Kisah Para Rasul 16:19-40

16:19 But when her owners ¹  saw their hope of profit ²  was gone, they seized ³  Paul and Silas and dragged ⁴  them into the marketplace before the authorities. 16:20 When ⁵  they had brought them ⁶  before the magistrates, they said, “These men are throwing our city into confusion. ⁷  They are ⁸  Jews 16:21 and are advocating ⁹  customs that are not lawful for us to accept ¹⁰  or practice, ¹¹  since we are ¹²  Romans.”

16:22 The crowd joined the attack ¹³  against them, and the magistrates tore the clothes ¹⁴  off Paul and Silas ¹⁵  and ordered them to be beaten with rods. ¹⁶  16:23 After they had beaten them severely, ¹⁷  they threw them into prison and commanded ¹⁸  the jailer to guard them securely. 16:24 Receiving such orders, he threw them in the inner cell ¹⁹  and fastened their feet in the stocks. ²⁰ 

16:25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying ²¹  and singing hymns to God, ²²  and the rest of ²³  the prisoners were listening to them. 16:26 Suddenly a great earthquake occurred, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. Immediately all the doors flew open, and the bonds ²⁴  of all the prisoners came loose. 16:27 When the jailer woke up ²⁵  and saw the doors of the prison standing open, ²⁶  he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, ²⁷  because he assumed ²⁸  the prisoners had escaped. 16:28 But Paul called out loudly, ²⁹  “Do not harm yourself, ³⁰  for we are all here!” 16:29 Calling for lights, the jailer ³¹  rushed in and fell down ³²  trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas. 16:30 Then he brought them outside ³³  and asked, “Sirs, what must ³⁴  I do to be saved?” 16:31 They replied, ³⁵  “Believe ³⁶  in the Lord Jesus ³⁷  and you will be saved, you and your household.” 16:32 Then ³⁸  they spoke the word of the Lord ³⁹  to him, along with all those who were in his house. 16:33 At ⁴⁰  that hour of the night he took them ⁴¹  and washed their wounds; ⁴²  then ⁴³  he and all his family ⁴⁴  were baptized right away. ⁴⁵  16:34 The jailer ⁴⁶  brought them into his house and set food ⁴⁷  before them, and he rejoiced greatly ⁴⁸  that he had come to believe ⁴⁹  in God, together with his entire household. ⁵⁰  16:35 At daybreak ⁵¹  the magistrates ⁵²  sent their police officers, ⁵³  saying, “Release those men.” 16:36 The jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, ⁵⁴  “The magistrates have sent orders ⁵⁵  to release you. So come out now and go in peace.” ⁵⁶  16:37 But Paul said to the police officers, ⁵⁷  “They had us beaten in public ⁵⁸  without a proper trial ⁵⁹  – even though we are Roman citizens ⁶⁰  – and they threw us ⁶¹  in prison. And now they want to send us away ⁶²  secretly? Absolutely not! They ⁶³  themselves must come and escort us out!” ⁶⁴  16:38 The police officers reported these words to the magistrates. They were frightened when they heard Paul and Silas ⁶⁵  were Roman citizens ⁶⁶  16:39 and came ⁶⁷  and apologized to them. After ⁶⁸  they brought them out, they asked them repeatedly ⁶⁹  to leave the city. 16:40 When they came out of the prison, they entered Lydia’s house, and when they saw the brothers, they encouraged them and then ⁷⁰  departed.

Kisah Para Rasul 21:17--28:31

21:17 When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers welcomed us gladly. ⁷¹  21:18 The next day Paul went in with us to see James, and all the elders were there. ⁷²  21:19 When Paul ⁷³  had greeted them, he began to explain ⁷⁴  in detail ⁷⁵  what God ⁷⁶  had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 21:20 When they heard this, they praised ⁷⁷  God. Then they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews ⁷⁸  there are who have believed, and they are all ardent observers ⁷⁹  of the law. ⁸⁰  21:21 They have been informed about you – that you teach all the Jews now living ⁸¹  among the Gentiles to abandon ⁸²  Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children ⁸³  or live ⁸⁴  according to our customs. 21:22 What then should we do? They will no doubt ⁸⁵  hear that you have come. 21:23 So do what ⁸⁶  we tell you: We have four men ⁸⁷  who have taken ⁸⁸  a vow; ⁸⁹  21:24 take them and purify ⁹⁰  yourself along with them and pay their expenses, ⁹¹  so that they may have their heads shaved. ⁹²  Then ⁹³  everyone will know there is nothing in what they have been told ⁹⁴  about you, but that you yourself live in conformity with ⁹⁵  the law. ⁹⁶  21:25 But regarding the Gentiles who have believed, we have written a letter, having decided ⁹⁷  that they should avoid ⁹⁸  meat that has been sacrificed to idols ⁹⁹  and blood and what has been strangled ¹⁰⁰  and sexual immorality.” 21:26 Then Paul took the men the next day, ¹⁰¹  and after he had purified himself ¹⁰²  along with them, he went to the temple and gave notice ¹⁰³  of the completion of the days of purification, ¹⁰⁴  when ¹⁰⁵  the sacrifice would be offered for each ¹⁰⁶  of them. 21:27 When the seven days were almost over, ¹⁰⁷  the Jews from the province of Asia ¹⁰⁸  who had seen him in the temple area ¹⁰⁹  stirred up the whole crowd ¹¹⁰  and seized ¹¹¹  him, 21:28 shouting, “Men of Israel, ¹¹²  help! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people, our law, ¹¹³  and this sanctuary! ¹¹⁴  Furthermore ¹¹⁵  he has brought Greeks into the inner courts of the temple ¹¹⁶  and made this holy place ritually unclean!” ¹¹⁷  21:29 (For they had seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him previously, and ¹¹⁸  they assumed Paul had brought him into the inner temple courts.) ¹¹⁹  21:30 The whole city was stirred up, ¹²⁰  and the people rushed together. ¹²¹  They seized ¹²²  Paul and dragged him out of the temple courts, ¹²³  and immediately the doors were shut. 21:31 While they were trying ¹²⁴  to kill him, a report ¹²⁵  was sent up ¹²⁶  to the commanding officer ¹²⁷  of the cohort ¹²⁸  that all Jerusalem was in confusion. ¹²⁹  21:32 He ¹³⁰  immediately took ¹³¹  soldiers and centurions ¹³²  and ran down to the crowd. ¹³³  When they saw ¹³⁴  the commanding officer ¹³⁵  and the soldiers, they stopped beating ¹³⁶  Paul. 21:33 Then the commanding officer ¹³⁷  came up and arrested ¹³⁸  him and ordered him to be tied up with two chains; ¹³⁹  he ¹⁴⁰  then asked who he was and what ¹⁴¹  he had done. 21:34 But some in the crowd shouted one thing, and others something else, ¹⁴²  and when the commanding officer ¹⁴³  was unable ¹⁴⁴  to find out the truth ¹⁴⁵  because of the disturbance, ¹⁴⁶  he ordered Paul ¹⁴⁷  to be brought into the barracks. ¹⁴⁸  21:35 When he came to the steps, Paul ¹⁴⁹  had to be carried ¹⁵⁰  by the soldiers because of the violence ¹⁵¹  of the mob, 21:36 for a crowd of people ¹⁵²  followed them, ¹⁵³  screaming, “Away with him!” 21:37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, ¹⁵⁴  he said ¹⁵⁵  to the commanding officer, ¹⁵⁶  “May I say ¹⁵⁷  something to you?” The officer ¹⁵⁸  replied, ¹⁵⁹  “Do you know Greek? ¹⁶⁰  21:38 Then you’re not that Egyptian who started a rebellion ¹⁶¹  and led the four thousand men of the ‘Assassins’ ¹⁶²  into the wilderness ¹⁶³  some time ago?” ¹⁶⁴  21:39 Paul answered, ¹⁶⁵  “I am a Jew ¹⁶⁶  from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city. ¹⁶⁷  Please ¹⁶⁸  allow me to speak to the people.” 21:40 When the commanding officer ¹⁶⁹  had given him permission, ¹⁷⁰  Paul stood ¹⁷¹  on the steps and gestured ¹⁷²  to the people with his hand. When they had become silent, ¹⁷³  he addressed ¹⁷⁴  them in Aramaic, ¹⁷⁵ 

Paul’s Defense

22:1 “Brothers and fathers, listen to my defense ¹⁷⁶  that I now ¹⁷⁷  make to you.” 22:2 (When they heard ¹⁷⁸  that he was addressing ¹⁷⁹  them in Aramaic, ¹⁸⁰  they became even ¹⁸¹  quieter.) ¹⁸²  Then ¹⁸³  Paul said, 22:3 “I am a Jew, ¹⁸⁴  born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up ¹⁸⁵  in this city, educated with strictness ¹⁸⁶  under ¹⁸⁷  Gamaliel ¹⁸⁸  according to the law of our ancestors, ¹⁸⁹  and was ¹⁹⁰  zealous ¹⁹¹  for God just as all of you are today. 22:4 I ¹⁹²  persecuted this Way ¹⁹³  even to the point of death, ¹⁹⁴  tying up ¹⁹⁵  both men and women and putting ¹⁹⁶  them in prison, 22:5 as both the high priest and the whole council of elders ¹⁹⁷  can testify about me. From them ¹⁹⁸  I also received ¹⁹⁹  letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way ²⁰⁰  to make arrests there and bring ²⁰¹  the prisoners ²⁰²  to Jerusalem ²⁰³  to be punished. 22:6 As ²⁰⁴  I was en route and near Damascus, ²⁰⁵  about noon a very bright ²⁰⁶  light from heaven ²⁰⁷  suddenly flashed ²⁰⁸  around me. 22:7 Then I ²⁰⁹  fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 22:8 I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ He said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’ 22:9 Those who were with me saw the light, but did not understand ²¹⁰  the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 22:10 So I asked, ²¹¹  ‘What should I do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Get up ²¹²  and go to Damascus; there you will be told about everything ²¹³  that you have been designated ²¹⁴  to do.’ 22:11 Since I could not see because of ²¹⁵  the brilliance ²¹⁶  of that light, I came to Damascus led by the hand of ²¹⁷  those who were with me. 22:12 A man named Ananias, ²¹⁸  a devout man according to the law, ²¹⁹  well spoken of by all the Jews who live there, ²²⁰  22:13 came ²²¹  to me and stood beside me ²²²  and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight!’ ²²³  And at that very moment ²²⁴  I looked up and saw him. ²²⁵  22:14 Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors ²²⁶  has already chosen ²²⁷  you to know his will, to see ²²⁸  the Righteous One, ²²⁹  and to hear a command ²³⁰  from his mouth, 22:15 because you will be his witness ²³¹  to all people ²³²  of what you have seen and heard. 22:16 And now what are you waiting for? ²³³  Get up, ²³⁴  be baptized, and have your sins washed away, ²³⁵  calling on his name.’ ²³⁶  22:17 When ²³⁷  I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance ²³⁸  22:18 and saw the Lord ²³⁹  saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ 22:19 I replied, ²⁴⁰  ‘Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat those in the various synagogues ²⁴¹  who believed in you. 22:20 And when the blood of your witness ²⁴²  Stephen was shed, ²⁴³  I myself was standing nearby, approving, ²⁴⁴  and guarding the cloaks ²⁴⁵  of those who were killing him.’ ²⁴⁶  22:21 Then ²⁴⁷  he said to me, ‘Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

The Roman Commander Questions Paul

22:22 The crowd ²⁴⁸  was listening to him until he said this. ²⁴⁹  Then ²⁵⁰  they raised their voices and shouted, ²⁵¹  “Away with this man ²⁵²  from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live!” ²⁵³  22:23 While they were screaming ²⁵⁴  and throwing off their cloaks ²⁵⁵  and tossing dust ²⁵⁶  in the air, 22:24 the commanding officer ²⁵⁷  ordered Paul ²⁵⁸  to be brought back into the barracks. ²⁵⁹  He told them ²⁶⁰  to interrogate Paul ²⁶¹  by beating him with a lash ²⁶²  so that he could find out the reason the crowd ²⁶³  was shouting at Paul ²⁶⁴  in this way. 22:25 When they had stretched him out for the lash, ²⁶⁵  Paul said to the centurion ²⁶⁶  standing nearby, “Is it legal for you to lash a man who is a Roman citizen ²⁶⁷  without a proper trial?” ²⁶⁸  22:26 When the centurion ²⁶⁹  heard this, ²⁷⁰  he went to the commanding officer ²⁷¹  and reported it, ²⁷²  saying, “What are you about to do? ²⁷³  For this man is a Roman citizen.” ²⁷⁴  22:27 So the commanding officer ²⁷⁵  came and asked ²⁷⁶  Paul, ²⁷⁷  “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” ²⁷⁸  He replied, ²⁷⁹  “Yes.” 22:28 The commanding officer ²⁸⁰  answered, “I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.” ²⁸¹  “But I was even ²⁸²  born a citizen,” ²⁸³  Paul replied. ²⁸⁴  22:29 Then those who were about to interrogate him stayed away ²⁸⁵  from him, and the commanding officer ²⁸⁶  was frightened when he realized that Paul ²⁸⁷  was ²⁸⁸  a Roman citizen ²⁸⁹  and that he had had him tied up. ²⁹⁰ 

Paul Before the Sanhedrin

22:30 The next day, because the commanding officer ²⁹¹  wanted to know the true reason ²⁹²  Paul ²⁹³  was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and the whole council ²⁹⁴  to assemble. He then brought ²⁹⁵  Paul down and had him stand before them.

23:1 Paul looked directly ²⁹⁶  at the council ²⁹⁷  and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life with a clear conscience ²⁹⁸  before God to this day.” 23:2 At that ²⁹⁹  the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near ³⁰⁰  Paul ³⁰¹  to strike ³⁰²  him on the mouth. 23:3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! ³⁰³  Do ³⁰⁴  you sit there judging me according to the law, ³⁰⁵  and in violation of the law ³⁰⁶  you order me to be struck?” 23:4 Those standing near him ³⁰⁷  said, “Do you dare insult ³⁰⁸  God’s high priest?” 23:5 Paul replied, ³⁰⁹  “I did not realize, ³¹⁰  brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You must not speak evil about a ruler of your people.’” ³¹¹ 

23:6 Then when Paul noticed ³¹²  that part of them were Sadducees ³¹³  and the others Pharisees, ³¹⁴  he shouted out in the council, ³¹⁵  “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection ³¹⁶  of the dead!” 23:7 When he said this, ³¹⁷  an argument ³¹⁸  began ³¹⁹  between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 23:8 (For the Sadducees say there is no resurrection, or angel, or spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.) ³²⁰  23:9 There was a great commotion, ³²¹  and some experts in the law ³²²  from the party of the Pharisees stood up ³²³  and protested strongly, ³²⁴  “We find nothing wrong ³²⁵  with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” 23:10 When the argument became ³²⁶  so great the commanding officer ³²⁷  feared that they would tear Paul to pieces, ³²⁸  he ordered the detachment ³²⁹  to go down, take him away from them by force, ³³⁰  and bring him into the barracks. ³³¹ 

23:11 The following night the Lord ³³²  stood near ³³³  Paul ³³⁴  and said, “Have courage, ³³⁵  for just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, ³³⁶  so you must also testify in Rome.” ³³⁷ 

The Plot to Kill Paul

23:12 When morning came, ³³⁸  the Jews formed ³³⁹  a conspiracy ³⁴⁰  and bound themselves with an oath ³⁴¹  not to eat or drink anything ³⁴²  until they had killed Paul. 23:13 There were more than forty of them who formed this conspiracy. ³⁴³  23:14 They ³⁴⁴  went ³⁴⁵  to the chief priests ³⁴⁶  and the elders and said, “We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath ³⁴⁷  not to partake ³⁴⁸  of anything until we have killed Paul. 23:15 So now you and the council ³⁴⁹  request the commanding officer ³⁵⁰  to bring him down to you, as if you were going to determine ³⁵¹  his case ³⁵²  by conducting a more thorough inquiry. ³⁵³  We are ready to kill him ³⁵⁴  before he comes near this place.” ³⁵⁵ 

23:16 But when the son of Paul’s sister heard about the ambush, ³⁵⁶  he came and entered ³⁵⁷  the barracks ³⁵⁸  and told Paul. 23:17 Paul called ³⁵⁹  one of the centurions ³⁶⁰  and said, “Take this young man to the commanding officer, ³⁶¹  for he has something to report to him.” 23:18 So the centurion ³⁶²  took him and brought him to the commanding officer ³⁶³  and said, “The prisoner Paul called ³⁶⁴  me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.” 23:19 The commanding officer ³⁶⁵  took him by the hand, withdrew privately, and asked, “What is it that you want ³⁶⁶  to report to me?” 23:20 He replied, ³⁶⁷  “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council ³⁶⁸  tomorrow, as if they were going to inquire more thoroughly about him. 23:21 So do not let them persuade you to do this, ³⁶⁹  because more than forty of them ³⁷⁰  are lying in ambush ³⁷¹  for him. They ³⁷²  have bound themselves with an oath ³⁷³  not to eat or drink anything ³⁷⁴  until they have killed him, and now they are ready, waiting for you to agree to their request.” ³⁷⁵  23:22 Then the commanding officer ³⁷⁶  sent the young man away, directing him, ³⁷⁷  “Tell no one that you have reported ³⁷⁸  these things to me.” 23:23 Then ³⁷⁹  he summoned ³⁸⁰  two of the centurions ³⁸¹  and said, “Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea ³⁸²  along with seventy horsemen ³⁸³  and two hundred spearmen ³⁸⁴  by ³⁸⁵  nine o’clock tonight, ³⁸⁶  23:24 and provide mounts for Paul to ride ³⁸⁷  so that he may be brought safely to Felix ³⁸⁸  the governor.” ³⁸⁹  23:25 He wrote ³⁹⁰  a letter that went like this: ³⁹¹ 

23:26 Claudius Lysias to His Excellency Governor ³⁹²  Felix, ³⁹³  greetings. 23:27 This man was seized ³⁹⁴  by the Jews and they were about to kill him, ³⁹⁵  when I came up ³⁹⁶  with the detachment ³⁹⁷  and rescued him, because I had learned that he was ³⁹⁸  a Roman citizen. ³⁹⁹  23:28 Since I wanted to know ⁴⁰⁰  what charge they were accusing him of, ⁴⁰¹  I brought him down to their council. ⁴⁰²  23:29 I found he ⁴⁰³  was accused with reference to controversial questions ⁴⁰⁴  about their law, but no charge against him deserved death or imprisonment. ⁴⁰⁵  23:30 When I was informed ⁴⁰⁶  there would be a plot ⁴⁰⁷  against this man, I sent him to you at once, also ordering his accusers to state their charges ⁴⁰⁸  against him before you.

23:31 So the soldiers, in accordance with their orders, ⁴⁰⁹  took ⁴¹⁰  Paul and brought him to Antipatris ⁴¹¹  during the night. 23:32 The next day they let ⁴¹²  the horsemen ⁴¹³  go on with him, and they returned to the barracks. ⁴¹⁴  23:33 When the horsemen ⁴¹⁵  came to Caesarea ⁴¹⁶  and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented ⁴¹⁷  Paul to him. 23:34 When the governor ⁴¹⁸  had read ⁴¹⁹  the letter, ⁴²⁰  he asked ⁴²¹  what province he was from. ⁴²²  When he learned ⁴²³  that he was from Cilicia, ⁴²⁴  23:35 he said, “I will give you a hearing ⁴²⁵  when your accusers arrive too.” Then ⁴²⁶  he ordered that Paul ⁴²⁷  be kept under guard in Herod’s palace. ⁴²⁸ 

The Accusations Against Paul

24:1 After five days the high priest Ananias ⁴²⁹  came down with some elders and an attorney ⁴³⁰  named ⁴³¹  Tertullus, and they ⁴³²  brought formal charges ⁴³³  against Paul to the governor. 24:2 When Paul ⁴³⁴  had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, ⁴³⁵  saying, “We have experienced a lengthy time ⁴³⁶  of peace through your rule, ⁴³⁷  and reforms ⁴³⁸  are being made in this nation ⁴³⁹  through your foresight. ⁴⁴⁰  24:3 Most excellent Felix, ⁴⁴¹  we acknowledge this everywhere and in every way ⁴⁴²  with all gratitude. ⁴⁴³  24:4 But so that I may not delay ⁴⁴⁴  you any further, I beg ⁴⁴⁵  you to hear us briefly ⁴⁴⁶  with your customary graciousness. ⁴⁴⁷  24:5 For we have found ⁴⁴⁸  this man to be a troublemaker, ⁴⁴⁹  one who stirs up riots ⁴⁵⁰  among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader ⁴⁵¹  of the sect of the Nazarenes. ⁴⁵²  24:6 He ⁴⁵³  even tried to desecrate ⁴⁵⁴  the temple, so we arrested ⁴⁵⁵  him. 24:7 [[EMPTY]] ⁴⁵⁶  24:8 When you examine ⁴⁵⁷  him yourself, you will be able to learn from him ⁴⁵⁸  about all these things we are accusing him of doing.” ⁴⁵⁹  24:9 The Jews also joined in the verbal attack, ⁴⁶⁰  claiming ⁴⁶¹  that these things were true.

Paul’s Defense Before Felix

24:10 When the governor gestured for him to speak, Paul replied, “Because I know ⁴⁶²  that you have been a judge over this nation for many years, I confidently make my defense. ⁴⁶³  24:11 As you can verify ⁴⁶⁴  for yourself, not more than twelve days ago ⁴⁶⁵  I went up to Jerusalem ⁴⁶⁶  to worship. 24:12 They did not find me arguing ⁴⁶⁷  with anyone or stirring up a crowd ⁴⁶⁸  in the temple courts ⁴⁶⁹  or in the synagogues ⁴⁷⁰  or throughout the city, ⁴⁷¹  24:13 nor can they prove ⁴⁷²  to you the things ⁴⁷³  they are accusing me of doing. ⁴⁷⁴  24:14 But I confess this to you, that I worship ⁴⁷⁵  the God of our ancestors ⁴⁷⁶  according to the Way (which they call a sect), believing everything that is according to the law ⁴⁷⁷  and that is written in the prophets. 24:15 I have ⁴⁷⁸  a hope in God (a hope ⁴⁷⁹  that ⁴⁸⁰  these men ⁴⁸¹  themselves accept too) that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁸²  24:16 This is the reason ⁴⁸³  I do my best to always ⁴⁸⁴  have a clear ⁴⁸⁵  conscience toward God and toward people. ⁴⁸⁶  24:17 After several years ⁴⁸⁷  I came to bring to my people gifts for the poor ⁴⁸⁸  and to present offerings, ⁴⁸⁹  24:18 which I was doing when they found me in the temple, ritually purified, ⁴⁹⁰  without a crowd or a disturbance. ⁴⁹¹  24:19 But there are some Jews from the province of Asia ⁴⁹²  who should be here before you and bring charges, ⁴⁹³  if they have anything against me. 24:20 Or these men here ⁴⁹⁴  should tell what crime ⁴⁹⁵  they found me guilty of ⁴⁹⁶  when I stood before the council, ⁴⁹⁷  24:21 other than ⁴⁹⁸  this one thing ⁴⁹⁹  I shouted out while I stood before ⁵⁰⁰  them: ‘I am on trial before you today concerning the resurrection of the dead.’” ⁵⁰¹ 

24:22 Then Felix, ⁵⁰²  who understood the facts ⁵⁰³  concerning the Way ⁵⁰⁴  more accurately, ⁵⁰⁵  adjourned their hearing, ⁵⁰⁶  saying, “When Lysias the commanding officer comes down, I will decide your case.” ⁵⁰⁷  24:23 He ordered the centurion ⁵⁰⁸  to guard Paul, ⁵⁰⁹  but to let him have some freedom, ⁵¹⁰  and not to prevent any of his friends ⁵¹¹  from meeting his needs. ⁵¹² 

Paul Speaks Repeatedly to Felix

24:24 Some days later, when Felix ⁵¹³  arrived with his wife Drusilla, ⁵¹⁴  who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him speak ⁵¹⁵  about faith in Christ Jesus. ⁵¹⁶  24:25 While Paul ⁵¹⁷  was discussing ⁵¹⁸  righteousness, self-control, ⁵¹⁹  and the coming judgment, Felix ⁵²⁰  became ⁵²¹  frightened and said, “Go away for now, and when I have an opportunity, ⁵²²  I will send for you.” 24:26 At the same time he was also hoping that Paul would give him money, ⁵²³  and for this reason he sent for Paul ⁵²⁴  as often as possible ⁵²⁵  and talked ⁵²⁶  with him. 24:27 After two years ⁵²⁷  had passed, Porcius Festus ⁵²⁸  succeeded Felix, ⁵²⁹  and because he wanted to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison. ⁵³⁰ 

Paul Appeals to Caesar

25:1 Now ⁵³¹  three days after Festus ⁵³²  arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem ⁵³³  from Caesarea. ⁵³⁴  25:2 So the chief priests and the most prominent men ⁵³⁵  of the Jews brought formal charges ⁵³⁶  against Paul to him. 25:3 Requesting him to do them a favor against Paul, ⁵³⁷  they urged Festus ⁵³⁸  to summon him to Jerusalem, planning an ambush ⁵³⁹  to kill him along the way. 25:4 Then Festus ⁵⁴⁰  replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea, ⁵⁴¹  and he himself intended to go there ⁵⁴²  shortly. 25:5 “So,” he said, “let your leaders ⁵⁴³  go down there ⁵⁴⁴  with me, and if this man has done anything wrong, ⁵⁴⁵  they may bring charges ⁵⁴⁶  against him.”

