Godes geladhung wurdhadh thisne daeg dham maeran apostole PAULE to
wurdhmynte, fordham dhe he is gecweden ealra dheoda l['a]reow: thurh
sodhfaeste lare waes dheah-hwaedhere his martyrd['o]m samod mid dham
eadigan Petre gefremmed. H['e] waes fram cildh['a]de on dhaere ealdan ['ae]
getogen, and mid micelre gecnyrdnysse on dhaere begriwen waes. Aefter
Cristes dhrowunge, dhadha se sodha geleafa aspr['a]ng thurh dhaera apostola
bodunge, dha ehte he cristenra manna thurh his nytennysse, and sette on
cwearterne, and eac waes on gedhafunge aet dhaes forman cydheres {386}
Stephanes slege: nis dheah-hwaedhere be him geraed, thaet h['e] handlinga
aenigne man acwealde.
"He nam dha gewrit aet dham ealdor-biscopum to dhaere byrig Damascum, thaet
h['e] moste gebindan dha cristenan dhe h['e] on dhaere byrig gemette, and
gelaedan to Hierusalem. Tha gelamp hit on tham sidhe thaet him com faerlice
to micel leoht, and hine astrehte to eordhan, and he gehyrde stemne ufan
thus cwedhende, Saule, Saule, hw['i] ehtst dhu m['i]n? Yfel bidh dhe sylfum
thaet dhu spurne ongean dha g['a]de. He dha mid micelre fyrhte andwyrde
thaere stemne, Hwaet eart dhu, leof Hlaford? Him andwyrde seo clypung
thaere godcundan stemne, Ic eom se Haelend the dhu ehtst: ac ar['i]s nu,
and far fordh to dhaere byrig; thaer dhe bidh ges['ae]d hwaet dhe
gedafenige to donne. H['e] ar['a]s dha, ablendum eagum, and his geferan
hine swa blindne to dhaere byrig gelaeddon. And he dhaer andbidigende ne
onbyrigde aetes ne waetes binnan dhreora daga faece."
"Waes dha sum Godes dhegen binnan dhaere byrig, his nama waes Annan['i]as,
to dham spraec Drihten dhysum wordum, Annan['i]a, ar['i]s, and gecum to
minum dheowan Saulum, se is biddende minre miltsunge mid eornestum mode. He
andwyrde dhaere drihtenlican stemne, Min Haelend, hu maeg ic hine
gesprecan, sedhe is ehtere dhinra halgena, dhurh mihte dhaera
ealdor-biscopa? Drihten cwaedh, Far swa ic dhe saede, fordhan dhe h['e] is
me gecoren faetels, thaet h['e] tobere minne naman dheodum, and cynegum,
and Israhela bearnum; and he sceal fela dhrowian for minum naman.
Annan['i]as dha becom to dham gecorenan cempan, and sette his handa him
on-uppan mid thisre gretinge, Saule, min brodhor, se Haelend, the dhe be
wege gespraec, sende me widh dh['i]n, thaet thu geseo, and mid tham Halgan
Gaste gefylled sy. Tha, mid dhisum wordum, feollon swylce fylmena of his
eagum, and he dhaerrihte gesihdhe underfeng, and to fulluhte beah. Wunode
dha sume feawa daga mid tham Godes dheowum binnan dhaere byrig, and mid
micelre bylde tham Iudeiscum bodade, thaet Crist, dhe h['i] widhsocon, is
dhaes Aelmihtigan Godes Sunu. H['i] wurdon swidhlice {388} ablicgede, and
cwaedon, La h['u], ne is dhes se waelhreowa ehtere cristenra manna:
h['u]meta bodadh he Cristes geleafan? Saulus sodhlice micclum swydhrode,
and dha Iudeiscan gescende, mid anraednysse sedhende, thaet Crist is Godes
Sunu."
"Hwaet dha, aefter manegum dagum gereonodon dha Iudeiscan, h['u] h['i]
dhone Godes cempan acwellan sceoldon, and setton dha weardas to aelcum
geate dhaere ceastre. Paulus ongeat heora syrwunge, and dha cristenan hine
genamon, and on anre wilian aleton ofer dhone weall. And he ferde ongean to
Hierusalem, and hine gecudhlaehte to dham halgan heape Cristes hiredes, and
him cydde h['u] se Haelend hine of heofenum gespraec. Sydhdhan, aefter
sumum fyrste, com clypung of dham Halgan Gaste to dham geleaffullan werode,
thus cwedhende, Asendadh Paulum and Barnaban to dham weorce dhe ic h['i]
gecoren haebbe. Se halga heap dha, be Godes haese and gecorennysse, h['i]
asendon to laerenne eallum leodscipum be Cristes to-cyme for middangeardes
alysednysse."
"Barnabas waes dha Paules gefera aet dhaere bodunge to langum fyrste. Dha
aet nextan weardh him gedhuht thaet hi ontwa ferdon, and swa dydon. Paulus
weardh tha afylled and gefrefrod mid thaes Halgan Gastes gife, and ferde to
manegum leodscipum, sawende Godes saed. On sumere byrig he waes twelf
monadh, on sumere twa gear, on sumere dhreo, and gesette biscopas, and
maesse-preostas, and Godes dheowas; ferde sidhdhan fordh to odhrum
leodscipe, and dyde swa gelice. Asende thonne eft ongean aerend-gewritu to
dham geleaffullum dhe he aer taehte, and h['i] swa mid tham gewritum tihte
and getrymde to lifes wege."
