2 Thessalonians 2:10

2:10 and with every kind of evil deception directed against ¹  those who are perishing, because they found no place in their hearts for the truth ²  so as to be saved.

2 Thessalonians 2:12

2:12 And so ³  all of them who have not believed the truth but have delighted in evil will be condemned. ⁴ 

Luke 1:75

1:75 in holiness and righteousness ⁵  before him for as long as we live. ⁶ 

Luke 1:1-5

Explanatory Preface

1:1 Now ⁷  many have undertaken to compile an account ⁸  of the things ⁹  that have been fulfilled ¹⁰  among us, 1:2 like the accounts ¹¹  passed on ¹²  to us by those who were eyewitnesses and servants of the word ¹³  from the beginning. ¹⁴  1:3 So ¹⁵  it seemed good to me as well, ¹⁶  because I have followed ¹⁷  all things carefully from the beginning, to write an orderly account ¹⁸  for you, most excellent Theophilus, 1:4 so that you may know for certain ¹⁹  the things you were taught. ²⁰ 

Birth Announcement of John the Baptist

1:5 During the reign ²¹  of Herod ²²  king of Judea, there lived a priest named Zechariah who belonged to ²³  the priestly division of Abijah, ²⁴  and he had a wife named Elizabeth, ²⁵  who was a descendant of Aaron. ²⁶ 

[2:10]  ¹ tn Grk “deception for/toward.”

[2:10]  ² tn Grk “they did not accept the love of the truth.”

[2:12]  ³ tn Grk “that.” A new sentence was started here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[2:12]  ⁴ tn Grk “be judged,” but in this context the term clearly refers to a judgment of condemnation (BDAG 568 s.v. κρίνω 5.b.α; cf. KJV “that they all might be damned”). CEV views the condemnation as punishment (“will be punished”).

[1:75]  ⁵ sn The phrases that we…might serve him…in holiness and righteousness from Luke 1:74-75 well summarize a basic goal for a believer in the eyes of Luke. Salvation frees us up to serve God without fear through a life full of ethical integrity.

[1:75]  ⁶ tn Grk “all our days.”

[1:1]  ⁷ tn Grk “Since” or “Because.” This begins a long sentence that extends through v. 4. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, the Greek sentence has been divided up into shorter English sentences in the translation.

[1:1]  ⁸ tn This is sometimes translated “narrative,” but the term itself can refer to an oral or written account. It is the verb “undertaken” which suggests a written account, since it literally is “to set one’s hand” to something (BDAG 386 s.v. ἐπιχειρέω). “Narrative” is too specific, denoting a particular genre of work for the accounts that existed in the earlier tradition. Not all of that material would have been narrative.

[1:1]  ⁹ tn Or “events.”

[1:1]  ¹⁰ tn Or “have been accomplished.” Given Luke’s emphasis on divine design (e.g., Luke 24:43-47) a stronger sense (“fulfilled”) is better than a mere reference to something having taken place (“accomplished”).

[1:2]  ¹¹ tn Grk “even as”; this compares the recorded tradition of 1:1 with the original eyewitness tradition of 1:2.

[1:2]  ¹² tn Or “delivered.”

[1:2]  ¹³ sn The phrase eyewitnesses and servants of the word refers to a single group of people who faithfully passed on the accounts about Jesus. The language about delivery (passed on) points to accounts faithfully passed on to the early church.

[1:2]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “like the accounts those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word passed on to us.” The location of “in the beginning” in the Greek shows that the tradition is rooted in those who were with Jesus from the start.

[1:3]  ¹⁵ tn The conjunction “so” is supplied here to bring out the force of the latter part of this Greek sentence, which the translation divides up because of English style. Luke, in compiling his account, is joining a tradition with good precedent.

[1:3]  ¹⁶ sn When Luke says it seemed good to me as well he is not being critical of the earlier accounts, but sees himself stepping into a tradition of reporting about Jesus to which he will add uniquely a second volume on the early church when he writes the Book of Acts.

[1:3]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “having followed”; the participle παρηκολουθηκότι (parhkolouqhkoti) has been translated causally.

[1:3]  ¹⁸ sn An orderly account does not necessarily mean that all events are recorded in the exact chronological sequence in which they occurred, but that the account produced is an orderly one. This could include, for example, thematic or topical order rather than strict chronological order.

[1:4]  ¹⁹ tn Or “know the truth about”; or “know the certainty of.” The issue of the context is psychological confidence; Luke’s work is trying to encourage Theophilus. So in English this is better translated as “know for certain” than “know certainty” or “know the truth,” which sounds too cognitive. “Certain” assumes the truth of the report. On this term, see Acts 2:36; 21:34; 22:30; and 25:26. The meaning “have assurance concerning” is also possible here.

[1:4]  ²⁰ tn Or “you heard about.” This term can refer merely to a report of information (Acts 21:24) or to instruction (Acts 18:25). The scope of Luke’s Gospel as a whole, which calls for perseverance in the faith and which assumes much knowledge of the OT, suggests Theophilus had received some instruction and was probably a believer.

[1:5]  ²¹ tn Grk “It happened that in the 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.

[1:5]  ²² sn Herod was Herod the Great, who ruled Palestine from 37 b.c. until he died in 4 b.c. He was known for his extensive building projects (including the temple in Jerusalem) and for his cruelty.

[1:5]  ²³ tn Grk “of”; but the meaning of the preposition ἐκ (ek) is more accurately expressed in contemporary English by the relative clause “who belonged to.”

[1:5]  ²⁴ sn There were twenty-four divisions of priesthood and the priestly division of Abijah was eighth on the list according to 1 Chr 24:10.

[1:5]  ²⁵ tn Grk “and her name was Elizabeth.”

[1:5]  ²⁶ tn Grk “a wife of the daughters of Aaron.”