25:6 After Festus ⁵⁴⁷  had stayed ⁵⁴⁸  not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea, ⁵⁴⁹  and the next day he sat ⁵⁵⁰  on the judgment seat ⁵⁵¹  and ordered Paul to be brought. 25:7 When he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, ⁵⁵²  bringing many serious ⁵⁵³  charges that they were not able to prove. ⁵⁵⁴  25:8 Paul said in his defense, ⁵⁵⁵  “I have committed no offense ⁵⁵⁶  against the Jewish law ⁵⁵⁷  or against the temple or against Caesar.” ⁵⁵⁸  25:9 But Festus, ⁵⁵⁹  wanting to do the Jews a favor, asked Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and be tried ⁵⁶⁰  before me there on these charges?” ⁵⁶¹  25:10 Paul replied, ⁵⁶²  “I am standing before Caesar’s ⁵⁶³  judgment seat, ⁵⁶⁴  where I should be tried. ⁵⁶⁵  I have done nothing wrong ⁵⁶⁶  to the Jews, as you also know very well. ⁵⁶⁷  25:11 If then I am in the wrong ⁵⁶⁸  and have done anything that deserves death, I am not trying to escape dying, ⁵⁶⁹  but if not one of their charges against me is true, ⁵⁷⁰  no one can hand me over to them. ⁵⁷¹  I appeal to Caesar!” ⁵⁷²  25:12 Then, after conferring with his council, ⁵⁷³  Festus ⁵⁷⁴  replied, “You have appealed to Caesar; ⁵⁷⁵  to Caesar ⁵⁷⁶  you will go!” ⁵⁷⁷ 

Festus Asks King Agrippa for Advice

25:13 After several days had passed, King Agrippa ⁵⁷⁸  and Bernice arrived at Caesarea ⁵⁷⁹  to pay their respects ⁵⁸⁰  to Festus. ⁵⁸¹  25:14 While ⁵⁸²  they were staying there many days, Festus ⁵⁸³  explained Paul’s case to the king to get his opinion, ⁵⁸⁴  saying, “There is a man left here as a prisoner by Felix. 25:15 When I was in Jerusalem, ⁵⁸⁵  the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed ⁵⁸⁶  me about him, ⁵⁸⁷  asking for a sentence of condemnation ⁵⁸⁸  against him. 25:16 I answered them ⁵⁸⁹  that it was not the custom of the Romans to hand over anyone ⁵⁹⁰  before the accused had met his accusers face to face ⁵⁹¹  and had been given ⁵⁹²  an opportunity to make a defense against the accusation. ⁵⁹³  25:17 So after they came back here with me, ⁵⁹⁴  I did not postpone the case, ⁵⁹⁵  but the next day I sat ⁵⁹⁶  on the judgment seat ⁵⁹⁷  and ordered the man to be brought. 25:18 When his accusers stood up, they did not charge ⁵⁹⁸  him with any of the evil deeds I had suspected. ⁵⁹⁹  25:19 Rather they had several points of disagreement ⁶⁰⁰  with him about their own religion ⁶⁰¹  and about a man named Jesus ⁶⁰²  who was dead, whom Paul claimed ⁶⁰³  to be alive. 25:20 Because I was at a loss ⁶⁰⁴  how I could investigate these matters, ⁶⁰⁵  I asked if he were willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried ⁶⁰⁶  there on these charges. ⁶⁰⁷  25:21 But when Paul appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of His Majesty the Emperor, ⁶⁰⁸  I ordered him to be kept under guard until I could send him to Caesar.” ⁶⁰⁹  25:22 Agrippa ⁶¹⁰  said to Festus, ⁶¹¹  “I would also like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he replied, ⁶¹²  “you will hear him.”

Paul Before King Agrippa and Bernice

25:23 So the next day Agrippa ⁶¹³  and Bernice came with great pomp ⁶¹⁴  and entered the audience hall, ⁶¹⁵  along with the senior military officers ⁶¹⁶  and the prominent men of the city. When Festus ⁶¹⁷  gave the order, ⁶¹⁸  Paul was brought in. 25:24 Then Festus ⁶¹⁹  said, “King Agrippa, ⁶²⁰  and all you who are present here with us, you see this man about whom the entire Jewish populace ⁶²¹  petitioned ⁶²²  me both in Jerusalem ⁶²³  and here, ⁶²⁴  shouting loudly ⁶²⁵  that he ought not to live any longer. 25:25 But I found that he had done nothing that deserved death, ⁶²⁶  and when he appealed ⁶²⁷  to His Majesty the Emperor, ⁶²⁸  I decided to send him. ⁶²⁹  25:26 But I have nothing definite ⁶³⁰  to write to my lord ⁶³¹  about him. ⁶³²  Therefore I have brought him before you all, and especially before you, King Agrippa, ⁶³³  so that after this preliminary hearing ⁶³⁴  I may have something to write. 25:27 For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without clearly indicating ⁶³⁵  the charges against him.”

Paul Offers His Defense

26:1 So Agrippa ⁶³⁶  said to Paul, “You have permission ⁶³⁷  to speak for yourself.” Then Paul held out his hand ⁶³⁸  and began his defense: ⁶³⁹ 

26:2 “Regarding all the things I have been accused of by the Jews, King Agrippa, ⁶⁴⁰  I consider myself fortunate that I am about to make my defense before you today, 26:3 because you are especially ⁶⁴¹  familiar with all the customs and controversial issues ⁶⁴²  of the Jews. Therefore I ask ⁶⁴³  you to listen to me patiently. 26:4 Now all the Jews know the way I lived ⁶⁴⁴  from my youth, spending my life from the beginning among my own people ⁶⁴⁵  and in Jerusalem. ⁶⁴⁶  26:5 They know, ⁶⁴⁷  because they have known ⁶⁴⁸  me from time past, ⁶⁴⁹  if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party ⁶⁵⁰  of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee. ⁶⁵¹  26:6 And now I stand here on trial ⁶⁵²  because of my hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors, ⁶⁵³  26:7 a promise ⁶⁵⁴  that our twelve tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve God ⁶⁵⁵  night and day. Concerning this hope the Jews are accusing me, ⁶⁵⁶  Your Majesty! ⁶⁵⁷  26:8 Why do you people ⁶⁵⁸  think ⁶⁵⁹  it is unbelievable ⁶⁶⁰  that ⁶⁶¹  God raises the dead? 26:9 Of course, ⁶⁶²  I myself was convinced ⁶⁶³  that it was necessary to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus the Nazarene. 26:10 And that is what I did in Jerusalem: Not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons by the authority I received ⁶⁶⁴  from the chief priests, but I also cast my vote ⁶⁶⁵  against them when they were sentenced to death. ⁶⁶⁶  26:11 I punished ⁶⁶⁷  them often in all the synagogues ⁶⁶⁸  and tried to force ⁶⁶⁹  them to blaspheme. Because I was so furiously enraged ⁶⁷⁰  at them, I went to persecute ⁶⁷¹  them even in foreign cities.

26:12 “While doing this very thing, ⁶⁷²  as I was going ⁶⁷³  to Damascus with authority and complete power ⁶⁷⁴  from the chief priests, 26:13 about noon along the road, Your Majesty, ⁶⁷⁵  I saw a light from heaven, ⁶⁷⁶  brighter than the sun, shining everywhere around ⁶⁷⁷  me and those traveling with me. 26:14 When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ⁶⁷⁸  ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? You are hurting yourself ⁶⁷⁹  by kicking against the goads.’ ⁶⁸⁰  26:15 So I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord replied, ⁶⁸¹  ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 26:16 But get up and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this reason, to designate you in advance ⁶⁸²  as a servant and witness ⁶⁸³  to the things ⁶⁸⁴  you have seen ⁶⁸⁵  and to the things in which I will appear to you. 26:17 I will rescue ⁶⁸⁶  you from your own people ⁶⁸⁷  and from the Gentiles, to whom ⁶⁸⁸  I am sending you 26:18 to open their eyes so that they turn ⁶⁸⁹  from darkness to light and from the power ⁶⁹⁰  of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share ⁶⁹¹  among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

26:19 “Therefore, King Agrippa, ⁶⁹²  I was not disobedient ⁶⁹³  to the heavenly ⁶⁹⁴  vision, 26:20 but I declared to those in Damascus first, and then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, ⁶⁹⁵  and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, ⁶⁹⁶  performing deeds consistent with ⁶⁹⁷  repentance. 26:21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple courts ⁶⁹⁸  and were trying to kill me. 26:22 I have experienced ⁶⁹⁹  help from God to this day, and so I stand testifying to both small and great, saying nothing except ⁷⁰⁰  what the prophets and Moses said ⁷⁰¹  was going to happen: 26:23 that ⁷⁰²  the Christ ⁷⁰³  was to suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, to proclaim light both to our people ⁷⁰⁴  and to the Gentiles.” ⁷⁰⁵ 

26:24 As Paul ⁷⁰⁶  was saying these things in his defense, Festus ⁷⁰⁷  exclaimed loudly, “You have lost your mind, ⁷⁰⁸  Paul! Your great learning is driving you insane!” 26:25 But Paul replied, ⁷⁰⁹  “I have not lost my mind, most excellent Festus, ⁷¹⁰  but am speaking ⁷¹¹  true and rational ⁷¹²  words. 26:26 For the king knows about these things, and I am speaking freely ⁷¹³  to him, ⁷¹⁴  because I cannot believe ⁷¹⁵  that any of these things has escaped his notice, ⁷¹⁶  for this was not done in a corner. ⁷¹⁷  26:27 Do you believe the prophets, ⁷¹⁸  King Agrippa? ⁷¹⁹  I know that you believe.” 26:28 Agrippa ⁷²⁰  said to Paul, “In such a short time are you persuading me to become a Christian?” ⁷²¹  26:29 Paul replied, “I pray to God that whether in a short or a long time ⁷²²  not only you but also all those who are listening to me today could become such as I am, except for these chains.” ⁷²³ 

26:30 So the king got up, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them, 26:31 and as they were leaving they said to one another, ⁷²⁴  “This man is not doing anything deserving ⁷²⁵  death or imprisonment.” 26:32 Agrippa ⁷²⁶  said to Festus, ⁷²⁷  “This man could have been released ⁷²⁸  if he had not appealed to Caesar.” ⁷²⁹ 

Paul and Company Sail for Rome

27:1 When it was decided we ⁷³⁰  would sail to Italy, ⁷³¹  they handed over Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion ⁷³²  of the Augustan Cohort ⁷³³  named Julius. 27:2 We went on board ⁷³⁴  a ship from Adramyttium ⁷³⁵  that was about to sail to various ports ⁷³⁶  along the coast of the province of Asia ⁷³⁷  and put out to sea, ⁷³⁸  accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian ⁷³⁹  from Thessalonica. ⁷⁴⁰  27:3 The next day we put in ⁷⁴¹  at Sidon, ⁷⁴²  and Julius, treating Paul kindly, ⁷⁴³  allowed him to go to his friends so they could provide him with what he needed. ⁷⁴⁴  27:4 From there we put out to sea ⁷⁴⁵  and sailed under the lee ⁷⁴⁶  of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 27:5 After we had sailed across the open sea ⁷⁴⁷  off Cilicia and Pamphylia, ⁷⁴⁸  we put in ⁷⁴⁹  at Myra ⁷⁵⁰  in Lycia. ⁷⁵¹  27:6 There the centurion ⁷⁵²  found ⁷⁵³  a ship from Alexandria ⁷⁵⁴  sailing for Italy, and he put us aboard it. 27:7 We sailed slowly ⁷⁵⁵  for many days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus. ⁷⁵⁶  Because the wind prevented us from going any farther, ⁷⁵⁷  we sailed under the lee ⁷⁵⁸  of Crete off Salmone. ⁷⁵⁹  27:8 With difficulty we sailed along the coast ⁷⁶⁰  of Crete ⁷⁶¹  and came to a place called Fair Havens that was near the town of Lasea. ⁷⁶² 

Caught in a Violent Storm

27:9 Since considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous ⁷⁶³  because the fast ⁷⁶⁴  was already over, ⁷⁶⁵  Paul advised them, ⁷⁶⁶  27:10 “Men, I can see the voyage is going to end ⁷⁶⁷  in disaster ⁷⁶⁸  and great loss not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” ⁷⁶⁹  27:11 But the centurion ⁷⁷⁰  was more convinced ⁷⁷¹  by the captain ⁷⁷²  and the ship’s owner than by what Paul said. ⁷⁷³  27:12 Because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided ⁷⁷⁴  to put out to sea ⁷⁷⁵  from there. They hoped that ⁷⁷⁶  somehow they could reach ⁷⁷⁷  Phoenix, ⁷⁷⁸  a harbor of Crete facing ⁷⁷⁹  southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. 27:13 When a gentle south wind sprang up, they thought ⁷⁸⁰  they could carry out ⁷⁸¹  their purpose, so they weighed anchor ⁷⁸²  and sailed close along the coast ⁷⁸³  of Crete. 27:14 Not long after this, a hurricane-force ⁷⁸⁴  wind called the northeaster ⁷⁸⁵  blew down from the island. ⁷⁸⁶  27:15 When the ship was caught in it ⁷⁸⁷  and could not head into ⁷⁸⁸  the wind, we gave way to it and were driven ⁷⁸⁹  along. 27:16 As we ran under the lee of ⁷⁹⁰  a small island called Cauda, ⁷⁹¹  we were able with difficulty to get the ship’s boat ⁷⁹²  under control. 27:17 After the crew ⁷⁹³  had hoisted it aboard, ⁷⁹⁴  they used supports ⁷⁹⁵  to undergird the ship. Fearing they would run aground ⁷⁹⁶  on the Syrtis, ⁷⁹⁷  they lowered the sea anchor, ⁷⁹⁸  thus letting themselves be driven along. 27:18 The next day, because we were violently battered by the storm, ⁷⁹⁹  they began throwing the cargo overboard, ⁸⁰⁰  27:19 and on the third day they threw the ship’s gear ⁸⁰¹  overboard with their own hands. 27:20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and a violent ⁸⁰²  storm continued to batter us, ⁸⁰³  we finally abandoned all hope of being saved. ⁸⁰⁴ 

27:21 Since many of them had no desire to eat, ⁸⁰⁵  Paul ⁸⁰⁶  stood up ⁸⁰⁷  among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me ⁸⁰⁸  and not put out to sea ⁸⁰⁹  from Crete, thus avoiding ⁸¹⁰  this damage and loss. 27:22 And now I advise ⁸¹¹  you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only the ship will be lost. ⁸¹²  27:23 For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong ⁸¹³  and whom I serve ⁸¹⁴  came to me ⁸¹⁵  27:24 and said, ⁸¹⁶  ‘Do not be afraid, Paul! You must stand before ⁸¹⁷  Caesar, ⁸¹⁸  and God has graciously granted you the safety ⁸¹⁹  of all who are sailing with you.’ 27:25 Therefore keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God ⁸²⁰  that it will be just as I have been told. 27:26 But we must ⁸²¹  run aground on some island.”

27:27 When the fourteenth night had come, while we were being driven ⁸²²  across the Adriatic Sea, ⁸²³  about midnight the sailors suspected they were approaching some land. ⁸²⁴  27:28 They took soundings ⁸²⁵  and found the water was twenty fathoms ⁸²⁶  deep; when they had sailed a little farther ⁸²⁷  they took soundings again and found it was fifteen fathoms ⁸²⁸  deep. 27:29 Because they were afraid ⁸²⁹  that we would run aground on the rocky coast, ⁸³⁰  they threw out ⁸³¹  four anchors from the stern and wished ⁸³²  for day to appear. ⁸³³  27:30 Then when the sailors tried to escape from the ship and were lowering the ship’s boat into the sea, pretending ⁸³⁴  that they were going to put out anchors from the bow, 27:31 Paul said to the centurion ⁸³⁵  and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you ⁸³⁶  cannot be saved.” 27:32 Then the soldiers cut the ropes ⁸³⁷  of the ship’s boat and let it drift away. ⁸³⁸ 

27:33 As day was about to dawn, ⁸³⁹  Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day you have been in suspense ⁸⁴⁰  and have gone ⁸⁴¹  without food; you have eaten nothing. ⁸⁴²  27:34 Therefore I urge you to take some food, for this is important ⁸⁴³  for your survival. ⁸⁴⁴  For not one of you will lose a hair from his head.” 27:35 After he said this, Paul ⁸⁴⁵  took bread ⁸⁴⁶  and gave thanks to God in front of them all, ⁸⁴⁷  broke ⁸⁴⁸  it, and began to eat. 27:36 So all of them were encouraged and took food themselves. 27:37 (We were in all two hundred seventy-six ⁸⁴⁹  persons on the ship.) ⁸⁵⁰  27:38 When they had eaten enough to be satisfied, ⁸⁵¹  they lightened the ship by throwing the wheat ⁸⁵²  into the sea.

Paul is Shipwrecked

27:39 When day came, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed ⁸⁵³  a bay ⁸⁵⁴  with a beach, ⁸⁵⁵  where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. 27:40 So they slipped ⁸⁵⁶  the anchors ⁸⁵⁷  and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the linkage ⁸⁵⁸  that bound the steering oars ⁸⁵⁹  together. Then they hoisted ⁸⁶⁰  the foresail ⁸⁶¹  to the wind and steered toward ⁸⁶²  the beach. 27:41 But they encountered a patch of crosscurrents ⁸⁶³  and ran the ship aground; the bow stuck fast and could not be moved, but the stern was being broken up by the force ⁸⁶⁴  of the waves. 27:42 Now the soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners ⁸⁶⁵  so that none of them would escape by swimming away. ⁸⁶⁶  27:43 But the centurion, ⁸⁶⁷  wanting to save Paul’s life, ⁸⁶⁸  prevented them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land, ⁸⁶⁹  27:44 and the rest were to follow, ⁸⁷⁰  some on planks ⁸⁷¹  and some on pieces of the ship. ⁸⁷²  And in this way ⁸⁷³  all were brought safely to land.

Paul on Malta

28:1 After we had safely reached shore, ⁸⁷⁴  we learned that the island was called Malta. ⁸⁷⁵  28:2 The local inhabitants ⁸⁷⁶  showed us extraordinary ⁸⁷⁷  kindness, for they built a fire and welcomed us all because it had started to rain ⁸⁷⁸  and was cold. 28:3 When Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood ⁸⁷⁹  and was putting it on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand. 28:4 When the local people ⁸⁸⁰  saw the creature hanging from Paul’s ⁸⁸¹  hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer! Although he has escaped from the sea, Justice herself ⁸⁸²  has not allowed him to live!” ⁸⁸³  28:5 However, ⁸⁸⁴  Paul ⁸⁸⁵  shook ⁸⁸⁶  the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm. 28:6 But they were expecting that he was going to swell up ⁸⁸⁷  or suddenly drop dead. So after they had waited ⁸⁸⁸  a long time and had seen ⁸⁸⁹  nothing unusual happen ⁸⁹⁰  to him, they changed their minds ⁸⁹¹  and said he was a god. ⁸⁹² 

28:7 Now in the region around that place ⁸⁹³  were fields belonging to the chief official ⁸⁹⁴  of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us hospitably as guests for three days. 28:8 The father ⁸⁹⁵  of Publius lay sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him ⁸⁹⁶  and after praying, placed ⁸⁹⁷  his hands on him and healed ⁸⁹⁸  him. 28:9 After this had happened, many of the people on the island who were sick ⁸⁹⁹  also came and were healed. ⁹⁰⁰  28:10 They also bestowed many honors, ⁹⁰¹  and when we were preparing to sail, ⁹⁰²  they gave ⁹⁰³  us all the supplies we needed. ⁹⁰⁴ 

Paul Finally Reaches Rome

28:11 After three months we put out to sea ⁹⁰⁵  in an Alexandrian ship that had wintered at the island and had the “Heavenly Twins” ⁹⁰⁶  as its figurehead. ⁹⁰⁷  28:12 We put in ⁹⁰⁸  at Syracuse ⁹⁰⁹  and stayed there three days. 28:13 From there we cast off ⁹¹⁰  and arrived at Rhegium, ⁹¹¹  and after one day a south wind sprang up ⁹¹²  and on the second day we came to Puteoli. ⁹¹³  28:14 There ⁹¹⁴  we found ⁹¹⁵  some brothers ⁹¹⁶  and were invited to stay with them seven days. And in this way we came to Rome. ⁹¹⁷  28:15 The brothers from there, ⁹¹⁸  when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius ⁹¹⁹  and Three Taverns ⁹²⁰  to meet us. When he saw them, ⁹²¹  Paul thanked God and took courage. 28:16 When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live ⁹²²  by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.

Paul Addresses the Jewish Community in Rome

28:17 After three days ⁹²³  Paul ⁹²⁴  called the local Jewish leaders ⁹²⁵  together. When they had assembled, he said to them, “Brothers, ⁹²⁶  although I had done ⁹²⁷  nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, ⁹²⁸  from Jerusalem ⁹²⁹  I was handed over as a prisoner to the Romans. ⁹³⁰  28:18 When ⁹³¹  they had heard my case, ⁹³²  they wanted to release me, ⁹³³  because there was no basis for a death sentence ⁹³⁴  against me. 28:19 But when the Jews objected, ⁹³⁵  I was forced to appeal to Caesar ⁹³⁶  – not that I had some charge to bring ⁹³⁷  against my own people. ⁹³⁸  28:20 So for this reason I have asked to see you and speak with you, for I am bound with this chain because of the hope of Israel.” ⁹³⁹  28:21 They replied, ⁹⁴⁰  “We have received no letters from Judea about you, nor have any of the brothers come from there ⁹⁴¹  and reported or said anything bad about you. 28:22 But we would like to hear from you what you think, for regarding this sect we know ⁹⁴²  that people ⁹⁴³  everywhere speak against ⁹⁴⁴  it.”

28:23 They set ⁹⁴⁵  a day to meet with him, ⁹⁴⁶  and they came to him where he was staying ⁹⁴⁷  in even greater numbers. ⁹⁴⁸  From morning until evening he explained things ⁹⁴⁹  to them, ⁹⁵⁰  testifying ⁹⁵¹  about the kingdom of God ⁹⁵²  and trying to convince ⁹⁵³  them about Jesus from both the law of Moses and the prophets. 28:24 Some were convinced ⁹⁵⁴  by what he said, ⁹⁵⁵  but others refused ⁹⁵⁶  to believe. 28:25 So they began to leave, ⁹⁵⁷  unable to agree among themselves, after Paul made one last statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly to your ancestors ⁹⁵⁸  through the prophet Isaiah 28:26 when he said,

‘Go to this people and say,

“You will keep on hearing, ⁹⁵⁹  but will never understand,

and you will keep on looking, ⁹⁶⁰  but will never perceive.

28:27 For the heart of this people has become dull, ⁹⁶¹ 

and their ears are hard of hearing, ⁹⁶² 

and they have closed their eyes,

so that they would not see with their eyes

and hear with their ears

and understand with their heart

and turn, ⁹⁶³  and I would heal them.”’ ⁹⁶⁴ 

28:28 “Therefore be advised ⁹⁶⁵  that this salvation from God ⁹⁶⁶  has been sent to the Gentiles; ⁹⁶⁷  they ⁹⁶⁸  will listen!”

28:29 [[EMPTY]] ⁹⁶⁹ 

28:30 Paul ⁹⁷⁰  lived ⁹⁷¹  there two whole years in his own rented quarters ⁹⁷²  and welcomed ⁹⁷³  all who came to him, 28:31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ ⁹⁷⁴  with complete boldness ⁹⁷⁵  and without restriction. ⁹⁷⁶ 

[16:19]  ¹ tn Or “masters.”

[16:19]  ² tn On this use of ἐργασία (ergasia), see BDAG 390 s.v. 4. It is often the case that destructive practices and commerce are closely tied together.

[16:19]  ³ tn Grk “was gone, seizing.” The participle ἐπιλαβόμενοι (epilabomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:19]  ⁴ tn On the term ἕλκω ({elkw) see BDAG 318 s.v. 1.

[16:20]  ⁵ tn Grk “And when.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[16:20]  ⁶ tn Grk “having brought them.” The participle ἐπιλαβόμενοι (epilabomenoi) has been taken temporally. It is also possible in English to translate this participle as a finite verb: “they brought them before the magistrates and said.”

[16:20]  ⁷ tn BDAG 309 s.v. ἐκταράσσω has “agitate, cause trouble to, throw into confusion” for the meaning of this verb.

[16:20]  ⁸ tn Grk “being Jews, and they are proclaiming.” The participle ὑπάρχοντες (Juparconte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:21]  ⁹ tn Grk “proclaiming,” but in relation to customs, “advocating” is a closer approximation to the meaning.

[16:21]  ¹⁰ tn Or “acknowledge.”

[16:21]  ¹¹ sn Customs that are not lawful for us to accept or practice. Ironically, the charges are similar to those made against Jesus in Luke 23:2, where Jews argued he was “twisting” their customs. The charge has three elements: (1) a racial element (Jewish); (2) a social element (unlawful); and (3) a traditional element (not their customs).

[16:21]  ¹² tn Grk “we being Romans.” The participle οὖσιν (ousin) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[16:22]  ¹³ tn L&N 39.50 has “the crowd joined the attack against them” for συνεπέστη (sunepesth) in this verse.

[16:22]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “tearing the clothes off them, the magistrates ordered.” The participle περιρήξαντες (perirhxante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Although it may be possible to understand the aorist active participle περιρήξαντες in a causative sense (“the magistrates caused the clothes to be torn off Paul and Silas”) in the mob scene that was taking place, it is also possible that the magistrates themselves actively participated. This act was done to prepare them for a public flogging (2 Cor 11:25; 1 Thess 2:2).

[16:22]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “off them”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:22]  ¹⁶ tn The infinitive ῥαβδίζειν (rJabdizein) means “to beat with rods or sticks” (as opposed to fists or clubs, BDAG 902 s.v. ῥαβδίζω).

[16:23]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “Having inflicted many blows on them.” The participle ἐπιθέντες (epiqente") has been taken temporally. BDAG 384 s.v. ἐπιτίθημι 1.a.β has “inflict blows upon someone” for this expression, but in this context it is simpler to translate in English as “they had beaten them severely.”

[16:23]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “commanding.” The participle παραγγείλαντες (parangeilante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:24]  ¹⁹ tn Or “prison.”

[16:24]  ²⁰ tn L&N 6.21 has “stocks” for εἰς τὸ ξύλον (ei" to xulon) here, as does BDAG 685 s.v. ξύλον 2.b. However, it is also possible (as mentioned in L&N 18.12) that this does not mean “stocks” but a block of wood (a log or wooden column) in the prison to which prisoners’ feet were chained or tied. Such a possibility is suggested by v. 26, where the “bonds” (“chains”?) of the prisoners loosened.

[16:25]  ²¹ tn Grk “praying, were singing.” The participle προσευχόμενοι (proseucomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:25]  ²² sn Praying and singing hymns to God. Tertullian said, “The legs feel nothing in the stocks when the heart is in heaven” (To the Martyrs 2; cf. Rom 5:3; Jas 1:2; 1 Pet 5:6). The presence of God means the potential to be free (cf. v. 26).

[16:25]  ²³ tn The words “the rest of” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[16:26]  ²⁴ tn Or perhaps, “chains.” The translation of τὰ δεσμά (ta desma) is to some extent affected by the understanding of ξύλον (xulon, “stocks”) in v. 24. It is possible (as mentioned in L&N 18.12) that this does not mean “stocks” but a block of wood (a log or wooden column) in the prison to which prisoners’ feet were chained or tied.

[16:27]  ²⁵ tn L&N 23.75 has “had awakened” here. It is more in keeping with contemporary English style, however, to keep the two verbal ideas parallel in terms of tense (“when the jailer woke up and saw”) although logically the second action is subsequent to the first.

[16:27]  ²⁶ tn The additional semantic component “standing” is supplied (“standing open”) to convey a stative nuance in English.

[16:27]  ²⁷ sn Was about to kill himself. The jailer’s penalty for failing to guard the prisoners would have been death, so he contemplated saving the leaders the trouble (see Acts 12:19; 27:42).

[16:27]  ²⁸ tn Or “thought.”

[16:28]  ²⁹ tn Grk “But Paul called out with a loud voice, saying.” The dative phrase μεγάλῃ φωνῇ (megalh fwnh) has been simplified as an English adverb (“loudly”), and the participle λέγων (legwn) has not been translated since it is redundant in English.

[16:28]  ³⁰ sn Do not harm yourself. Again the irony is that Paul is the agent through whom the jailer is spared.

[16:29]  ³¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the jailer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:29]  ³² tn Or “and prostrated himself.”

[16:29]  sn Fell down. The earthquake and the freeing of the prisoners showed that God’s power was present. Such power could only be recognized. The open doors opened the jailer’s heart.

[16:30]  ³³ tn Grk “And bringing them outside, he asked.” The participle προαγαγών (proagagwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun by supplying the conjunction “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[16:30]  ³⁴ tn The Greek term (δεῖ, dei) is used by Luke to represent divine necessity.

[16:31]  ³⁵ tn Grk “said.”

