Acts 1:1

Jesus Ascends to Heaven

1:1 I wrote ¹  the former ²  account, ³  Theophilus, ⁴  about all that Jesus began to do and teach

Acts 20:18-21

20:18 When they arrived, he said to them, “You yourselves know how I lived ⁵  the whole time I was with you, from the first day I set foot ⁶  in the province of Asia, ⁷  20:19 serving the Lord with all humility ⁸  and with tears, and with the trials that happened to me because of the plots ⁹  of the Jews. 20:20 You know that I did not hold back from proclaiming ¹⁰  to you anything that would be helpful, ¹¹  and from teaching you publicly ¹²  and from house to house, 20:21 testifying ¹³  to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus. ¹⁴ 

Acts 20:1

Paul Travels Through Macedonia and Greece

20:1 After the disturbance had ended, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging ¹⁵  them and saying farewell, ¹⁶  he left to go to Macedonia. ¹⁷ 

Acts 4:12-16

4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people ¹⁸  by which we must ¹⁹  be saved.”

4:13 When they saw the boldness ²⁰  of Peter and John, and discovered ²¹  that they were uneducated ²²  and ordinary ²³  men, they were amazed and recognized these men had been with Jesus. 4:14 And because they saw the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say against this. ²⁴  4:15 But when they had ordered them to go outside the council, ²⁵  they began to confer with one another, 4:16 saying, “What should we do with these men? For it is plain ²⁶  to all who live in Jerusalem that a notable miraculous sign ²⁷  has come about through them, ²⁸  and we cannot deny it.

Titus 2:6-7

2:6 Encourage younger men likewise to be self-controlled, ²⁹  2:7 showing yourself to be an example of good works in every way. In your teaching show integrity, dignity,

Titus 2:1

Conduct Consistent with Sound Teaching

2:1 But as for you, communicate the behavior that goes with ³⁰  sound teaching.

Titus 1:2-3

1:2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the ages began. ³¹  1:3 But now in his own time ³²  he has made his message evident through the preaching I was entrusted with according to the command of God our Savior.

[1:1]  ¹ tn Or “produced,” Grk “made.”

[1:1]  ² tn Or “first.” The translation “former” is preferred because “first” could imply to the modern English reader that the author means that his previous account was the first one to be written down. The Greek term πρῶτος (prwtos) does not necessarily mean “first” in an absolute sense, but can refer to the first in a set or series. That is what is intended here – the first account (known as the Gospel of Luke) as compared to the second one (known as Acts).

[1:1]  ³ tn The Greek word λόγος (logos) is sometimes translated “book” (NRSV, NIV) or “treatise” (KJV). A formal, systematic treatment of a subject is implied, but the word “book” may be too specific and slightly misleading to the modern reader, so “account” has been used.

[1:1]  ⁴ tn Grk “O Theophilus,” but the usage of the vocative in Acts with ὦ (w) is unemphatic, following more the classical idiom (see ExSyn 69).

[20:18]  ⁵ tn Grk “You yourselves know, from the first day I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time.” This could be understood to mean “how I stayed with you the whole time,” but the following verses make it clear that Paul’s lifestyle while with the Ephesians is in view here. Thus the translation “how I lived the whole time I was with you” makes this clear.

[20:18]  ⁶ tn Or “I arrived.” BDAG 367 s.v. ἐπιβαίνω 2, “set foot in…εἰς τ. ᾿Ασίαν set foot in Asia Ac 20:18.” However, L&N 15.83 removes the idiom: “you know that since the first day that I came to Asia.”

[20:18]  ⁷ tn Grk “Asia”; see the note on this word in v. 16.

[20:19]  ⁸ sn On humility see 2 Cor 10:1; 11:7; 1 Thess 2:6; Col 3:12; Eph 4:2; Phil 2:3-11.

[20:19]  ⁹ sn These plots are mentioned in Acts 9:24; 20:13.

[20:20]  ¹⁰ tn Or “declaring.”

[20:20]  ¹¹ tn Or “profitable.” BDAG 960 s.v. συμφέρω 2.b.α has “τὰ συμφέροντα what advances your best interests or what is good for you Ac 20:20,” but the broader meaning (s.v. 2, “to be advantageous, help, confer a benefit, be profitable/useful”) is equally possible in this context.

[20:20]  ¹² tn Or “openly.”

[20:21]  ¹³ tn BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 1 has “testify of, bear witness to (orig. under oath)…of repentance to Judeans and Hellenes Ac 20:21.”

[20:21]  ¹⁴ tc Several mss, including some of the more important ones (Ì⁷⁴ א Α C [D] E 33 36 323 945 1175 1241 1505 1739 pm and a number of versions), read Χριστόν (Criston, “Christ”) at the end of this verse. This word is lacking in B H L P Ψ 614 pm. Although the inclusion is supported by many earlier and better mss, internal evidence is on the side of the omission: In Acts, both “Lord Jesus” and “Lord Jesus Christ” occur, though between 16:31 and the end of the book “Lord Jesus Christ” appears only in 28:31, perhaps as a kind of climactic assertion. Thus, the shorter reading is to be preferred.

[20:1]  ¹⁵ tn Or “exhorting.”

[20:1]  ¹⁶ tn Or “and taking leave of them.”

[20:1]  ¹⁷ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[4:12]  ¹⁸ tn Here ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).

[4:12]  ¹⁹ sn Must be saved. The term used here (δεῖ, dei, “it is necessary”) reflects the necessity set up by God’s directive plan.

[4:13]  ²⁰ tn Or “courage.”

[4:13]  ²¹ tn Or “and found out.”

[4:13]  ²² sn Uneducated does not mean “illiterate,” that is, unable to read or write. Among Jews in NT times there was almost universal literacy, especially as the result of widespread synagogue schools. The term refers to the fact that Peter and John had no formal rabbinic training and thus, in the view of their accusers, were not qualified to expound the law or teach publicly. The objection is like Acts 2:7.

[4:13]  ²³ tn For the translation of ἰδιῶται (idiwtai) as “ordinary men” see L&N 27.26.

[4:14]  ²⁴ tn Or “nothing to say in opposition.”

[4:15]  ²⁵ tn Or “the Sanhedrin” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[4:16]  ²⁶ tn Or “evident.”

[4:16]  ²⁷ tn Here σημεῖον (shmeion) has been translated as “miraculous sign” rather than simply “sign” or “miracle” since both components appear to be present in the context. It is clear that the healing of the lame man was a miracle, but for the Sanhedrin it was the value of the miraculous healing as a sign that concerned them because it gave attestation to the message of Peter and John. The sign “speaks” as Peter claimed in 3:11-16.

[4:16]  ²⁸ tn Or “has been done by them.”

[2:6]  ²⁹ tn Or “sensible.”

[2:1]  ³⁰ tn Grk “say what is fitting for sound teaching” (introducing the behavior called for in this chapter.).

[1:2]  ³¹ tn Grk “before eternal ages.”

[1:3]  ³² tn The Greek text emphasizes the contrast between vv. 2b and 3a: God promised this long ago but now has revealed it in his own time.