Acts 19:21--28:31

A Riot in Ephesus

19:21 Now after all these things had taken place, ¹  Paul resolved ²  to go to Jerusalem, ³  passing through Macedonia ⁴  and Achaia. ⁵  He said, ⁶  “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” ⁷  19:22 So after sending ⁸  two of his assistants, ⁹  Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, ¹⁰  he himself stayed on for a while in the province of Asia. ¹¹ 

19:23 At ¹²  that time ¹³  a great disturbance ¹⁴  took place concerning the Way. ¹⁵  19:24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines ¹⁶  of Artemis, ¹⁷  brought a great deal ¹⁸  of business ¹⁹  to the craftsmen. 19:25 He gathered ²⁰  these ²¹  together, along with the workmen in similar trades, ²²  and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity ²³  comes from this business. 19:26 And you see and hear that this Paul has persuaded ²⁴  and turned away ²⁵  a large crowd, ²⁶  not only in Ephesus ²⁷  but in practically all of the province of Asia, ²⁸  by saying ²⁹  that gods made by hands are not gods at all. ³⁰  19:27 There is danger not only that this business of ours will come into disrepute, ³¹  but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis ³²  will be regarded as nothing, ³³  and she whom all the province of Asia ³⁴  and the world worship will suffer the loss of her greatness.” ³⁵ 

19:28 When ³⁶  they heard ³⁷  this they became enraged ³⁸  and began to shout, ³⁹  “Great is Artemis ⁴⁰  of the Ephesians!” 19:29 The ⁴¹  city was filled with the uproar, ⁴²  and the crowd ⁴³  rushed to the theater ⁴⁴  together, ⁴⁵  dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, the Macedonians who were Paul’s traveling companions. 19:30 But when Paul wanted to enter the public assembly, ⁴⁶  the disciples would not let him. 19:31 Even some of the provincial authorities ⁴⁷  who were his friends sent ⁴⁸  a message ⁴⁹  to him, urging him not to venture ⁵⁰  into the theater. 19:32 So then some were shouting one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had met together. ⁵¹  19:33 Some of the crowd concluded ⁵²  it was about ⁵³  Alexander because the Jews had pushed him to the front. ⁵⁴  Alexander, gesturing ⁵⁵  with his hand, was wanting to make a defense ⁵⁶  before the public assembly. ⁵⁷  19:34 But when they recognized ⁵⁸  that he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison, ⁵⁹  “Great is Artemis ⁶⁰  of the Ephesians!” for about two hours. ⁶¹  19:35 After the city secretary ⁶²  quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, what person ⁶³  is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the keeper ⁶⁴  of the temple of the great Artemis ⁶⁵  and of her image that fell from heaven? ⁶⁶  19:36 So because these facts ⁶⁷  are indisputable, ⁶⁸  you must keep quiet ⁶⁹  and not do anything reckless. ⁷⁰  19:37 For you have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers ⁷¹  nor blasphemers of our goddess. ⁷²  19:38 If then Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint ⁷³  against someone, the courts are open ⁷⁴  and there are proconsuls; let them bring charges against one another there. ⁷⁵  19:39 But if you want anything in addition, ⁷⁶  it will have to be settled ⁷⁷  in a legal assembly. ⁷⁸  19:40 For ⁷⁹  we are in danger of being charged with rioting ⁸⁰  today, since there is no cause we can give to explain ⁸¹  this disorderly gathering.” ⁸²  19:41 After ⁸³  he had said ⁸⁴  this, ⁸⁵  he dismissed the assembly. ⁸⁶ 

Paul Travels Through Macedonia and Greece

20:1 After the disturbance had ended, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging ⁸⁷  them and saying farewell, ⁸⁸  he left to go to Macedonia. ⁸⁹  20:2 After he had gone through those regions ⁹⁰  and spoken many words of encouragement ⁹¹  to the believers there, ⁹²  he came to Greece, ⁹³  20:3 where he stayed ⁹⁴  for three months. Because the Jews had made ⁹⁵  a plot ⁹⁶  against him as he was intending ⁹⁷  to sail ⁹⁸  for Syria, he decided ⁹⁹  to return through Macedonia. ¹⁰⁰  20:4 Paul ¹⁰¹  was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, ¹⁰²  Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, ¹⁰³  Gaius ¹⁰⁴  from Derbe, ¹⁰⁵  and Timothy, as well as Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. ¹⁰⁶  20:5 These had gone on ahead ¹⁰⁷  and were waiting for us in Troas. ¹⁰⁸  20:6 We ¹⁰⁹  sailed away from Philippi ¹¹⁰  after the days of Unleavened Bread, ¹¹¹  and within five days ¹¹²  we came to the others ¹¹³  in Troas, ¹¹⁴  where we stayed for seven days. 20:7 On the first day ¹¹⁵  of the week, when we met ¹¹⁶  to break bread, Paul began to speak ¹¹⁷  to the people, and because he intended ¹¹⁸  to leave the next day, he extended ¹¹⁹  his message until midnight. 20:8 (Now there were many lamps ¹²⁰  in the upstairs room where we were meeting.) ¹²¹  20:9 A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in the window, ¹²²  was sinking ¹²³  into a deep sleep while Paul continued to speak ¹²⁴  for a long time. Fast asleep, ¹²⁵  he fell down from the third story and was picked up dead. 20:10 But Paul went down, ¹²⁶  threw himself ¹²⁷  on the young man, ¹²⁸  put his arms around him, ¹²⁹  and said, “Do not be distressed, for he is still alive!” ¹³⁰  20:11 Then Paul ¹³¹  went back upstairs, ¹³²  and after he had broken bread and eaten, he talked with them ¹³³  a long time, until dawn. Then he left. 20:12 They took the boy home alive and were greatly ¹³⁴  comforted.

The Voyage to Miletus

20:13 We went on ahead ¹³⁵  to the ship and put out to sea ¹³⁶  for Assos, ¹³⁷  intending ¹³⁸  to take Paul aboard there, for he had arranged it this way. ¹³⁹  He ¹⁴⁰  himself was intending ¹⁴¹  to go there by land. ¹⁴²  20:14 When he met us in Assos, ¹⁴³  we took him aboard ¹⁴⁴  and went to Mitylene. ¹⁴⁵  20:15 We set sail ¹⁴⁶  from there, and on the following day we arrived off Chios. ¹⁴⁷  The next day we approached ¹⁴⁸  Samos, ¹⁴⁹  and the day after that we arrived at Miletus. ¹⁵⁰  20:16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus ¹⁵¹  so as not to spend time ¹⁵²  in the province of Asia, ¹⁵³  for he was hurrying ¹⁵⁴  to arrive in Jerusalem, ¹⁵⁵  if possible, ¹⁵⁶  by the day of Pentecost. 20:17 From Miletus ¹⁵⁷  he sent a message ¹⁵⁸  to Ephesus, telling the elders of the church to come to him. ¹⁵⁹ 

20:18 When they arrived, he said to them, “You yourselves know how I lived ¹⁶⁰  the whole time I was with you, from the first day I set foot ¹⁶¹  in the province of Asia, ¹⁶²  20:19 serving the Lord with all humility ¹⁶³  and with tears, and with the trials that happened to me because of the plots ¹⁶⁴  of the Jews. 20:20 You know that I did not hold back from proclaiming ¹⁶⁵  to you anything that would be helpful, ¹⁶⁶  and from teaching you publicly ¹⁶⁷  and from house to house, 20:21 testifying ¹⁶⁸  to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus. ¹⁶⁹  20:22 And now, ¹⁷⁰  compelled ¹⁷¹  by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem ¹⁷²  without knowing what will happen to me there, ¹⁷³  20:23 except ¹⁷⁴  that the Holy Spirit warns ¹⁷⁵  me in town after town ¹⁷⁶  that ¹⁷⁷  imprisonment ¹⁷⁸  and persecutions ¹⁷⁹  are waiting for me. 20:24 But I do not consider my life ¹⁸⁰  worth anything ¹⁸¹  to myself, so that ¹⁸²  I may finish my task ¹⁸³  and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news ¹⁸⁴  of God’s grace.

20:25 “And now ¹⁸⁵  I know that none ¹⁸⁶  of you among whom I went around proclaiming the kingdom ¹⁸⁷  will see me ¹⁸⁸  again. 20:26 Therefore I declare ¹⁸⁹  to you today that I am innocent ¹⁹⁰  of the blood of you all. ¹⁹¹  20:27 For I did not hold back from ¹⁹²  announcing ¹⁹³  to you the whole purpose ¹⁹⁴  of God. 20:28 Watch out for ¹⁹⁵  yourselves and for all the flock of which ¹⁹⁶  the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, ¹⁹⁷  to shepherd the church of God ¹⁹⁸  that he obtained ¹⁹⁹  with the blood of his own Son. ²⁰⁰  20:29 I know that after I am gone ²⁰¹  fierce wolves ²⁰²  will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 20:30 Even from among your own group ²⁰³  men ²⁰⁴  will arise, teaching perversions of the truth ²⁰⁵  to draw the disciples away after them. 20:31 Therefore be alert, ²⁰⁶  remembering that night and day for three years I did not stop warning ²⁰⁷  each one of you with tears. 20:32 And now I entrust ²⁰⁸  you to God and to the message ²⁰⁹  of his grace. This message ²¹⁰  is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 20:33 I have desired ²¹¹  no one’s silver or gold or clothing. 20:34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine ²¹²  provided for my needs and the needs of those who were with me. 20:35 By all these things, ²¹³  I have shown you that by working in this way we must help ²¹⁴  the weak, ²¹⁵  and remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” ²¹⁶ 

20:36 When ²¹⁷  he had said these things, he knelt down ²¹⁸  with them all and prayed. 20:37 They all began to weep loudly, ²¹⁹  and hugged ²²⁰  Paul and kissed him, ²²¹  20:38 especially saddened ²²²  by what ²²³  he had said, that they were not going to see him ²²⁴  again. Then they accompanied ²²⁵  him to the ship.