[16:31]  ³⁶ sn Here the summary term of response is a call to believe. In this context it refers to trusting the sovereign God’s power to deliver, which events had just pictured for the jailer.

[16:31]  ³⁷ tc The majority of mss add Χριστόν (Criston, “Christ”) here (C D E Ψ 1739 Ï sy sa), but the best and earliest witnesses read simply τὸν κύριον ᾿Ιησοῦν (ton kurion Ihsoun, “the Lord Jesus”; Ì^74vid א A B 33 81 pc bo). The addition of “Christ” to “Lord Jesus” is an obviously motivated reading. Thus on both external and internal grounds, the shorter reading is strongly preferred.

[16:32]  ³⁸ tn Grk “And they.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the continuity with the preceding verse. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style does not.

[16:32]  ³⁹ sn The word of the Lord is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rJhma tou kuriou; Luke 22:61, Acts 11:16, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logo" tou kuriou; here and in Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 19:10, 20; 1 Thess 1:8, 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said.

[16:33]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “And at.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[16:33]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “taking them…he washed.” The participle παραλαβών (paralabwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:33]  ⁴² tn On this phrase BDAG 603 s.v. λούω 1 gives a literal translation as “by washing he freed them from the effects of the blows.”

[16:33]  ⁴³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[16:33]  ⁴⁴ sn All his family. It was often the case in the ancient world that conversion of the father led to the conversion of all those in the household.

[16:33]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “immediately.”

[16:34]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “He”; the referent (the jailer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:34]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “placed [food] on the table” (a figurative expression). Since the actual word for food is not specified, it would also be possible to translate “set a meal before them,” but since this is taking place in the middle of the night, the preparations necessary for a full meal would probably not have been made. More likely Paul and Silas were given whatever was on hand that needed little or no preparation.

[16:34]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “he was overjoyed.”

[16:34]  ⁴⁹ tn The translation “come to believe” reflects more of the resultative nuance of the perfect tense here.

[16:34]  ⁵⁰ tn The phrase “together with his entire household” is placed at the end of the English sentence so that it refers to both the rejoicing and the belief. A formal equivalence translation would have “and he rejoiced greatly with his entire household that he had come to believe in God,” but the reference to the entire household being baptized in v. 33 presumes that all in the household believed.

[16:35]  ⁵¹ tn The translation “day is breaking” for ἡμέρα γίνεται (Jhmera ginetai) in this verse is given by BDAG 436 s.v. ἡμέρα 1.a.

[16:35]  ⁵² tn On the term translated “magistrates,” see BDAG 947-48 s.v. στρατηγός 1. These city leaders were properly called duoviri, but were popularly known as praetors (στρατηγοί, strathgoi). They were the chief officials of Philippi. The text leaves the impression that they came to the decision to release Paul and Silas independently. God was at work everywhere.

[16:35]  ⁵³ tn On the term ῥαβδοῦχος (rJabdouco") see BDAG 902 s.v. The term was used of the Roman lictor and roughly corresponds to contemporary English “constable, policeman.”

[16:36]  ⁵⁴ tn The word “saying” is not in the Greek text, but is implied; it is necessary in English because the content of what the jailer said to Paul and Silas is not the exact message related to him by the police officers, but is a summary with his own additions.

[16:36]  ⁵⁵ tn The word “orders” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[16:36]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “So coming out now go in peace.” The participle ἐξελθόντες (exelqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:37]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the police officers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:37]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “Having us beaten in public.” The participle δείραντες (deirante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:37]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “in public, uncondemned.” BDAG 35 s.v. ἀκατάκριτος has “uncondemned, without due process” for this usage.

[16:37]  ⁶⁰ tn The participle ὑπάρχοντας (Juparconta") has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[16:37]  ⁶¹ tn The word “us” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[16:37]  ⁶² tn L&N 28.71 has “send us away secretly” for this verse.

[16:37]  ⁶³ tn Grk “But they.”

[16:37]  ⁶⁴ sn They themselves must come and escort us out! Paul was asking for the injustice he and Silas suffered to be symbolically righted. It was a way of publicly taking their actions off the record and showing the apostles’ innocence, a major public statement. Note the apology given in v. 39.

[16:38]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “heard they”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:38]  ⁶⁶ sn Roman citizens. This fact was disturbing to the officials because due process was a right for a Roman citizen, well established in Roman law. To flog a Roman citizen was considered an abomination. Such punishment was reserved for noncitizens.

[16:39]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “and coming, they apologized.” The participle ἐλθόντες (elqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:39]  ⁶⁸ tn Grk “and after.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[16:39]  ⁶⁹ tn The verb ἐρώτων (erwtwn) has been translated as an iterative imperfect; the English adverb “repeatedly” brings out the iterative force in the translation.

[16:40]  ⁷⁰ tn “Then” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to clarify the logical sequence in the translation.

[21:17]  ⁷¹ tn Or “warmly” (see BDAG 144 s.v. ἀσμένως).

[21:18]  ⁷² tn BDAG 760 s.v. παραγίνομαι 1 has this use under the broad category of meaning “draw near, come, arrive, be present.”

[21:18]  sn All the elders were there. This meeting shows how the Jerusalem church still regarded Paul and his mission with favor, but also with some concerns because of the rumors circulating about his actions.

[21:19]  ⁷³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:19]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “to report,” “to describe.” The imperfect verb ἐξηγεῖτο (exhgeito) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[21:19]  ⁷⁵ tn BDAG 293 s.v. εἷς 5.e has “καθ᾿ ἕν one after the other (hence τὸ καθ᾿ ἕν ‘a detailed list’: PLille 11, 8 [III bc]; PTebt. 47, 34; 332, 16) J 21:25. Also καθ᾿ ἕν ἕκαστον…Ac 21:19.”

[21:19]  ⁷⁶ sn Note how Paul credited God with the success of his ministry.

[21:20]  ⁷⁷ tn Or “glorified.”

[21:20]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “how many thousands there are among the Jews.”

[21:20]  sn How many thousands of Jews. See Acts 2-5 for the accounts of their conversion, esp. 2:41 and 4:4. Estimates of the total number of Jews living in Jerusalem at the time range from 20,000 to 50,000.

[21:20]  ⁷⁹ tn Or “are all zealous for the law.” BDAG 427 s.v. ζηλωτής 1.a.β has “of thing…τοῦ νόμου an ardent observer of the law Ac 21:20.”

[21:20]  ⁸⁰ sn That is, the law of Moses. These Jewish Christians had remained close to their Jewish practices after becoming believers (1 Cor 7:18-19; Acts 16:3).

[21:21]  ⁸¹ tn BDAG 511 s.v. κατά B.1.a has “τοὺς κ. τὰ ἔθνη ᾿Ιουδαίους the Judeans (dispersed) throughout the nations 21:21.” The Jews in view are not those in Palestine, but those who are scattered throughout the Gentile world.

[21:21]  ⁸² tn Or “to forsake,” “to rebel against.” BDAG 120 s.v. ἀποστασία has “ἀποστασίαν διδάσκεις ἀπὸ Μωϋσέως you teach (Judeans) to abandon Moses Ac 21:21.”

[21:21]  sn The charge that Paul was teaching Jews in the Diaspora to abandon Moses was different from the issue faced in Acts 15, where the question was whether Gentiles needed to become like Jews first in order to become Christians. The issue also appears in Acts 24:5-6, 13-21; 25:8.

[21:21]  ⁸³ sn That is, not to circumcise their male children. Biblical references to circumcision always refer to male circumcision.

[21:21]  ⁸⁴ tn Grk “or walk.”

[21:22]  ⁸⁵ tn L&N 71.16 has “pertaining to being in every respect certain – ‘certainly, really, doubtless, no doubt.’…‘they will no doubt hear that you have come’ Ac 21:22.”

[21:23]  ⁸⁶ tn Grk “do this that.”

[21:23]  ⁸⁷ tn Grk “There are four men here.”

[21:23]  ⁸⁸ tn L&N 33.469 has “‘there are four men here who have taken a vow’ or ‘we have four men who…’ Ac 21:23.”

[21:23]  ⁸⁹ tn On the term for “vow,” see BDAG 416 s.v. εὐχή 2.

[21:24]  ⁹⁰ sn That is, undergo ritual cleansing. Paul’s cleansing would be necessary because of his travels in “unclean” Gentile territory. This act would represent a conciliatory gesture. Paul would have supported a “law-free” mission to the Gentiles as an option, but this gesture would represent an attempt to be sensitive to the Jews (1 Cor 9:15-22).

[21:24]  ⁹¹ tn L&N 57.146 has “δαπάνησον ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς ‘pay their expenses’ Ac 21:24.”

[21:24]  ⁹² tn The future middle indicative has causative force here. BDAG 686 s.v. ξυράω has “mid. have oneself shaved…τὴν κεφαλήν have one’s head shaved…Ac 21:24.”

[21:24]  sn Having their heads shaved probably involved ending a voluntary Nazirite vow (Num 6:14-15).

[21:24]  ⁹³ tn Grk “and.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[21:24]  ⁹⁴ tn The verb here describes a report or some type of information (BDAG 534 s.v. κατηχέω 1).

[21:24]  ⁹⁵ tn Grk “adhere to the keeping of the law.” L&N 41.12 has “στοιχέω: to live in conformity with some presumed standard or set of customs – ‘to live, to behave in accordance with.’”

[21:24]  ⁹⁶ sn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[21:25]  ⁹⁷ tn L&N 13.154 has “‘having decided that they must keep themselves from food offered to idols, from blood, from an animal that has been strangled, and from sexual immorality’ Ac 21:25.”

[21:25]  sn Having decided refers here to the decision of the Jerusalem council (Acts 15:6-21). Mention of this previous decision reminds the reader that the issue here is somewhat different: It is not whether Gentiles must first become Jews before they can become Christians (as in Acts 15), but whether Jews who become Christians should retain their Jewish practices. Sensitivity to this issue would suggest that Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians might engage in different practices.

[21:25]  ⁹⁸ tn This is a different Greek word than the one used in Acts 15:20, 29. BDAG 1068 s.v. φυλάσσω 3 has “to be on one’s guard against, look out for, avoid…w. acc. of pers. or thing avoided…Ac 21:25.” The Greek word used in Acts 15:20, 29 is ἀπέχω (apecw). The difference in meaning, although slight, has been maintained in the translation.

[21:25]  ⁹⁹ tn There is no specific semantic component in the Greek word εἰδωλόθυτος that means “meat” (see BDAG 280 s.v. εἰδωλόθυτος; L&N 5.15). The stem –θυτος means “sacrifice” (referring to an animal sacrificially killed) and thereby implies meat.

[21:25]  ¹⁰⁰ sn What has been strangled. That is, to refrain from eating animals that had been killed without having the blood drained from them. According to the Mosaic law (Lev 17:13-14) Jews were forbidden to eat flesh with the blood still in it (note the preceding provision in this verse, and blood).

[21:26]  ¹⁰¹ tn BDAG 422 s.v. ἔχω 11.b.β has “temporal, to be next, immediately following…τῇ ἐχομένῃ…on the next day Lk 13:33…Ac 20:15; w. ἡμέρᾳ added…21:26.”

[21:26]  ¹⁰² tn That is, after he had undergone ritual cleansing. The aorist passive participle ἁγνισθείς (Jagnisqei") has been taken temporally of antecedent action.

[21:26]  ¹⁰³ tn Grk “entered the temple, giving notice.” The participle διαγγέλλων (diangellwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:26]  ¹⁰⁴ sn The days of purification refers to the days of ritual cleansing.

[21:26]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Grk “until” (BDAG 423 s.v. ἕως 1.b.β.א), but since in English it is somewhat awkward to say “the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice would be offered,” the temporal clause was translated “when the sacrifice would be offered.” The point is that the sacrifice would be offered when the days were completed. Paul honored the request of the Jewish Christian leadership completely. As the following verse makes clear, the vow was made for seven days.

[21:26]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Grk “for each one.”

[21:27]  ¹⁰⁷ tn BDAG 975 s.v. συντελέω 4 has “to come to an end of a duration, come to an end, be over…Ac 21:27.”

[21:27]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.

[21:27]  sn Note how there is a sense of Paul being pursued from a distance. These Jews may well have been from Ephesus, since they recognized Trophimus the Ephesian (v. 29).

[21:27]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Grk “in the temple.” See the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[21:27]  ¹¹⁰ tn Or “threw the whole crowd into consternation.” L&N 25.221 has “συνέχεον πάντα τὸν ὄχλον ‘they threw the whole crowd into consternation’ Ac 21:27. It is also possible to render the expression in Ac 21:27 as ‘they stirred up the whole crowd.’”

[21:27]  ¹¹¹ tn Grk “and laid hands on.”

[21:28]  ¹¹² tn Or “Israelite men,” although this is less natural English. The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which only exceptionally is used in a generic sense of both males and females. In this context, it is conceivable that this is a generic usage since “the whole crowd” is mentioned in v. 27, although it can also be argued that these remarks were addressed primarily to the men present, even if women were there.

[21:28]  ¹¹³ sn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[21:28]  ¹¹⁴ tn Grk “this place.”

[21:28]  sn This sanctuary refers to the temple. The charges were not new, but were similar to those made against Stephen (Acts 6:14) and Jesus (Luke 23:2).

[21:28]  ¹¹⁵ tn BDAG 400 s.v. ἔτι 2.b has “ἔ. δὲ καί furthermore…al. ἔ. τε καί…Lk 14:26; Ac 21:28.” This is a continuation of the same sentence in Greek, but due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, a new sentence was begun here in the translation.

[21:28]  ¹¹⁶ tn Grk “into the temple.” The specific reference is to the Court of the Sons of Israel (see the note following the term “unclean” at the end of this verse). To avoid giving the modern reader the impression that they entered the temple building itself, the phrase “the inner courts of the temple” has been used in the translation.

[21:28]  ¹¹⁷ tn Or “and has defiled this holy place.”

[21:28]  sn Has brought Greeks…unclean. Note how the issue is both religious and ethnic, showing a different attitude by the Jews. A Gentile was not permitted to enter the inner temple precincts (contrast Eph 2:11-22). According to Josephus (Ant. 15.11.5 [15.417]; J. W. 5.5.2 [5.193], cf. 5.5.6 [5.227]), the inner temple courts (the Court of the Women, the Court of the Sons of Israel, and the Court of the Priests) were raised slightly above the level of the Court of the Gentiles and were surrounded by a wall about 5 ft (1.5 m) high. Notices in both Greek and Latin (two of which have been discovered) warned that any Gentiles who ventured into the inner courts would be responsible for their own deaths. See also Philo, Embassy 31 (212). In m. Middot 2:3 this wall was called “soreq” and according to m. Sanhedrin 9:6 the stranger who trespassed beyond the soreq would die by the hand of God.

[21:29]  ¹¹⁸ tn Grk “whom.”

[21:29]  ¹¹⁹ tn On the phrase “inner temple courts” see the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[21:29]  sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. The note explains the cause of the charge and also notes that it was false.

[21:30]  ¹²⁰ tn On this term see BDAG 545 s.v. κινέω 2.b.

[21:30]  ¹²¹ tn Or “the people formed a mob.” BDAG 967 s.v. συνδρομή has “formation of a mob by pers. running together, running together…ἐγένετο σ. τοῦ λαοῦ the people rushed together Ac 21:30.”

[21:30]  ¹²² tn Grk “and seizing.” The participle ἐπιλαβόμενοι (epilabomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[21:30]  ¹²³ tn Grk “out of the temple.” See the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[21:31]  ¹²⁴ tn Grk “seeking.”

[21:31]  ¹²⁵ tn Or “information” (originally concerning a crime; BDAG 1050 s.v. φάσις).

[21:31]  ¹²⁶ tn Grk “went up”; this verb is used because the report went up to the Antonia Fortress where the Roman garrison was stationed.

[21:31]  ¹²⁷ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (ciliarco") literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militare, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.

[21:31]  ¹²⁸ sn A cohort was a Roman military unit of about 600 soldiers, one-tenth of a legion.

[21:31]  ¹²⁹ tn BDAG 953 s.v. συγχέω has “Pass. w. act.force be in confusion…ὅλη συγχύννεται ᾿Ιερουσαλήμ 21:31.”

[21:32]  ¹³⁰ tn Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, the relative pronoun (“who”) was translated as a pronoun (“he”) and a new sentence was begun here in the translation.

[21:32]  ¹³¹ tn Grk “taking…ran down.” The participle κατέδραμεν (katedramen) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:32]  ¹³² sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[21:32]  ¹³³ tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:32]  ¹³⁴ tn Grk “seeing.” The participle ἰδόντες (idonte") has been taken temporally.

[21:32]  ¹³⁵ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.

[21:32]  ¹³⁶ sn The mob stopped beating Paul because they feared the Romans would arrest them for disturbing the peace and for mob violence. They would let the Roman officials take care of the matter from this point on.

[21:33]  ¹³⁷ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.

[21:33]  ¹³⁸ tn Grk “seized.”

[21:33]  ¹³⁹ tn The two chains would be something like handcuffs (BDAG 48 s.v. ἅλυσις and compare Acts 28:20).

[21:33]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Grk “and he.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has been replaced with a semicolon. “Then” has been supplied after “he” to clarify the logical sequence.

[21:33]  ¹⁴¹ tn Grk “and what it is”; this has been simplified to “what.”

[21:34]  ¹⁴² tn L&N 33.77 has “ἄλλοι δὲ ἄλλο τι ἐπεφώνουν ἐν τῷ ὄχλῳ ‘some in the crowd shouted one thing; others, something else’ Ac 21:34.”

[21:34]  ¹⁴³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the commanding officer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:34]  ¹⁴⁴ tn This genitive absolute construction has been translated temporally; it could also be taken causally: “and since the commanding officer was unable to find out the truth.”

[21:34]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Or “find out what had happened”; Grk “the certainty” (BDAG 147 s.v. ἀσφαλής 2).

[21:34]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Or “clamor,” “uproar” (BDAG 458 s.v. θόρυβος).

[21:34]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:34]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[21:35]  ¹⁴⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:35]  ¹⁵⁰ sn Paul had to be carried. Note how the arrest really ended up protecting Paul. The crowd is portrayed as irrational at this point.

[21:35]  ¹⁵¹ tn This refers to mob violence (BDAG 175 s.v. βία b).

[21:36]  ¹⁵² tn Grk “the multitude of people.” While πλῆθος (plhqo") is articular, it has been translated “a crowd” since it was probably a subset of the larger mob that gathered in v. 30.

[21:36]  ¹⁵³ tn The word “them” is not in the Greek text but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[21:37]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[21:37]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Grk “says” (a historical present).

[21:37]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers) See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.

[21:37]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Grk “Is it permitted for me to say” (an idiom).

[21:37]  ¹⁵⁸ tn Grk “He”; the referent (the officer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:37]  ¹⁵⁹ tn Grk “said.”

[21:37]  ¹⁶⁰ sn “Do you know Greek?” Paul as an educated rabbi was bilingual. Paul’s request in Greek allowed the officer to recognize that Paul was not the violent insurrectionist he thought he had arrested (see following verse). The confusion of identities reveals the degree of confusion dominating these events.

[21:38]  ¹⁶¹ tn L&N 39.41 has “οὐκ ἄρα σὺ εἶ ὁ Αἰγύπτιος ὁ πρὸ τούτων τῶν ἡμερῶν ἀναστατώσας ‘then you are not that Egyptian who some time ago started a rebellion’ Ac 21:38.”

[21:38]  ¹⁶² tn Grk “of the Sicarii.”

[21:38]  sn The term ‘Assassins’ is found several times in the writings of Josephus (J. W. 2.13.3 [2.254-257]; Ant. 20.8.10 [20.186]). It was the name of the most fanatical group among the Jewish nationalists, very hostile to Rome, who did not hesitate to assassinate their political opponents. They were named Sicarii in Latin after their weapon of choice, the short dagger or sicarius which could be easily hidden under one’s clothing. In effect, the officer who arrested Paul had thought he was dealing with a terrorist.

[21:38]  ¹⁶³ tn Or “desert.”

[21:38]  ¹⁶⁴ tn Grk “before these days.”

[21:39]  ¹⁶⁵ tn Grk “said.”

[21:39]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Grk “a Jewish man.”

[21:39]  ¹⁶⁷ tn Grk “of a not insignificant city.” The double negative, common in Greek, is awkward in English and has been replaced by a corresponding positive expression (BDAG 142 s.v. ἄσημος 1).

[21:39]  ¹⁶⁸ tn Grk “I beg you.”

[21:40]  ¹⁶⁹ tn The referent (the commanding officer) has been supplied here in the translation for clarity.

[21:40]  ¹⁷⁰ tn Grk “Giving him permission.” The participle ἐπιτρέψαντος (epitreyanto") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:40]  ¹⁷¹ tn Grk “standing.” The participle ἑστώς (Jestws) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:40]  ¹⁷² tn Or “motioned.”

[21:40]  ¹⁷³ tn γενομένης (genomenhs) has been taken temporally. BDAG 922 s.v. σιγή has “πολλῆς σιγῆς γενομένης when a great silence had fallen = when they had become silent Ac 21:40.”

[21:40]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Or “spoke out to.” L&N 33.27 has “to address an audience, with possible emphasis upon loudness – ‘to address, to speak out to.’ πολλῆς δέ σιγῆς γενομένης προσεφώνησεν τῇ ᾿Εβραίδι διαλέκτῳ ‘when they were quiet, he addressed them in Hebrew’ Ac 21:40.”

[21:40]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Grk “in the Hebrew dialect, saying.” This refers to the Aramaic spoken in Palestine in the 1st century (BDAG 270 s.v. ῾Εβραΐς). The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[22:1]  ¹⁷⁶ sn Listen to my defense. This is the first of several speeches Paul would make in his own defense: Acts 24:10ff.; 25:8, 16; and 26:1ff. For the use of such a speech (“apologia”) in Greek, see Josephus, Ag. Ap. 2.15 [2.147]; Wis 6:10.

[22:1]  ¹⁷⁷ tn The adverb νυνί (nuni, “now”) is connected with the phrase τῆς πρὸς ὑμᾶς νυνὶ ἀπολογίας (th" pro" Juma" nuni apologia") rather than the verb ἀκούσατε (akousate), and the entire construction (prepositional phrase plus adverb) is in first attributive position and thus translated into English by a relative clause.

[22:2]  ¹⁷⁸ tn ἀκούσαντες (akousante") has been taken temporally.

[22:2]  ¹⁷⁹ tn Or “spoke out to.” L&N 33.27 has “to address an audience, with possible emphasis upon loudness – ‘to address, to speak out to.’ πολλῆς δέ σιγῆς γενομένης προσεφώνησεν τῇ ᾿Εβραίδι διαλέκτῳ ‘when they were quiet, he addressed them in Hebrew’ Ac 21:40.”

[22:2]  ¹⁸⁰ tn Grk “in the Hebrew language.” See the note on “Aramaic” in 21:40.

[22:2]  ¹⁸¹ tn BDAG 613-14 s.v. μᾶλλον 1 “Abs. μ. can mean to a greater degree (than before), even more, now more than ever Lk 5:15; Jn 5:18; 19:8; Ac 5:14; 22:2; 2 Cor 7:7.”

[22:2]  ¹⁸² tn BDAG 440 s.v. ἡσυχία 2 has “παρέχειν ἡσυχίαν quiet down, give a hearing…Ac 22:2.”

[22:2]  sn This is best taken as a parenthetical note by the author.

[22:2]  ¹⁸³ tn Grk “and.” Since this represents a continuation of the speech begun in v. 1, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[22:3]  ¹⁸⁴ tn Grk “a Jewish man.”

[22:3]  ¹⁸⁵ tn BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατρέφω b has “of mental and spiritual nurture bring up, rear, train…ἀνατεθραμμένος ἐν τ. πόλει ταύτῃ 22:3.”

[22:3]  ¹⁸⁶ tn Or “with precision.” Although often translated “strictly” this can be misunderstood for “solely” in English. BDAG 39 s.v. ἀκρίβεια gives the meaning as “exactness, precision.” To avoid the potential misunderstanding the translation “with strictness” is used, although it is slightly more awkward than “strictly.”

[22:3]  ¹⁸⁷ tn Grk “strictly at the feet of” (an idiom).

[22:3]  ¹⁸⁸ tn Or “brought up in this city under Gamaliel, educated with strictness…” The phrase παρὰ τοὺς πόδας Γαμαλιὴλ (para tou" poda" Gamalihl) could be understood with what precedes or with what follows. The punctuation of NA²⁷ and UBS⁴, which place a comma after ταύτῃ (tauth), has been followed in the translation.

[22:3]  sn Gamaliel was a famous Jewish scholar and teacher mentioned here and in Acts 5:34. He had a grandson of the same name and is referred to as “Gamaliel the Elder” to avoid confusion. He is quoted a number of times in the Mishnah, was given the highest possible title for Jewish teachers, Rabba (cf. John 20:16), and was highly regarded in later rabbinic tradition.

[22:3]  ¹⁸⁹ tn Or “our forefathers.”

[22:3]  ¹⁹⁰ tn Grk “ancestors, being.” The participle ὑπάρχων (Juparcwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:3]  ¹⁹¹ tn BDAG 427 s.v. ζηλωτής 1.a.α has “of pers. …ζ. τοῦ θεοῦ one who is loyal to God Ac 22:3.”

[22:4]  ¹⁹² tn Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“who”) was translated by the first person pronoun (“I”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[22:4]  ¹⁹³ sn That is, persecuted the Christian movement (Christianity). The Way is also used as a description of the Christian faith in Acts 9:2; 18:25-26; 19:9, 23; 24:14, 22).

[22:4]  ¹⁹⁴ tn BDAG 442-43 s.v. θάνατος 1.a has “διώκειν ἄχρι θανάτου persecute even to death Ac 22:4.”

[22:4]  ¹⁹⁵ tn Grk “binding.” See Acts 8:3.

[22:4]  ¹⁹⁶ tn BDAG 762 s.v. παραδίδωμι 1.b has “W. local εἰς…εἰς φυλακήν put in prison Ac 8:3; cp. 22:4.”

[22:5]  ¹⁹⁷ tn That is, the whole Sanhedrin. BDAG 861 s.v. πρεσβυτέριον has “an administrative group concerned with the interests of a specific community, council of elders – a. of the highest Judean council in Jerusalem, in our lit. usu. called συνέδριον…ὁ ἀρχιερεύς καὶ πᾶν τὸ πρ. Ac 22:5.”

[22:5]  ¹⁹⁸ tn Grk “from whom.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was translated by the third person plural pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[22:5]  ¹⁹⁹ tn Grk “receiving.” The participle δεξάμενος (dexameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:5]  ²⁰⁰ tn Grk “letters to the brothers, [and] I was going to Damascus.” Such a translation, however, might be confusing since the term “brother” is frequently used of a fellow Christian. In this context, Paul is speaking about fellow Jews.

[22:5]  ²⁰¹ tn Grk “even there and bring…” or “there and even bring…” The ascensive καί (kai) shows that Paul was fervent in his zeal against Christians, but it is difficult to translate for it really belongs with the entire idea of arresting and bringing back the prisoners.

[22:5]  ²⁰² tn BDAG 221 s.v. δέω 1.b has “δεδεμένον ἄγειν τινά bring someone as prisoner…Ac 9:2, 21; 22:5.”

[22:5]  ²⁰³ tn Grk “I was going…to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem as prisoners that they might be punished.”

