Acts 2:17-18

2:17 ‘And in the last days ¹  it will be,’ God says,

‘that I will pour out my Spirit on all people, ² 

and your sons and your daughters will prophesy,

and your young men will see visions,

and your old men will dream dreams.

2:18 Even on my servants, ³  both men and women,

I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. ⁴ 

Acts 4:29-30

4:29 And now, Lord, pay attention to ⁵  their threats, and grant ⁶  to your servants ⁷  to speak your message ⁸  with great courage, ⁹  4:30 while you extend your hand to heal, and to bring about miraculous signs ¹⁰  and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

Acts 8:6

8:6 The crowds were paying attention with one mind to what Philip said, ¹¹  as they heard and saw the miraculous signs ¹²  he was performing.

¹ sn The phrase in the last days is not quoted from Joel, but represents Peter’s interpretive explanation of the current events as falling “in the last days.”

² tn Grk “on all flesh.”

³ tn Grk “slaves.” Although this translation frequently renders δοῦλος (doulos) as “slave,” the connotation is often of one who has sold himself into slavery; in a spiritual sense, the idea is that of becoming a slave of God or of Jesus Christ voluntarily. The voluntary notion is not conspicuous here; hence, the translation “servants.” In any case, the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

⁴ sn The words and they will prophesy in Acts 2:18 are not quoted from Joel 2:29 at this point but are repeated from earlier in the quotation (Acts 2:17) for emphasis. Tongues speaking is described as prophecy, just like intelligible tongues are described in 1 Cor 14:26-33.

⁵ tn Or “Lord, take notice of.”

⁶ sn Grant to your servants to speak your message with great courage. The request is not for a stop to persecution or revenge on the opponents, but for boldness (great courage) to carry out the mission of proclaiming the message of what God is doing through Jesus.

⁷ tn Grk “slaves.” See the note on the word “servants” in 2:18.

⁸ tn Grk “word.”

⁹ tn Or “with all boldness.”

¹⁰ tn The miraculous nature of these signs is implied in the context.

¹¹ tn Grk “to what was being said by Philip,” a passive construction that has been changed to active voice in the translation.

¹² tn Here the following context indicates the miraculous nature of the signs mentioned. This term appears 13 times in Acts, but only twice more after Acts 8:13 (i.e., 14:3; 15:12).