Paul’s Journey to Jerusalem

21:1 After ²²⁶  we ²²⁷  tore ourselves away ²²⁸  from them, we put out to sea, ²²⁹  and sailing a straight course, ²³⁰  we came to Cos, ²³¹  on the next day to Rhodes, ²³²  and from there to Patara. ²³³  21:2 We found ²³⁴  a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, ²³⁵  went aboard, ²³⁶  and put out to sea. ²³⁷  21:3 After we sighted Cyprus ²³⁸  and left it behind on our port side, ²³⁹  we sailed on to Syria and put in ²⁴⁰  at Tyre, ²⁴¹  because the ship was to unload its cargo there. 21:4 After we located ²⁴²  the disciples, we stayed there ²⁴³  seven days. They repeatedly told ²⁴⁴  Paul through the Spirit ²⁴⁵  not to set foot ²⁴⁶  in Jerusalem. ²⁴⁷  21:5 When ²⁴⁸  our time was over, ²⁴⁹  we left and went on our way. All of them, with their wives and children, accompanied ²⁵⁰  us outside of the city. After ²⁵¹  kneeling down on the beach and praying, ²⁵²  21:6 we said farewell ²⁵³  to one another. ²⁵⁴  Then ²⁵⁵  we went aboard the ship, and they returned to their own homes. ²⁵⁶  21:7 We continued the voyage from Tyre ²⁵⁷  and arrived at Ptolemais, ²⁵⁸  and when we had greeted the brothers, we stayed with them for one day. 21:8 On the next day we left ²⁵⁹  and came to Caesarea, ²⁶⁰  and entered ²⁶¹  the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, ²⁶²  and stayed with him. 21:9 (He had four unmarried ²⁶³  daughters who prophesied.) ²⁶⁴ 

21:10 While we remained there for a number of days, ²⁶⁵  a prophet named Agabus ²⁶⁶  came down from Judea. 21:11 He came ²⁶⁷  to us, took ²⁶⁸  Paul’s belt, ²⁶⁹  tied ²⁷⁰  his own hands and feet with it, ²⁷¹  and said, “The Holy Spirit says this: ‘This is the way the Jews in Jerusalem will tie up the man whose belt this is, and will hand him over ²⁷²  to the Gentiles.’” 21:12 When we heard this, both we and the local people ²⁷³  begged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 21:13 Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking ²⁷⁴  my heart? For I am ready not only to be tied up, ²⁷⁵  but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 21:14 Because he could not be persuaded, ²⁷⁶  we said no more except, ²⁷⁷  “The Lord’s will be done.” ²⁷⁸ 

21:15 After these days we got ready ²⁷⁹  and started up ²⁸⁰  to Jerusalem. 21:16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea ²⁸¹  came along with us too, and brought us to the house ²⁸²  of Mnason of Cyprus, a disciple from the earliest times, ²⁸³  with whom we were to stay. 21:17 When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers welcomed us gladly. ²⁸⁴  21:18 The next day Paul went in with us to see James, and all the elders were there. ²⁸⁵  21:19 When Paul ²⁸⁶  had greeted them, he began to explain ²⁸⁷  in detail ²⁸⁸  what God ²⁸⁹  had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 21:20 When they heard this, they praised ²⁹⁰  God. Then they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews ²⁹¹  there are who have believed, and they are all ardent observers ²⁹²  of the law. ²⁹³  21:21 They have been informed about you – that you teach all the Jews now living ²⁹⁴  among the Gentiles to abandon ²⁹⁵  Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children ²⁹⁶  or live ²⁹⁷  according to our customs. 21:22 What then should we do? They will no doubt ²⁹⁸  hear that you have come. 21:23 So do what ²⁹⁹  we tell you: We have four men ³⁰⁰  who have taken ³⁰¹  a vow; ³⁰²  21:24 take them and purify ³⁰³  yourself along with them and pay their expenses, ³⁰⁴  so that they may have their heads shaved. ³⁰⁵  Then ³⁰⁶  everyone will know there is nothing in what they have been told ³⁰⁷  about you, but that you yourself live in conformity with ³⁰⁸  the law. ³⁰⁹  21:25 But regarding the Gentiles who have believed, we have written a letter, having decided ³¹⁰  that they should avoid ³¹¹  meat that has been sacrificed to idols ³¹²  and blood and what has been strangled ³¹³  and sexual immorality.” 21:26 Then Paul took the men the next day, ³¹⁴  and after he had purified himself ³¹⁵  along with them, he went to the temple and gave notice ³¹⁶  of the completion of the days of purification, ³¹⁷  when ³¹⁸  the sacrifice would be offered for each ³¹⁹  of them. 21:27 When the seven days were almost over, ³²⁰  the Jews from the province of Asia ³²¹  who had seen him in the temple area ³²²  stirred up the whole crowd ³²³  and seized ³²⁴  him, 21:28 shouting, “Men of Israel, ³²⁵  help! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people, our law, ³²⁶  and this sanctuary! ³²⁷  Furthermore ³²⁸  he has brought Greeks into the inner courts of the temple ³²⁹  and made this holy place ritually unclean!” ³³⁰  21:29 (For they had seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him previously, and ³³¹  they assumed Paul had brought him into the inner temple courts.) ³³²  21:30 The whole city was stirred up, ³³³  and the people rushed together. ³³⁴  They seized ³³⁵  Paul and dragged him out of the temple courts, ³³⁶  and immediately the doors were shut. 21:31 While they were trying ³³⁷  to kill him, a report ³³⁸  was sent up ³³⁹  to the commanding officer ³⁴⁰  of the cohort ³⁴¹  that all Jerusalem was in confusion. ³⁴²  21:32 He ³⁴³  immediately took ³⁴⁴  soldiers and centurions ³⁴⁵  and ran down to the crowd. ³⁴⁶  When they saw ³⁴⁷  the commanding officer ³⁴⁸  and the soldiers, they stopped beating ³⁴⁹  Paul. 21:33 Then the commanding officer ³⁵⁰  came up and arrested ³⁵¹  him and ordered him to be tied up with two chains; ³⁵²  he ³⁵³  then asked who he was and what ³⁵⁴  he had done. 21:34 But some in the crowd shouted one thing, and others something else, ³⁵⁵  and when the commanding officer ³⁵⁶  was unable ³⁵⁷  to find out the truth ³⁵⁸  because of the disturbance, ³⁵⁹  he ordered Paul ³⁶⁰  to be brought into the barracks. ³⁶¹  21:35 When he came to the steps, Paul ³⁶²  had to be carried ³⁶³  by the soldiers because of the violence ³⁶⁴  of the mob, 21:36 for a crowd of people ³⁶⁵  followed them, ³⁶⁶  screaming, “Away with him!” 21:37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, ³⁶⁷  he said ³⁶⁸  to the commanding officer, ³⁶⁹  “May I say ³⁷⁰  something to you?” The officer ³⁷¹  replied, ³⁷²  “Do you know Greek? ³⁷³  21:38 Then you’re not that Egyptian who started a rebellion ³⁷⁴  and led the four thousand men of the ‘Assassins’ ³⁷⁵  into the wilderness ³⁷⁶  some time ago?” ³⁷⁷  21:39 Paul answered, ³⁷⁸  “I am a Jew ³⁷⁹  from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city. ³⁸⁰  Please ³⁸¹  allow me to speak to the people.” 21:40 When the commanding officer ³⁸²  had given him permission, ³⁸³  Paul stood ³⁸⁴  on the steps and gestured ³⁸⁵  to the people with his hand. When they had become silent, ³⁸⁶  he addressed ³⁸⁷  them in Aramaic, ³⁸⁸ 

Paul’s Defense

22:1 “Brothers and fathers, listen to my defense ³⁸⁹  that I now ³⁹⁰  make to you.” 22:2 (When they heard ³⁹¹  that he was addressing ³⁹²  them in Aramaic, ³⁹³  they became even ³⁹⁴  quieter.) ³⁹⁵  Then ³⁹⁶  Paul said, 22:3 “I am a Jew, ³⁹⁷  born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up ³⁹⁸  in this city, educated with strictness ³⁹⁹  under ⁴⁰⁰  Gamaliel ⁴⁰¹  according to the law of our ancestors, ⁴⁰²  and was ⁴⁰³  zealous ⁴⁰⁴  for God just as all of you are today. 22:4 I ⁴⁰⁵  persecuted this Way ⁴⁰⁶  even to the point of death, ⁴⁰⁷  tying up ⁴⁰⁸  both men and women and putting ⁴⁰⁹  them in prison, 22:5 as both the high priest and the whole council of elders ⁴¹⁰  can testify about me. From them ⁴¹¹  I also received ⁴¹²  letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way ⁴¹³  to make arrests there and bring ⁴¹⁴  the prisoners ⁴¹⁵  to Jerusalem ⁴¹⁶  to be punished. 22:6 As ⁴¹⁷  I was en route and near Damascus, ⁴¹⁸  about noon a very bright ⁴¹⁹  light from heaven ⁴²⁰  suddenly flashed ⁴²¹  around me. 22:7 Then I ⁴²²  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 ⁴²³  the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 22:10 So I asked, ⁴²⁴  ‘What should I do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Get up ⁴²⁵  and go to Damascus; there you will be told about everything ⁴²⁶  that you have been designated ⁴²⁷  to do.’ 22:11 Since I could not see because of ⁴²⁸  the brilliance ⁴²⁹  of that light, I came to Damascus led by the hand of ⁴³⁰  those who were with me. 22:12 A man named Ananias, ⁴³¹  a devout man according to the law, ⁴³²  well spoken of by all the Jews who live there, ⁴³³  22:13 came ⁴³⁴  to me and stood beside me ⁴³⁵  and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight!’ ⁴³⁶  And at that very moment ⁴³⁷  I looked up and saw him. ⁴³⁸  22:14 Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors ⁴³⁹  has already chosen ⁴⁴⁰  you to know his will, to see ⁴⁴¹  the Righteous One, ⁴⁴²  and to hear a command ⁴⁴³  from his mouth, 22:15 because you will be his witness ⁴⁴⁴  to all people ⁴⁴⁵  of what you have seen and heard. 22:16 And now what are you waiting for? ⁴⁴⁶  Get up, ⁴⁴⁷  be baptized, and have your sins washed away, ⁴⁴⁸  calling on his name.’ ⁴⁴⁹  22:17 When ⁴⁵⁰  I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance ⁴⁵¹  22:18 and saw the Lord ⁴⁵²  saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ 22:19 I replied, ⁴⁵³  ‘Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat those in the various synagogues ⁴⁵⁴  who believed in you. 22:20 And when the blood of your witness ⁴⁵⁵  Stephen was shed, ⁴⁵⁶  I myself was standing nearby, approving, ⁴⁵⁷  and guarding the cloaks ⁴⁵⁸  of those who were killing him.’ ⁴⁵⁹  22:21 Then ⁴⁶⁰  he said to me, ‘Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

The Roman Commander Questions Paul

22:22 The crowd ⁴⁶¹  was listening to him until he said this. ⁴⁶²  Then ⁴⁶³  they raised their voices and shouted, ⁴⁶⁴  “Away with this man ⁴⁶⁵  from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live!” ⁴⁶⁶  22:23 While they were screaming ⁴⁶⁷  and throwing off their cloaks ⁴⁶⁸  and tossing dust ⁴⁶⁹  in the air, 22:24 the commanding officer ⁴⁷⁰  ordered Paul ⁴⁷¹  to be brought back into the barracks. ⁴⁷²  He told them ⁴⁷³  to interrogate Paul ⁴⁷⁴  by beating him with a lash ⁴⁷⁵  so that he could find out the reason the crowd ⁴⁷⁶  was shouting at Paul ⁴⁷⁷  in this way. 22:25 When they had stretched him out for the lash, ⁴⁷⁸  Paul said to the centurion ⁴⁷⁹  standing nearby, “Is it legal for you to lash a man who is a Roman citizen ⁴⁸⁰  without a proper trial?” ⁴⁸¹  22:26 When the centurion ⁴⁸²  heard this, ⁴⁸³  he went to the commanding officer ⁴⁸⁴  and reported it, ⁴⁸⁵  saying, “What are you about to do? ⁴⁸⁶  For this man is a Roman citizen.” ⁴⁸⁷  22:27 So the commanding officer ⁴⁸⁸  came and asked ⁴⁸⁹  Paul, ⁴⁹⁰  “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” ⁴⁹¹  He replied, ⁴⁹²  “Yes.” 22:28 The commanding officer ⁴⁹³  answered, “I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.” ⁴⁹⁴  “But I was even ⁴⁹⁵  born a citizen,” ⁴⁹⁶  Paul replied. ⁴⁹⁷  22:29 Then those who were about to interrogate him stayed away ⁴⁹⁸  from him, and the commanding officer ⁴⁹⁹  was frightened when he realized that Paul ⁵⁰⁰  was ⁵⁰¹  a Roman citizen ⁵⁰²  and that he had had him tied up. ⁵⁰³ 

Paul Before the Sanhedrin

22:30 The next day, because the commanding officer ⁵⁰⁴  wanted to know the true reason ⁵⁰⁵  Paul ⁵⁰⁶  was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and the whole council ⁵⁰⁷  to assemble. He then brought ⁵⁰⁸  Paul down and had him stand before them.