[22:5]  map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[22:6]  ²⁰⁴ tn Grk “It happened that as.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[22:6]  ²⁰⁵ tn Grk “going and nearing Damascus.”

[22:6]  sn En route and near Damascus. This is the first retelling of Paul’s Damascus Road experience in Acts (cf. Acts 9:1-9; the second retelling is in Acts 26:9-20).

[22:6]  ²⁰⁶ tn BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 3.b has “φῶς a very bright light Ac 22:6.”

[22:6]  ²⁰⁷ tn Or “from the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[22:6]  ²⁰⁸ tn Or “shone.”

[22:7]  ²⁰⁹ tn This is a continuation of the same sentence in Greek using the connective τέ (te), but due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence a new sentence was begun in the translation here. To indicate the logical sequence for the modern English reader, τέ was translated as “then.”

[22:9]  ²¹⁰ tn Grk “did not hear” (but see Acts 9:7). BDAG 38 s.v. ἀκούω 7 has “W. acc. τὸν νόμον understand the law Gal 4:21; perh. Ac 22:9; 26:14…belong here.” If the word has this sense here, then a metonymy is present, since the lack of effect is put for a failure to appreciate what was heard.

[22:10]  ²¹¹ tn Grk “So I said.”

[22:10]  ²¹² tn Grk “Getting up.” The participle ἀναστάς (anasta") is an adverbial participle of attendant circumstance and has been translated as a finite verb.

[22:10]  ²¹³ tn Grk “about all things.”

[22:10]  ²¹⁴ tn Or “assigned,” “ordered.” BDAG 991 s.v. τάσσω 2.a has “act. and pass., foll. by acc. w. inf.…περὶ πάντων ὧν τέτακταί σοι ποιῆσαι concerning everything that you have been ordered to do 22:10.” There is an allusion to a divine call and commission here.

[22:11]  ²¹⁵ tn BDAG 106 s.v. ἀπό 5.a has “οὐκ ἐνέβλεπον ἀπὸ τῆς δόξης τοῦ φωτός I could not see because of the brilliance of the light Ac 22:11.”

[22:11]  ²¹⁶ tn Or “brightness”; Grk “glory.”

[22:11]  ²¹⁷ tn Grk “by” (ὑπό, Jupo), but this would be too awkward in English following the previous “by.”

[22:12]  ²¹⁸ tn Grk “a certain Ananias.”

[22:12]  ²¹⁹ sn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[22:12]  ²²⁰ tn BDAG 534 s.v. κατοικέω 1.a translates this present participle “ὑπὸ πάντων τῶν (sc. ἐκεῖ) κατοικούντων ᾿Ιουδαίων by all the Jews who live there Ac 22:12.”

[22:13]  ²²¹ tn Grk “coming.” The participle ἐλθών (elqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:13]  ²²² tn Grk “coming to me and standing beside [me] said to me.” The participle ἐπιστάς (epistas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:13]  ²²³ tn Grk “Brother Saul, look up” (here an idiom for regaining one’s sight). BDAG 59 s.v. ἀναβλέπω places this usage under 1, “look up Ac 22:13a. W. εἰς αὐτόν to show the direction of the glance…22:13b; but perh. this vs. belongs under 2a.” BDAG 59 s.v. 2.a.α states, “of blind persons, who were formerly able to see, regain sight.” The problem for the translator is deciding between the literal and the idiomatic usage and at the same time attempting to retain the wordplay in Acts 22:13: “[Ananias] said to me, ‘Look up!’ and at that very moment I looked up to him.” The assumption of the command is that the effort to look up will be worth it (through the regaining of sight).

[22:13]  ²²⁴ tn Grk “hour,” but ὥρα (Jwra) is often used for indefinite short periods of time (so BDAG 1102-3 s.v. ὥρα 2.c: “αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ at that very time, at once, instantly…Lk 2:38, 24:33; Ac 16:18; 22:13”). A comparison with the account in Acts 9:18 indicates that this is clearly the meaning here.

[22:13]  ²²⁵ tn Grk “I looked up to him.”

[22:14]  ²²⁶ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[22:14]  sn The expression God of our ancestors is a description of the God of Israel. The God of promise was at work again.

[22:14]  ²²⁷ tn L&N 30.89 has “‘to choose in advance, to select beforehand, to designate in advance’…‘the God of our ancestors has already chosen you to know his will’ Ac 22:14.”

[22:14]  ²²⁸ tn Grk “and to see.” This καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[22:14]  ²²⁹ sn The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ (Acts 3:14).

[22:14]  ²³⁰ tn Or “a solemn declaration”; Grk “a voice.” BDAG 1071-72 s.v. φωνή 2.c states, “that which the voice gives expression to: call, cry, outcry, loud or solemn declaration (… = order, command)…Cp. 22:14; 24:21.”

[22:15]  ²³¹ tn Or “a witness to him.”

[22:15]  sn You will be his witness. See Acts 1:8; 13:31. The following reference to all people stresses all nationalities (Eph 3:7-9; Acts 9:15). Note also v. 21.

[22:15]  ²³² tn Grk “all men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo").

[22:16]  ²³³ tn L&N 67.121 has “to extend time unduly, with the implication of lack of decision – ‘to wait, to delay.’ νῦν τί μέλλεις… ἀναστὰς βάπτισαι ‘what are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized’ Ac 22:16.”

[22:16]  ²³⁴ tn Grk “getting up.” The participle ἀναστάς (anasta") is an adverbial participle of attendant circumstance and has been translated as a finite verb.

[22:16]  ²³⁵ sn The expression have your sins washed away means “have your sins purified” (the washing is figurative).

[22:16]  ²³⁶ sn The expression calling on his name describes the confession of the believer: Acts 2:17-38, esp. v. 38; Rom 10:12-13; 1 Cor 1:2.

[22:17]  ²³⁷ tn Grk “It happened to me that.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[22:17]  ²³⁸ tn BDAG 309 s.v. ἔκστασις 2 has “γενέσθαι ἐν ἐκστάσει fall into a trance Ac 22:17.”

[22:18]  ²³⁹ tn Or “Jesus”; Grk “him.” The referent (the Lord, cf. v. 19) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:19]  ²⁴⁰ tn Grk “And I said.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai, in καγώ [kagw]) has not been translated here.

[22:19]  ²⁴¹ tn For the distributive sense of the expression κατὰ τὰς συναγωγάς (kata ta" sunagwga") BDAG 512 s.v. κατά B.1.d has “of places viewed serially, distributive use w. acc.…κατ᾿ οἶκαν from house to house…Ac 2:46b; 5:42…Likew. the pl.…κ. τὰς συναγωγάς 22:19.” See also L&N 37.114.

[22:19]  sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[22:20]  ²⁴² sn Now Paul referred to Stephen as your witness, and he himself had also become a witness. The reversal was now complete; the opponent had now become a proponent.

[22:20]  ²⁴³ sn When the blood of your witness Stephen was shed means “when your witness Stephen was murdered.”

[22:20]  ²⁴⁴ tn Grk “and approving.” This καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[22:20]  ²⁴⁵ tn Or “outer garments.”

[22:20]  sn The cloaks. The outer garment, or cloak, was taken off and laid aside to leave the arms free (in this case for throwing stones).

[22:20]  ²⁴⁶ tn Or “who were putting him to death.” For the translation of ἀναιρούντων (anairountwn) as “putting to death” see BDAG 64 s.v. ἀναιρέω 2.

[22:21]  ²⁴⁷ tn Grk “And.” Since this represents a response to Paul’s reply in v. 19, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[22:22]  ²⁴⁸ tn Grk “They were listening”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:22]  ²⁴⁹ tn Grk “until this word.”

[22:22]  sn Until he said this. Note it is the mention of Paul’s mission to the Gentiles with its implication of ethnic openness that is so disturbing to the audience.

[22:22]  ²⁵⁰ tn Grk “And.” To indicate the logical sequence, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” here.

[22:22]  ²⁵¹ tn Grk “and said.”

[22:22]  ²⁵² tn Grk “this one.”

[22:22]  ²⁵³ tn BDAG 491 s.v. καθήκω has “to be appropriate, come/reach to, be proper/fitting…Usu. impers. καθήκει it comes (to someone)…foll. by acc. and inf….οὐ καθῆκεν αὐτὸν ζῆν he should not be allowed to live Ac 22:22.”

[22:23]  ²⁵⁴ tn The participle κραυγαζόντων (kraugazontwn) has been translated temporally.

[22:23]  ²⁵⁵ tn Or “outer garments.”

[22:23]  sn Their cloaks. The outer garment, or cloak, was taken off and laid aside to leave the arms free (perhaps in this case as preparation for throwing stones).

[22:23]  ²⁵⁶ sn The crowd’s act of tossing dust in the air indicated they had heard something disturbing and offensive. This may have been a symbolic gesture, indicating Paul’s words deserved to be thrown to the wind, or it may have simply resulted from the fact they had nothing else to throw at him at the moment.

[22:24]  ²⁵⁷ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (ciliarco") literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militare, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.

[22:24]  ²⁵⁸ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:24]  ²⁵⁹ tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[22:24]  ²⁶⁰ tn Grk “into the barracks, saying.” This is a continuation of the same sentence in Greek using the participle εἴπας (eipas), but due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence a new sentence was begun in the translation here. The direct object “them” has been supplied; it is understood in Greek.

[22:24]  ²⁶¹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:24]  ²⁶² sn To interrogate Paul by beating him with a lash. Under the Roman legal system it was customary to use physical torture to extract confessions or other information from prisoners who were not Roman citizens and who were charged with various crimes, especially treason or sedition. The lashing would be done with a whip of leather thongs with pieces of metal or bone attached to the ends.

[22:24]  ²⁶³ tn Grk “they”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:24]  ²⁶⁴ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:25]  ²⁶⁵ tn Grk “for the thongs” (of which the lash was made). Although often translated as a dative of means (“with thongs”), referring to thongs used to tie the victim to the whipping post, BDAG 474-75 s.v. ἱμάς states that it “is better taken as a dat. of purpose for the thongs, in which case οἱ ἱμάντες = whips (Posidonius: 87 fgm. 5 Jac.; POxy. 1186, 2 τὴν διὰ τῶν ἱμάντων αἰκείαν. – Antiphanes 74, 8, Demosth. 19, 197 and Artem. 1, 70 use the sing. in this way).”

[22:25]  ²⁶⁶ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[22:25]  ²⁶⁷ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:25]  ²⁶⁸ tn Or “a Roman citizen and uncondemned.” BDAG 35 s.v. ἀκατάκριτος has “uncondemned, without due process” for this usage.

[22:25]  sn The fact that Paul was a Roman citizen protected him from being tortured to extract information; such protections were guaranteed by the Porcian and Julian law codes. In addition, the fact Paul had not been tried exempted him from punishment.

[22:26]  ²⁶⁹ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[22:26]  ²⁷⁰ tn The word “this” is not in the Greek text but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[22:26]  ²⁷¹ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:26]  ²⁷² tn The word “it” is not in the Greek text but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[22:26]  ²⁷³ tn Or perhaps, “What do you intend to do?” Although BDAG 627 s.v. μέλλω 1.c.α lists this phrase under the category “be about to, be on the point of,” it is possible it belongs under 1.c.γ, “denoting an intended action: intend, propose, have in mind…τί μέλλεις ποιεῖν; what do you intend to do?”

[22:26]  ²⁷⁴ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:27]  ²⁷⁵ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:27]  ²⁷⁶ tn Grk “and said to.”

[22:27]  ²⁷⁷ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:27]  ²⁷⁸ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:27]  ²⁷⁹ tn Grk “He said.”

[22:28]  ²⁸⁰ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:28]  ²⁸¹ sn Sometimes Roman citizenship was purchased through a bribe (Dio Cassius, Roman History 60.17.4-9). That may well have been the case here.

[22:28]  ²⁸² tn BDAG 495-96 s.v. καί 2.b has “intensive: even…Ac 5:39; 22:28.”

[22:28]  ²⁸³ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:28]  sn Paul’s reference to being born a citizen suggests he inherited his Roman citizenship from his family.

[22:28]  ²⁸⁴ tn Grk “Paul said.” This phrase has been placed at the end of the sentence in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[22:29]  ²⁸⁵ tn BDAG 158 s.v. ἀφίστημι 2.b has “keep away…ἀπό τινος… Lk 4:13; Ac 5:38; 2 Cor 12:8…cp. Ac 22:29.” In context, the point would seem to be not that the interrogators departed or withdrew, but that they held back from continuing the flogging.

[22:29]  ²⁸⁶ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:29]  ²⁸⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:29]  ²⁸⁸ tn This is a present tense (ἐστιν, estin) retained in indirect discourse. It must be translated as a past tense in contemporary English.

[22:29]  ²⁸⁹ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:29]  ²⁹⁰ sn Had him tied up. Perhaps a reference to the chains in Acts 21:33, or the preparations for the lashing in Acts 22:25. A trial would now be needed to resolve the matter. The Roman authorities’ hesitation to render a judgment in the case occurs repeatedly: Acts 22:30; 23:28-29; 24:22; 25:20, 26-27. The legal process begun here would take the rest of Acts and will be unresolved at the end. The process itself took four years of Paul’s life.

[22:30]  ²⁹¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the commanding officer) has been supplied here in the translation for clarity.

[22:30]  ²⁹² tn Grk “the certainty, why.” BDAG 147 s.v. ἀσφαλής 2 has “τὸ ἀ. the certainty = the truth (in ref. to ferreting out the facts…ἵνα τὸ ἀ. ἐπιγνῶ) γνῶναι 21:34; 22:30.”

[22:30]  ²⁹³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:30]  ²⁹⁴ tn Grk “the whole Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[22:30]  ²⁹⁵ tn Grk “and bringing.” The participle καταγαγών (katagagwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to clarify the logical sequence.

[23:1]  ²⁹⁶ tn Grk “Paul, looking directly at the council, said.” The participle ἀτενίσας (atenisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:1]  ²⁹⁷ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:1]  ²⁹⁸ tn BDAG 846 s.v. πολιτεύομαι 3 has “W. a double dat. συνειδήσει ἀγαθῇ πεπολίτευμαι τῷ θεῷ I have lived my life with a clear conscience before God Ac 23:1.”

[23:2]  ²⁹⁹ tn Grk “and” (δέ, de); the phrase “at that” has been used in the translation to clarify the cause and effect relationship.

[23:2]  ³⁰⁰ tn BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 2.b.α has “οἱ παρεστῶτες αὐτῷ those standing near him Ac 23:2.”

[23:2]  ³⁰¹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:2]  ³⁰² tn Or “hit” (‘strike’ maintains the wordplay with the following verse). The action was probably designed to indicate a rejection of Paul’s claim to a clear conscience in the previous verse.

[23:3]  ³⁰³ sn You whitewashed wall. This was an idiom for hypocrisy – just as the wall was painted on the outside but something different on the inside, so this person was not what he appeared or pretended to be (L&N 88.234; see also BDAG 1010 s.v. τοῖχος). Paul was claiming that the man’s response was two-faced (Ezek 13:10-16; Matt 23:27-28). See also Deut 28:22.

[23:3]  ³⁰⁴ tn Grk “And do.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[23:3]  ³⁰⁵ tn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[23:3]  ³⁰⁶ tn BDAG 769 s.v. παρανομέω has “παρανομῶν κελεύεις in violation of the law you order Ac 23:3.”

[23:3]  sn In violation of the law. Paul was claiming that punishment was given before the examination was complete (m. Sanhedrin 3:6-8). Luke’s noting of this detail shows how quickly the leadership moved to react against Paul.

[23:4]  ³⁰⁷ tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[23:4]  ³⁰⁸ tn L&N 33.393 has for λοιδορέω (loidorew) “to speak in a highly insulting manner – ‘to slander, to insult strongly, slander, insult.’”

[23:4]  sn Insult God’s high priest. Paul was close to violation of the Mosaic law with his response, as the citation from Exod 22:28 in v. 5 makes clear.

[23:5]  ³⁰⁹ tn Grk “said.”

[23:5]  ³¹⁰ tn Or “know.”

[23:5]  ³¹¹ sn A quotation from Exod 22:28. This text defines a form of blasphemy. Paul, aware of the fact that he came close to crossing the line, backed off out of respect for the law.

[23:6]  ³¹² tn BDAG 200 s.v. γινώσκω 4 has “to be aware of someth., perceive, notice, realize”; this is further clarified by section 4.c: “w. ὅτι foll….Ac 23:6.”

[23:6]  ³¹³ sn See the note on Sadducees in 4:1.

[23:6]  ³¹⁴ sn See the note on Pharisee in 5:34.

[23:6]  ³¹⁵ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:6]  ³¹⁶ tn That is, concerning the hope that the dead will be resurrected. Grk “concerning the hope and resurrection.” BDAG 320 s.v. ἐλπίς 1.b.α states, “Of Israel’s messianic hope Ac 23:6 (ἐ. καὶ ἀνάστασις for ἐ. τῆς ἀν. [obj. gen] as 2 Macc 3:29 ἐ. καὶ σωτηρία).” With an objective genitive construction, the resurrection of the dead would be the “object” of the hope.

[23:7]  ³¹⁷ tn The participle εἰπόντος (eiponto") has been translated temporally.

[23:7]  ³¹⁸ tn Or “a dispute” (BDAG 940 s.v. στάσις 3).

[23:7]  ³¹⁹ tn Grk “there came about an argument.” This has been simplified to “an argument began”

[23:8]  ³²⁰ tn BDAG 55 s.v. ἀμφότεροι 2 has “all, even when more than two are involved…Φαρισαῖοι ὁμολογοῦσιν τὰ ἀ. believe in them all 23:8.” On this belief see Josephus, J. W. 2.8.14 (2.163); Ant. 18.1.3 (18.14).

[23:8]  sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[23:9]  ³²¹ tn Or “clamor” (cf. BDAG 565 s.v. κραυγή 1.a, which has “there arose a loud outcry” here, and Exod 12:30).

[23:9]  ³²² tn Or “and some scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 4:5.

[23:9]  ³²³ tn Grk “standing up.” The participle ἀναστάντες (anastante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:9]  ³²⁴ tn Grk “protested strongly, saying.” L&N 39.27 has “διαμάχομαι: to fight or contend with, involving severity and thoroughness – ‘to protest strongly, to contend with.’…‘some scribes from the party of the Pharisees protested strongly’ Ac 23:9.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant and has not been translated.

[23:9]  ³²⁵ sn “We find nothing wrong with this man.” Here is another declaration of innocence. These leaders recognized the possibility that Paul might have the right to make his claim.

[23:10]  ³²⁶ tn This genitive absolute construction with the participle γινομένης (ginomenhs) has been taken temporally (it could also be translated as causal).

[23:10]  ³²⁷ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (ciliarco") literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militare, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.

[23:10]  ³²⁸ tn Grk “that Paul would be torn to pieces by them.” BDAG 236 s.v. διασπάω has “of an angry mob μὴ διασπασθῇ ὁ Παῦλος ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν that Paul would be torn in pieces by them Ac 23:10.” The passive construction is somewhat awkward in English and has been converted to an equivalent active construction in the translation.

[23:10]  ³²⁹ tn Normally this term means “army,” but according to BDAG 947 s.v. στράτευμα, “Of a smaller detachment of soldiers, sing. Ac 23:10, 27.” In the plural it can be translated “troops,” but it is singular here.

[23:10]  ³³⁰ tn Or “to go down, grab him out of their midst.”

[23:10]  ³³¹ tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[23:11]  ³³² sn The presence of the Lord indicated the vindicating presence and direction of God.

[23:11]  ³³³ tn Grk “standing near Paul, said.” The participle ἐπιστάς (epistas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:11]  ³³⁴ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:11]  ³³⁵ tn Or “Do not be afraid.”

[23:11]  ³³⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[23:11]  ³³⁷ sn Like Jesus went to Jerusalem, Paul would now go to Rome. This trip forms the concluding backdrop to Acts. This is the second notice about going to Rome (see Acts 19:21 for the first).

[23:11]  map For location see JP4 A1.

[23:12]  ³³⁸ tn Grk “when it was day.”

[23:12]  ³³⁹ tn Grk “forming a conspiracy, bound.” The participle ποιήσαντες (poihsantes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:12]  ³⁴⁰ tn L&N 30.72 has ‘some Jews formed a conspiracy’ Ac 23:12”; BDAG 979 s.v. συστροφή 1 has “Judeans came together in a mob 23:12. But in the last pass. the word may also mean – 2. the product of a clandestine gathering, plot, conspiracy” (see also Amos 7:10; Ps 63:3).

[23:12]  ³⁴¹ tn Or “bound themselves under a curse.” BDAG 63 s.v. ἀναθεματίζω 1 has “trans. put under a curse τινά someone…pleonastically ἀναθέματι ἀ. ἑαυτόν Ac 23:14…ἀ. ἑαυτόν vss. 12, 21, 13 v.l.” On such oaths see m. Shevi’it 3:1-5. The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[23:12]  ³⁴² tn The word “anything” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[23:13]  ³⁴³ tn L&N 30.73 defines συνωμοσία (sunwmosia) as “a plan for taking secret action someone or some institution, with the implication of an oath binding the conspirators – ‘conspiracy, plot.’ …‘there were more than forty of them who formed this conspiracy’ Ac 23:13.”

[23:14]  ³⁴⁴ tn Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was translated by the third person plural pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[23:14]  ³⁴⁵ tn Grk “going.” The participle προσελθόντες (proselqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:14]  ³⁴⁶ sn They went to the chief priests. The fact that the high priest knew of this plot and did nothing shows the Jewish leadership would even become accomplices to murder to stop Paul. They would not allow Roman justice to take its course. Paul’s charge in v. 3 of superficially following the law is thus shown to be true.

[23:14]  ³⁴⁷ tn Or “bound ourselves under a curse.” BDAG 63 s.v. ἀναθεματίζω 1 has “trans. put under a curse τινά someone…pleonastically ἀναθέματι ἀ. ἑαυτόν Ac 23:14…ἀ. ἑαυτόν vss. 12, 21, 13 v.l.” The pleonastic use ἀναθέματι ἀνεθεματίσαμεν (literally “we have cursed ourselves with a curse”) probably serves as an intensifier following Semitic usage, and is represented in the translation by the word “solemn.” On such oaths see m. Nedarim 3:1, 3.

[23:14]  ³⁴⁸ tn This included both food and drink (γεύομαι [geuomai] is used of water turned to wine in John 2:9).

[23:15]  ³⁴⁹ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:15]  ³⁵⁰ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:15]  ³⁵¹ tn Or “decide.” BDAG 227 s.v. διαγινώσκω has “ἀκριβέστερον τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ to make a more thorough examination of his case Ac 23:15.”

[23:15]  ³⁵² tn Grk “determine the things about him.”

[23:15]  ³⁵³ tn The expression “more thorough inquiry” reflects the comparative form of ἀκριβέστερον (akribesteron).

[23:15]  ³⁵⁴ sn “We are ready to kill him.” Now those Jews involved in the conspiracy, along with the leaders as accomplices, are going to break one of the ten commandments.

[23:15]  ³⁵⁵ tn The words “this place” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[23:16]  ³⁵⁶ tn Or “plot” (BDAG 334 s.v. ἐνέδρα).

[23:16]  ³⁵⁷ tn Grk “coming and entering…, he told.” The participles παραγενόμενος (paragenomeno") and εἰσελθών (eiselqwn) have been translated as finite verbs due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:16]  ³⁵⁸ tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[23:17]  ³⁵⁹ tn Grk “calling…Paul said.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:17]  ³⁶⁰ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[23:17]  ³⁶¹ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:18]  ³⁶² tn Grk “he”; the referent (the centurion) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:18]  ³⁶³ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:18]  ³⁶⁴ tn Grk “calling.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:19]  ³⁶⁵ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:19]  ³⁶⁶ tn Grk “you have,” but the expression “have to report” in English could be understood to mean “must report” rather than “possess to report.” For this reason the nearly equivalent expression “want to report,” which is not subject to misunderstanding, was used in the translation.

[23:20]  ³⁶⁷ tn Grk “He said.”

[23:20]  ³⁶⁸ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:21]  ³⁶⁹ tn Grk “do not be persuaded by them.” The passive construction μὴ πεισθῇς αὐτοῖς (mh peisqh" autoi") has been converted to an active construction in the translation, and the phrase “to do this” supplied to indicate more clearly the object of their persuasion.

[23:21]  ³⁷⁰ tn Grk “forty men of them.” In the expression ἐξ αὐτῶν ἄνδρες (ex autwn andre") “men” is somewhat redundant and has not been included in the English translation.

[23:21]  ³⁷¹ tn Grk “are lying in wait for him” (BDAG 334 s.v. ἐνεδρεύω); see also v. 16.

[23:21]  ³⁷² tn Grk “for him, who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“who”) was translated by the third person plural pronoun (“they”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[23:21]  ³⁷³ tn Or “bound themselves under a curse.” BDAG 63 s.v. ἀναθεματίζω 1 has “trans. put under a curse τινά someone… ἀ. ἑαυτόν vss. 12, 21, 13 v.l.”

[23:21]  ³⁷⁴ tn The word “anything” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[23:21]  ³⁷⁵ tn Grk “waiting for your approval,” “waiting for your agreement.” Since it would be possible to misunderstand the literal translation “waiting for your approval” to mean that the Jews were waiting for the commander’s approval to carry out their plot or to kill Paul (as if he were to be an accomplice to their plot), the object of the commander’s approval (their request to bring Paul to the council) has been specified in the translation as “their request.”

[23:22]  ³⁷⁶ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:22]  ³⁷⁷ tn BDAG 760 s.v. παραγγέλλω has “to make an announcement about someth. that must be done, give orders, command, instruct, direct of all kinds of persons in authority, worldly rulers, Jesus, the apostles…παραγγέλλειν w. an inf. and μή comes to mean forbid to do someth.: π. τινί w. aor. inf. Lk 5:14; 8:56; without the dat., which is easily supplied fr. the context Ac 23:22.” However, if the direct discourse which follows is to be retained in the translation, a different translation must be used since it is awkward to introduce direct discourse with the verb to forbid. Thus the alternative to direct was used.

[23:22]  ³⁷⁸ tn On this verb, see BDAG 325-26 s.v. ἐμφανίζω 2. The term was frequently used of an official report to authorities. In modern terms, this was a police tip.

[23:23]  ³⁷⁹ tn Grk “And.” Since this represents a response to the reported ambush, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[23:23]  ³⁸⁰ tn Grk “summoning…he said.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:23]  ³⁸¹ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[23:23]  ³⁸² sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1. This was a journey of about 65 mi (just over 100 km).

[23:23]  map For location see Map2 C1; Map4 B3; Map5 F2; Map7 A1; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[23:23]  ³⁸³ tn Or “cavalrymen.”

[23:23]  ³⁸⁴ tn A military technical term of uncertain meaning. BDAG 217 s.v. δεξιολάβος states, “a word of uncertain mng., military t.t., acc. to Joannes Lydus…and Theophyl. Sim., Hist. 4, 1 a light-armed soldier, perh. bowman, slinger; acc. to a scholion in CMatthaei p. 342 body-guard….Spearman Goodspd., NRSV; ‘security officer’, GDKilpatrick, JTS 14, ’63, 393f.”

[23:23]  sn Two hundred soldiers…along with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen. The resulting force assembled to guard Paul was almost a full cohort. The Roman commander was taking no chances, but was sending the issue up the chain of command to the procurator to decide.

[23:23]  ³⁸⁵ tn Grk “from.”