We willadh nu mid sumere scortre trahtnunge thas raedinge oferyrnan, and
geopenian, gif heo hwaet digles on hyre haebbende sy. Paulus ehte cristenra
manna, na mid nidhe, swa swa dha Iudeiscan dydon, ac he waes midspreca and
bewerigend thaere ealdan ['ae] mid micelre anraednysse: wende thaet Cristes
geleafa waere widherwinna dhaere ealdan gesetnysse: ac se Haelend dhe
gesette dha ealdan ['ae] mid mislicum {390} getacnungum, se ylca eft on his
andweardnysse h['i] awende to sodhfaestnysse aefter gastlicre getacnunge.
Tha nyste Paulus dha gastlican getacnunge dhaere ['ae], and waes fordhi
hyre forespreca, and ehtere Cristes geleafan. God Aelmihtig, the ealle
dhing w['a]t, geseah his gedhanc, thaet h['e] ne ehte geleaffulra manna
dhurh andan, ac dhurh ware dhaere ealdan ['ae], and hine dha gespraec of
heofonum, dhus cwedhende, "Saule, hw['i] ehtst dhu m['i]n? Ic eom seo
Sodhfaestnys dhe dhu werast; geswic dhaere ehtnysse: derigendlic bidh dhe
thaet thu spurne ongean tha g['a]de. Gif se oxa spyrndh ongean dha g['a]de,
hit deredh him sylfum; swa eac hearmadh the dhin gewinn togeanes me." He
cwaedh, "Hw['i] ehtst dhu m['i]n?" fordhan dhe he is cristenra manna
heafod, and besargadh swa hwaet swa his lima on eordhan dhrowiadh, swa swa
he dhurh his witegan cwaedh, "Se dhe eow hrepadh, hit me bidh swa egle
swylce he hreppe dha seo mines eagan." He weardh astreht, thus cwedhende,
"Hwaet eart dhu, Hlaford?" His modignes weardh astreht, and seo sodhe
eadmodnys weardh on him araered. He feoll unrihtwis, and weardh araered
rihtwis. Feallende he forleas lichamlice gesihdhe, arisende he underfeng
his modes onlihtinge. Thry dagas he wunode butan gesihdhe, fordhan dhe he
widhs['o]c Cristes aerist on dham dhriddan daege.
Annanias is gereht, on Hebreiscum gereorde, 'sc['e]p.' Thaet bilewite
sc['e]p dha gefullode dhone arleasan Saulum, and worhte hine arfaestne
Paulum. He gefullode dhone wulf and geworhte to lambe. He awende his naman
mid dheawum; and waes dha sodhfaest bydel Godes geladhunge, sedhe aer mid
redhre ehtnysse hi geswencte. He wolde forfleon syrewunge Iudeiscre dheode,
and gedhafode thaet hine man on anre wilian ofer dhone weall nydher
al['e]t: na thaet h['e] nolde for Cristes geleafan deadh throwian, ac
fordhi he forfleah dhone ungeripedan deadh, fordhan dhe he sceolde aerest
menigne mann mid his micclum wisdome to Gode gestrynan, and sydhdhan mid
micelre gedhincdhe to martyrdome his swuran astreccan. Micele maran witu he
dhrowode sidhdhan for Cristes naman, dhonne he ['ae]r his gecyrrednysse
{392} cristenum mannum gebude. Saulus se arleasa besw['a]ng dha cristenan,
ac aefter dhaere gecyrrednysse waes se arfaesta Paulus for Cristes naman
oft beswungen. Aene h['e] waes gestaened odh deadh, swa thaet dha ehteras
hine for deadne leton, ac dhaes on merigen h['e] ar['a]s, and ferde ymbe
his bodunge. He waes gelomlice on mycelre frecednysse, aegdher ge on s['ae]
ge on l['a]nde, on westene, betwux sceadhum, on hungre and on dhurste, and
on manegum waeccum, on cyle, and on naecednysse, and on manegum
cwearternum: swa h['e] onette mid thaere bodunge, swylce h['e] eal mennisc
to Godes r['i]ce gebringan wolde: aegdher ge mid l['a]re, ge mid gebedum,
ge mid gewritum h['e] symle tihte to Godes willan. He waes gelaed to
heofonan odh dha dhriddan fleringe, and thaer h['e] geseh and gehyrde Godes
digelnysse, dha h['e] ne moste nanum men cydhan. H['e] besargode mid wope
odhra manna synna, and eallum geleaffullum h['e] aeteowde faederlice lufe.
Mid his hand-craefte he teolode his and his geferena fordhdaeda, and
dhaer-to-eacan nis nan dhing tocnawen on sodhre eawfaestnysse thaet his
lareowdom ne gestadhelode. Tha odhre apostoli, be Godes haese, leofodon be
heora l['a]re unpleolice; ac dheah-hwaedhere Paulus ana, sedhe waes on
woruld-craefte teld-wyrhta, nolde dha alyfdan bigleofan onf['o]n, ac mid
agenre teolunge his and his geferena neode foresceawode. His l['a]ra and
his drohtnunga sind ['u]s unasmeagendlice, ac se bidh gesaelig the his
mynegungum mid gecneordnysse gehyrsumadh.