23:1 Paul looked directly ⁵⁰⁹  at the council ⁵¹⁰  and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life with a clear conscience ⁵¹¹  before God to this day.” 23:2 At that ⁵¹²  the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near ⁵¹³  Paul ⁵¹⁴  to strike ⁵¹⁵  him on the mouth. 23:3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! ⁵¹⁶  Do ⁵¹⁷  you sit there judging me according to the law, ⁵¹⁸  and in violation of the law ⁵¹⁹  you order me to be struck?” 23:4 Those standing near him ⁵²⁰  said, “Do you dare insult ⁵²¹  God’s high priest?” 23:5 Paul replied, ⁵²²  “I did not realize, ⁵²³  brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You must not speak evil about a ruler of your people.’” ⁵²⁴ 

23:6 Then when Paul noticed ⁵²⁵  that part of them were Sadducees ⁵²⁶  and the others Pharisees, ⁵²⁷  he shouted out in the council, ⁵²⁸  “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection ⁵²⁹  of the dead!” 23:7 When he said this, ⁵³⁰  an argument ⁵³¹  began ⁵³²  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.) ⁵³³  23:9 There was a great commotion, ⁵³⁴  and some experts in the law ⁵³⁵  from the party of the Pharisees stood up ⁵³⁶  and protested strongly, ⁵³⁷  “We find nothing wrong ⁵³⁸  with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” 23:10 When the argument became ⁵³⁹  so great the commanding officer ⁵⁴⁰  feared that they would tear Paul to pieces, ⁵⁴¹  he ordered the detachment ⁵⁴²  to go down, take him away from them by force, ⁵⁴³  and bring him into the barracks. ⁵⁴⁴ 

23:11 The following night the Lord ⁵⁴⁵  stood near ⁵⁴⁶  Paul ⁵⁴⁷  and said, “Have courage, ⁵⁴⁸  for just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, ⁵⁴⁹  so you must also testify in Rome.” ⁵⁵⁰ 

The Plot to Kill Paul

23:12 When morning came, ⁵⁵¹  the Jews formed ⁵⁵²  a conspiracy ⁵⁵³  and bound themselves with an oath ⁵⁵⁴  not to eat or drink anything ⁵⁵⁵  until they had killed Paul. 23:13 There were more than forty of them who formed this conspiracy. ⁵⁵⁶  23:14 They ⁵⁵⁷  went ⁵⁵⁸  to the chief priests ⁵⁵⁹  and the elders and said, “We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath ⁵⁶⁰  not to partake ⁵⁶¹  of anything until we have killed Paul. 23:15 So now you and the council ⁵⁶²  request the commanding officer ⁵⁶³  to bring him down to you, as if you were going to determine ⁵⁶⁴  his case ⁵⁶⁵  by conducting a more thorough inquiry. ⁵⁶⁶  We are ready to kill him ⁵⁶⁷  before he comes near this place.” ⁵⁶⁸ 

23:16 But when the son of Paul’s sister heard about the ambush, ⁵⁶⁹  he came and entered ⁵⁷⁰  the barracks ⁵⁷¹  and told Paul. 23:17 Paul called ⁵⁷²  one of the centurions ⁵⁷³  and said, “Take this young man to the commanding officer, ⁵⁷⁴  for he has something to report to him.” 23:18 So the centurion ⁵⁷⁵  took him and brought him to the commanding officer ⁵⁷⁶  and said, “The prisoner Paul called ⁵⁷⁷  me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.” 23:19 The commanding officer ⁵⁷⁸  took him by the hand, withdrew privately, and asked, “What is it that you want ⁵⁷⁹  to report to me?” 23:20 He replied, ⁵⁸⁰  “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council ⁵⁸¹  tomorrow, as if they were going to inquire more thoroughly about him. 23:21 So do not let them persuade you to do this, ⁵⁸²  because more than forty of them ⁵⁸³  are lying in ambush ⁵⁸⁴  for him. They ⁵⁸⁵  have bound themselves with an oath ⁵⁸⁶  not to eat or drink anything ⁵⁸⁷  until they have killed him, and now they are ready, waiting for you to agree to their request.” ⁵⁸⁸  23:22 Then the commanding officer ⁵⁸⁹  sent the young man away, directing him, ⁵⁹⁰  “Tell no one that you have reported ⁵⁹¹  these things to me.” 23:23 Then ⁵⁹²  he summoned ⁵⁹³  two of the centurions ⁵⁹⁴  and said, “Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea ⁵⁹⁵  along with seventy horsemen ⁵⁹⁶  and two hundred spearmen ⁵⁹⁷  by ⁵⁹⁸  nine o’clock tonight, ⁵⁹⁹  23:24 and provide mounts for Paul to ride ⁶⁰⁰  so that he may be brought safely to Felix ⁶⁰¹  the governor.” ⁶⁰²  23:25 He wrote ⁶⁰³  a letter that went like this: ⁶⁰⁴ 

23:26 Claudius Lysias to His Excellency Governor ⁶⁰⁵  Felix, ⁶⁰⁶  greetings. 23:27 This man was seized ⁶⁰⁷  by the Jews and they were about to kill him, ⁶⁰⁸  when I came up ⁶⁰⁹  with the detachment ⁶¹⁰  and rescued him, because I had learned that he was ⁶¹¹  a Roman citizen. ⁶¹²  23:28 Since I wanted to know ⁶¹³  what charge they were accusing him of, ⁶¹⁴  I brought him down to their council. ⁶¹⁵  23:29 I found he ⁶¹⁶  was accused with reference to controversial questions ⁶¹⁷  about their law, but no charge against him deserved death or imprisonment. ⁶¹⁸  23:30 When I was informed ⁶¹⁹  there would be a plot ⁶²⁰  against this man, I sent him to you at once, also ordering his accusers to state their charges ⁶²¹  against him before you.

23:31 So the soldiers, in accordance with their orders, ⁶²²  took ⁶²³  Paul and brought him to Antipatris ⁶²⁴  during the night. 23:32 The next day they let ⁶²⁵  the horsemen ⁶²⁶  go on with him, and they returned to the barracks. ⁶²⁷  23:33 When the horsemen ⁶²⁸  came to Caesarea ⁶²⁹  and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented ⁶³⁰  Paul to him. 23:34 When the governor ⁶³¹  had read ⁶³²  the letter, ⁶³³  he asked ⁶³⁴  what province he was from. ⁶³⁵  When he learned ⁶³⁶  that he was from Cilicia, ⁶³⁷  23:35 he said, “I will give you a hearing ⁶³⁸  when your accusers arrive too.” Then ⁶³⁹  he ordered that Paul ⁶⁴⁰  be kept under guard in Herod’s palace. ⁶⁴¹ 

The Accusations Against Paul

24:1 After five days the high priest Ananias ⁶⁴²  came down with some elders and an attorney ⁶⁴³  named ⁶⁴⁴  Tertullus, and they ⁶⁴⁵  brought formal charges ⁶⁴⁶  against Paul to the governor. 24:2 When Paul ⁶⁴⁷  had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, ⁶⁴⁸  saying, “We have experienced a lengthy time ⁶⁴⁹  of peace through your rule, ⁶⁵⁰  and reforms ⁶⁵¹  are being made in this nation ⁶⁵²  through your foresight. ⁶⁵³  24:3 Most excellent Felix, ⁶⁵⁴  we acknowledge this everywhere and in every way ⁶⁵⁵  with all gratitude. ⁶⁵⁶  24:4 But so that I may not delay ⁶⁵⁷  you any further, I beg ⁶⁵⁸  you to hear us briefly ⁶⁵⁹  with your customary graciousness. ⁶⁶⁰  24:5 For we have found ⁶⁶¹  this man to be a troublemaker, ⁶⁶²  one who stirs up riots ⁶⁶³  among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader ⁶⁶⁴  of the sect of the Nazarenes. ⁶⁶⁵  24:6 He ⁶⁶⁶  even tried to desecrate ⁶⁶⁷  the temple, so we arrested ⁶⁶⁸  him. 24:7 [[EMPTY]] ⁶⁶⁹  24:8 When you examine ⁶⁷⁰  him yourself, you will be able to learn from him ⁶⁷¹  about all these things we are accusing him of doing.” ⁶⁷²  24:9 The Jews also joined in the verbal attack, ⁶⁷³  claiming ⁶⁷⁴  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 ⁶⁷⁵  that you have been a judge over this nation for many years, I confidently make my defense. ⁶⁷⁶  24:11 As you can verify ⁶⁷⁷  for yourself, not more than twelve days ago ⁶⁷⁸  I went up to Jerusalem ⁶⁷⁹  to worship. 24:12 They did not find me arguing ⁶⁸⁰  with anyone or stirring up a crowd ⁶⁸¹  in the temple courts ⁶⁸²  or in the synagogues ⁶⁸³  or throughout the city, ⁶⁸⁴  24:13 nor can they prove ⁶⁸⁵  to you the things ⁶⁸⁶  they are accusing me of doing. ⁶⁸⁷  24:14 But I confess this to you, that I worship ⁶⁸⁸  the God of our ancestors ⁶⁸⁹  according to the Way (which they call a sect), believing everything that is according to the law ⁶⁹⁰  and that is written in the prophets. 24:15 I have ⁶⁹¹  a hope in God (a hope ⁶⁹²  that ⁶⁹³  these men ⁶⁹⁴  themselves accept too) that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁶⁹⁵  24:16 This is the reason ⁶⁹⁶  I do my best to always ⁶⁹⁷  have a clear ⁶⁹⁸  conscience toward God and toward people. ⁶⁹⁹  24:17 After several years ⁷⁰⁰  I came to bring to my people gifts for the poor ⁷⁰¹  and to present offerings, ⁷⁰²  24:18 which I was doing when they found me in the temple, ritually purified, ⁷⁰³  without a crowd or a disturbance. ⁷⁰⁴  24:19 But there are some Jews from the province of Asia ⁷⁰⁵  who should be here before you and bring charges, ⁷⁰⁶  if they have anything against me. 24:20 Or these men here ⁷⁰⁷  should tell what crime ⁷⁰⁸  they found me guilty of ⁷⁰⁹  when I stood before the council, ⁷¹⁰  24:21 other than ⁷¹¹  this one thing ⁷¹²  I shouted out while I stood before ⁷¹³  them: ‘I am on trial before you today concerning the resurrection of the dead.’” ⁷¹⁴ 