[23:23]  ³⁸⁶ tn Grk “from the third hour of the night.”

[23:24]  ³⁸⁷ tn Grk “provide mounts to put Paul on.”

[23:24]  sn Mounts for Paul to ride. The fact they were riding horses indicates they wanted everyone to move as quickly as possible.

[23:24]  ³⁸⁸ sn Felix the governor was Antonius Felix, a freedman of Antonia, mother of the Emperor Claudius. He was the brother of Pallas and became procurator of Palestine in a.d. 52/53. His administration was notorious for its corruption, cynicism, and cruelty. According to the historian Tacitus (History 5.9) Felix “reveled in cruelty and lust, and wielded the power of a king with the mind of a slave.”

[23:24]  ³⁸⁹ tn Grk “Felix the procurator.” The official Roman title has been translated as “governor” (BDAG 433 s.v. ἡγεμών 2).

[23:25]  ³⁹⁰ tn Grk “writing.” Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun here in the translation, supplying “he” (referring to the commanding officer, Claudius Lysias) as subject. The participle γράψας (grayas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:25]  ³⁹¹ tn Grk “having this form,” “having this content.” L&N 33.48 has “γράψσς ἐπιστολὴν ἔχουσαν τὸν τύπον τοῦτον ‘then he wrote a letter that went like this’ Ac 23:25. It is also possible to understand ἐπιστολή in Ac 23:25 not as a content or message, but as an object (see 6.63).”

[23:26]  ³⁹² tn Grk “Procurator.” The official Roman title has been translated as “governor” (BDAG 433 s.v. ἡγεμών 2).

[23:26]  ³⁹³ sn Governor Felix. See the note on Felix in v. 24.

[23:27]  ³⁹⁴ tn The participle συλλημφθέντα (sullhmfqenta) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. The remark reviews events of Acts 21:27-40.

[23:27]  ³⁹⁵ tn Grk “and was about to be killed by them.” The passive construction has been converted to an active one in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[23:27]  ³⁹⁶ tn Or “approached.”

[23:27]  ³⁹⁷ tn Normally this term means “army,” but according to BDAG 947 s.v. στράτευμα, “Of a smaller detachment of soldiers, sing. Ac 23:10, 27.” In the plural it can be translated “troops,” but it is singular here.

[23:27]  ³⁹⁸ tn In Greek this is a present tense retained in indirect discourse.

[23:27]  ³⁹⁹ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[23:27]  sn The letter written by the Roman commander Claudius Lysias was somewhat self-serving. He made it sound as if the rescue of a Roman citizen had been a conscious act on his part. In fact, he had made the discovery of Paul’s Roman citizenship somewhat later. See Acts 21:37-39 and 22:24-29.

[23:28]  ⁴⁰⁰ tn Or “determine.”

[23:28]  ⁴⁰¹ tn Grk “to know the charge on account of which they were accusing him.” This has been simplified to eliminate the prepositional phrase and relative pronoun δι᾿ ἣν (di’ }hn) similar to L&N 27.8 which has “‘I wanted to find out what they were accusing him of, so I took him down to their Council’ Ac 23:28.”

[23:28]  ⁴⁰² tn Grk “their Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:29]  ⁴⁰³ tn Grk “whom I found.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been changed to a personal pronoun (“he”) and a new sentence begun in the translation at this point.

[23:29]  ⁴⁰⁴ tn BDAG 428 s.v. ζήτημα states, “in our lit. only in Ac, w. the mng. it still has in Mod. Gk. (controversial) question, issue, argument…Ac 15:2; 26:3. ζ. περί τινος questions about someth.…18:15; 25:19. – In 23:29, since περί had already been used, the subj. of the discussion is added in the gen. ζ. τοῦ νόμου αὐτῶν.”

[23:29]  sn With reference to controversial questions. Note how the “neutral” Roman authorities saw the issue. This was a religious rather than a civil dispute. See Acts 18:15.

[23:29]  ⁴⁰⁵ tn Grk “but having no charge worthy of death or imprisonment.” BDAG 273-74 s.v. ἔγκλημα 1 has “legal t.t.…ἔ. ἄξιον θανάτου ἢ δεσμῶν a charge deserving death or imprisonment 23:29.”

[23:29]  sn Despite the official assessment that no charge against him deserved death or imprisonment, there was no effort to release Paul.

[23:30]  ⁴⁰⁶ tn Grk “It being revealed to me.” The participle μηνυθείσης (mhnuqeish") has been taken temporally.

[23:30]  ⁴⁰⁷ tn The term translated “plot” here is a different one than the one in Acts 23:16 (see BDAG 368 s.v. ἐπιβουλή).

[23:30]  ⁴⁰⁸ tn Grk “the things against him.” This could be rendered as “accusations,” “grievances,” or “charges,” but since “ordered his accusers to state their accusations” sounds redundant in English, “charges” was used instead.

[23:31]  ⁴⁰⁹ tn BDAG 237-38 s.v. διατάσσω 2 has “κατὰ τὸ δ. αὐτοῖς in accordance w. their orders…Ac 23:31.”

[23:31]  ⁴¹⁰ tn Grk “taking.” The participle ἀναλαβόντες (analabonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:31]  ⁴¹¹ sn Antipatris was a city in Judea about 35 mi (55 km) northwest of Jerusalem (about halfway to Caesarea). It was mentioned several times by Josephus (Ant. 13.15.1 [13.390]; J. W. 1.4.7 [1.99]).

[23:32]  ⁴¹² tn Grk “letting.” The participle ἐάσαντες (easante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:32]  ⁴¹³ tn Or “cavalrymen.”

[23:32]  ⁴¹⁴ tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[23:33]  ⁴¹⁵ tn Grk “who, coming to Caesarea.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek construction, a new sentence was begun here in the translation. The relative pronoun (“who”) has been replaced with the referent (the horsemen) in the translation for clarity.

[23:33]  ⁴¹⁶ sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1. It was about 30 mi (50 km) from Antipatris.

[23:33]  ⁴¹⁷ tn BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 1.b has “present, represent – α. lit. τινά τινι someone to someone παρέστησαν τὸν Παῦλον αὐτῷ Ac 23:33.”

[23:34]  ⁴¹⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the governor) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:34]  ⁴¹⁹ tn Grk “having read.” The participle ἀναγνούς (anagnou") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:34]  ⁴²⁰ tn The words “the letter” are not in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[23:34]  ⁴²¹ tn Grk “and asking.” The participle ἐπερωτήσας (eperwthsa") has been translated as a finite verb and καί (kai) left untranslated due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:34]  ⁴²² sn Governor Felix asked what province he was from to determine whether he had legal jurisdiction over Paul. He could have sent him to his home province for trial, but decided to hear the case himself.

[23:34]  ⁴²³ tn Grk “and learning.” The participle πυθόμενος (puqomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:34]  ⁴²⁴ sn Cilicia was a province in northeastern Asia Minor.

[23:35]  ⁴²⁵ tn Or “I will hear your case.” BDAG 231 s.v. διακούω has “as legal t.t. give someone an opportunity to be heard in court, give someone (τινός) a hearing Ac 23:35”; L&N 56.13 has “to give a judicial hearing in a legal matter – ‘to hear a case, to provide a legal hearing, to hear a case in court.’”

[23:35]  ⁴²⁶ tn Grk “ordering.” The participle κελεύσας (keleusas) has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence begun here due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence. “Then” has also been supplied to indicate the logical and temporal sequence.

[23:35]  ⁴²⁷ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:35]  ⁴²⁸ sn Herod’s palace (Grk “Herod’s praetorium”) was the palace built in Caesarea by Herod the Great. See Josephus, Ant. 15.9.6 (15.331). These events belong to the period of a.d. 56-57.

[24:1]  ⁴²⁹ sn Ananias was in office from a.d. 47-59.

[24:1]  ⁴³⁰ tn The term refers to a professional advocate (BDAG 905 s.v. ῥήτωρ).

[24:1]  ⁴³¹ tn Grk “an attorney, a certain Tertullus.”

[24:1]  ⁴³² tn Grk “who” (plural). Because in English the relative pronoun “who” could be understood to refer only to the attorney Tertullus and not to the entire group, it has been replaced with the third person plural pronoun “they.” “And” has been supplied to provide the connection to the preceding clause.

[24:1]  ⁴³³ tn BDAG 326 s.v. ἐμφανίζω 3 has “ἐ. τινὶ κατά τινος bring formal charges against someone…Ac 24:1; 25:2.”

[24:2]  ⁴³⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[24:2]  ⁴³⁵ tn Or “began to bring charges, saying.”

[24:2]  ⁴³⁶ tn Grk “experienced much peace.”

[24:2]  ⁴³⁷ tn Grk “through you” (“rule” is implied).

[24:2]  ⁴³⁸ tn This term is used only once in the NT (a hapax legomenon). It refers to improvements in internal administration (BDAG 251 s.v. διόρθωμα).

[24:2]  ⁴³⁹ tn Or “being made for this people.”

[24:2]  ⁴⁴⁰ sn References to peaceful rule, reforms, and the governor’s foresight in the opening address by Tertullus represent an attempt to praise the governor and thus make him favorable to the case. Actual descriptions of his rule portray him as inept (Tacitus, Annals 12.54; Josephus, J. W. 2.13.2-7 [2.253-270]).

[24:3]  ⁴⁴¹ sn Most excellent Felix. See the note on Felix in 23:24.

[24:3]  ⁴⁴² tn Grk “in every way and everywhere.”

[24:3]  ⁴⁴³ tn Or “with complete thankfulness.” BDAG 416 s.v. εὐχαριστία 1 has “μετὰ πάσης εὐ.…with all gratitude Ac 24:3.” L&N 31.26 has “‘we acknowledge this anywhere and everywhere with complete thankfulness’ Ac 24:3.”

[24:4]  ⁴⁴⁴ tn Or “may not weary.” BDAG 274 s.v. ἐγκόπτω states, “ἵνα μὴ ἐπὶ πλεῖόν σε ἐγκόπτω Ac 24:4 is understood by Syr. and Armen. versions to mean in order not to weary you any further; cp. ἔγκοπος weary Diog. L. 4, 50; LXX; and ἔγκοπον ποιεῖν to weary Job 19:2; Is 43:23. But impose on is also prob.; detain NRSV.”

[24:4]  ⁴⁴⁵ tn Or “request.”

[24:4]  ⁴⁴⁶ tn This term is another NT hapax legomenon (BDAG 976 s.v. συντόμως 2). Tertullus was asking for a brief hearing, and implying to the governor that he would speak briefly and to the point.

[24:4]  ⁴⁴⁷ tn BDAG 371 s.v. ἐπιείκεια has “τῇ σῇ ἐ. with your (customary) indulgence Ac 24:4.”

[24:5]  ⁴⁴⁸ tn Grk “For having found.” The participle εὑρόντες (Jeurontes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[24:5]  ⁴⁴⁹ tn L&N 22.6 has “(a figurative extension of meaning of λοιμός ‘plague,’ 23.158) one who causes all sorts of trouble – ‘troublemaker, pest.’ … ‘for we have found this man to be a troublemaker” Ac 24:5.”

[24:5]  ⁴⁵⁰ tn Or “dissensions.” While BDAG 940 s.v. στάσις 3 translates this phrase “κινεῖν στάσεις (v.l. στάσιν) τισί create dissension among certain people Ac 24:5,” it is better on the basis of the actual results of Paul’s ministry to categorize this usage under section 2, “uprising, riot, revolt, rebellion” (cf. the use in Acts 19:40).

[24:5]  ⁴⁵¹ tn This term is yet another NT hapax legomenon (BDAG 894 s.v. πρωτοστάτης).

[24:5]  sn A ringleader. Tertullus’ basic argument was that Paul was a major disturber of the public peace. To ignore this the governor would be shunning his duty to preserve the peace and going against the pattern of his rule. In effect, Tertullus claimed that Paul was seditious (a claim the governor could not afford to ignore).

[24:5]  ⁴⁵² sn The sect of the Nazarenes is a designation for followers of Jesus the Nazarene, that is, Christians.

[24:6]  ⁴⁵³ tn Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“who”) was replaced by the third person singular pronoun (“he”) and a new sentence begun here in the translation.

[24:6]  ⁴⁵⁴ tn Or “profane” (BDAG 173 s.v. βεβηλόω). The term was also used of profaning the Sabbath.

[24:6]  ⁴⁵⁵ tn Or “seized.” Grk “whom also we arrested.” Because of the awkwardness of a relative clause in English at this point, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced by the pronoun “him” as object of the verb.

[24:7]  ⁴⁵⁶ tc Some later mss include some material at the end of v. 6, all of 24:7, and some material at the beginning of v. 8: “and we wanted to judge him according to our law. 24:7 But Lysias the commanding officer came and took him out of our hands with a great deal of violence, 24:8 ordering those who accused him to come before you.” Acts 24:6b, 7, and 8a are lacking in Ì⁷⁴ א A B H L P 049 81 1175 1241 pm and a few versional witnesses. They are included (with a few minor variations) in E Ψ 33 323 614 945 1505 1739 pm and a few versional witnesses. This verse (and parts of verses) is most likely not a part of the original text of Acts, for not only is it lacking from the better witnesses, there is no easy explanation as to how such could be missing from them. The present translation follows NA²⁷ in omitting the verse number, a procedure also followed by a number of other modern translations.

[24:8]  ⁴⁵⁷ tn Or “question.”

[24:8]  ⁴⁵⁸ tn Grk “From whom when you examine him yourself, you will be able to learn…” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced by the third person singular pronoun (“him”) and a new sentence begun at the beginning of v. 8 in the translation.

[24:8]  ⁴⁵⁹ tn Grk “about all these things of which we are accusing him.” This has been simplified to eliminate the relative pronoun (“of which”) in the translation.

[24:9]  ⁴⁶⁰ tn Grk “joined in the attack,” but the adjective “verbal” has been supplied to clarify that this was not another physical assault on Paul. The verb is another NT hapax legomenon (BDAG 969 s.v. συνεπιτίθημι).

[24:9]  ⁴⁶¹ tn Or “asserting” (BDAG 1050 s.v. φάσκω).

[24:10]  ⁴⁶² tn Grk “knowing.” The participle ἐπιστάμενος (epistamenos) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[24:10]  ⁴⁶³ sn “Because…defense.” Paul also paid an indirect compliment to the governor, implying that he would be fair in his judgment.

[24:11]  ⁴⁶⁴ tn BDAG 369 s.v. ἐπιγινώσκω 2.c has “notice, perceive, learn of, ascertain…Also as legal t.t. ascertain (2 Macc 14:9) τὶ Ac 23:28; cp. 24:8. W. ὅτι foll. Ac 24:11.” “Verify” is an English synonym for “ascertain.”

[24:11]  ⁴⁶⁵ tn Grk “it is not more than twelve days from when.” This has been simplified to “not more than twelve days ago.”

[24:11]  sn Part of Paul’s defense is that he would not have had time to organize a revolt, since he had arrived in Jerusalem not more than twelve days ago.

[24:11]  ⁴⁶⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[24:12]  ⁴⁶⁷ tn Or “disputing,” “conducting a heated discussion.”

[24:12]  ⁴⁶⁸ tn BDAG 381 s.v. ἐπίστασις 2 has “ἐ. ποιεῖν ὄχλου to cause a crowd to gather Ac 24:12.” Roman authorities would not allow a mob to gather and threaten the peace, and anyone suspected of instigating a mob would certainly be arrested.

[24:12]  ⁴⁶⁹ tn Grk “in the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[24:12]  ⁴⁷⁰ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[24:12]  ⁴⁷¹ sn A second part of Paul’s defense is that he did nothing while he was in Jerusalem to cause unrest, neither arguing nor stirring up a crowd in the temple courts or in the synagogues or throughout the city.

[24:13]  ⁴⁷² tn BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 1.f has “οὐδὲ παραστῆσαι δύνανταί σοι περὶ ὧν νυνὶ κατηγοροῦσίν μου nor can they prove to you the accusations they are now making against me Ac 24:13.”

[24:13]  sn Nor can they prove. This is a formal legal claim that Paul’s opponents lacked proof of any wrongdoing. They had no witness who could justify the arrest at the temple.

[24:13]  ⁴⁷³ tn The words “the things” are not in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[24:13]  ⁴⁷⁴ tn Grk “nor can they prove to you [the things] about which they are now accusing me.” This has been simplified to eliminate the relative pronoun (“which”) in the translation.

[24:14]  ⁴⁷⁵ tn Or “serve.”

[24:14]  ⁴⁷⁶ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[24:14]  ⁴⁷⁷ sn That is, the law of Moses. Paul was claiming that he legitimately worshiped the God of Israel. He was arguing that this amounted to a religious dispute rather than a political one, so that the Roman authorities need not concern themselves with it.

[24:15]  ⁴⁷⁸ tn Grk “having.” The participle ἔχων (ecwn) has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence begun at this point in the translation because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence.

[24:15]  ⁴⁷⁹ sn This mention of Paul’s hope sets up his appeal to the resurrection of the dead. At this point Paul was ignoring the internal Jewish dispute between the Pharisees (to which he had belonged) and the Sadducees (who denied there would be a resurrection of the dead).

[24:15]  ⁴⁸⁰ tn Grk “a hope in God (which these [men] themselves accept too).” Because the antecedent of the relative pronoun “which” is somewhat unclear in English, the words “a hope” have been repeated at the beginning of the parenthesis for clarity.

[24:15]  ⁴⁸¹ tn Grk “that they”; the referent (these men, Paul’s accusers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:15]  ⁴⁸² tn Or “the unjust.”

[24:15]  sn This is the only mention of the resurrection of the unrighteous in Acts. The idea parallels the idea of Jesus as the judge of both the living and the dead (Acts 10:42; 17:31).

[24:16]  ⁴⁸³ tn BDAG 329 s.v. ἐν 9.a, “ἐν τούτῳ πιστεύομεν this is the reason why we believe Jn 16:30; cp. Ac 24:16.”

[24:16]  ⁴⁸⁴ tn BDAG 224 s.v. διά 2.a, “διὰ παντός…always, continually, constantly…Ac 2:25 (Ps 15:8); 10:2; 24:16.” However, the positioning of the adverb “always” in the English translation is difficult; the position used is one of the least awkward.

[24:16]  ⁴⁸⁵ tn BDAG 125 s.v. ἀπρόσκοπος 1 has “ἀ. συνείδησις a clear conscience Ac 24:16.”

[24:16]  ⁴⁸⁶ tn Grk “men,” but this is a generic use (Paul does not have only males in view).

[24:17]  ⁴⁸⁷ tn BDAG 401 s.v. ἔτος has “δι᾿ ἐ. πλειόνων after several years 24:17.”

[24:17]  ⁴⁸⁸ tn Grk “to bring alms,” but the term “alms” is not in common use today, so the closest modern equivalent, “gifts for the poor,” is used instead.

[24:17]  ⁴⁸⁹ tn Or “sacrifices.” BDAG 887 s.v. προσφορά 1 has “προσφοράς ποιεῖν have sacrifices made Ac 24:17,” but this may be overly specific. It is not clear from the immediate context whether the offering of sacrificial animals (so BDAG assumes) or offerings of some other sort (such as financial gifts) are in view. The combination with ἐλεημοσύνας (elehmosuna") in the preceding clause may suggest monetary offerings. Some have suggested this is an allusion to the payments made by Paul on behalf of the four other men mentioned in Acts 21:23-26, but the text here seems to suggest something Paul had planned to do before he came, while the decision to pay for the expenses of the men in 21:23ff. was made at the suggestion of the Jerusalem leadership after he arrived. In either case, Paul was portraying himself as a pious worshiper of his God.

[24:18]  ⁴⁹⁰ sn Ritually purified. Paul’s claim here is that he was honoring the holiness of God by being sensitive to issues of ritual purity. Not only was he not guilty of the charges against him, but he was thoroughly devout.

[24:18]  ⁴⁹¹ tn BDAG 458 s.v. θόρυβος 3.b has “μετὰ θορύβου…with a disturbance Ac 24:18.”

[24:19]  ⁴⁹² tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.

[24:19]  ⁴⁹³ tn BDAG 533 s.v. κατηγορέω 1 states, “nearly always as legal t.t.: bring charges in court.” L&N 33.427 states for κατηγορέω (kathgorew), “to bring serious charges or accusations against someone, with the possible connotation of a legal or court context – ‘to accuse, to bring charges.’”

[24:19]  sn Who should be here…and bring charges. Paul was asking, where were those who brought about his arrest and claimed he broke the law? His accusers were not really present. This subtle point raised the issue of injustice.

[24:20]  ⁴⁹⁴ tn Grk “these [men] themselves.”

[24:20]  ⁴⁹⁵ tn Or “unrighteous act.”

[24:20]  ⁴⁹⁶ tn The words “me guilty of” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. L&N 88.23 has “αὐτοὶ οὗτοι εἰπάτωσαν τί εὗρον ἀδίκημα στάντος μου ‘let these men themselves tell what unrighteous act they found me guilty of’ Ac 24:20.”

[24:20]  ⁴⁹⁷ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[24:21]  ⁴⁹⁸ tn BDAG 433 s.v. ἤ 2.c has “οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἤ nothing else than…Ac 17:21. τί…ἤ what other…than…24:21.”

[24:21]  ⁴⁹⁹ tn Grk “one utterance.”

[24:21]  ⁵⁰⁰ tn Cf. BDAG 327 s.v. ἐν 1.e, which has “before, in the presence of, etc.”

[24:21]  ⁵⁰¹ sn The resurrection of the dead. Paul’s point was, what crime was there in holding this religious belief?

[24:22]  ⁵⁰² sn See the note on Antonius Felix in 23:24.

[24:22]  ⁵⁰³ tn Grk “the things.”

[24:22]  ⁵⁰⁴ tn That is, concerning Christianity.

[24:22]  ⁵⁰⁵ tn BDAG 39 s.v. ἀκριβῶς has “Comp. ἀκριβέστερον more exactly…ἀ. ἐκτίθεσθαι explain more exactly Ac 18:26, cp. 23:15, 20; also more accurately…24:22.” Felix knew more about the Christian movement than what the Jewish leaders had told him.

[24:22]  ⁵⁰⁶ tn L&N 56.18 s.v. ἀναβάλλω has “to adjourn a court proceeding until a later time – ‘to adjourn a hearing, to stop a hearing and put it off until later.’…‘then Felix, who was well informed about the Way, adjourned their hearing’ Ac 24:22.”

[24:22]  ⁵⁰⁷ tn BDAG 227 s.v. διαγινώσκω 2 states, “to make a judicial decision, decide/hear (a case)…τὰ καθ᾿ ὑμᾶς decide your case Ac 24:22.”

[24:23]  ⁵⁰⁸ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[24:23]  ⁵⁰⁹ tn Grk “that he was to be guarded.” The passive construction (τηρεῖσθαι, threisqai) has been converted to an active one in parallel with the following clauses, and the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:23]  ⁵¹⁰ tn BDAG 77 s.v. ἄνεσις 1 states, “lit. relaxation of custodial control, some liberty, ἀ. ἔχειν have some freedom Ac 24:23.”

[24:23]  ⁵¹¹ tn Grk “any of his own” (this could also refer to relatives).

[24:23]  ⁵¹² tn Grk “from serving him.”

[24:24]  ⁵¹³ sn See the note on Antonius Felix in 23:24.

[24:24]  ⁵¹⁴ sn It is possible that Drusilla, being Jewish, was the source of Felix’s knowledge about the new movement called Christianity. The youngest daughter of Herod Agrippa I and sister of Agrippa II, she would have been close to 20 years old at the time. She had married the king of a small region in Syria but divorced him at the age of 16 to marry Felix. This was her second marriage and Felix’s third (Josephus, Ant. 19.9.1 [19.354], 20.7.2 [20.141-144]). As a member of Herod’s family, she probably knew about the Way.

[24:24]  ⁵¹⁵ tn The word “speak” is implied; BDAG 32 s.v. ἀκούω 1.c has “ἤκουσεν αὐτοῦ περὶ τῆς…πίστεως he heard him speak about faith Ac 24:24.”

[24:24]  ⁵¹⁶ tn Or “Messiah Jesus”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[24:25]  ⁵¹⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:25]  ⁵¹⁸ tn Or “speaking about.”

[24:25]  ⁵¹⁹ tn Grk “and self-control.” This καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[24:25]  sn The topic of self-control was appropriate in view of the personal history of both Felix and Drusilla (see the note on “Drusilla” in the previous verse), and might well account for Felix’s anxiety.

[24:25]  ⁵²⁰ sn See the note on Felix in 23:26.

[24:25]  ⁵²¹ tn Grk “becoming.” The participle γενόμενος (genomenos) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[24:25]  ⁵²² tn Or “when I find time.” BDAG 639 s.v. μεταλαμβάνω 2 has “καιρὸν μ. have an opportunity = find time…Ac 24:25.”

[24:26]  ⁵²³ tn Grk “he was hoping that money would be given to him by Paul.” To simplify the translation, the passive construction has been converted to an active one.

[24:26]  sn Would give him money. That is, would offer him a bribe in exchange for his release. Such practices were fairly common among Roman officials of the period (Josephus, Ant. 2.12.3 [2.272-274]).

[24:26]  ⁵²⁴ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:26]  ⁵²⁵ tn “As often as possible” reflects the comparative form of the adjective πυκνός (puknos); see BDAG 897 s.v. πυκνός, which has “Neut. of the comp. πυκνότερον as adv. more often, more frequently and in an elative sense very often, quite frequently…also as often as possible…Ac 24:26.”

[24:26]  ⁵²⁶ tn On this term, which could mean “conferred with him,” see BDAG 705 s.v. ὁμιλέω.

[24:27]  ⁵²⁷ tn Grk “After a two-year period.”

[24:27]  ⁵²⁸ sn Porcius Festus was the procurator of Palestine who succeeded Felix; neither the beginning nor the end of his rule (at his death) can be determined with certainty, although he appears to have died in office after about two years. Nero recalled Felix in a.d. 57 or 58, and Festus was appointed to his vacant office in a.d. 57, 58, or 59. According to Josephus (Ant. 20.8.9-10 [20.182-188]; J. W. 2.14.1 [2.271-272]), his administration was better than that of his predecessor Felix or his successor Albinus, but Luke in Acts portrays him in a less favorable light: He was willing to sacrifice Paul to court Jewish favor by taking him to Jerusalem for trial (v. 9), regardless of Paul’s guilt or innocence. The one characteristic for which Festus was noted is that he dealt harshly with those who disturbed the peace.

[24:27]  ⁵²⁹ tn Grk “Felix received as successor Porcius Festus.”

[24:27]  sn See the note on Felix in 23:26.

[24:27]  ⁵³⁰ tn Grk “left Paul imprisoned.”

[24:27]  sn Felix left Paul in prison. Luke makes the point that politics got in the way of justice here; keeping Paul in prison was a political favor to the Jews.

[25:1]  ⁵³¹ tn BDAG 736-37 s.v. οὖν 2.b states, “οὖν serves to indicate a transition to someth. new…now, then, well…Ac 25:1.”

[25:1]  ⁵³² sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:1]  ⁵³³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[25:1]  ⁵³⁴ sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1. This was a journey of 65 mi (just over 100 km).

[25:1]  map For location see Map2 C1; Map4 B3; Map5 F2; Map7 A1; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[25:2]  ⁵³⁵ tn BDAG 893-94 s.v. πρῶτος 2.a.β has “οἱ πρῶτοι the most prominent men, the leading men w. gen. of the place…or of a group…οἱ πρ. τοῦ λαοῦ…Lk 19:47; cp. Ac 25:2; 28:17.”

