Acts.
23.
sabhAsadlOkAn prati paulO'nanyadRSTyA pazyan akathayat, hE bhrAtRgaNA adya yAvat saralEna sarvvAntaHkaraNEnEzvarasya sAkSAd AcarAmi| 
anEna hanAnIyanAmA mahAyAjakastaM kapOlE capETEnAhantuM samIpasthalOkAn AdiSTavAn| 
tadA paulastamavadat, hE bahiSpariSkRta, IzvarastvAM praharttum udyatOsti, yatO vyavasthAnusArENa vicArayitum upavizya vyavasthAM lagghitvA mAM praharttum AjnjApayasi| 
tatO nikaTasthA lOkA akathayan, tvaM kim Izvarasya mahAyAjakaM nindasi? 
tataH paulaH pratibhASitavAn hE bhrAtRgaNa mahAyAjaka ESa iti na buddhaM mayA tadanyacca svalOkAnAm adhipatiM prati durvvAkyaM mA kathaya, EtAdRzI lipirasti| 
anantaraM paulastESAm arddhaM sidUkilOkA arddhaM phirUzilOkA iti dRSTvA prOccaiH sabhAsthalOkAn avadat hE bhrAtRgaNa ahaM phirUzimatAvalambI phirUzinaH satnAnazca, mRtalOkAnAm utthAnE pratyAzAkaraNAd ahamapavAditOsmi| 
iti kathAyAM kathitAyAM phirUzisidUkinOH parasparaM bhinnavAkyatvAt sabhAyA madhyE dvau saMghau jAtau| 
yataH sidUkilOkA utthAnaM svargIyadUtA AtmAnazca sarvvESAm EtESAM kamapi na manyantE, kintu phirUzinaH sarvvam aggIkurvvanti| 
tataH parasparam atizayakOlAhalE samupasthitE phirUzinAM pakSIyAH sabhAsthA adhyApakAH pratipakSA uttiSThantO 'kathayan, Etasya mAnavasya kamapi dOSaM na pazyAmaH; yadi kazcid AtmA vA kazcid dUta EnaM pratyAdizat tarhi vayam Izvarasya prAtikUlyEna na yOtsyAmaH| 
tasmAd atIva bhinnavAkyatvE sati tE paulaM khaNPaM khaNPaM kariSyantItyAzagkayA sahasrasEnApatiH sEnAgaNaM tatsthAnaM yAtuM sabhAtO balAt paulaM dhRtvA durgaM nEtanjcAjnjApayat| 
rAtrO prabhustasya samIpE tiSThan kathitavAn hE paula nirbhayO bhava yathA yirUzAlamnagarE mayi sAkSyaM dattavAn tathA rOmAnagarEpi tvayA dAtavyam| 
dinE samupasthitE sati kiyantO yihUdIyalOkA EkamantraNAH santaH paulaM na hatvA bhOjanapAnE kariSyAma iti zapathEna svAn abadhnan| 
catvAriMzajjanEbhyO'dhikA lOkA iti paNam akurvvan| 
tE mahAyAjakAnAM prAcInalOkAnAnjca samIpaM gatvA kathayan, vayaM paulaM na hatvA kimapi na bhOkSyAmahE dRPhEnAnEna zapathEna baddhvA abhavAma| 
ataEva sAmprataM sabhAsadlOkaiH saha vayaM tasmin kanjcid vizESavicAraM kariSyAmastadarthaM bhavAn zvO 'smAkaM samIpaM tam Anayatviti sahasrasEnApatayE nivEdanaM kuruta tEna yuSmAkaM samIpaM upasthitEH pUrvvaM vayaM taM hantu sajjiSyAma| 
tadA paulasya bhAginEyastESAmiti mantraNAM vijnjAya durgaM gatvA tAM vArttAM paulam uktavAn| 