24:22 Then Felix, ⁷¹⁵  who understood the facts ⁷¹⁶  concerning the Way ⁷¹⁷  more accurately, ⁷¹⁸  adjourned their hearing, ⁷¹⁹  saying, “When Lysias the commanding officer comes down, I will decide your case.” ⁷²⁰  24:23 He ordered the centurion ⁷²¹  to guard Paul, ⁷²²  but to let him have some freedom, ⁷²³  and not to prevent any of his friends ⁷²⁴  from meeting his needs. ⁷²⁵ 

Paul Speaks Repeatedly to Felix

24:24 Some days later, when Felix ⁷²⁶  arrived with his wife Drusilla, ⁷²⁷  who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him speak ⁷²⁸  about faith in Christ Jesus. ⁷²⁹  24:25 While Paul ⁷³⁰  was discussing ⁷³¹  righteousness, self-control, ⁷³²  and the coming judgment, Felix ⁷³³  became ⁷³⁴  frightened and said, “Go away for now, and when I have an opportunity, ⁷³⁵  I will send for you.” 24:26 At the same time he was also hoping that Paul would give him money, ⁷³⁶  and for this reason he sent for Paul ⁷³⁷  as often as possible ⁷³⁸  and talked ⁷³⁹  with him. 24:27 After two years ⁷⁴⁰  had passed, Porcius Festus ⁷⁴¹  succeeded Felix, ⁷⁴²  and because he wanted to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison. ⁷⁴³ 

Paul Appeals to Caesar

25:1 Now ⁷⁴⁴  three days after Festus ⁷⁴⁵  arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem ⁷⁴⁶  from Caesarea. ⁷⁴⁷  25:2 So the chief priests and the most prominent men ⁷⁴⁸  of the Jews brought formal charges ⁷⁴⁹  against Paul to him. 25:3 Requesting him to do them a favor against Paul, ⁷⁵⁰  they urged Festus ⁷⁵¹  to summon him to Jerusalem, planning an ambush ⁷⁵²  to kill him along the way. 25:4 Then Festus ⁷⁵³  replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea, ⁷⁵⁴  and he himself intended to go there ⁷⁵⁵  shortly. 25:5 “So,” he said, “let your leaders ⁷⁵⁶  go down there ⁷⁵⁷  with me, and if this man has done anything wrong, ⁷⁵⁸  they may bring charges ⁷⁵⁹  against him.”

25:6 After Festus ⁷⁶⁰  had stayed ⁷⁶¹  not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea, ⁷⁶²  and the next day he sat ⁷⁶³  on the judgment seat ⁷⁶⁴  and ordered Paul to be brought. 25:7 When he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, ⁷⁶⁵  bringing many serious ⁷⁶⁶  charges that they were not able to prove. ⁷⁶⁷  25:8 Paul said in his defense, ⁷⁶⁸  “I have committed no offense ⁷⁶⁹  against the Jewish law ⁷⁷⁰  or against the temple or against Caesar.” ⁷⁷¹  25:9 But Festus, ⁷⁷²  wanting to do the Jews a favor, asked Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and be tried ⁷⁷³  before me there on these charges?” ⁷⁷⁴  25:10 Paul replied, ⁷⁷⁵  “I am standing before Caesar’s ⁷⁷⁶  judgment seat, ⁷⁷⁷  where I should be tried. ⁷⁷⁸  I have done nothing wrong ⁷⁷⁹  to the Jews, as you also know very well. ⁷⁸⁰  25:11 If then I am in the wrong ⁷⁸¹  and have done anything that deserves death, I am not trying to escape dying, ⁷⁸²  but if not one of their charges against me is true, ⁷⁸³  no one can hand me over to them. ⁷⁸⁴  I appeal to Caesar!” ⁷⁸⁵  25:12 Then, after conferring with his council, ⁷⁸⁶  Festus ⁷⁸⁷  replied, “You have appealed to Caesar; ⁷⁸⁸  to Caesar ⁷⁸⁹  you will go!” ⁷⁹⁰ 

Festus Asks King Agrippa for Advice

25:13 After several days had passed, King Agrippa ⁷⁹¹  and Bernice arrived at Caesarea ⁷⁹²  to pay their respects ⁷⁹³  to Festus. ⁷⁹⁴  25:14 While ⁷⁹⁵  they were staying there many days, Festus ⁷⁹⁶  explained Paul’s case to the king to get his opinion, ⁷⁹⁷  saying, “There is a man left here as a prisoner by Felix. 25:15 When I was in Jerusalem, ⁷⁹⁸  the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed ⁷⁹⁹  me about him, ⁸⁰⁰  asking for a sentence of condemnation ⁸⁰¹  against him. 25:16 I answered them ⁸⁰²  that it was not the custom of the Romans to hand over anyone ⁸⁰³  before the accused had met his accusers face to face ⁸⁰⁴  and had been given ⁸⁰⁵  an opportunity to make a defense against the accusation. ⁸⁰⁶  25:17 So after they came back here with me, ⁸⁰⁷  I did not postpone the case, ⁸⁰⁸  but the next day I sat ⁸⁰⁹  on the judgment seat ⁸¹⁰  and ordered the man to be brought. 25:18 When his accusers stood up, they did not charge ⁸¹¹  him with any of the evil deeds I had suspected. ⁸¹²  25:19 Rather they had several points of disagreement ⁸¹³  with him about their own religion ⁸¹⁴  and about a man named Jesus ⁸¹⁵  who was dead, whom Paul claimed ⁸¹⁶  to be alive. 25:20 Because I was at a loss ⁸¹⁷  how I could investigate these matters, ⁸¹⁸  I asked if he were willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried ⁸¹⁹  there on these charges. ⁸²⁰  25:21 But when Paul appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of His Majesty the Emperor, ⁸²¹  I ordered him to be kept under guard until I could send him to Caesar.” ⁸²²  25:22 Agrippa ⁸²³  said to Festus, ⁸²⁴  “I would also like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he replied, ⁸²⁵  “you will hear him.”

Paul Before King Agrippa and Bernice

25:23 So the next day Agrippa ⁸²⁶  and Bernice came with great pomp ⁸²⁷  and entered the audience hall, ⁸²⁸  along with the senior military officers ⁸²⁹  and the prominent men of the city. When Festus ⁸³⁰  gave the order, ⁸³¹  Paul was brought in. 25:24 Then Festus ⁸³²  said, “King Agrippa, ⁸³³  and all you who are present here with us, you see this man about whom the entire Jewish populace ⁸³⁴  petitioned ⁸³⁵  me both in Jerusalem ⁸³⁶  and here, ⁸³⁷  shouting loudly ⁸³⁸  that he ought not to live any longer. 25:25 But I found that he had done nothing that deserved death, ⁸³⁹  and when he appealed ⁸⁴⁰  to His Majesty the Emperor, ⁸⁴¹  I decided to send him. ⁸⁴²  25:26 But I have nothing definite ⁸⁴³  to write to my lord ⁸⁴⁴  about him. ⁸⁴⁵  Therefore I have brought him before you all, and especially before you, King Agrippa, ⁸⁴⁶  so that after this preliminary hearing ⁸⁴⁷  I may have something to write. 25:27 For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without clearly indicating ⁸⁴⁸  the charges against him.”

Paul Offers His Defense

26:1 So Agrippa ⁸⁴⁹  said to Paul, “You have permission ⁸⁵⁰  to speak for yourself.” Then Paul held out his hand ⁸⁵¹  and began his defense: ⁸⁵² 

26:2 “Regarding all the things I have been accused of by the Jews, King Agrippa, ⁸⁵³  I consider myself fortunate that I am about to make my defense before you today, 26:3 because you are especially ⁸⁵⁴  familiar with all the customs and controversial issues ⁸⁵⁵  of the Jews. Therefore I ask ⁸⁵⁶  you to listen to me patiently. 26:4 Now all the Jews know the way I lived ⁸⁵⁷  from my youth, spending my life from the beginning among my own people ⁸⁵⁸  and in Jerusalem. ⁸⁵⁹  26:5 They know, ⁸⁶⁰  because they have known ⁸⁶¹  me from time past, ⁸⁶²  if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party ⁸⁶³  of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee. ⁸⁶⁴  26:6 And now I stand here on trial ⁸⁶⁵  because of my hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors, ⁸⁶⁶  26:7 a promise ⁸⁶⁷  that our twelve tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve God ⁸⁶⁸  night and day. Concerning this hope the Jews are accusing me, ⁸⁶⁹  Your Majesty! ⁸⁷⁰  26:8 Why do you people ⁸⁷¹  think ⁸⁷²  it is unbelievable ⁸⁷³  that ⁸⁷⁴  God raises the dead? 26:9 Of course, ⁸⁷⁵  I myself was convinced ⁸⁷⁶  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 ⁸⁷⁷  from the chief priests, but I also cast my vote ⁸⁷⁸  against them when they were sentenced to death. ⁸⁷⁹  26:11 I punished ⁸⁸⁰  them often in all the synagogues ⁸⁸¹  and tried to force ⁸⁸²  them to blaspheme. Because I was so furiously enraged ⁸⁸³  at them, I went to persecute ⁸⁸⁴  them even in foreign cities.