[25:2]  ⁵³⁶ tn BDAG 326 s.v. ἐμφανίζω 3 has “ἐ. τινὶ κατά τινος bring formal charges against someone…Ac 24:1; 25:2.”

[25:2]  sn Note how quickly the Jewish leadership went after Paul: They brought formal charges against him within three days of Festus’ arrival in the province.

[25:3]  ⁵³⁷ tn Grk “Requesting a favor against him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation, the understood direct object of “requesting” has been supplied, and the phrase “to do them” supplied for clarity.

[25:3]  ⁵³⁸ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Festus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The words “they urged him” are in v. 2 in the Greek text.

[25:3]  ⁵³⁹ sn Planning an ambush. The Jewish leadership had not forgotten the original plan of several years ago (see 23:16). They did not trust the Roman legal process, but preferred to take matters into their own hands.

[25:4]  ⁵⁴⁰ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:4]  ⁵⁴¹ sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1.

[25:4]  ⁵⁴² tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[25:5]  ⁵⁴³ tn Grk “let those who are influential among you” (i.e., the powerful).

[25:5]  ⁵⁴⁴ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[25:5]  ⁵⁴⁵ tn Grk “and if there is anything wrong with this man,” but this could be misunderstood in English to mean a moral or physical defect, while the issue in context is the commission of some crime, something legally improper (BDAG 149 s.v. ἄτοπος 2).

[25:5]  ⁵⁴⁶ tn BDAG 533 s.v. κατηγορέω 1 states, “nearly always as legal t.t.: bring charges in court.” L&N 33.427 states for κατηγορέω, “to bring serious charges or accusations against someone, with the possible connotation of a legal or court context – ‘to accuse, to bring charges.”

[25:6]  ⁵⁴⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Festus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:6]  ⁵⁴⁸ tn Grk “Having stayed.” The participle διατρίψας (diatriya") has been taken temporally.

[25:6]  ⁵⁴⁹ sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1.

[25:6]  map For location see Map2 C1; Map4 B3; Map5 F2; Map7 A1; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[25:6]  ⁵⁵⁰ tn Grk “sitting down…he ordered.” The participle καθίσας (kaqisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[25:6]  ⁵⁵¹ tn Although BDAG 175 s.v. βῆμα 3 gives the meaning “tribunal” for this verse, and a number of modern translations use similar terms (“court,” NIV; “tribunal,” NRSV), since the bhma was a standard feature in Greco-Roman cities of the time, there is no need for an alternative translation here.

[25:6]  sn The judgment seat (βῆμα, bhma) was a raised platform mounted by steps and sometimes furnished with a seat, used by officials in addressing an assembly or making pronouncements, often on judicial matters. The judgment seat was a familiar item in Greco-Roman culture, often located in the agora, the public square or marketplace in the center of a city.

[25:7]  ⁵⁵² tn BDAG 801 s.v. περιίστημι 1.a has “περιέστησαν αὐτὸν οἱ ᾿Ιουδαῖοι the Judeans stood around him 25:7.”

[25:7]  ⁵⁵³ tn Grk “many and serious.” The term βαρύς (barus) refers to weighty or serious charges (BDAG 167 s.v. 1).

[25:7]  ⁵⁵⁴ tn The term ἀποδείκνυμι (apodeiknumi) in a legal context refers to legal proof (4 Macc 1:8; BDAG 108 s.v. 3).

[25:8]  ⁵⁵⁵ tn Grk “Paul saying in his defense”; the participle ἀπολογουμένου (apologoumenou) could be taken temporally (“when Paul said…”), but due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the participle was translated as a finite verb and a new sentence begun here in the translation. BDAG 116-17 s.v. ἀπολογέομαι has “W. ὅτι foll. τοῦ Παύλου ἀπολογουμένου, ὅτι when Paul said in his defense (direct quot. foll.) Ac 25:8.”

[25:8]  ⁵⁵⁶ tn Grk “I have sinned…in nothing.”

[25:8]  ⁵⁵⁷ tn Grk “against the law of the Jews.” Here τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[25:8]  sn The Jewish law refers to the law of Moses.

[25:8]  ⁵⁵⁸ tn Or “against the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:8]  sn Paul’s threefold claim to be innocent with respect to the law…the temple and Caesar argues that he has not disturbed the peace at any level. This was the standard charge made against early Christians (Luke 23:2; Acts 17:6-7). The charges here are emphatically denied, with the Greek conjunction oute repeated before each charge.

[25:9]  ⁵⁵⁹ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:9]  ⁵⁶⁰ tn Or “stand trial.”

[25:9]  ⁵⁶¹ tn Grk “concerning these things.”

[25:10]  ⁵⁶² tn Grk “said.”

[25:10]  ⁵⁶³ tn Or “before the emperor’s” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:10]  ⁵⁶⁴ tn Although BDAG 175 s.v. βῆμα 3 gives the meaning “tribunal” for this verse, and a number of modern translations use similar terms (“court,” NIV; “tribunal,” NRSV), since the bema was a standard feature in Greco-Roman cities of the time, there is no need for an alternative translation here. Here of course Paul’s reference to “Caesar’s judgment seat” is a form of metonymy; since Festus is Caesar’s representative, Festus’ judgment seat represents Caesar’s own.

[25:10]  sn The judgment seat (βῆμα, bhma) was a raised platform mounted by steps and sometimes furnished with a seat, used by officials in addressing an assembly or making pronouncements, often on judicial matters. The judgment seat was a familiar item in Greco-Roman culture, often located in the agora, the public square or marketplace in the center of a city.

[25:10]  ⁵⁶⁵ tn That is, tried by an imperial representative and subject to Roman law.

[25:10]  ⁵⁶⁶ sn “I have done nothing wrong.” Here is yet another declaration of total innocence on Paul’s part.

[25:10]  ⁵⁶⁷ tn BDAG 506 s.v. καλῶς 7 states, “comp. κάλλιον (for the superl., as Galen, Protr. 8 p. 24, 19J.=p. 10, 31 Kaibel; s. B-D-F §244, 2) ὡς καί σὺ κ. ἐπιγινώσκεις as also you know very well Ac 25:10.”

[25:11]  ⁵⁶⁸ tn BDAG 20 s.v. ἀδικέω 1.b has “intr. be in the wrong (Ex 2:13) εἰ ἀδικῶ Ac 25:11.”

[25:11]  ⁵⁶⁹ tn BDAG 764 s.v. παραιτέομαι 2.b.β, “οὐ παραιτοῦμαι τὸ ἀποθανεῖν I am not trying to escape death Ac 25:11 (cp. Jos., Vi. 141).” To avoid redundancy in the translation, the English gerund “dying” is used to translate the Greek infinitive ἀποθανεῖν (apoqanein).

[25:11]  ⁵⁷⁰ tn Or “but if there is nothing to their charges against me.” Both “if” clauses in this verse are first class conditions. Paul stated the options without prejudice, assuming in turn the reality of each for the sake of the argument.

[25:11]  ⁵⁷¹ sn That is, no one can hand me over to them lawfully. Paul was aware of the dangers of a return to Jerusalem.

[25:11]  ⁵⁷² tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:11]  sn The appeal to Caesar was known as the provocatio ad Caesarem. It was a Roman citizen’s right to ask for a direct judgment by the emperor (Pliny the Younger, Letters 10.96). It was one of the oldest rights of Roman citizens.

[25:12]  ⁵⁷³ tn That is, with his advisers.

[25:12]  ⁵⁷⁴ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:12]  ⁵⁷⁵ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:12]  ⁵⁷⁶ tn Or “to the emperor.”

[25:12]  ⁵⁷⁷ sn “To Caesar you will go!” In all probability Festus was pleased to send Paul on to Rome and get this political problem out of his court.

[25:13]  ⁵⁷⁸ sn King Agrippa was Herod Agrippa II (a.d. 27-92/93), son of Herod Agrippa I (see Acts 12:1). He ruled over parts of Palestine from a.d. 53 until his death. His sister Bernice was widowed when her second husband, Herod King of Chalcis, died in a.d. 48. From then she lived with her brother. In an attempt to quiet rumors of an incestuous relationship between them, she resolved to marry Polemo of Cilicia, but she soon left him and returned to Herod Agrippa II. Their incestuous relationship became the gossip of Rome according to Josephus (Ant. 20.7.3 [20.145-147]). The visit of Agrippa and Bernice gave Festus the opportunity to get some internal Jewish advice. Herod Agrippa II was a trusted adviser because he was known to be very loyal to Rome (Josephus, J. W. 2.16.4 [2.345-401]).

[25:13]  ⁵⁷⁹ sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1.

[25:13]  map For location see Map2 C1; Map4 B3; Map5 F2; Map7 A1; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[25:13]  ⁵⁸⁰ tn BDAG 144 s.v. ἀσπάζομαι 1.b states, “Of official visits pay one’s respects to…Ac 25:13.”

[25:13]  ⁵⁸¹ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:14]  ⁵⁸² tn BDAG 1105-6 s.v. ὡς 8.b states, “w. pres. or impf. while, when, as long as…Ac 1:10; 7:23; 9:23; 10:17; 13:25; 19:9; 21:27; 25:14.”

[25:14]  ⁵⁸³ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:14]  ⁵⁸⁴ tn Grk “Festus laid Paul’s case before the king for consideration.” BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατίθημι 2 states, “otherw. only mid. to lay someth. before someone for consideration, declare, communicate, refer w. the added idea that the pers. to whom a thing is ref. is asked for his opinion lay someth. before someone for consideration…Ac 25:14.”

[25:15]  ⁵⁸⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[25:15]  ⁵⁸⁶ tn BDAG 326 s.v. ἐμφανίζω 3 has “to convey a formal report about a judicial matter, present evidence, bring charges…ἐ. περί τινος concerning someone 25:15.”

[25:15]  ⁵⁸⁷ tn Grk “about whom.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been replaced with a personal pronoun (“him”) and a new sentence started in the translation at the beginning of v. 15 (where the phrase περὶ οὗ [peri Jou] occurs in the Greek text).

[25:15]  ⁵⁸⁸ tn BDAG 516 s.v. καταδίκη states, “condemnation, sentence of condemnation, conviction, guilty verdict…αἰτεῖσθαι κατά τινος κ. ask for a conviction of someone Ac 25:15.”

[25:16]  ⁵⁸⁹ tn Grk “to whom I answered.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been replaced with a personal pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence started in the translation at the beginning of v. 16.

[25:16]  sn “I answered them.” In the answer that follows, Festus is portrayed in a more positive light, being sensitive to justice and Roman law.

[25:16]  ⁵⁹⁰ tn Grk “any man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpos).

[25:16]  ⁵⁹¹ tn Or “has met his accusers in person.”

[25:16]  ⁵⁹² tn Grk “and receives.”

[25:16]  ⁵⁹³ tn Or “indictment” (a legal technical term). BDAG 273-74 s.v. ἔγκλημα 1 states, “legal t.t.…ἀπολογία περὶ τοῦ ἐ. defense against the accusation Ac 25:16.” L&N 56.6 defines ἔγκλημα (enklhma) as “(a technical, legal term) a formal indictment or accusation brought against someone – ‘indictment, accusation, case.’ …‘and might receive an opportunity for a defense against the indictment’ Ac 25:16.”

[25:17]  ⁵⁹⁴ tn BDAG 969-70 s.v. συνέρχομαι 2 states, “συνελθόντων ἐνθάδε prob. means (because of συνκαταβάντες 25:5) they came back here with (me) 25:17.”

[25:17]  ⁵⁹⁵ tn BDAG 59 s.v. ἀναβολή states, “‘delay’…legal t.t. postponement…ἀ. μηδεμίαν ποιησάμενος I did not postpone the matter Ac 25:17.” “Case” has been supplied instead of “matter” since it is more specific to the context. The participle ποιησάμενος (poihsameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[25:17]  ⁵⁹⁶ tn Grk “sitting…I ordered.” The participle καθίσας (kaqisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[25:17]  ⁵⁹⁷ tn Although BDAG 175 s.v. βῆμα 3 gives the meaning “tribunal” for this verse, and a number of modern translations use similar terms (“court,” NIV; “tribunal,” NRSV), since the bema was a standard feature in Greco-Roman cities of the time, there is no need for an alternative translation here.

[25:17]  sn The judgment seat (βῆμα, bhma) was a raised platform mounted by steps and sometimes furnished with a seat, used by officials in addressing an assembly or making pronouncements, often on judicial matters. The judgment seat was a familiar item in Greco-Roman culture, often located in the agora, the public square or marketplace in the center of a city.

[25:18]  ⁵⁹⁸ tn Grk “they brought no charge of any of the evil deeds.” BDAG 31 s.v. αἰτία 3.b has “αἰτίαν φέρειν…bring an accusation Ac 25:18.” Since κατήγοροι (kathgoroi, “accusers”) in the previous clause is somewhat redundant with this, “charge” was used instead.

[25:18]  ⁵⁹⁹ tn Or “I was expecting.”

[25:19]  ⁶⁰⁰ tn Grk “several controversial issues.” BDAG 428 s.v. ζήτημα states, “in our lit. only in Ac, w. the mng. it still has in Mod. Gk. (controversial) question, issue, argument…Ac 15:2; 26:3. ζ. περί τινος questions about someth.…18:15; 25:19.”

[25:19]  ⁶⁰¹ tn On this term see BDAG 216 s.v. δεισιδαιμονία 2. It is a broad term for religion.

[25:19]  sn About their own religion. Festus made it clear that in his view as a neutral figure (and as one Luke had noted was disposed to help the Jews), he saw no guilt in Paul. The issue was a simple religious dispute.

[25:19]  ⁶⁰² tn Grk “a certain Jesus.”

[25:19]  ⁶⁰³ tn Or “asserted.”

[25:20]  ⁶⁰⁴ tn Or “Because I was undecided.” Grk “Being at a loss.” The participle ἀπορούμενος (aporoumeno") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[25:20]  ⁶⁰⁵ tn L&N 27.34 states, “ἀπορούμενος δὲ ἐγὼ τὴν περὶ τούτων ζήτησιν ‘I was undecided about how I could get information on these matters’ Ac 25:20. The clause ‘about how I could get information on these matters’ may also be rendered as ‘about how I should try to find out about these matters’ or ‘about how I could learn about these matters.’”

[25:20]  ⁶⁰⁶ tn Or “stand trial.”

[25:20]  ⁶⁰⁷ tn Grk “on these things.”

[25:21]  ⁶⁰⁸ tn A designation of the Roman emperor (in this case, Nero). BDAG 917 s.v. σεβαστός states, “ὁ Σεβαστός His Majesty the Emperor Ac 25:21, 25 (of Nero).” It was a translation into Greek of the Latin “Augustus.”

[25:21]  ⁶⁰⁹ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:22]  ⁶¹⁰ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[25:22]  ⁶¹¹ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:22]  ⁶¹² tn Grk “said.”

[25:23]  ⁶¹³ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[25:23]  ⁶¹⁴ tn Or “great pageantry” (BDAG 1049 s.v. φαντασία; the term is a NT hapax legomenon).

[25:23]  sn Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp. The “royals” were getting their look at Paul. Everyone who was anyone would have been there.

[25:23]  ⁶¹⁵ tn Or “auditorium.” “Auditorium” may suggest to the modern English reader a theater where performances are held. Here it is the large hall where a king or governor would hold audiences. Paul once spoke of himself as a “spectacle” to the world (1 Cor 4:8-13).

[25:23]  ⁶¹⁶ tn Grk “the chiliarchs” (officers in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (ciliarco") literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militare, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.

[25:23]  ⁶¹⁷ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:23]  ⁶¹⁸ tn Grk “and Festus ordering, Paul was brought in.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has not been translated. The participle κελεύσαντος (keleusanto") has been taken temporally.

[25:24]  ⁶¹⁹ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:24]  ⁶²⁰ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[25:24]  ⁶²¹ tn Probably best understood as rhetorical hyperbole. BDAG 825 s.v. πλῆθος 2.b.γ states, “people, populace, population…τὸ πλῆθος the populace…ἅπαν τὸ πλ. τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων Ac 25:24.” However, the actions of the leadership are seen by Luke as representing the actions of the entire nation, so the remark is not inaccurate.

[25:24]  ⁶²² tn Or “appealed to” (BDAG 341 s.v. ἐντυγχάνω 1.a).

[25:24]  ⁶²³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[25:24]  ⁶²⁴ sn Here means “here in Caesarea.”

[25:24]  ⁶²⁵ tn Or “screaming.”

[25:25]  ⁶²⁶ sn He had done nothing that deserved death. Festus’ opinion of Paul’s guilt is like Pilate’s of Jesus (Luke 23:4, 14, 22).

[25:25]  ⁶²⁷ tn The participle ἐπικαλεσαμένου (epikalesamenou) has been taken temporally. It could also be translated as causal: “and because he appealed…”

[25:25]  ⁶²⁸ tn A designation of the Roman emperor (in this case, Nero). BDAG 917 s.v. σεβαστός states, “ὁ Σεβαστός His Majesty the Emperor Ac 25:21, 25 (of Nero).”

[25:25]  ⁶²⁹ tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[25:26]  ⁶³⁰ sn There is irony here. How can Festus write anything definite about Paul, if he is guilty of nothing.

[25:26]  ⁶³¹ sn To my lord means “to His Majesty the Emperor.”

[25:26]  ⁶³² tn Grk “about whom I have nothing definite…” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced with a personal pronoun (“him”) and a new sentence begun in the translation at the beginning of v. 26.

[25:26]  ⁶³³ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[25:26]  ⁶³⁴ tn Or “investigation.” BDAG 66 s.v. ἀνάκρισις has “a judicial hearing, investigation, hearing, esp. preliminary hearing…τῆς ἀ. γενομένης Ac 25:26.” This is technical legal language.

[25:27]  ⁶³⁵ tn L&N 33.153 s.v. σημαίνω, “to cause something to be both specific and clear – ‘to indicate clearly, to make clear’… ‘for it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without clearly indicating the charges against him’ Ac 25:27.”

[25:27]  sn Without clearly indicating the charges against him. Again the point is made by Festus himself that there is difficulty even in articulating a charge against Paul.

[26:1]  ⁶³⁶ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:1]  ⁶³⁷ tn Grk “It is permitted for you.”

[26:1]  ⁶³⁸ tn Or “extended his hand” (a speaker’s gesture).

[26:1]  ⁶³⁹ tn Or “and began to speak in his own defense.”

[26:2]  ⁶⁴⁰ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:3]  ⁶⁴¹ tn BDAG 613 s.v. μάλιστα 1 states, “μ. γνώστην ὄντα σε since you are outstandingly familiar Ac 26:3.”

[26:3]  ⁶⁴² tn Grk “several controversial issues.” BDAG 428 s.v. ζήτημα states, “in our lit. only in Ac, w. the mng. it still has in Mod. Gk. (controversial) question, issue, argument…Ac 15:2; 26:3. ζ. περί τινος questions about someth.…18:15; 25:19.”

[26:3]  ⁶⁴³ tn BDAG 218 s.v. δέομαι states, “In our lit. only w. the mng. to ask for something pleadingly, ask, request,” and then in section a.α states, “w. inf. foll.…Ac 26:3.”

[26:4]  ⁶⁴⁴ tn Grk “my manner of life.”

[26:4]  ⁶⁴⁵ tn Or “nation.”

[26:4]  ⁶⁴⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[26:5]  ⁶⁴⁷ tn These words are repeated from v. 4 (“all the Jews know”). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, it was necessary to begin a new sentence at the beginning of v. 5 in the translation, but for this to make sense, the main verb ἵσασι ({isasi) has to be repeated to connect with the ὅτι (Joti) clause (indirect discourse) in v. 5.

[26:5]  ⁶⁴⁸ tn Grk “having known me from time past.” The participle προγινώσκοντες (proginwskonte") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[26:5]  ⁶⁴⁹ tn BDAG 866 s.v. προγινώσκω 2 has “Know from time past…προγινώσκοντές με ἄνωθεν Ac 26:5.” L&N 28.6 states, “‘they have already known me beforehand, if they are willing to testify’ Ac 26:5.”

[26:5]  ⁶⁵⁰ tn That is, strictest religious party. “Party” alone is used in the translation because “the strictest religious party of our religion” would be redundant.

[26:5]  ⁶⁵¹ sn See the note on Pharisee in 5:34.

[26:6]  ⁶⁵² tn BDAG 568 s.v. κρίνω 5.a.α has “κρίνεσθαι ἐπί τινι be on trial because of a thing Ac 26:6.”

[26:6]  ⁶⁵³ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[26:7]  ⁶⁵⁴ tn Grk “to which [promise] our twelve tribes…” The antecedent of the relative pronoun (the promise in v. 6) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:7]  ⁶⁵⁵ tn Or “earnestly worship.” The object of this service, God, is omitted but implied: BDAG 587 s.v. λατρεύω states, “Without the dat. of the one to whom service is given: ἐν ἐκτενείᾳ νύκτα κ. ἡμέραν λ. serve (God) earnestly night and day Ac 26:7.” Although clear from the context in Greek, “God” must be supplied as the recipient of the service for the modern English reader.

[26:7]  ⁶⁵⁶ tn Grk “I am being accused by the Jews.” The passive construction was simplified by converting it to an active one in the translation.

[26:7]  ⁶⁵⁷ tn Grk “O King!”

[26:8]  ⁶⁵⁸ tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate that the second person pronoun (“you”) is plural (others in addition to King Agrippa are being addressed).

[26:8]  ⁶⁵⁹ tn BDAG 568 s.v. κρίνω 3 states, “τί ἄπιστον κρίνεται παρ᾿ ὑμῖν; why do you think it is incredible? Ac 26:8.” The passive construction (“why is it thought unbelievable…”) has been converted to an active one to simplify the translation.

[26:8]  ⁶⁶⁰ tn Or “incredible.” BDAG 103 s.v. ἄπιστος 1 states, “unbelievable, incredible…τί ἄπιστον κρίνεται παρ᾿ ὑμῖν…; why does it seem incredible to you? Ac 26:8.”

[26:8]  ⁶⁶¹ tn Grk “if.” The first-class conditional construction, which assumes reality for the sake of argument, has been translated as indirect discourse.

[26:9]  ⁶⁶² tn BDAG 737 s.v. οὖν 3 states, “It has been proposed that some traces of older Gk. usage in which οὖν is emphatic, = certainly, really, to be sure etc. (s. L-S-J-M s.v. 1) remain in the pap…and in the NT…indeed, of course Ac 26:9.”

[26:9]  ⁶⁶³ tn Grk “I thought to myself.” BDAG 255 s.v. δοκέω 2.a has “ἔδοξα ἐμαυτῷ δεῖν πρᾶξαι = Lat. mihi videbar I was convinced that it was necessary to do Ac 26:9.”

[26:10]  ⁶⁶⁴ tn Grk “by receiving authority.” The participle λαβών (labwn) has been taken instrumentally.

[26:10]  ⁶⁶⁵ tn Grk “cast down a pebble against them.” L&N 30.103 states, “(an idiom, Grk ‘to bring a pebble against someone,’ a reference to a white or black pebble used in voting for or against someone) to make known one’s choice against someone – ‘to vote against.’ …‘when they were sentenced to death, I also voted against them’ Ac 26:10.”

[26:10]  ⁶⁶⁶ tn Grk “when they were being executed”; but the context supports the sentencing rather than the execution itself (cf. L&N 30.103).

[26:11]  ⁶⁶⁷ tn Grk “and punishing…I tried.” The participle τιμωρῶν (timwrwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[26:11]  ⁶⁶⁸ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[26:11]  ⁶⁶⁹ tn The imperfect verb ἠνάγκαζον (hnankazon) has been translated as a conative imperfect (so BDAG 60 s.v. ἀναγκάζω 1, which has “ἠνάγκαζον βλασφημεῖν I tried to force them to blaspheme Ac 26:11”).

[26:11]  ⁶⁷⁰ tn Or “was so insanely angry with them.” BDAG 322 s.v. ἐμμαίνομαι states, “to be filled with such anger that one appears to be mad, be enraged…περισσῶς ἐμμαινόμενος αὐτοῖς being furiously enraged at them Ac 26:11”; L&N 88.182 s.v. ἐμμαίνομαι, “to be so furiously angry with someone as to be almost out of one’s mind – ‘to be enraged, to be infuriated, to be insanely angry’ …‘I was so infuriated with them that I even went to foreign cities to persecute them’ Ac 26:11.”

[26:11]  ⁶⁷¹ tn Or “I pursued them even as far as foreign cities.”

[26:12]  ⁶⁷² tn Grk “in which [activity].” Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started at the beginning of v. 12 in the translation. The referent of the relative pronoun (“which”) was specified as “this very thing” for clarity.

[26:12]  ⁶⁷³ tn Grk “going.” The participle πορευόμενος (poreuomenos) has been taken temporally.

[26:12]  ⁶⁷⁴ tn L&N 37.40 s.v. ἐπιτροπή states, “the full authority to carry out an assignment or commission – ‘authority, complete power.’ πορευόμενος εἰς τὴν Δαμασκὸν μετ᾿ ἐξουσίας καὶ ἐπιτροπῆς τῶν ἀρχιερέων ‘going to Damascus with authority and complete power from the high priests’ Ac 26:12. In Ac 26:12 the combination of ἐξουσία and ἐπιτροπή serves to reinforce the sense of complete authority.”

[26:13]  ⁶⁷⁵ tn Grk “O King.”

[26:13]  ⁶⁷⁶ tn Or “from the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[26:13]  ⁶⁷⁷ tn The word “everywhere” has been supplied in the translation to clarify the meaning of περιλάμψαν (perilamyan). Otherwise the modern reader might think that each of the individuals were encircled by lights or halos. See also Acts 9:7; 22:6, 9.

[26:14]  ⁶⁷⁸ tn Grk “in the Hebrew language.” See Acts 22:7 and 9:4.

[26:14]  ⁶⁷⁹ tn Grk “It is hard for you.”

[26:14]  ⁶⁸⁰ tn “Goads” are pointed sticks used to direct a draft animal (an idiom for stubborn resistance). See BDAG 539-40 s.v. κέντρον 2.

[26:14]  sn Sayings which contain the imagery used here (kicking against the goads) were also found in Greek writings; see Pindar, Pythians 2.94-96; Euripides, Bacchae 795.

[26:15]  ⁶⁸¹ tn Grk “said.”

[26:16]  ⁶⁸² tn L&N 30.89 has “‘to choose in advance, to select beforehand, to designate in advance.’”

[26:16]  ⁶⁸³ sn As a servant and witness. The commission is similar to Acts 1:8 and Luke 1:2. Paul was now an “eyewitness” of the Lord.

[26:16]  ⁶⁸⁴ tn BDAG 719 s.v. ὁράω A.1.b states, “W. attraction of the relative ὧν = τούτων ἅ Lk 9:36; Ac 22:15. The attraction may be due to colloq. breviloquence in μάρτυρα ὧν τε εἶδες με ὧν τε ὀφθήσομαί σοι a witness to the things in which you saw me and to those in which I shall appear to you Ac 26:16b.”

[26:16]  ⁶⁸⁵ tc ‡ Some mss read “of the things in which you have seen me.” The accusative object με (me, “me”) is found after εἶδές (eide") in B C*^vid 614 945 1175 1505 1739 1891 2464 pc sy sa; it is lacking in Ì⁷⁴ א A C² E Ψ 096 Ï latt bo. The external evidence is relatively evenly divided, though there is a slight preference for the omission. NA²⁷ includes the word in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.

