénme.

15 Xiànzaì nǐmen hé gōnghuì yào zhī huì qiā fú zhǎng , jiào tā daì xià Bǎoluó dào nǐmen zhèlǐ lái , jiǎ zuò yào xiángxì chá kǎo tāde shì . wǒmen yǐjing yùbeì hǎo le , bú dĕng tā lái dào gēnqián jiù shā tā .

16 Bǎoluó de waìsheng , tīngjian tāmen shè xià máifu , jiù lái dào yíng lóu lǐ gàosu Bǎoluó .

17 Bǎoluó qǐng yī ge bǎifūzhǎng lái , shuō , nǐ lǐng zhè shàonián rén qù jiàn qiā fú zhǎng , tā yǒu shì gàosu tā .

18 Yúshì bǎ tā lǐng qù jiàn qiā fú zhǎng shuō , beì qiú de Bǎoluó qǐng wǒ dào Tānàli , qiú wǒ lǐng zhè shàonián rén lái jiàn nǐ . tā yǒu shì gàosu nǐ .

19 Qiā fú zhǎng jiù lá zhe tāde shǒu , zǒu dào yī páng , sīxià wèn tā shuō , nǐ yǒu shénme shì gàosu wǒ ne .

20 Tā shuō , Yóutaìrén yǐjing yuēdéng , yào qiú nǐ míngtiān daì xià Bǎoluó dào gōnghuì lǐ qù , jiǎ zuò yào xiángxì cháwèn tāde shì .

21 Nǐ qiē búyào suícóng tāmen , yīnwei tāmen yǒu sì shí duō rén máifu , yǐjing qǐshì , shuō , ruò bú xiān shā Bǎoluó , jiù bú chī bú hē . xiànzaì yùbeì hǎo le , zhī dĕng nǐ yīngyún .

22 Yúshì qiā fú zhǎng dǎfa shàonián rén zǒu , zhǔfu tā shuō , búyào gàosu rén nǐ jiāng zhè shì bàogào wǒ le .

23 Qiā fú zhǎng biàn jiào le liǎng gè bǎifūzhǎng lái , shuō , yùbeì bù bīng èr bǎi , mǎ bīng qī shí , chǎng qiāng shǒu èr bǎi , jīnyè haì chū wǎng Gāisālíyà qù .

24 Yĕ yào yùbeì shēngkou jiào Bǎoluó qí shàng , hù sòng dào xúnfǔ Féilìsī nàli qù .

25 Qiā fú zhǎng yòu xiĕ le wén shū ,

26 Dà lüè shuō , gé lǎo diū lǚ xī yà , qǐng xúnfǔ Féilìsī dà rén ān .

27 Zhè rén beì Yóutaìrén ná zhù , jiāngyào shāhaì , wǒ dé zhì tā shì Luómǎ rén , jiù daì bīng dīng xià qù jiù tā chūlai .

28 Yīn yào zhīdào tāmen gào tāde yuángù , wǒ jiù daì tā xià dào tāmende gōnghuì qù .

29 Biàn chá zhì tā beì gào , shì yīn tāmen lǜfǎ de biànlùn , bìng méiyǒu shénme gāisǐ gāi bǎng de zuì míng .

30 Hòulái yǒu rén bǎ yào haì tāde jì móu gàosu wǒ , wǒ jiù lìshí jiĕ tā dào nǐ nàli qù , yòu fēnfu gào tāde rén , zaì nǐ miànqián gào tā . ( yǒu gǔ juǎn zaì cǐ yǒu yuàn nǐ píngān )

31 Yúshì bīng dīng zhào suǒ fēnfu tāmende , jiāng Bǎoluó yè lǐ daì dào ān tí pà dǐ .

32 Dì èr tiān , ràng mǎ bīng hù sòng , tāmen jiù huí yíng lóu qù .

33 Mǎ bīng lái dào Gāisālíyà , bǎ wén shū chéng gĕi xúnfǔ , biàn jiào Bǎoluó zhàn zaì tā miànqián .

34 Xúnfǔ kàn le wén shū , wèn Bǎoluó shì nà shĕng de rén , jì xiǎodé tā shì jī lì jiā rén ,

35 Jiù shuō , dĕng gào nǐde rén lái dào , wǒ yào xì tīng nǐde shì , biàn fēnfu rén bǎ tā kānshǒu zaì Xīlǜ de yámen lǐ .

Shǐtúxíngzhuàn 23 Commentary

Chapter 23

Paul's defence before the council of the Jews. (1-5) Paul's defence. He receives a Divine assurance that he shall go to Rome. (6-11) The Jews conspire to kill Paul, Lysias sends him to Cesarea. (12-24) Lysias's letter to Felix. (25-35)

Verses 1-5 See here the character of an honest man. He sets God before him, and lives as in his sight. He makes conscience of what he says and does, and, according to the best of his knowledge, he keeps from whatever is evil, and cleaves to what is good. He is conscientious in all his words and conduct. Those who thus live before God, may, like Paul, have confidence both toward God and man. Though the answer of Paul contained a just rebuke and prediction, he seems to have been too angry at the treatment he received in uttering them. Great men may be told of their faults, and public complaints may be made in a proper manner; but the law of God requires respect for those in authority.

Verses 6-11 The Pharisees were correct in the faith of the Jewish church. The Sadducees were no friends to the Scripture or Divine revelation; they denied a future state; they had neither hope of eternal happiness, nor dread of eternal misery. When called in question for his being a Christian, Paul might truly say he was called in question for the hope of the resurrection of the dead. It was justifiable in him, by this profession of his opinion on that disputed point, to draw off the Pharisees from persecuting him, and to lead them to protect him from this unlawful violence. How easily can God defend his own cause! Though the Jews seemed to be perfectly agreed in their conspiracy against religion, yet they were influenced by very different motives. There is no true friendship among the wicked, and in a moment, and with the utmost ease, God can turn their union into open enmity. Divine consolations stood Paul in the most stead; the chief captain rescued him out of the hands of cruel men, but the event he could not tell. Whoever is against us, we need not fear, if the Lord stand by us. It is the will of Christ, that his servants who are faithful, should be always cheerful. He might think he should never see Rome; but God tells him, even in that he should be gratified, since he desired to go there only for the honour of Christ, and to do good.

Verses 12-24 False religious principles, adopted by carnal men, urge on to such wickedness, as human nature would hardly be supposed capable of. Yet the Lord readily disappoints the best concerted schemes of iniquity. Paul knew that the Divine providence acts by reasonable and prudent means; and that, if he neglected to use the means in his power, he could not expect God's providence to work on his behalf. He who will not help himself according to his means and power, has neither reason nor revelation to assure him that he shall receive help from God. Believing in the Lord, we and ours shall be kept from every evil work, and kept to his kingdom. Heavenly Father, give us by thy Holy Spirit, for Christ's sake, this precious faith.

Verses 25-35 God has instruments for every work. The natural abilities and moral virtues of the heathens often have been employed to protect his persecuted servants. Even the men of the world can discern between the conscientious conduct of upright believers, and the zeal of false professors, though they disregard or understand not their doctrinal principles. All hearts are in God's hand, and those are blessed who put their trust in him, and commit their ways unto him.