26:12 “While doing this very thing, ⁸⁸⁵  as I was going ⁸⁸⁶  to Damascus with authority and complete power ⁸⁸⁷  from the chief priests, 26:13 about noon along the road, Your Majesty, ⁸⁸⁸  I saw a light from heaven, ⁸⁸⁹  brighter than the sun, shining everywhere around ⁸⁹⁰  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, ⁸⁹¹  ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? You are hurting yourself ⁸⁹²  by kicking against the goads.’ ⁸⁹³  26:15 So I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord replied, ⁸⁹⁴  ‘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 ⁸⁹⁵  as a servant and witness ⁸⁹⁶  to the things ⁸⁹⁷  you have seen ⁸⁹⁸  and to the things in which I will appear to you. 26:17 I will rescue ⁸⁹⁹  you from your own people ⁹⁰⁰  and from the Gentiles, to whom ⁹⁰¹  I am sending you 26:18 to open their eyes so that they turn ⁹⁰²  from darkness to light and from the power ⁹⁰³  of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share ⁹⁰⁴  among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

26:19 “Therefore, King Agrippa, ⁹⁰⁵  I was not disobedient ⁹⁰⁶  to the heavenly ⁹⁰⁷  vision, 26:20 but I declared to those in Damascus first, and then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, ⁹⁰⁸  and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, ⁹⁰⁹  performing deeds consistent with ⁹¹⁰  repentance. 26:21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple courts ⁹¹¹  and were trying to kill me. 26:22 I have experienced ⁹¹²  help from God to this day, and so I stand testifying to both small and great, saying nothing except ⁹¹³  what the prophets and Moses said ⁹¹⁴  was going to happen: 26:23 that ⁹¹⁵  the Christ ⁹¹⁶  was to suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, to proclaim light both to our people ⁹¹⁷  and to the Gentiles.” ⁹¹⁸ 

26:24 As Paul ⁹¹⁹  was saying these things in his defense, Festus ⁹²⁰  exclaimed loudly, “You have lost your mind, ⁹²¹  Paul! Your great learning is driving you insane!” 26:25 But Paul replied, ⁹²²  “I have not lost my mind, most excellent Festus, ⁹²³  but am speaking ⁹²⁴  true and rational ⁹²⁵  words. 26:26 For the king knows about these things, and I am speaking freely ⁹²⁶  to him, ⁹²⁷  because I cannot believe ⁹²⁸  that any of these things has escaped his notice, ⁹²⁹  for this was not done in a corner. ⁹³⁰  26:27 Do you believe the prophets, ⁹³¹  King Agrippa? ⁹³²  I know that you believe.” 26:28 Agrippa ⁹³³  said to Paul, “In such a short time are you persuading me to become a Christian?” ⁹³⁴  26:29 Paul replied, “I pray to God that whether in a short or a long time ⁹³⁵  not only you but also all those who are listening to me today could become such as I am, except for these chains.” ⁹³⁶ 

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, ⁹³⁷  “This man is not doing anything deserving ⁹³⁸  death or imprisonment.” 26:32 Agrippa ⁹³⁹  said to Festus, ⁹⁴⁰  “This man could have been released ⁹⁴¹  if he had not appealed to Caesar.” ⁹⁴² 

Paul and Company Sail for Rome

27:1 When it was decided we ⁹⁴³  would sail to Italy, ⁹⁴⁴  they handed over Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion ⁹⁴⁵  of the Augustan Cohort ⁹⁴⁶  named Julius. 27:2 We went on board ⁹⁴⁷  a ship from Adramyttium ⁹⁴⁸  that was about to sail to various ports ⁹⁴⁹  along the coast of the province of Asia ⁹⁵⁰  and put out to sea, ⁹⁵¹  accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian ⁹⁵²  from Thessalonica. ⁹⁵³  27:3 The next day we put in ⁹⁵⁴  at Sidon, ⁹⁵⁵  and Julius, treating Paul kindly, ⁹⁵⁶  allowed him to go to his friends so they could provide him with what he needed. ⁹⁵⁷  27:4 From there we put out to sea ⁹⁵⁸  and sailed under the lee ⁹⁵⁹  of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 27:5 After we had sailed across the open sea ⁹⁶⁰  off Cilicia and Pamphylia, ⁹⁶¹  we put in ⁹⁶²  at Myra ⁹⁶³  in Lycia. ⁹⁶⁴  27:6 There the centurion ⁹⁶⁵  found ⁹⁶⁶  a ship from Alexandria ⁹⁶⁷  sailing for Italy, and he put us aboard it. 27:7 We sailed slowly ⁹⁶⁸  for many days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus. ⁹⁶⁹  Because the wind prevented us from going any farther, ⁹⁷⁰  we sailed under the lee ⁹⁷¹  of Crete off Salmone. ⁹⁷²  27:8 With difficulty we sailed along the coast ⁹⁷³  of Crete ⁹⁷⁴  and came to a place called Fair Havens that was near the town of Lasea. ⁹⁷⁵ 

Caught in a Violent Storm

27:9 Since considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous ⁹⁷⁶  because the fast ⁹⁷⁷  was already over, ⁹⁷⁸  Paul advised them, ⁹⁷⁹  27:10 “Men, I can see the voyage is going to end ⁹⁸⁰  in disaster ⁹⁸¹  and great loss not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” ⁹⁸²  27:11 But the centurion ⁹⁸³  was more convinced ⁹⁸⁴  by the captain ⁹⁸⁵  and the ship’s owner than by what Paul said. ⁹⁸⁶  27:12 Because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided ⁹⁸⁷  to put out to sea ⁹⁸⁸  from there. They hoped that ⁹⁸⁹  somehow they could reach ⁹⁹⁰  Phoenix, ⁹⁹¹  a harbor of Crete facing ⁹⁹²  southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. 27:13 When a gentle south wind sprang up, they thought ⁹⁹³  they could carry out ⁹⁹⁴  their purpose, so they weighed anchor ⁹⁹⁵  and sailed close along the coast ⁹⁹⁶  of Crete. 27:14 Not long after this, a hurricane-force ⁹⁹⁷  wind called the northeaster ⁹⁹⁸  blew down from the island. ⁹⁹⁹  27:15 When the ship was caught in it ¹⁰⁰⁰  and could not head into ¹⁰⁰¹  the wind, we gave way to it and were driven ¹⁰⁰²  along. 27:16 As we ran under the lee of ¹⁰⁰³  a small island called Cauda, ¹⁰⁰⁴  we were able with difficulty to get the ship’s boat ¹⁰⁰⁵  under control. 27:17 After the crew ¹⁰⁰⁶  had hoisted it aboard, ¹⁰⁰⁷  they used supports ¹⁰⁰⁸  to undergird the ship. Fearing they would run aground ¹⁰⁰⁹  on the Syrtis, ¹⁰¹⁰  they lowered the sea anchor, ¹⁰¹¹  thus letting themselves be driven along. 27:18 The next day, because we were violently battered by the storm, ¹⁰¹²  they began throwing the cargo overboard, ¹⁰¹³  27:19 and on the third day they threw the ship’s gear ¹⁰¹⁴  overboard with their own hands. 27:20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and a violent ¹⁰¹⁵  storm continued to batter us, ¹⁰¹⁶  we finally abandoned all hope of being saved. ¹⁰¹⁷ 

27:21 Since many of them had no desire to eat, ¹⁰¹⁸  Paul ¹⁰¹⁹  stood up ¹⁰²⁰  among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me ¹⁰²¹  and not put out to sea ¹⁰²²  from Crete, thus avoiding ¹⁰²³  this damage and loss. 27:22 And now I advise ¹⁰²⁴  you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only the ship will be lost. ¹⁰²⁵  27:23 For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong ¹⁰²⁶  and whom I serve ¹⁰²⁷  came to me ¹⁰²⁸  27:24 and said, ¹⁰²⁹  ‘Do not be afraid, Paul! You must stand before ¹⁰³⁰  Caesar, ¹⁰³¹  and God has graciously granted you the safety ¹⁰³²  of all who are sailing with you.’ 27:25 Therefore keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God ¹⁰³³  that it will be just as I have been told. 27:26 But we must ¹⁰³⁴  run aground on some island.”

27:27 When the fourteenth night had come, while we were being driven ¹⁰³⁵  across the Adriatic Sea, ¹⁰³⁶  about midnight the sailors suspected they were approaching some land. ¹⁰³⁷  27:28 They took soundings ¹⁰³⁸  and found the water was twenty fathoms ¹⁰³⁹  deep; when they had sailed a little farther ¹⁰⁴⁰  they took soundings again and found it was fifteen fathoms ¹⁰⁴¹  deep. 27:29 Because they were afraid ¹⁰⁴²  that we would run aground on the rocky coast, ¹⁰⁴³  they threw out ¹⁰⁴⁴  four anchors from the stern and wished ¹⁰⁴⁵  for day to appear. ¹⁰⁴⁶  27:30 Then when the sailors tried to escape from the ship and were lowering the ship’s boat into the sea, pretending ¹⁰⁴⁷  that they were going to put out anchors from the bow, 27:31 Paul said to the centurion ¹⁰⁴⁸  and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you ¹⁰⁴⁹  cannot be saved.” 27:32 Then the soldiers cut the ropes ¹⁰⁵⁰  of the ship’s boat and let it drift away. ¹⁰⁵¹ 

27:33 As day was about to dawn, ¹⁰⁵²  Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day you have been in suspense ¹⁰⁵³  and have gone ¹⁰⁵⁴  without food; you have eaten nothing. ¹⁰⁵⁵  27:34 Therefore I urge you to take some food, for this is important ¹⁰⁵⁶  for your survival. ¹⁰⁵⁷  For not one of you will lose a hair from his head.” 27:35 After he said this, Paul ¹⁰⁵⁸  took bread ¹⁰⁵⁹  and gave thanks to God in front of them all, ¹⁰⁶⁰  broke ¹⁰⁶¹  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 ¹⁰⁶²  persons on the ship.) ¹⁰⁶³  27:38 When they had eaten enough to be satisfied, ¹⁰⁶⁴  they lightened the ship by throwing the wheat ¹⁰⁶⁵  into the sea.

Paul is Shipwrecked

27:39 When day came, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed ¹⁰⁶⁶  a bay ¹⁰⁶⁷  with a beach, ¹⁰⁶⁸  where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. 27:40 So they slipped ¹⁰⁶⁹  the anchors ¹⁰⁷⁰  and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the linkage ¹⁰⁷¹  that bound the steering oars ¹⁰⁷²  together. Then they hoisted ¹⁰⁷³  the foresail ¹⁰⁷⁴  to the wind and steered toward ¹⁰⁷⁵  the beach. 27:41 But they encountered a patch of crosscurrents ¹⁰⁷⁶  and ran the ship aground; the bow stuck fast and could not be moved, but the stern was being broken up by the force ¹⁰⁷⁷  of the waves. 27:42 Now the soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners ¹⁰⁷⁸  so that none of them would escape by swimming away. ¹⁰⁷⁹  27:43 But the centurion, ¹⁰⁸⁰  wanting to save Paul’s life, ¹⁰⁸¹  prevented them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land, ¹⁰⁸²  27:44 and the rest were to follow, ¹⁰⁸³  some on planks ¹⁰⁸⁴  and some on pieces of the ship. ¹⁰⁸⁵  And in this way ¹⁰⁸⁶  all were brought safely to land.