[26:17]  ⁶⁸⁶ tn Grk “rescuing.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the participle ἐξαιρούμενος (exairoumeno") has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence started in the translation at the beginning of v. 17.

[26:17]  ⁶⁸⁷ tn That is, from the Jewish people. Grk “the people”; the words “your own” have been supplied to clarify the meaning.

[26:17]  ⁶⁸⁸ tn The antecedent of the relative pronoun is probably both the Jews (“your own people”) and the Gentiles, indicating the comprehensive commission Paul received.

[26:18]  ⁶⁸⁹ sn To open their eyes so that they turn… Here is Luke’s most comprehensive report of Paul’s divine calling. His role was to call humanity to change their position before God and experience God’s forgiveness as a part of God’s family. The image of turning is a key one in the NT: Luke 1:79; Rom 2:19; 13:12; 2 Cor 4:6; 6:14; Eph 5:8; Col 1:12; 1 Thess 5:5. See also Luke 1:77-79; 3:3; 24:47.

[26:18]  ⁶⁹⁰ tn BDAG 352-53 s.v. ἐξουσία 2 states, “Also of Satan’s power Ac 26:18.” It is also possible to translate this “the domain of Satan” (cf. BDAG 353 s.v. 6)

[26:18]  ⁶⁹¹ tn Or “and an inheritance.”

[26:19]  ⁶⁹² sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:19]  ⁶⁹³ sn I was not disobedient. Paul’s defense is that he merely obeyed the risen Jesus. He was arrested for obeying heavenly direction and preaching the opportunity to turn to God.

[26:19]  ⁶⁹⁴ tn According to L&N 1.5, “In Ac 26:19 the adjective οὐράνιος could be interpreted as being related simply to the meaning of οὐρανός^a ‘sky,’ but it seems preferable to regard οὐράνιος in this context as meaning simply ‘from heaven’ or ‘heavenly.’”

[26:20]  ⁶⁹⁵ tn BDAG 1093-94 s.v. χώρα 2.b states, “of the provincial name (1 Macc 8:3) ἡ χώρα τῆς ᾿Ιουδαίας Ac 26:20.”

[26:20]  ⁶⁹⁶ sn That they should repent and turn to God. This is the shortest summary of Paul’s message that he preached.

[26:20]  ⁶⁹⁷ tn BDAG 93 s.v. ἄξιος 1.b, “καρποὶ ἄ. τῆς μετανοίας fruits in keeping with your repentance…Lk 3:8; Mt 3:8. For this ἄ. τῆς μετανοίας ἔργα Ac 26:20.” Note how Paul preached the gospel offer and the issue of response together, side by side.

[26:21]  ⁶⁹⁸ tn Grk “in the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[26:22]  ⁶⁹⁹ tn Grk “So experiencing…I stand.” The participle τυχών (tucwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[26:22]  ⁷⁰⁰ tn BDAG 311 s.v. ἐκτός 3.b, “functions as prep. w. gen. οὐδὲν ἐ. ὧν nothing except what (cf. 1 Ch 29:3; 2 Ch 17:19; TestNapht. 6:2) Ac 26:22.”

[26:22]  ⁷⁰¹ sn What the prophets and Moses said. Paul argued that his message reflected the hope of the Jewish scriptures.

[26:23]  ⁷⁰² tn BDAG 277-78 s.v. εἰ 2 has “marker of an indirect question as content, that…Sim. also (Procop. Soph., Ep. 123 χάριν ἔχειν εἰ = that) μαρτυρόμενος…εἰ παθητὸς ὁ Χριστός testifying…that the Christ was to suffer…Ac 26:23.”

[26:23]  ⁷⁰³ tn Or “the Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[26:23]  sn See the note on Christ in 2:31.

[26:23]  ⁷⁰⁴ tn That is, to the Jewish people. Grk “the people”; the word “our” has been supplied to clarify the meaning.

[26:23]  ⁷⁰⁵ sn Note how the context of Paul’s gospel message about Jesus, resurrection, and light both to Jews and to the Gentiles is rooted in the prophetic message of the OT scriptures. Paul was guilty of following God’s call and preaching the scriptural hope.

[26:24]  ⁷⁰⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:24]  ⁷⁰⁷ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[26:24]  ⁷⁰⁸ tn On the term translated “lost your mind” see BDAG 610 s.v. μαίνομαι, which has “you’re out of your mind, you’re raving, said to one whose enthusiasm seems to have outrun better judgment 26:24.”

[26:24]  sn The expression “You have lost your mind” would be said to someone who speaks incredible things, in the opinion of the hearer. Paul’s mention of the resurrection (v. 23) was probably what prompted Festus to say this.

[26:25]  ⁷⁰⁹ tn Grk “said.”

[26:25]  ⁷¹⁰ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[26:25]  ⁷¹¹ tn Or “declaring.” BDAG 125 s.v. ἀποφθέγγομαι states, “speak out, declare boldly or loudly…τὶ: σωφροσύνης ῥήματα Ac 26:25.”

[26:25]  ⁷¹² tn BDAG 987 s.v. σωφροσύνη 1 has “gener. soundness of mind, reasonableness, rationality…ἀληθείας καὶ σωφροσύνης ῥήματα true and rational words (opp. μαίνομαι) Ac 26:25.”

[26:26]  ⁷¹³ tn BDAG 782 s.v. παρρησιάζομαι 1 states, “speak freely, openly, fearlessly…likew. in the ptc. w. a verb of saying foll.…παρρησιασάμενοι εἶπαν 13:46. – 26:26.” This could refer to boldness in speaking here.

[26:26]  ⁷¹⁴ tn Grk “to whom I am speaking freely.” The relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced by the personal pronoun (“him”) to simplify the translation.

[26:26]  ⁷¹⁵ tn Grk “I cannot convince myself.” BDAG 792 s.v. πείθω 3.a states, “οὐ πείθομαι w. acc. and inf. I cannot believe Ac 26:26” (see also BDAG 586 s.v. λανθάνω).

[26:26]  ⁷¹⁶ tn BDAG 586 s.v. λανθάνω states, “λανθάνειν αὐτὸν τούτων οὐ πείθομαι οὐθέν I cannot bring myself to believe that any of these things has escaped his notice Ac 26:26.”

[26:26]  ⁷¹⁷ tn This term refers to a hidden corner (BDAG 209 s.v. γωνία). Paul’s point is that these events to which he refers were not done in a secret, hidden place, tucked away outside of view. They were done in public for all the world to see.

[26:27]  ⁷¹⁸ sn “Do you believe the prophets?” Note how Paul made the issue believing the OT prophets and God’s promise which God fulfilled in Christ. He was pushing King Agrippa toward a decision not for or against Paul’s guilt of any crime, but concerning Paul’s message.

[26:27]  ⁷¹⁹ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:28]  ⁷²⁰ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:28]  ⁷²¹ tn Or “In a short time you will make me a Christian.” On the difficulty of the precise nuances of Agrippa’s reply in this passage, see BDAG 791 s.v. πείθω 1.b. The idiom is like 1 Kgs 21:7 LXX. The point is that Paul was trying to persuade Agrippa to accept his message. If Agrippa had let Paul persuade him, he would have converted to Christianity.

[26:28]  sn The question “In such a short time are you persuading me to become a Christian?” was probably a ploy on Agrippa’s part to deflect Paul from his call for a decision. Note also how the tables have turned: Agrippa was brought in to hear Paul’s defense, and now ends up defending himself. The questioner is now being questioned.

[26:29]  ⁷²² tn BDAG 703 s.v. ὀλίγος 2.b.β has “καὶ ἐν ὀλ. καὶ ἐν μεγάλῳ whether in a short or a long time vs. 29 (cf. B-D-F §195; GWhitaker, The Words of Agrippa to St. Paul: JTS 15, 1914, 82f; AFridrichsen, SymbOsl 14, ’35, 50; Field, Notes 141-43; s. Rob. 653).”

[26:29]  ⁷²³ sn Except for these chains. The chains represented Paul’s unjust suffering for the sake of the message. His point was, in effect, “I do not care how long it takes. I only hope you and everyone else hearing this would become believers in Christ, but without my unjust suffering.”

[26:31]  ⁷²⁴ tn Grk “they spoke to one another saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[26:31]  ⁷²⁵ tn BDAG 93 s.v. ἄξιος 1.b has “θανάτου ἢ δεσμῶν ἄ. nothing deserving death or imprisonment 23:29; 26:31.”

[26:31]  sn Not doing anything deserving death… Here is yet another declaration of Paul’s innocence, but still no release. The portrayal shows how unjust Paul’s confinement was.

[26:32]  ⁷²⁶ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:32]  ⁷²⁷ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[26:32]  ⁷²⁸ tn Or “set free.”

[26:32]  ⁷²⁹ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[26:32]  sn If he had not appealed to Caesar. Ultimately Agrippa and Festus blamed what Paul himself had done in appealing to Caesar for his own continued custody. In terms of Luke’s narrative, this still appears unjust and a denial of responsibility.

[27:1]  ⁷³⁰ sn The last “we” section in Acts begins here and extends to 28:16 (the previous one ended at 21:18).

[27:1]  ⁷³¹ sn Sail to Italy. This voyage with its difficulty serves to show how God protected Paul on his long journey to Rome. From the perspective of someone in Palestine, this may well picture “the end of the earth” quite literally (cf. Acts 1:8).

[27:1]  ⁷³² sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:1]  ⁷³³ tn According to BDAG 917 s.v. σεβαστός, “In σπεῖρα Σεβαστή 27:1 (cp. OGI 421) Σεβαστή is likew. an exact transl. of Lat. Augusta, an honorary title freq. given to auxiliary troops (Ptolem. renders it Σεβαστή in connection w. three legions that bore it: 2, 3, 30; 2, 9, 18; 4, 3, 30) imperial cohort.” According to W. Foerster (TDNT 7:175), “In Ac. 27:1 the σπεῖρα Σεβαστή is an expression also found elsewhere for ‘auxiliary troops.’” In no case would this refer to a special imperial bodyguard, and to translate “imperial regiment” or “imperial cohort” might give this impression. There is some archaeological evidence for a Cohors Augusta I stationed in Syria during the time of Augustus, but whether this is the same unit is very debatable.

[27:1]  sn The Augustan Cohort. A cohort was a Roman military unit of about 600 soldiers, one-tenth of a legion. There is considerable debate over the identification of this particular cohort and the meaning of the title Augustan mentioned here. These may well have been auxiliary (provincial) troops given the honorary title.

[27:2]  ⁷³⁴ tn Grk “Going on board.” The participle ἐπιβάντες (epibante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:2]  ⁷³⁵ sn Adramyttium was a seaport in Mysia on the western coast of Asia Minor.

[27:2]  ⁷³⁶ tn Grk “places.”

[27:2]  ⁷³⁷ tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.

[27:2]  ⁷³⁸ tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4 states, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”

[27:2]  sn Although not explicitly stated, the ship put out to sea from the port of Caesarea (where the previous events had taken place (cf. 25:13) and then sailed along the Asiatic coast (the first stop was Sidon, v. 3).

[27:2]  ⁷³⁹ sn A Macedonian. The city of Thessalonica (modern Salonica) was in the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[27:2]  ⁷⁴⁰ map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[27:3]  ⁷⁴¹ tn BDAG 516 s.v. κατάγω states, “Hence the pass., in act. sense, of ships and seafarers put in εἴς τι at a harbor…εἰς Σιδῶνα Ac 27:3.”

[27:3]  ⁷⁴² sn Sidon is another seaport 75 mi (120 km) north of Caesarea.

[27:3]  map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[27:3]  ⁷⁴³ tn BDAG 1056 s.v. φιλανθρώπως states, “benevolently, kindly φιλανθρώπως χρῆσθαί (τινι) treat someone in kindly fashion…Ac 27:3.”

[27:3]  sn Treating Paul kindly. Paul’s treatment followed the pattern of the earlier imprisonment (cf. Acts 24:23).

[27:3]  ⁷⁴⁴ tn Grk “to go to his friends to be cared for.” The scene is an indication of Christian hospitality.

[27:4]  ⁷⁴⁵ tn Grk “putting out to sea.” The participle ἀναχθέντες (anacqente") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4 states, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”

[27:4]  ⁷⁴⁶ tn BDAG 1040 s.v. ὑποπλέω states, “sail under the lee of an island, i.e. in such a way that the island protects the ship fr. the wind Ac 27:4, 7.” Thus they were east and north of the island.

[27:5]  ⁷⁴⁷ tn Grk “the depths,” the deep area of a sea far enough from land that it is not protected by the coast (L&N 1.73).

[27:5]  ⁷⁴⁸ sn Pamphylia was a province in the southern part of Asia Minor; it was west of Cilicia (see BDAG 753 s.v. Παμφυλία).

[27:5]  ⁷⁴⁹ tn BDAG 531 s.v. κατέρχομαι 2 states, “Of ships and those who sail in them, who ‘come down’ fr. the ‘high seas’: arrive, put in…ἔις τι at someth. a harbor 18:22; 21:3; 27:5.”

[27:5]  ⁷⁵⁰ sn Myra was a city on the southern coast of Lycia in Asia Minor. This journey from Sidon (v. 3) was 440 mi (700 km) and took about 15 days.

[27:5]  ⁷⁵¹ sn Lycia was the name of a peninsula on the southern coast of Asia Minor between Caria and Pamphylia.

[27:6]  ⁷⁵² sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:6]  ⁷⁵³ tn Grk “finding.” The participle εὑρών (Jeurwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:6]  ⁷⁵⁴ sn Alexandria (modern Alexandria) was a great city of northern Egypt which was a center for grain trade to Rome. Therefore this type of travel connection was common at the time. For a winter journey (considered hazardous) there were special bonuses and insurance provided (Suetonius, Life of Claudius 18.1-2).

[27:7]  ⁷⁵⁵ tn The participle βραδυπλοοῦντες (braduploounte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:7]  ⁷⁵⁶ sn Cnidus was the name of a peninsula on the southwestern coast of Asia Minor. This was about 130 mi (210 km) from Myra.

[27:7]  ⁷⁵⁷ tn This genitive absolute construction with προσεῶντος (prosewnto") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle. L&N 13.139 translates the phrase μὴ προσεῶντος ἡμᾶς τοῦ ἀνέμου (mh prosewnto" Jhma" tou anemou) as “the wind would not let us go any farther.”

[27:7]  ⁷⁵⁸ tn BDAG 1040 s.v. ὑποπλέω states, “sail under the lee of an island, i.e. in such a way that the island protects the ship fr. the wind Ac 27:4, 7.”

[27:7]  ⁷⁵⁹ sn Salmone was the name of a promontory on the northeastern corner of the island of Crete. This was about 100 mi (160 km) farther along.

[27:8]  ⁷⁶⁰ tn Grk “sailing along the coast…we came.” The participle παραλεγόμενοι (paralegomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. L&N 54.8, “παραλέγομαι: (a technical, nautical term) to sail along beside some object – ‘to sail along the coast, to sail along the shore.’ …‘they sailed along the coast of Crete’ Ac 27:13.”

[27:8]  ⁷⁶¹ tn Grk “it”; the referent (Crete) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[27:8]  ⁷⁶² sn Lasea was a city on the southern coast of the island of Crete. This was about 60 mi (96 km) farther.

[27:9]  ⁷⁶³ tn Or “unsafe” (BDAG 383 s.v. ἐπισφαλής). The term is a NT hapax legomenon.

[27:9]  ⁷⁶⁴ sn The fast refers to the Jewish Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. It was now into October and the dangerous winter winds would soon occur (Suetonius, Life of Claudius 18; Josephus, J. W. 1.14.2-3 [1.279-281]).

[27:9]  ⁷⁶⁵ tn The accusative articular infinitive παρεληλυθέναι (parelhluqenai) after the preposition διά (dia) is causal. BDAG 776 s.v. παρέρχομαι 2 has “διὰ τὸ τὴν νηστείαν ἤδη παρεληλυθέναι because the fast was already over Ac 27:9.”

[27:9]  ⁷⁶⁶ tn Grk “Paul advised, saying to them.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated. On the term translated “advised,” see BDAG 764 s.v. παραινέω, which usually refers to recommendations.

[27:9]  sn Paul advised them. A literary theme surfaces here: Though Paul is under arrest, he will be the one to guide them all through the dangers of the storm and shipwreck, showing clearly God’s presence and protection of him. The story is told in great detail. This literary effect of slowing down the passage of time and narrating with many details serves to add a sense of drama to the events described.

[27:10]  ⁷⁶⁷ tn Grk “is going to be with disaster.”

[27:10]  ⁷⁶⁸ tn Or “hardship,” “damage.” BDAG 1022 s.v. ὕβρις 3 states, “fig. hardship, disaster, damage caused by the elements…w. ζημία Ac 27:10.”

[27:10]  ⁷⁶⁹ tn Grk “souls” (here, one’s physical life).

[27:11]  ⁷⁷⁰ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:11]  ⁷⁷¹ tn Or “persuaded.”

[27:11]  ⁷⁷² tn BDAG 456 s.v. κυβερνήτης 1 has “one who is responsible for the management of a ship, shipmaster…W. ναύκληρος, the ‘shipowner’…Ac 27:11” See further L. Casson, Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World, 316-18.

[27:11]  ⁷⁷³ tn Grk “than by what was said by Paul.” The passive construction has been converted to an active one to simplify the translation.

[27:11]  sn More convinced by the captain and the ship’s owner than by what Paul said. The position taken by the centurion was logical, since he was following “professional” advice. But this was not a normal voyage.

[27:12]  ⁷⁷⁴ tn BDAG 181-82 s.v. βουλή 2.a, “β. τίθεσθαι (Judg 19:30; Ps 12:3) decide 27:12 (w. inf. foll.).”

[27:12]  ⁷⁷⁵ tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”

[27:12]  ⁷⁷⁶ tn Grk “from there, if somehow” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun here in the translation and the introductory phrase “They hoped that” supplied (with the subject, “they,” repeated from the previous clause) to make a complete English sentence.

[27:12]  ⁷⁷⁷ tn Grk “if somehow, reaching Phoenix, they could…” The participle καταντήσαντες (katanthsante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:12]  ⁷⁷⁸ sn Phoenix was a seaport on the southern coast of the island of Crete. This was about 30 mi (48 km) further west.

[27:12]  ⁷⁷⁹ tn Or “a harbor of Crete open to the southwest and northwest.”

[27:13]  ⁷⁸⁰ tn Grk “thinking.” The participle δόξαντες (doxante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:13]  ⁷⁸¹ tn Or “accomplish.” L&N 68.29, for κρατέω, has “to be able to complete or finish, presumably despite difficulties – ‘to accomplish, to do successfully, to carry out.’ …‘thinking that they could carry out their purpose’ Ac 27:13.”

[27:13]  ⁷⁸² tn Or “departed.”

[27:13]  ⁷⁸³ tn L&N 54.8, “παραλέγομαι: (a technical, nautical term) to sail along beside some object – ‘to sail along the coast, to sail along the shore.’…‘they sailed along the coast of Crete’ Ac 27:13.” With the addition of the adverb ἆσσον (asson) this becomes “sailed close along the coast of Crete.”

[27:14]  ⁷⁸⁴ tn Grk “a wind like a typhoon.” That is, a very violent wind like a typhoon or hurricane (BDAG 1021 s.v. τυφωνικός).

[27:14]  ⁷⁸⁵ sn Or called Euraquilo (the actual name of the wind, a sailor’s term which was a combination of Greek and Latin). According to Strabo (Geography 1.2.21), this was a violent northern wind.

[27:14]  ⁷⁸⁶ tn Grk “from it”; the referent (the island) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:15]  ⁷⁸⁷ tn Or “was forced off course.” Grk “The ship being caught in it.” The genitive absolute construction with the participle συναρπασθέντος (sunarpasqento") has been taken temporally; it could also be translated as causal (“Because the ship was caught in it”).

[27:15]  ⁷⁸⁸ tn BDAG 91 s.v. ἀντοφθαλμέω states, “Metaph. of a ship τοῦ πλοίου μὴ δυναμένοι ἀ. τῷ ἀνέμῳ since the ship was not able to face the wind, i.e. with its bow headed against the forces of the waves Ac 27:15.”

[27:15]  ⁷⁸⁹ sn Caught in the violent wind, the ship was driven along. They were now out of control, at the mercy of the wind and sea.

[27:16]  ⁷⁹⁰ tn BDAG 1042 s.v. ὑποτρέχω states, “run or sail under the lee of, nautical t.t.…Ac 27:16.” The participle ὑποδραμόντες (Jupodramonte") has been taken temporally (“as we ran under the lee of”). While this could also be translated as a participle of means (“by running…”) this might suggest the ship was still under a greater degree of control by its crew than it probably was.

[27:16]  ⁷⁹¹ sn Cauda. This island was located south of Crete, about 23 mi (36 km) from where they began. There are various ways to spell the island’s name (e.g., Clauda, BDAG 546 s.v. Κλαῦδα).

[27:16]  ⁷⁹² sn The ship’s boat was a small rowboat, normally towed behind a ship in good weather rather than stowed on board. It was used for landings, to maneuver the ship for tacking, and to lay anchors (not a lifeboat in the modern sense, although it could have served as a means of escape for some of the sailors; see v. 30). See L. Casson, Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World, 248f.

[27:17]  ⁷⁹³ tn Grk “After hoisting it up, they…”; the referent (the ship’s crew) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:17]  ⁷⁹⁴ tn The participle ἄραντες (arantes) has been taken temporally.

[27:17]  ⁷⁹⁵ tn Possibly “ropes” or “cables”; Grk “helps” (a word of uncertain meaning; probably a nautical technical term, BDAG 180 s.v. βοήθεια 2).

[27:17]  ⁷⁹⁶ tn BDAG 308 s.v. ἐκπίπτω 2 states, “drift off course, run aground, nautical term εἴς τι on someth….on the Syrtis 27:17.”

[27:17]  ⁷⁹⁷ tn That is, on the sandbars and shallows of the Syrtis.

[27:17]  sn On the Syrtis. The Syrtis was the name of two gulfs on the North African coast (modern Libya), feared greatly by sailors because of their shifting sandbars and treacherous shallows. The Syrtis here is the so-called Great Syrtis, toward Cyrenaica. It had a horrible reputation as a sailors’ graveyard (Pliny, Natural History 5.26). Josephus (J. W. 2.16.4 [2.381]) says the name alone struck terror in those who heard it. It was near the famous Scylla and Charybdis mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey.

[27:17]  ⁷⁹⁸ tn Or perhaps “mainsail.” The meaning of this word is uncertain. BDAG 927 s.v. σκεῦος 1 has “τὸ σκεῦος Ac 27:17 seems to be the kedge or driving anchor” while C. Maurer (TDNT 7:362) notes, “The meaning in Ac. 27:17: χαλάσαντες τὸ σκεῦος, is uncertain. Prob. the ref. is not so much to taking down the sails as to throwing the draganchor overboard to lessen the speed of the ship.” In spite of this L&N 6.1 states, “In Ac 27:17, for example, the reference of σκεῦος is generally understood to be the mainsail.” A reference to the sail is highly unlikely because in a storm of the force described in Ac 27:14, the sail would have been taken down and reefed immediately, to prevent its being ripped to shreds or torn away by the gale.

[27:18]  ⁷⁹⁹ tn BDAG 980 s.v. σφόδρῶς states, “very much, greatly, violently…σφ. χειμάζεσθαι be violently beaten by a storm Ac 27:18.”

[27:18]  ⁸⁰⁰ tn Or “jettisoning [the cargo]” (a nautical technical term). The words “the cargo” are not in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[27:18]  sn The desperation of the sailors in throwing the cargo overboard is reminiscent of Jonah 1:5. At this point they were only concerned with saving themselves.

[27:19]  ⁸⁰¹ tn Or “rigging,” “tackle”; Grk “the ship’s things.” Here the more abstract “gear” is preferred to “rigging” or “tackle” as a translation for σκεῦος (skeuos) because in v. 40 the sailors are still able to raise the (fore)sail, which they could not have done if the ship’s rigging or tackle had been jettisoned here.

[27:20]  ⁸⁰² tn Grk “no small storm” = a very great storm.

[27:20]  ⁸⁰³ tn Grk “no small storm pressing on us.” The genitive absolute construction with the participle ἐπικειμένου (epikeimenou) has been translated as parallel to the previous genitive absolute construction (which was translated as temporal). BDAG 373 s.v. ἐπίκειμαι 2.b states, “of impersonal force confront χειμῶνος ἐπικειμένου since a storm lay upon us Ac 27:20.” L&N 14.2, “‘the stormy weather did not abate in the least’ or ‘the violent storm continued’ Ac 27:20.” To this last was added the idea of “battering” from the notion of “pressing upon” inherent in ἐπίκειμαι (epikeimai).

[27:20]  ⁸⁰⁴ tn Grk “finally all hope that we would be saved was abandoned.” The passive construction has been converted to an active one to simplify the translation. This represents a clearly secular use of the term σῴζω (swzw) in that it refers to deliverance from the storm. At this point those on board the ship gave up hope of survival.

[27:21]  ⁸⁰⁵ tn Or “Since they had no desire to eat for a long time.” The genitive absolute construction with the participle ὑπαρχούσης (Juparcoush") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle. It could also be translated temporally (“When many of them had no desire to eat”). The translation of πολλῆς (pollhs) as a substantized adjective referring to the people on board the ship (“many of them”) rather than a period of time (“for a long time”; so most modern versions) follows BDAG 143 s.v. ἀσιτία, which has “πολλῆς ἀ. ὑπαρχούσης since almost nobody wanted to eat because of anxiety or seasickness…Ac 27:21.” This detail indicates how turbulent things were on board the ship.

[27:21]  ⁸⁰⁶ tn Here τότε (tote) is redundant (pleonastic) according to BDAG 1012-13 s.v. τότε 2; thus it has not been translated.

[27:21]  ⁸⁰⁷ tn Grk “standing up…said.” The participle σταθείς (staqeis) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:21]  ⁸⁰⁸ tn L&N 36.12 has “πειθαρχήσαντάς μοι μὴ ἀνάγεσθαι ἀπὸ τῆς Κρήτης ‘you should have listened to me and not have sailed from Crete’ Ac 27:21.”

[27:21]  sn By saying “you should have listened to me and not put out to sea from Crete” Paul was not “rubbing it in,” but was reasserting his credibility before giving his next recommendation.

[27:21]  ⁸⁰⁹ tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”

[27:21]  ⁸¹⁰ tn The infinitive κερδῆσαι (kerdhsai) has been translated as resultative.

[27:22]  ⁸¹¹ tn The same verb is used for Paul’s original recommendation in Ac 27:9.

[27:22]  ⁸¹² tn Grk “except the ship.” Here “but” is used to translate the improper preposition πλήν (plhn; see BDAG 826 s.v. πλήν 2) since an exception like this, where two different categories of objects are involved (people and a ship), is more naturally expressed in contemporary English with an adversative (“but”). The words “will be lost” are also supplied for clarity.

[27:22]  sn The “prophecy” about the ship serves to underscore Paul’s credibility as an agent of God. Paul addressed his audience carefully and drew attention to the sovereign knowledge of God.

[27:23]  ⁸¹³ tn Grk “of whom I am.” The relative clause with its possessive was translated following L&N 15.86 s.v. παρίσταμαι.

