These {words} spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.

I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.

I am verily a man {which am} 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, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess {him}, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:

Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.

Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you {from their company}, and shall reproach {you}, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.

And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee:

Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, {and are} the offscouring of all things unto this day.

And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:

And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,

Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These {are} a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day. {nose: or, anger}

They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out. {cast...: or, excommunicated him}

When they heard {that}, they were cut {to the heart}, and took counsel to slay them.

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:

Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you {from their company}, and shall reproach {you}, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.

Because strait {is} the gate, and narrow {is} the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. {Because: or, How}

Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth {his} hands to vex certain of the church. {stretched...: or, began}

These {words} spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.

As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;

But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.

Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess {him}, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:

When they heard {that}, they were cut {to the heart}, and took counsel to slay them.

For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.

And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy.

Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.

And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, {many} days.

Then said Micah, Now know I that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to {my} priest.

That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto. {there unto: or, to sufferings, or, to persecution}

And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they {were}, should be fulfilled.

Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that {was} by it.

Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. {his own: or, his own home}

But when the king heard {thereof}, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

Son of man, thy brethren, {even} thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, and all the house of Israel wholly, {are} they unto whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Get you far from the LORD: unto us is this land given in possession.

But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

Ye have condemned {and} killed the just; {and} he doth not resist you.

Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.

Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and {some} of them ye shall kill and crucify; and {some} of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute {them} from city to city:

Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty: and they that sell them say, Blessed {be} the LORD; for I am rich: and their own shepherds pity them not.

Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope:

But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute {you}, delivering {you} up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.

And God met Balaam: and he said unto him, I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon {every} altar a bullock and a ram.

The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.

Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner.

These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. {proverbs: or, parables}

If a man or woman have a plague upon the head or the beard;

Will ye speak wickedly for God? and talk deceitfully for him?

And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.

And that whosoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and himself separated from the congregation of those that had been carried away. {forfeited: Heb. devoted}

And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.

I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

And when he had restored the eleven hundred {shekels} of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the LORD from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it unto thee.

Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.

Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and {some} of them they shall slay and persecute:

Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou {shalt be} in safeguard.

All {things} have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just {man} that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked {man} that prolongeth {his life} in his wickedness.

And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them; (now the Gibeonites {were} not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.)

For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.