Paul on Malta

28:1 After we had safely reached shore, ¹⁰⁸⁷  we learned that the island was called Malta. ¹⁰⁸⁸  28:2 The local inhabitants ¹⁰⁸⁹  showed us extraordinary ¹⁰⁹⁰  kindness, for they built a fire and welcomed us all because it had started to rain ¹⁰⁹¹  and was cold. 28:3 When Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood ¹⁰⁹²  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 ¹⁰⁹³  saw the creature hanging from Paul’s ¹⁰⁹⁴  hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer! Although he has escaped from the sea, Justice herself ¹⁰⁹⁵  has not allowed him to live!” ¹⁰⁹⁶  28:5 However, ¹⁰⁹⁷  Paul ¹⁰⁹⁸  shook ¹⁰⁹⁹  the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm. 28:6 But they were expecting that he was going to swell up ¹¹⁰⁰  or suddenly drop dead. So after they had waited ¹¹⁰¹  a long time and had seen ¹¹⁰²  nothing unusual happen ¹¹⁰³  to him, they changed their minds ¹¹⁰⁴  and said he was a god. ¹¹⁰⁵ 

28:7 Now in the region around that place ¹¹⁰⁶  were fields belonging to the chief official ¹¹⁰⁷  of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us hospitably as guests for three days. 28:8 The father ¹¹⁰⁸  of Publius lay sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him ¹¹⁰⁹  and after praying, placed ¹¹¹⁰  his hands on him and healed ¹¹¹¹  him. 28:9 After this had happened, many of the people on the island who were sick ¹¹¹²  also came and were healed. ¹¹¹³  28:10 They also bestowed many honors, ¹¹¹⁴  and when we were preparing to sail, ¹¹¹⁵  they gave ¹¹¹⁶  us all the supplies we needed. ¹¹¹⁷ 

Paul Finally Reaches Rome

28:11 After three months we put out to sea ¹¹¹⁸  in an Alexandrian ship that had wintered at the island and had the “Heavenly Twins” ¹¹¹⁹  as its figurehead. ¹¹²⁰  28:12 We put in ¹¹²¹  at Syracuse ¹¹²²  and stayed there three days. 28:13 From there we cast off ¹¹²³  and arrived at Rhegium, ¹¹²⁴  and after one day a south wind sprang up ¹¹²⁵  and on the second day we came to Puteoli. ¹¹²⁶  28:14 There ¹¹²⁷  we found ¹¹²⁸  some brothers ¹¹²⁹  and were invited to stay with them seven days. And in this way we came to Rome. ¹¹³⁰  28:15 The brothers from there, ¹¹³¹  when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius ¹¹³²  and Three Taverns ¹¹³³  to meet us. When he saw them, ¹¹³⁴  Paul thanked God and took courage. 28:16 When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live ¹¹³⁵  by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.

Paul Addresses the Jewish Community in Rome

28:17 After three days ¹¹³⁶  Paul ¹¹³⁷  called the local Jewish leaders ¹¹³⁸  together. When they had assembled, he said to them, “Brothers, ¹¹³⁹  although I had done ¹¹⁴⁰  nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, ¹¹⁴¹  from Jerusalem ¹¹⁴²  I was handed over as a prisoner to the Romans. ¹¹⁴³  28:18 When ¹¹⁴⁴  they had heard my case, ¹¹⁴⁵  they wanted to release me, ¹¹⁴⁶  because there was no basis for a death sentence ¹¹⁴⁷  against me. 28:19 But when the Jews objected, ¹¹⁴⁸  I was forced to appeal to Caesar ¹¹⁴⁹  – not that I had some charge to bring ¹¹⁵⁰  against my own people. ¹¹⁵¹  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.” ¹¹⁵²  28:21 They replied, ¹¹⁵³  “We have received no letters from Judea about you, nor have any of the brothers come from there ¹¹⁵⁴  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 ¹¹⁵⁵  that people ¹¹⁵⁶  everywhere speak against ¹¹⁵⁷  it.”

28:23 They set ¹¹⁵⁸  a day to meet with him, ¹¹⁵⁹  and they came to him where he was staying ¹¹⁶⁰  in even greater numbers. ¹¹⁶¹  From morning until evening he explained things ¹¹⁶²  to them, ¹¹⁶³  testifying ¹¹⁶⁴  about the kingdom of God ¹¹⁶⁵  and trying to convince ¹¹⁶⁶  them about Jesus from both the law of Moses and the prophets. 28:24 Some were convinced ¹¹⁶⁷  by what he said, ¹¹⁶⁸  but others refused ¹¹⁶⁹  to believe. 28:25 So they began to leave, ¹¹⁷⁰  unable to agree among themselves, after Paul made one last statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly to your ancestors ¹¹⁷¹  through the prophet Isaiah 28:26 when he said,

‘Go to this people and say,

“You will keep on hearing, ¹¹⁷²  but will never understand,

and you will keep on looking, ¹¹⁷³  but will never perceive.

28:27 For the heart of this people has become dull, ¹¹⁷⁴ 

and their ears are hard of hearing, ¹¹⁷⁵ 

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, ¹¹⁷⁶  and I would heal them.”’ ¹¹⁷⁷ 

28:28 “Therefore be advised ¹¹⁷⁸  that this salvation from God ¹¹⁷⁹  has been sent to the Gentiles; ¹¹⁸⁰  they ¹¹⁸¹  will listen!”

28:29 [[EMPTY]] ¹¹⁸² 

28:30 Paul ¹¹⁸³  lived ¹¹⁸⁴  there two whole years in his own rented quarters ¹¹⁸⁵  and welcomed ¹¹⁸⁶  all who came to him, 28:31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ ¹¹⁸⁷  with complete boldness ¹¹⁸⁸  and without restriction. ¹¹⁸⁹ 

[19:21]  ¹ tn Grk “all these things had been fulfilled.”

[19:21]  ² tn Grk “Paul purposed in [his] spirit” (an idiom). According to BDAG 1003 s.v. τίθημι 1.b.ε the entire idiom means “to resolve” (or “decide”): “ἔθετο ὁ Παῦλος ἐν τῷ πνεύματι w. inf. foll. Paul resolved 19:21.”

[19:21]  ³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[19:21]  ⁴ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[19:21]  ⁵ sn Achaia was the Roman province of Achaia located across the Aegean Sea from Ephesus. Its principal city was Corinth.

[19:21]  ⁶ tn Grk “Achaia, saying.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the awkwardness in English of having two participial clauses following one another (“passing through…saying”), the participle εἰπών (eipwn) has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence begun here in the translation.

[19:21]  ⁷ sn This is the first time Paul mentions Rome. He realized the message of Christianity could impact that society even at its heights.

[19:22]  ⁸ tn The aorist participle ἀποστείλας (aposteila") has been taken temporally reflecting action antecedent to that of the main verb (ἐπέσχεν, epescen).

[19:22]  ⁹ tn Grk “two of those who ministered to him.”

[19:22]  ¹⁰ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[19:22]  ¹¹ 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.

[19:23]  ¹² tn Grk “There happened at that time.” 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. Instead the verb “took place” has been supplied in the translation.

[19:23]  ¹³ tn BDAG 512 s.v. κατά B.2.a, “in definite indications of time…Of the past: κ. ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρόν at that time, then…Ac 12:1; 19:23.”

[19:23]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “no little disturbance” (an idiom; see BDAG 991 s.v. τάραχος 2).

[19:23]  ¹⁵ sn The Way refers to the Christian movement (Christianity).

[19:24]  ¹⁶ tn BDAG 665 s.v. ναός 1.a states, “Specif. of temples: of replicas of the temple of Artemis at Ephesus 19:24…but here, near ἱερόν vs. 27…ναός can be understood in the more restricted sense shrine, where the image of the goddess stood.”

[19:24]  ¹⁷ sn Artemis was the name of a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus.

[19:24]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “brought not a little business” (an idiom).

[19:24]  ¹⁹ sn A great deal of business. The charge that Christianity brought economic and/or social upheaval was made a number of times in Acts: 16:20-21; 17:6-7; 18:13.

[19:25]  ²⁰ tn Grk “gathering.” The participle συναθροίσας (sunaqroisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[19:25]  ²¹ tn Grk “whom”; because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been replaced with a pronoun (“these”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[19:25]  ²² sn Workmen in similar trades. In effect, Demetrius gathered the Ephesian chamber of commerce together to hear about the threat to their prosperity.

[19:25]  ²³ tn Another possible meaning is “that this business is an easy way for us to earn a living.”

[19:26]  ²⁴ tn Grk “persuading.” The participle πείσας (peisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[19:26]  ²⁵ tn Or “misled.”

[19:26]  ²⁶ tn BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 3.a has “of pers. ὄχλος a large crowd…Ac 11:24, 26; 19:26.”

[19:26]  ²⁷ map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[19:26]  ²⁸ tn Grk “Asia”; see the note on this word in v. 22.

[19:26]  ²⁹ tn The participle λέγων (legwn) has been regarded as indicating instrumentality.

[19:26]  ³⁰ tn The words “at all” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

[19:27]  ³¹ tn Or “come under public criticism.” BDAG 101 s.v. ἀπελεγμός has “come into disrepute Ac 19:27.”

[19:27]  ³² sn Artemis was the name of a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus.

[19:27]  ³³ tn BDAG 597 s.v. λογίζομαι 1.b has “εἰς οὐθὲν λογισθῆναι be looked upon as nothing…Ac 19:27.”

[19:27]  ³⁴ tn Grk “Asia”; see the note on this word in v. 22.

[19:27]  ³⁵ tn Or “her magnificence.” BDAG 488 s.v. καθαιρέω 2.b has “καθαιρεῖσθαι τῆς μεγαλειότητος αὐτῆς suffer the loss of her magnificence Ac 19:27”; L&N 13.38 has “‘and to have her greatness done away with’ Ac 19:27.”

[19:28]  ³⁶ 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.

[19:28]  ³⁷ tn Grk “And hearing.” The participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") has been taken temporally.

[19:28]  ³⁸ tn Grk “they became filled with rage” (an idiom). The reaction of the Ephesians here is like that of the Jews earlier, though Luke referred to “zeal” or “jealousy” in the former case (Acts 7:54).

[19:28]  ³⁹ tn Grk “and began shouting, saying.” The imperfect verb ἔκραζον (ekrazon) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect. The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[19:28]  ⁴⁰ sn Artemis was a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus.

[19:29]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “And the.” 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.

[19:29]  ⁴² tn L&N 39.43 has “‘the uproar spread throughout the whole city’ (literally ‘the city was filled with uproar’) Ac 19:29.” BDAG 954 s.v. σύγχυσις has “confusion, tumult.”

[19:29]  ⁴³ tn Grk “they”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:29]  ⁴⁴ sn To the theater. This location made the event a public spectacle. The Grand Theater in Ephesus (still standing today) stood facing down the main thoroughfare of the city toward the docks. It had a seating capacity of 25,000.

[19:29]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “to the theater with one accord.”

[19:30]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “enter the crowd.” According to BDAG 223 s.v. δῆμος 2, “in a Hellenistic city, a convocation of citizens called together for the purpose of transacting official business, popular assembly…εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὸν δ. go into the assembly 19:30.”

[19:31]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “Asiarchs” (high-ranking officials of the province of Asia).

[19:31]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “sending”; the participle πέμψαντες (pemyante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[19:31]  ⁴⁹ tn The words “a message” 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.

[19:31]  ⁵⁰ tn BDAG 242-43 s.v. δίδωμι 11 has “to cause (oneself) to go, go, venture somewhere (cp. our older ‘betake oneself’)…Ac 19:31.” The desire of these sympathetic authorities was surely to protect Paul’s life. The detail indicates how dangerous things had become.

[19:32]  ⁵¹ tn Or “had assembled.”

[19:33]  ⁵² tn Or “Some of the crowd gave instructions to.”

[19:33]  ⁵³ tn The words “it was about” are not in the Greek text but are implied; ᾿Αλέξανδρον (Alexandron) is taken to be an accusative of general reference.

[19:33]  ⁵⁴ tn BDAG 865 s.v. προβάλλω 1 has “to cause to come forward, put forward…τινά someone…push someone forward to speak in the theater…Ac 19:33.”

[19:33]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “motioning.”

[19:33]  ⁵⁶ sn The nature of Alexander’s defense is not clear. It appears he was going to explain, as a Jew, that the problem was not caused by Jews, but by those of “the Way.” However, he never got a chance to speak.