[27:23]  ⁸¹⁴ tn Or “worship.”

[27:23]  ⁸¹⁵ tn Or “stood by me.” BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 2.a.α states, “approach, come τινί (to) someone…Ac 9:39; 27:23.”

[27:24]  ⁸¹⁶ tn Grk “came to me saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:24]  ⁸¹⁷ tn BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 2.a.α states, “Also as a t.t. of legal usage appear before, come before…Καίσαρι σε δεῖ παραστῆναι you must stand before the Emperor (as judge) Ac 27:24.” See Acts 23:11. Luke uses the verb δεῖ (dei) to describe what must occur.

[27:24]  ⁸¹⁸ tn Or “before the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[27:24]  ⁸¹⁹ tn Grk “God has graciously granted you all who are sailing with you.” The words “the safety of” have been supplied to clarify the meaning of the verb κεχάρισται (kecaristai) in this context.

[27:24]  sn The safety of all who are sailing with you. In a sense, Paul’s presence protects them all. For Luke, it serves as a picture of what the gospel does through Christ and through the one who brings the message.

[27:25]  ⁸²⁰ tn BDAG 817 s.v. πιστεύω 1.c states, “w. pers. and thing added π. τινί τι believe someone with regard to someth….W. dat. of pers. and ὅτι foll…. πιστεύετέ μοι ὅτι ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ πατρί J 14:11a. Cp. 4:21; Ac 27:25.”

[27:26]  ⁸²¹ tn This is another use of δεῖ (dei) to indicate necessity (see also v. 24). Acts 28:1 shows the fulfillment of this.

[27:27]  ⁸²² tn Here “being driven” has been used to translate διαφέρω (diaferw) rather than “drifting,” because it is clear from the attempt to drop anchors in v. 29 that the ship is still being driven by the gale. “Drifting” implies lack of control, but not necessarily rapid movement.

[27:27]  ⁸²³ sn The Adriatic Sea. They were now somewhere between Crete and Malta.

[27:27]  ⁸²⁴ tn Grk “suspected that some land was approaching them.” BDAG 876 s.v. προσάγω 2.a states, “lit. ὑπενόουν προσάγειν τινά αὐτοῖς χώραν they suspected that land was near (lit. ‘approaching them’) Ac 27:27.” Current English idiom would speak of the ship approaching land rather than land approaching the ship.

[27:28]  ⁸²⁵ tn Grk “Heaving the lead, they found.” The participle βολίσαντες (bolisante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. See also BDAG 180 s.v. βολίζω. Although the term is used twice in this verse (and thus is technically not a NT hapax legomenon), it occurs nowhere else in the NT.

[27:28]  ⁸²⁶ sn A fathom is about 6 feet or just under 2 meters (originally the length of a man’s outstretched arms). This was a nautical technical term for measuring the depth of water. Here it was about 120 ft (36 m).

[27:28]  ⁸²⁷ tn L&N 15.12, “βραχὺ δὲ διαστήσαντες ‘when they had gone a little farther’ Ac 27:28.”

[27:28]  ⁸²⁸ sn Here the depth was about 90 ft (27 m).

[27:29]  ⁸²⁹ tn Grk “fearing.” The participle φοβούμενοι (foboumenoi) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[27:29]  ⁸³⁰ tn Grk “against a rough [rocky] place.” L&N 79.84 has “φοβούμενοί τε μή που κατὰ τραχεῖς τόποις ἐκπέσωμεν ‘we were afraid that we would run aground on the rocky coast’ Ac 27:29.”

[27:29]  ⁸³¹ tn Grk “throwing out…they.” The participle ῥίψαντες (rJiyante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:29]  ⁸³² tn BDAG 417 s.v. εὔχομαι 2 states, “wish…τὶ for someth.…Foll. by acc. and inf….Ac 27:29.” The other possible meaning for this term, “pray,” is given in BDAG 417 s.v. 1 and employed by a number of translations (NAB, NRSV, NIV). If this meaning is adopted here, then “prayed for day to come” must be understood metaphorically to mean “prayed that they would live to see the day,” or “prayed that it would soon be day.”

[27:29]  ⁸³³ tn Grk “and wished for day to come about.”

[27:29]  sn And wished for day to appear. The sailors were hoping to hold the ship in place until morning, when they could see what was happening and where they were.

[27:30]  ⁸³⁴ tn BDAG 889 s.v. πρόφασις 2 states, “προφάσει ὡς under the pretext that, pretending that…Ac 27:30.” In other words, some of the sailors gave up hope that such efforts would work and instead attempted to escape while pretending to help.

[27:31]  ⁸³⁵ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:31]  ⁸³⁶ sn The pronoun you is plural in Greek.

[27:32]  ⁸³⁷ sn The soldiers cut the ropes. The centurion and the soldiers were now following Paul’s advice by cutting the ropes to prevent the sailors from escaping.

[27:32]  ⁸³⁸ tn Or “let it fall away.” According to BDAG 308 s.v. ἐκπίπτω 1 and 2 the meaning of the verb in this verse could be either “fall away” or “drift away.” Either meaning is acceptable, and the choice between them depends almost entirely on how one reconstructs the scene. Since cutting the boat loose would in any case result in it drifting away (whether capsized or not), the meaning “drift away” as a nautical technical term has been used here.

[27:33]  ⁸³⁹ tn BDAG 160 s.v. ἄχρι 1.b.α has “ἄ. οὗ ἡμέρα ἤμελλεν γίνεσθαι until the day began to dawn 27:33.”

[27:33]  ⁸⁴⁰ tn Or “have waited anxiously.” Grk “waiting anxiously.” The participle προσδοκῶντες (prosdokwnte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:33]  ⁸⁴¹ tn Or “continued.”

[27:33]  ⁸⁴² tn Grk “having eaten nothing.” The participle προσλαβόμενοι (proslabomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb (with subject “you” supplied) due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:34]  ⁸⁴³ tn Or “necessary.” BDAG 873-74 s.v. πρός 1 has “πρ. τῆς σωτηρίας in the interest of safety Ac 27:34”; L&N 27.18 has “‘therefore, I urge you to take some food, for this is important for your deliverance’ or ‘…for your survival’ Ac 27:34.”

[27:34]  ⁸⁴⁴ tn Or “deliverance” (‘salvation’ in a nontheological sense).

[27:35]  ⁸⁴⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:35]  ⁸⁴⁶ tn Grk “taking bread, gave thanks.” The participle λαβών (labwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:35]  ⁸⁴⁷ tn Or “before them all,” but here this could be misunderstood to indicate a temporal sequence.

[27:35]  ⁸⁴⁸ tn Grk “and breaking it, he began.” The participle κλάσας (klasas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:37]  ⁸⁴⁹ tc One early ms (B) and an early version (sa) read “about seventy-six.” For discussion of how this variant probably arose, see F. F. Bruce, The Acts of the Apostles, 465.

[27:37]  ⁸⁵⁰ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[27:38]  ⁸⁵¹ tn Or “When they had eaten their fill.”

[27:38]  ⁸⁵² tn Or “grain.”

[27:39]  ⁸⁵³ tn Or “observed,” “saw.”

[27:39]  ⁸⁵⁴ tn Or “gulf” (BDAG 557 s.v. κόλπος 3).

[27:39]  ⁸⁵⁵ sn A beach would refer to a smooth sandy beach suitable for landing.

[27:40]  ⁸⁵⁶ tn That is, released. Grk “slipping…leaving.” The participles περιελόντες (perielonte") and εἴων (eiwn) have been translated as finite verbs due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:40]  ⁸⁵⁷ tn The term is used of a ship’s anchor. (BDAG 12 s.v. ἄγκυρα a).

[27:40]  ⁸⁵⁸ tn Grk “bands”; possibly “ropes.”

[27:40]  ⁸⁵⁹ tn Or “rudders.”

[27:40]  ⁸⁶⁰ tn Grk “hoisting…they.” The participle ἐπάραντες (eparante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:40]  ⁸⁶¹ tn Grk “sail”; probably a reference to the foresail.

[27:40]  ⁸⁶² tn BDAG 533 s.v. κατέχω 7 states, “hold course, nautical t.t., intr….κατεῖχον εἰς τὸν αἰγιαλόν they headed for the beach Ac 27:40.”

[27:41]  ⁸⁶³ tn Grk “fell upon a place of two seas.” The most common explanation for this term is that it refers to a reef or sandbar with the sea on both sides, as noted in BDAG 245 s.v. διθάλασσος: the “τόπος δ. Ac 27:41 is a semantic unit signifying a point (of land jutting out with water on both sides).” However, Greek had terms for a “sandbank” (θῖς [qis], ταινία [tainia]), a “reef” (ἑρμα [Jerma]), “strait” (στενόν [stenon]), “promontory” (ἀρωτήρον [arwthron]), and other nautical hazards, none of which are used by the author here. NEB here translates τόπον διθάλασσον (topon diqalasson) as “cross-currents,” a proposal close to that advanced by J. M. Gilchrist, “The Historicity of Paul’s Shipwreck,” JSNT 61 (1996): 29-51, who suggests the meaning is “a patch of cross-seas,” where the waves are set at an angle to the wind, a particular hazard for sailors. Thus the term most likely refers to some sort of adverse sea conditions rather than a topographical feature like a reef or sandbar.

[27:41]  ⁸⁶⁴ tn Or “violence” (BDAG 175 s.v. βία a).

[27:42]  ⁸⁶⁵ sn The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners. The issue here was not cruelty, but that the soldiers would be legally responsible if any prisoners escaped and would suffer punishment themselves. So they were planning to do this as an act of self-preservation. See Acts 16:27 for a similar incident.

[27:42]  ⁸⁶⁶ tn The participle ἐκκολυμβήσας (ekkolumbhsa") has been taken instrumentally.

[27:43]  ⁸⁶⁷ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:43]  ⁸⁶⁸ tn Or “wanting to rescue Paul.”

[27:43]  sn Thanks to the centurion who wanted to save Paul’s life, Paul was once more rescued from a potential human threat.

[27:43]  ⁸⁶⁹ tn BDAG 347 s.v. I. ἔξειμι has “ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν get to land Ac 27:43.”

[27:44]  ⁸⁷⁰ tn The words “were to follow” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. They must be supplied to clarify the sense in contemporary English.

[27:44]  ⁸⁷¹ tn Or “boards” according to BDAG 913 s.v. σανίς.

[27:44]  ⁸⁷² tn Grk “on pieces from the ship”; that is, pieces of wreckage from the ship.

[27:44]  sn Both the planks and pieces of the ship were for the weak or nonswimmers. The whole scene is a historical metaphor representing how listening to Paul and his message could save people.

[27:44]  ⁸⁷³ tn Grk “And in this way it happened that.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[28:1]  ⁸⁷⁴ tn Grk “We having been brought safely through” [to land] (same verb as 27:44). The word “shore” is implied, and the slight variations in translation from 27:44 have been made to avoid redundancy in English. The participle διασωθέντες (diaswqente") has been taken temporally.

[28:1]  ⁸⁷⁵ sn Malta is an island (known by the same name today) in the Mediterranean Sea south of Sicily. The ship had traveled 625 mi (1,000 km) in the storm.

[28:1]  map For location see JP4 A3.

[28:2]  ⁸⁷⁶ tn Although this is literally βάρβαροι (barbaroi; “foreigners, barbarians”) used for non-Greek or non-Romans, as BDAG 166 s.v. βάρβαρος 2.b notes, “Of the inhabitants of Malta, who apparently spoke in their native language Ac 28:2, 4 (here β. certainly without derogatory tone…).”

[28:2]  ⁸⁷⁷ tn BDAG 1019 s.v. τυγχάνω 2.d states, “δυνάμεις οὐ τὰς τυχούσας extraordinary miracles Ac 19:11. Cp. 28:2.”

[28:2]  ⁸⁷⁸ tn Or “because it was about to rain.” BDAG 418 s.v. ἐφίστημι 4 states, “διὰ τ. ὑετὸν τὸν ἐφεστῶτα because it had begun to rain Ac 28:2…But the mng. here could also be because it threatened to rain (s. 6).”

[28:3]  ⁸⁷⁹ tn Or “sticks.”

[28:4]  ⁸⁸⁰ tn Although this is literally βάρβαροι (barbaroi; “foreigners, barbarians”) used for non-Greek or non-Romans, as BDAG 166 s.v. βάρβαρος 2.b notes, “Of the inhabitants of Malta, who apparently spoke in their native language Ac 28:2, 4 (here β. certainly without derogatory tone…).”

[28:4]  ⁸⁸¹ tn Grk “his”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:4]  ⁸⁸² tn That is, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live. BDAG 250 s.v. δίκη 2 states, “Justice personified as a deity Ac 28:4”; L&N 12.27, “a goddess who personifies justice in seeking out and punishing the guilty – ‘the goddess Justice.’ ἡ δίκη ζῆν οὐκ εἴασεν ‘the goddess Justice would not let him live’ Ac 28:4.” Although a number of modern English translations have rendered δίκη (dikh) “justice,” preferring to use an abstraction, in the original setting it is almost certainly a reference to a pagan deity. In the translation, the noun “justice” was capitalized and the reflexive pronoun “herself” was supplied to make the personification clear. This was considered preferable to supplying a word like ‘goddess’ in connection with δίκη.

[28:4]  ⁸⁸³ sn The entire scene is played out initially as a kind of oracle from the gods resulting in the judgment of a guilty person (Justice herself has not allowed him to live). Paul’s survival of this incident without ill effects thus spoke volumes about his innocence.

[28:5]  ⁸⁸⁴ tn BDAG 737 s.v. οὖν 4 indicates the particle has an adversative sense here: “but, however.”

[28:5]  ⁸⁸⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:5]  ⁸⁸⁶ tn Grk “shaking the creature off…he suffered no harm.” The participle ἀποτινάξας (apotinaxa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:6]  ⁸⁸⁷ tn Or “going to burn with fever.” According to BDAG 814 s.v. πίμπρημι, either meaning (“swell up” or “burn with fever”) is possible for Acts 28:6.

[28:6]  ⁸⁸⁸ tn The participle προσδοκώντων (prosdokwntwn) has been taken temporally.

[28:6]  ⁸⁸⁹ tn The participle θεωρούντων (qewrountwn) has been taken temporally.

[28:6]  ⁸⁹⁰ tn Grk “happening.” The participle γινόμενον (ginomenon) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:6]  ⁸⁹¹ tn Grk “changing their minds.” The participle μεταβαλόμενοι (metabalomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:6]  ⁸⁹² sn And said he was a god. The reaction is like Acts 14:11-19 where the crowd wanted to make Paul and Barnabas into gods. The providence of God had protected Paul again.

[28:7]  ⁸⁹³ tn BDAG 798 s.v. περί 2.a.γ states, “of nearby places…τὰ περὶ τὸν τὸπον the region around the place Ac 28:7.” The presence of ἐκεῖνον (ekeinon) results in the translation “that place.”

[28:7]  ⁸⁹⁴ tn That is, the chief Roman official. Several inscriptions have confirmed the use of πρῶτος (prwtos) as an administrative title used on the island of Malta for the highest Roman official. See further BDAG 852 s.v. Πόπλιος.

[28:8]  ⁸⁹⁵ tn Grk “It happened that the father.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[28:8]  ⁸⁹⁶ tn Grk “to whom Paul going in.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced by a personal pronoun (“him”) and a new sentence begun here in the translation. The participle εἰσελθών (eiselqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:8]  ⁸⁹⁷ tn The participle ἐπιθείς (epiqeis) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:8]  ⁸⁹⁸ sn And healed him. Here are healings like Luke 9:40; 10:30; 13:13; Acts 16:23.

[28:9]  ⁸⁹⁹ tn BDAG 142 s.v. ἀσθένεια 1 states, “ἔχειν ἀ. be ill Ac 28:9.”

[28:9]  ⁹⁰⁰ sn Many…also came and were healed. Again, here is irony. Paul, though imprisoned, “frees” others of their diseases.

[28:10]  ⁹⁰¹ tn Or “they also honored us greatly”; Grk “they also honored us with many honors” (an idiom).

[28:10]  ⁹⁰² tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.” In this case the simpler English “sail” is more appropriate. The English participle “preparing” has also been supplied, since the provisioning of the ship would take place some time before the actual departure.

[28:10]  ⁹⁰³ tn BDAG 384 s.v. ἐπιτίθημι 1.b has “give τινί τι someth. to someone…ἀναγομένοις τὰ πρὸς τὰς χρείας when we sailed they gave us what we needed Ac 28:10.”

[28:10]  ⁹⁰⁴ sn They gave us all the supplies we needed. What they had lost in the storm and shipwreck was now replaced. Luke describes these pagans very positively.

[28:11]  ⁹⁰⁵ tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”

[28:11]  ⁹⁰⁶ tn Or “the ‘Twin Gods’”; Grk “the Dioscuri” (a joint name for the pagan deities Castor and Pollux).

[28:11]  sn That had the ‘Heavenly Twins’ as its figurehead. The twin brothers Castor and Pollux, known collectively as the Dioscuri or ‘Heavenly Twins,’ were the twin sons of Zeus and Leda according to Greek mythology. The Alexandrian ship on which Paul and his companions sailed from Malta had a carved emblem or figurehead of these figures, and they would have been the patron deities of the vessel. Castor and Pollux were the “gods of navigation.” To see their stars was considered a good omen (Epictetus, Discourses 2.18.29; Lucian of Samosata, The Ship 9).

[28:11]  ⁹⁰⁷ tn Or “as its emblem.”

[28:12]  ⁹⁰⁸ tn Grk “And putting in.” The participle καταχθέντες (katacqente") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. On the meaning of the participle, BDAG 516 s.v. κατάγω states, “Hence the pass., in act. sense, of ships and seafarers put in εἴς τι at a harbor…εἰς Συρακούσας Ac 28:12.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[28:12]  ⁹⁰⁹ sn Syracuse was a city on the eastern coast of the island of Sicily. It was 75 mi (120 km) from Malta.

[28:13]  ⁹¹⁰ tc A few early mss (א* B Ψ [gig] {sa [bo]}) read περιελόντες (perielonte", “[From there we] cast off [and arrived at Rhegium]”; cf. Acts 27:40). The other major variant, περιελθόντες (perielqonte", “[we] sailed from place to place”), is found in Ì⁷⁴ א² A 066 1739 Ï lat sy. Although περιελόντες is minimally attested, it is found in the better witnesses. As well, it is a more difficult reading, for its meaning as a nautical term is uncertain, requiring something like “τὰς ἀγκύρας be supplied = ‘we weighed anchor’” (BDAG 799 s.v. περιαιρέω 1). It thus best explains the rise of the other readings.

[28:13]  ⁹¹¹ sn Rhegium was a city on the southern tip of Italy. It was 80 mi (130 km) from Syracuse.

[28:13]  ⁹¹² tn Grk “after one day, a south wind springing up, on the second day.” The genitive absolute construction with the participle ἐπιγενομένου (epigenomenou) has been translated as a clause with a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:13]  ⁹¹³ sn Puteoli was a city on the western coast of Italy south of Rome. It was in the Bay of Naples some 220 mi (350 km) to the north of Rhegium. Here the voyage ended; the rest of the journey was by land.

[28:14]  ⁹¹⁴ tn Grk “where.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“where”) has been replaced with the demonstrative pronoun (“there”) and a new sentence begun here in the translation.

[28:14]  ⁹¹⁵ tn Grk “finding.” The participle εὑρόντες (Jeurontes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:14]  ⁹¹⁶ sn That is, some fellow Christians.

[28:14]  ⁹¹⁷ map For location see JP4 A1.

[28:15]  ⁹¹⁸ sn Mention of Christian brothers from there (Rome) shows that God’s message had already spread as far as Italy and the capital of the empire.

[28:15]  ⁹¹⁹ sn The Forum of Appius was a small traveler’s stop on the Appian Way about 43 mi (71 km) south of Rome (BDAG 125 s.v. ᾿Αππίου φόρον). It was described by Horace as “crammed with boatmen and stingy tavernkeepers” (Satires 1.5.3).

[28:15]  ⁹²⁰ sn Three Taverns was a stop on the Appian Way 33 mi (55 km) south of Rome.

[28:15]  ⁹²¹ tn Grk “whom, when he saw [them], Paul.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced by the personal pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun here in the translation.

[28:16]  ⁹²² tn Or “to stay.”

[28:16]  sn Allowed to live by himself. Paul continued to have a generous prison arrangement (cf. Acts 27:3).

[28:17]  ⁹²³ tn Grk “It happened that after three days.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[28:17]  ⁹²⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:17]  ⁹²⁵ tn L&N 33.309 has “‘after three days, he called the local Jewish leaders together’ Ac 28:17.”

[28:17]  ⁹²⁶ tn Grk “Men brothers,” but this is both awkward and unnecessary in English.

[28:17]  ⁹²⁷ tn The participle ποιήσας (poihsas) has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[28:17]  ⁹²⁸ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[28:17]  sn I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors. Once again Paul claimed to be faithful to the Jewish people and to the God of Israel.

[28:17]  ⁹²⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[28:17]  ⁹³⁰ tn Grk “into the hands of the Romans,” but this is redundant when παρεδόθην (paredoqhn) has been translated “handed over.”

[28:18]  ⁹³¹ tn Grk “who when.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“who”) has been replaced by the personal pronoun (“they”) and a new sentence begun at this point in the translation.

[28:18]  ⁹³² tn Or “had questioned me”; or “had examined me.” BDAG 66 s.v. ἀνακρίνω 2 states, “to conduct a judicial hearing, hear a case, question.”

[28:18]  ⁹³³ sn They wanted to release me. See Acts 25:23-27.

[28:18]  ⁹³⁴ tn Grk “no basis for death,” but in this context a sentence of death is clearly indicated.

[28:19]  ⁹³⁵ tn That is, objected to my release.

[28:19]  ⁹³⁶ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[28:19]  ⁹³⁷ tn BDAG 533 s.v. κατηγορέω 1 states, “nearly always as legal t.t.: bring charges in court.” L&N 33.427 states for κατηγορέω, “to bring serious charges or accusations against someone, with the possible connotation of a legal or court context – ‘to accuse, to bring charges.’”

[28:19]  ⁹³⁸ tn Or “my own nation.”

[28:20]  ⁹³⁹ sn The hope of Israel. A reference to Israel’s messianic hope. Paul’s preaching was in continuity with this Jewish hope (Acts 1:3; 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25).

[28:21]  ⁹⁴⁰ tn Grk “they said to him.”

[28:21]  ⁹⁴¹ tn Or “arrived”; Grk “come” (“from there” is implied). Grk “coming.” The participle παραγενόμενος (paragenomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:22]  ⁹⁴² tn Grk “regarding this sect it is known to us.” The passive construction “it is known to us” has been converted to an active one to simplify the translation.

[28:22]  ⁹⁴³ tn Grk “that everywhere it is spoken against.” To simplify the translation the passive construction “it is spoken against” has been converted to an active one with the subject “people” supplied.

[28:22]  ⁹⁴⁴ tn On the term translated “speak against,” see BDAG 89 s.v. ἀντιλέγω 1.

[28:23]  ⁹⁴⁵ tn Grk “Having set.” The participle ταξάμενοι (taxamenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:23]  ⁹⁴⁶ tn Grk “Having set a day with him”; the words “to meet” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[28:23]  ⁹⁴⁷ tn Or “came to him in his rented quarters.”

[28:23]  ⁹⁴⁸ tn BDAG 848 s.v. πολύς 1.b.β.ב states, “(even) more πλείονες in even greater numbers Ac 28:23.”

[28:23]  ⁹⁴⁹ tn The word “things” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[28:23]  ⁹⁵⁰ tn Grk “to whom he explained.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been replaced by the pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun at this point in the translation.

[28:23]  ⁹⁵¹ tn BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 1 has “to make a solemn declaration about the truth of someth. testify of, bear witness to (orig. under oath)…God’s kingdom 28:23.”

[28:23]  ⁹⁵² sn Testifying about the kingdom of God. The topic is important. Paul’s preaching was about the rule of God and his promise in Jesus. Paul’s text was the Jewish scriptures.

[28:23]  ⁹⁵³ tn Or “persuade.”

[28:24]  ⁹⁵⁴ tn Or “persuaded.”

[28:24]  ⁹⁵⁵ tn Grk “by the things spoken.”

[28:24]  ⁹⁵⁶ sn Some were convinced…but others refused to believe. Once again the gospel caused division among Jews, as in earlier chapters of Acts (13:46; 18:6).

[28:25]  ⁹⁵⁷ tn The imperfect verb ἀπελύοντο (apeluonto) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[28:25]  ⁹⁵⁸ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[28:26]  ⁹⁵⁹ tn Grk “you will hear with hearing” (an idiom).

[28:26]  ⁹⁶⁰ tn Or “seeing”; Grk “you will look by looking” (an idiom).

[28:27]  ⁹⁶¹ tn Or “insensitive.”

[28:27]  sn The heart of this people has become dull. The charge from Isaiah is like Stephen’s against the Jews of Jerusalem (Acts 7:51-53). They were a hard-hearted and disobedient people.

[28:27]  ⁹⁶² tn Grk “they hear heavily with their ears” (an idiom for slow comprehension).

[28:27]  ⁹⁶³ sn Note how the failure to respond to the message of the gospel is seen as a failure to turn.

[28:27]  ⁹⁶⁴ sn A quotation from Isa 6:9-10.

[28:28]  ⁹⁶⁵ tn Grk “Therefore let it be known to you.”

[28:28]  ⁹⁶⁶ tn Or “of God.”

[28:28]  ⁹⁶⁷ sn The term Gentiles is in emphatic position in the Greek text of this clause. Once again there is the pattern: Jewish rejection of the gospel leads to an emphasis on Gentile inclusion (Acts 13:44-47).

[28:28]  ⁹⁶⁸ tn Grk “they also.”

[28:29]  ⁹⁶⁹ tc Some later mss include 28:29: “When he had said these things, the Jews departed, having a great dispute among themselves.” Verse 29 is lacking in Ì^74vid א A B E Ψ 048 33 81 1175 1739 2464 pc and a number of versions. They are included (with a few minor variations) in Ï it and some versions. This verse is almost certainly not a part of the original text of Acts, as it lacks the best credentials. The present translation follows NA²⁷ in omitting the verse number, a procedure also followed by a number of other modern translations.

[28:30]  ⁹⁷⁰ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:30]  ⁹⁷¹ tn Or “stayed.”

[28:30]  ⁹⁷² tn Or perhaps, “two whole years at his own expense.” BDAG 654 s.v. μίσθωμα states, “the customary act. mng. ‘contract price, rent’…is not found in our lit. (Ac) and the pass. what is rented, a rented house is a mng. not found outside it (even Ammonius Gramm. [100 ad] p. 93 Valck. knows nothing of it. Hence the transl. at his own expense [NRSV] merits attention) ἐν ἰδίῳ μισθώματι in his own rented lodgings Ac 28:30 (for the idea cp. Jos., Ant. 18, 235).”

[28:30]  ⁹⁷³ tn Or “and received.”

[28:31]  ⁹⁷⁴ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[28:31]  ⁹⁷⁵ tn Or “openness.”

[28:31]  ⁹⁷⁶ sn Proclaiming…with complete boldness and without restriction. Once again Paul’s imprisonment is on benevolent terms. The word of God is proclaimed triumphantly and boldly in Rome. Acts ends with this note: Despite all the attempts to stop it, the message goes forth.