Acts 8:3

8:3 But Saul was trying to destroy ¹  the church; entering one house after another, he dragged off ²  both men and women and put them in prison. ³ 

Acts 12:4-5

12:4 When he had seized him, he put him in prison, handing him over to four squads ⁴  of soldiers to guard him. Herod ⁵  planned ⁶  to bring him out for public trial ⁷  after the Passover. 12:5 So Peter was kept in prison, but those in the church were earnestly ⁸  praying to God for him. ⁹ 

Acts 16:24

16:24 Receiving such orders, he threw them in the inner cell ¹⁰  and fastened their feet in the stocks. ¹¹ 

Acts 16:40

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 ¹²  departed.

¹ tn Or “began to harm [the church] severely.” If the nuance of this verb is “destroy,” then the imperfect verb ἐλυμαίνετο (elumaineto) is best translated as a conative imperfect as in the translation above. If instead the verb is taken to mean “injure severely” (as L&N 20.24), it should be translated in context as an ingressive imperfect (“began to harm the church severely”). Either option does not significantly alter the overall meaning, since it is clear from the stated actions of Saul in the second half of the verse that he intended to destroy or ravage the church.

² tn The participle σύρων (surwn) has been translated as an finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

³ tn BDAG 762 s.v. παραδίδωμι 1.b has “εἰς φυλακήν put in prison Ac 8:3.”

⁴ sn Four squads of soldiers. Each squad was a detachment of four soldiers.

⁵ tn Grk “guard him, planning to bring him out.” The Greek construction continues with a participle (βουλόμενος, boulomeno") and an infinitive (ἀναγαγεῖν, anagagein), but this creates an awkward and lengthy sentence in English. Thus a reference to Herod was introduced as subject and the participle translated as a finite verb (“Herod planned”).

⁶ tn Or “intended”; Grk “wanted.”

⁷ tn Grk “to bring him out to the people,” but in this context a public trial (with certain condemnation as the result) is doubtless what Herod planned. L&N 15.176 translates this phrase “planning to bring him up for a public trial after the Passover.”

⁷ tn Or “constantly.” This term also appears in Luke 22:14 and Acts 26:7.

⁸ tn Grk “but earnest prayer was being made by the church to God for him.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged to follow English style, and the somewhat awkward passive “prayer was being made” has been changed to the simpler active verb “were praying.” Luke portrays what follows as an answer to prayer.

¹⁰ tn Or “prison.”

¹¹ 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.

¹³ tn “Then” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to clarify the logical sequence in the translation.