[19:33]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “before the crowd.” According to BDAG 223 s.v. δῆμος 2, “in a Hellenistic city, a convocation of citizens called together for the purpose of transacting official business, popular assembly…ἀπολογεῖσθαι τῷ δ. make a defense before the assembly vs. 33.”

[19:34]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “But recognizing.” The participle ἐπιγνόντες (epignonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[19:34]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “[they shouted] with one voice from all of them” (an idiom).

[19:34]  ⁶⁰ sn Artemis was a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus, 1.25 mi (2 km) northeast of the Grand Theater. Dimensions were 418 ft by 239 ft (125 m by 72 m) for the platform; the temple proper was 377 ft by 180 ft (113 m by 54 m). The roof was supported by 117 columns, each 60 ft (18 m) high by 6 ft (1.8 m) in diameter. The Emperor Justinian of Byzantium later took these columns for use in construction of the Hagia Sophia, where they still exist (in modern day Istanbul).

[19:34]  ⁶¹ sn They all shouted…for about two hours. The extent of the tumult shows the racial and social tensions of a cosmopolitan city like Ephesus, indicating what the Christians in such locations had to face.

[19:35]  ⁶² tn Or “clerk.” The “scribe” (γραμματεύς, grammateu") was the keeper of the city’s records.

[19:35]  ⁶³ tn This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo").

[19:35]  ⁶⁴ tn See BDAG 670 s.v. νεωκόρος. The city is described as the “warden” or “guardian” of the goddess and her temple.

[19:35]  ⁶⁵ sn Artemis was a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus.

[19:35]  ⁶⁶ tn Or “from the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[19:36]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “these things.”

[19:36]  ⁶⁸ tn The genitive absolute construction with the participle ὄντων (ontwn) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle. On the term translated “indisputable” see BDAG 68-69 s.v. ἀναντίρρητος which has “not to be contradicted, undeniable.”

[19:36]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “it is necessary that you be quiet.”

[19:36]  ⁷⁰ tn L&N 88.98 has “pertaining to impetuous and reckless behavior – ‘reckless, impetuous.’…‘so then, you must calm down and not do anything reckless’ Ac 19:36.” The city secretary was asking that order be restored.

[19:37]  ⁷¹ tn Or perhaps, “desecrators of temples.”

[19:37]  ⁷² sn Nor blasphemers of our goddess. There was no formal crime with which Paul could be charged. He had the right to his religion as long as he did not act physically against the temple. Since no overt act had taken place, the official wanted the community to maintain the status quo on these religious matters. The remarks suggest Paul was innocent of any civil crime.

[19:38]  ⁷³ tn BDAG 600 s.v. λόγος 1.a.ε has “ἔχειν πρός τινα λόγον have a complaint against someone…19:38.”

[19:38]  ⁷⁴ tn L&N 56.1 has ‘if Demetrius and his workers have an accusation against someone, the courts are open’ Ac 19:38.”

[19:38]  ⁷⁵ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied. The official’s request is that the legal system be respected.

[19:39]  ⁷⁶ tn Or “anything more than this.”

[19:39]  ⁷⁷ tn Or “resolved.”

[19:39]  ⁷⁸ tn Or “in a legal meeting of the citizens.” L&N 30.81 has “ἐν τῇ ἐννόμῳ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἐπιλυθήσεται ‘it will have to be settled in a legal meeting of the citizens’ Ac 19:39.” This meeting took place three times a year.

[19:40]  ⁷⁹ tn Grk “For indeed.” The ascensive force of καί (kai) would be awkward to translate here.

[19:40]  ⁸⁰ tn The term translated “rioting” refers to a revolt or uprising (BDAG 940 s.v. στάσις 2, 3). This would threaten Roman rule and invite Roman intervention.

[19:40]  ⁸¹ tn Or “to account for.” Grk “since there is no cause concerning which we can give account concerning this disorderly gathering.” The complexity of the Greek relative clause (“which”) and the multiple prepositions (“concerning”) have been simplified in the translation consistent with contemporary English style.

[19:40]  ⁸² tn Or “commotion.” BDAG 979 s.v. συστροφή 1 gives the meaning “a tumultuous gathering of people, disorderly/seditious gathering or commotion…Ac 19:40.”

[19:41]  ⁸³ tn Grk “And after.” 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.

[19:41]  ⁸⁴ tn Grk “And saying.” The participle εἰπών (eipwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[19:41]  ⁸⁵ tn Grk “these things.”

[19:41]  ⁸⁶ sn Verse 41 in the English text is included as part of verse 40 in the standard critical editions of the Greek NT.

[20:1]  ⁸⁷ tn Or “exhorting.”

[20:1]  ⁸⁸ tn Or “and taking leave of them.”

[20:1]  ⁸⁹ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[20:2]  ⁹⁰ tn BDAG 633 s.v. μέρος 1.b.γ gives the meanings “the parts (of a geographical area), region, district,” but the use of “district” in this context probably implies too much specificity.

[20:2]  ⁹¹ tn Grk “and encouraging them with many words.” The participle παρακαλέσας (parakalesa", “encouraging”) has been translated by the phrase “spoken…words of encouragement” because the formal equivalent is awkward in contemporary English.

[20:2]  ⁹² tn Grk “[to] them”; the referent (the believers there) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:2]  ⁹³ tn In popular usage the term translated “Greece” here could also refer to the Roman province officially known as Achaia (BDAG 318 s.v. ῾Ελλάς).

[20:3]  ⁹⁴ tn BDAG 841 s.v. ποιέω 5.c, “w. an acc. of time spend, stay.”

[20:3]  ⁹⁵ tn The participle βενομένης (benomenh") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle. L&N 30.71 has “ἐπιβουλῆς αὐτῷ ὑπὸ τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων ‘because the Jews had made a plot against him’ Ac 20:3.”

[20:3]  ⁹⁶ sn This plot is one of several noted by Luke (Acts 9:20; 20:19; 23:30).

[20:3]  ⁹⁷ tn BDAG 628 s.v. μέλλω 1.c.γ has “denoting an intended action: intend, propose, have in mind…Ac 17:31; 20:3, 7, 13ab; 23:15; 26:2; 27:30.”

[20:3]  ⁹⁸ tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4 gives “put out to sea” here (as a nautical technical term). However, since the English expression “put out to sea” could be understood to mean Paul was already aboard the ship (which is not clear from the context), the simpler expression “sail” is used at this point in the translation.

[20:3]  ⁹⁹ tn BDAG 199 s.v. γίνομαι 7 has “ἐγένετο γνώμης he decided Ac 20:3.”

[20:3]  ¹⁰⁰ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[20:4]  ¹⁰¹ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:4]  ¹⁰² sn Berea (alternate spelling in NRSV Beroea; Greek Beroia) was a very old city in Macedonia on the river Astraeus about 45 mi (75 km) from Thessalonica.

[20:4]  ¹⁰³ tn Grk “of the Thessalonians.”

[20:4]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Grk “and Gaius,” but 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.

[20:4]  ¹⁰⁵ sn Derbe was a city in Lycaonia about 30 mi (50 km) southeast of Lystra.

[20:4]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Grk “the Asians Tychicus and Trophimus.” In the NT “Asia” 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.

[20:5]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Grk “These, having gone on ahead, were waiting.” The participle προελθόντες (proelqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:5]  ¹⁰⁸ sn Troas was a port city (and surrounding region) on the northwest coast of Asia Minor.

[20:6]  ¹⁰⁹ sn This marks the beginning of another “we” section in Acts. These have been traditionally understood to mean that Luke was in the company of Paul for this part of the journey.

[20:6]  ¹¹⁰ map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[20:6]  ¹¹¹ sn The days of Unleavened Bread refer to the week following Passover. Originally an agricultural festival commemorating the beginning of harvest, it was celebrated for seven days beginning on the fifteenth day of the month Nisan (March-April). It was later combined with Passover (Exod 12:1-20; Ezek 45:21-24; Matt 26:17; Luke 22:1).

[20:6]  ¹¹² tn BDAG 160 s.v. ἄχρι 1.a.α has “ἄ. ἡμερῶν πέντε within five days Ac 20:6.”

[20:6]  ¹¹³ tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the others mentioned in v. 4) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:6]  ¹¹⁴ sn Troas was a port city (and surrounding region) on the northwest coast of Asia Minor. From Philippi to Troas was about 125 mi (200 km).

[20:7]  ¹¹⁵ sn On the first day. This is the first mention of a Sunday gathering (1 Cor 16:2).

[20:7]  ¹¹⁶ tn Or “assembled.”

[20:7]  ¹¹⁷ tn The verb διαλέγομαι (dialegomai) is frequently used of Paul addressing Jews in the synagogue. As G. Schrenk (TDNT 2:94-95) points out, “What is at issue is the address which any qualified member of a synagogue might give.” Other examples of this may be found in the NT in Matt 4:23 and Mark 1:21. In the context of a Christian gathering, it is preferable to translate διελέγετο (dielegeto) simply as “speak” here. The imperfect verb διελέγετο has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[20:7]  ¹¹⁸ tn BDAG 628 s.v. μέλλω 1.c.γ has “denoting an intended action: intend, propose, have in mind…Ac 17:31; 20:3, 7, 13ab; 23:15; 26:2; 27:30.”

[20:7]  ¹¹⁹ tn Or “prolonged.”

[20:8]  ¹²⁰ tn More commonly λαμπάς (lampa") means “torch,” but here according to BDAG 585 s.v. λαμπάς 2, “lamp…w. a wick and space for oil.”

[20:8]  ¹²¹ sn This is best taken as a parenthetical note by the author.

[20:9]  ¹²² tn This window was probably a simple opening in the wall (see also BDAG 462 s.v. θυρίς).

[20:9]  ¹²³ tn Grk “sinking into a deep sleep.” BDAG 529 s.v. καταφέρω 3 has “ὕπνῳ βαθεῖ sink into a deep sleep…Ac 20:9a.” The participle καταφερόμενος (kataferomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:9]  ¹²⁴ tn The participle διαλεγομένου (dialegomenou) has been taken temporally.

[20:9]  ¹²⁵ tn BDAG 529 s.v. καταφέρω 3 has “κατενεχθεὶς ἀπὸ τοῦ ὔπνου overwhelmed by sleep vs. 9b,” but this expression is less common in contemporary English than phrases like “fast asleep” or “sound asleep.”

[20:10]  ¹²⁶ tn Grk “going down.” The participle καταβάς (katabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:10]  ¹²⁷ tn BDAG 377 s.v. ἐπιπίπτω 1.b has “ἐπέπεσεν αὐτῷ he threw himself upon him Ac 20:10.”

[20:10]  ¹²⁸ tn Grk “on him”; the referent (the young man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:10]  ¹²⁹ tn BDAG 959 s.v. συμπεριλαμβάνω has “to throw one’s arms around, embrace w. acc. to be supplied Ac 20:10.” However, “embraced the young man” might be taken (out of context) to have erotic implications, while “threw his arms around him” would be somewhat redundant since “threw” has been used in the previous phrase.

[20:10]  ¹³⁰ tn Grk “for his life is in him” (an idiom).