tasmAt paula EkaM zatasEnApatim AhUya vAkyamidam bhASitavAn sahasrasEnApatEH samIpE'sya yuvamanuSyasya kinjcinnivEdanam AstE, tasmAt tatsavidham EnaM naya| 
tataH sa tamAdAya sahasrasEnApatEH samIpam upasthAya kathitavAn, bhavataH samIpE'sya kimapi nivEdanamAstE tasmAt bandiH paulO mAmAhUya bhavataH samIpam Enam AnEtuM prArthitavAn| 
tadA sahasrasEnApatistasya hastaM dhRtvA nirjanasthAnaM nItvA pRSThavAn tava kiM nivEdanaM? tat kathaya| 
tataH sOkathayat, yihUdIyalAkAH paulE kamapi vizESavicAraM chalaM kRtvA taM sabhAM nEtuM bhavataH samIpE nivEdayituM amantrayan| 
kintu mavatA tanna svIkarttavyaM yatastESAM madhyEvarttinazcatvAriMzajjanEbhyO 'dhikalOkA EkamantraNA bhUtvA paulaM na hatvA bhOjanaM pAnanjca na kariSyAma iti zapathEna baddhAH santO ghAtakA iva sajjitA idAnIM kEvalaM bhavatO 'numatim apEkSantE| 
yAmimAM kathAM tvaM nivEditavAn tAM kasmaicidapi mA kathayEtyuktvA sahasrasEnApatistaM yuvAnaM visRSTavAn| 
anantaraM sahasrasEnApati rdvau zatasEnApatI AhUyEdam Adizat, yuvAM rAtrau praharaikAvaziSTAyAM satyAM kaisariyAnagaraM yAtuM padAtisainyAnAM dvE zatE ghOTakArOhisainyAnAM saptatiM zaktidhArisainyAnAM dvE zatE ca janAn sajjitAn kurutaM| 
paulam ArOhayituM phIlikSAdhipatEH samIpaM nirvvighnaM nEtunjca vAhanAni samupasthApayataM| 
aparaM sa patraM likhitvA dattavAn tallikhitamEtat, 
mahAmahimazrIyuktaphIlikSAdhipatayE klaudiyaluSiyasya namaskAraH| 
yihUdIyalOkAH pUrvvam EnaM mAnavaM dhRtvA svahastai rhantum udyatA EtasminnantarE sasainyOhaM tatrOpasthAya ESa janO rOmIya iti vijnjAya taM rakSitavAn| 
kinnimittaM tE tamapavadantE tajjnjAtuM tESA sabhAM tamAnAyitavAn| 
tatastESAM vyavasthAyA viruddhayA kayAcana kathayA sO'pavAditO'bhavat, kintu sa zRgkhalabandhanArhO vA prANanAzArhO bhavatIdRzaH kOpyaparAdhO mayAsya na dRSTaH| 
tathApi manuSyasyAsya vadhArthaM yihUdIyA ghAtakAiva sajjitA EtAM vArttAM zrutvA tatkSaNAt tava samIpamEnaM prESitavAn asyApavAdakAMzca tava samIpaM gatvApavaditum AjnjApayam| bhavataH kuzalaM bhUyAt| 
sainyagaNa AjnjAnusArENa paulaM gRhItvA tasyAM rajanyAm AntipAtrinagaram Anayat| 
parE'hani tEna saha yAtuM ghOTakArUPhasainyagaNaM sthApayitvA parAvRtya durgaM gatavAn| 
tataH parE ghOTakArOhisainyagaNaH kaisariyAnagaram upasthAya tatpatram adhipatEH karE samarpya tasya samIpE paulam upasthApitavAn| 
tadAdhipatistatpatraM paThitvA pRSThavAn ESa kimpradEzIyO janaH? sa kilikiyApradEzIya EkO jana iti jnjAtvA kathitavAn, 
tavApavAdakagaNa AgatE tava kathAM zrOSyAmi| hErOdrAjagRhE taM sthApayitum AdiSTavAn|