[20:11]  ¹³¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:11]  ¹³² tn Grk “going back upstairs.” The participle ἀναβάς (anabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:11]  ¹³³ tn Grk “talking with them.” The participle ὁμιλήσας (Jomilhsas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:12]  ¹³⁴ tn Grk “were not to a moderate degree” (an idiom). L&N 78.11 states: “μετρίως: a moderate degree of some activity or state – ‘moderately, to a moderate extent.’ ἤγαγον δὲ τὸν παῖδα ζῶντα, καὶ παρεκλήθησαν οὐ μετρίωθς ‘they took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted’ Ac 20:12. In Ac 20:12 the phrase οὐ μετρίως, literally ‘not to a moderate degree,’ is equivalent to a strong positive statement, namely, ‘greatly’ or ‘to a great extent.’”

[20:13]  ¹³⁵ tn Grk “going on ahead.” The participle προελθόντες (proelqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:13]  ¹³⁶ 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.”

[20:13]  ¹³⁷ sn Assos was a city of Mysia about 24 mi (40 km) southeast of Troas.

[20:13]  ¹³⁸ tn BDAG 628 s.v. μέλλω 1.c.γ has “denoting an intended action: intend, propose, have in mind…Ac 17:31; 20:3, 7, 13ab; 23:15; 26:2; 27:30.”

[20:13]  ¹³⁹ tn Or “for he told us to do this.” Grk “for having arranged it this way, he.” The participle διατεταγμένος (diatetagmeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. BDAG 237 s.v. διατάσσω 1 has “οὕτως διατεταγμένος ἦν he had arranged it so Ac 20:13.” L&N 15.224 has “‘he told us to do this.”

[20:13]  ¹⁴⁰ tn A new sentence was begun here in the translation because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence; in Greek this is part of the preceding sentence beginning “We went on ahead.”

[20:13]  ¹⁴¹ tn BDAG 628 s.v. μέλλω 1.c.γ has “denoting an intended action: intend, propose, have in mind…Ac 17:31; 20:3, 7, 13ab; 23:15; 26:2; 27:30.”

[20:13]  ¹⁴² tn Or “there on foot.”

[20:14]  ¹⁴³ sn Assos was a city of Mysia about 24 mi (40 km) southeast of Troas.

[20:14]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Grk “taking him aboard, we.” The participle ἀναλαβόντες (analabonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:14]  ¹⁴⁵ sn Mitylene was the most important city on the island of Lesbos in the Aegean Sea. It was about 44 mi (70 km) from Assos.

[20:15]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Grk “setting sail from there.” The participle ἀποπλεύσαντες (apopleusante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:15]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Or “offshore from Chios.”

[20:15]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Or “crossed over to,” “arrived at.” L&N 54.12 has “παραβάλλω: (a technical, nautical term) to sail up to or near – ‘to approach, to arrive at, to sail to.’ παρεβάλομεν εἰς Σάμον ‘we approached Samos’ or ‘we arrived at Samos’ Ac 20:15.”

[20:15]  ¹⁴⁹ sn Samos is an island in the Aegean Sea off the western coast of Asia Minor.

[20:15]  ¹⁵⁰ sn Miletus was a seaport on the western coast of Asia Minor about 40 mi (70 km) south of Ephesus. From Mitylene to Miletus was about 125 mi (200 km).

[20:16]  ¹⁵¹ map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[20:16]  ¹⁵² tn Grk “so that he might not have to spend time.” L&N 67.79 has “ὅπως μὴ γένηται αὐτῷ χρονοτριβῆσαι ἐν τῇ ᾿Ασίᾳ ‘so as not to spend any time in the province of Asia’ Ac 20:16.”

[20:16]  ¹⁵³ 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.

[20:16]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Or “was eager.”

[20:16]  ¹⁵⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[20:16]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Grk “if it could be to him” (an idiom).

[20:17]  ¹⁵⁷ sn Miletus was a seaport on the western coast of Asia Minor about 45 mi (72 km) south of Ephesus.

[20:17]  ¹⁵⁸ tn The words “a message” 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.

[20:17]  ¹⁵⁹ tn The words “to him” are not in the Greek text but are implied. L&N 33.311 has for the verb μετακαλέομαι (metakaleomai) “to summon someone, with considerable insistence and authority – ‘to summon, to tell to come.’”

[20:18]  ¹⁶⁰ 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]  ¹⁶¹ 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]  ¹⁶² tn Grk “Asia”; see the note on this word in v. 16.

[20:19]  ¹⁶³ 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]  ¹⁶⁴ sn These plots are mentioned in Acts 9:24; 20:13.

[20:20]  ¹⁶⁵ tn Or “declaring.”

[20:20]  ¹⁶⁶ 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]  ¹⁶⁷ tn Or “openly.”

[20:21]  ¹⁶⁸ 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]  ¹⁶⁹ 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.

[20:22]  ¹⁷⁰ tn Grk “And now, behold.” Here ἰδού (idou) has not been translated.

[20:22]  ¹⁷¹ tn Grk “bound.”

[20:22]  ¹⁷² sn This journey to Jerusalem suggests a parallel between Paul and Jesus, since the “Jerusalem journey” motif figures so prominently in Luke’s Gospel (9:51-19:44).

[20:22]  ¹⁷³ tn BDAG 965 s.v. συναντάω 2 has τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ συναντήσοντα ἐμοὶ μὴ εἰδώς without knowing what will happen to me there Ac 20:22.”

[20:23]  ¹⁷⁴ tn BDAG 826 s.v. πλήν 1.d has “πλὴν ὅτι except that…Ac 20:23.”

[20:23]  ¹⁷⁵ tn The verb διαμαρτύρομαι (diamarturomai) can mean “warn” (BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 2 has “solemnly urge, exhort, warn…w. dat. of pers. addressed”), and this meaning better fits the context here, although BDAG categorizes Acts 20:23 under the meaning “testify of, bear witness to” (s.v. 1).

[20:23]  ¹⁷⁶ tn The Greek text here reads κατὰ πόλιν (kata polin).

[20:23]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Grk “saying that,” but the participle λέγον (legon) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[20:23]  ¹⁷⁸ tn Grk “bonds.”

[20:23]  ¹⁷⁹ tn Or “troubles,” “suffering.” See Acts 19:21; 21:4, 11.

[20:24]  ¹⁸⁰ tn Grk “soul.”

[20:24]  ¹⁸¹ tn Or “I do not consider my life worth a single word.” According to BDAG 599 s.v. λόγος 1.a.α, “In the textually uncertain pass. Ac 20:24 the text as it stands in N., οὐδενὸς λόγου (v.l. λόγον) ποιοῦμαι τὴν ψυχὴν τιμίαν, may well mean: I do not consider my life worth a single word (cp. λόγου ἄξιον [ἄξιος 1a] and our ‘worth mention’).”

[20:24]  ¹⁸² tn BDAG 1106 s.v. ὡς 9 describes this use as “a final particle, expressing intention/purpose, with a view to, in order to.”

[20:24]  ¹⁸³ tn Grk “course.” See L&N 42.26, “(a figurative extension of meaning of δρόμος ‘race’) a task or function involving continuity, serious, effort, and possibly obligation – ‘task, mission’…Ac 20:24.” On this Pauline theme see also Phil 1:19-26; Col 1:24; 2 Tim 4:6-7.

[20:24]  ¹⁸⁴ tn Or “to the gospel.”

[20:25]  ¹⁸⁵ tn Grk “And now, behold.” Here ἰδού (idou) has not been translated.

[20:25]  ¹⁸⁶ tn Grk “all of you…will not see.” Greek handles its negation somewhat differently from English, and the translation follows English grammatical conventions.

[20:25]  ¹⁸⁷ sn Note how Paul’s usage of the expression proclaiming the kingdom is associated with (and intertwined with) his testifying to the good news of God’s grace in v. 24. For Paul the two concepts were interrelated.

[20:25]  ¹⁸⁸ tn Grk “will see my face” (an idiom for seeing someone in person).

[20:26]  ¹⁸⁹ tn Or “testify.”

[20:26]  ¹⁹⁰ tn Grk “clean, pure,” thus “guiltless” (BDAG 489 s.v. καθαρός 3.a).

[20:26]  ¹⁹¹ tn That is, “that if any of you should be lost, I am not responsible” (an idiom). According to L&N 33.223, the meaning of the phrase “that I am innocent of the blood of all of you” is “that if any of you should be lost, I am not responsible.” However, due to the length of this phrase and its familiarity to many modern English readers, the translation was kept closer to formal equivalence in this case. The word “you” is not in the Greek text, but is implied; Paul is addressing the Ephesian congregation (in the person of its elders) in both v. 25 and 27.

[20:27]  ¹⁹² tn Or “did not avoid.” BDAG 1041 s.v. ὑποστέλλω 2.b has “shrink from, avoid implying fear…οὐ γὰρ ὑπεστειλάμην τοῦ μὴ ἀναγγεῖλαι I did not shrink from proclaiming Ac 20:27”; L&N 13.160 has “to hold oneself back from doing something, with the implication of some fearful concern – ‘to hold back from, to shrink from, to avoid’…‘for I have not held back from announcing to you the whole purpose of God’ Ac 20:27.”

[20:27]  ¹⁹³ tn Or “proclaiming,” “declaring.”

[20:27]  ¹⁹⁴ tn Or “plan.”

[20:28]  ¹⁹⁵ tn Or “Be on your guard for” (cf. v. 29). Paul completed his responsibility to the Ephesians with this warning.

[20:28]  ¹⁹⁶ tn Grk “in which.”

[20:28]  ¹⁹⁷ tn Or “guardians.” BDAG 379-80 s.v. ἐπίσκοπος 2 states, “The term was taken over in Christian communities in ref. to one who served as overseer or supervisor, with special interest in guarding the apostolic tradition…Ac 20:28.” This functional term describes the role of the elders (see v. 17). They were to guard and shepherd the congregation.

[20:28]  ¹⁹⁸ tc The reading “of God” (τοῦ θεοῦ, tou qeou) is found in א B 614 1175 1505 al vg sy; other witnesses have “of the Lord” (τοῦ κυρίου, tou kuriou) here (so Ì⁷⁴ A C* D E Ψ 33 1739 al co), while the majority of the later minuscule mss conflate these two into “of the Lord and God” (τοῦ κυρίου καὶ [τοῦ] θεοῦ, tou kuriou kai [tou] qeou). Although the evidence is evenly balanced between the first two readings, τοῦ θεοῦ is decidedly superior on internal grounds. The final prepositional phrase of this verse, διὰ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ ἰδίου (dia tou {aimato" tou idiou), could be rendered “through his own blood” or “through the blood of his own.” In the latter translation, the object that “own” modifies must be supplied (see tn below for discussion). But this would not be entirely clear to scribes; those who supposed that ἰδίου modified αἵματος would be prone to alter “God” to “Lord” to avoid the inference that God had blood. In a similar way, later scribes would be prone to conflate the two titles, thereby affirming the deity (with the construction τοῦ κυρίου καὶ θεοῦ following the Granville Sharp rule and referring to a single person [see ExSyn 272, 276-77, 290]) and substitutionary atonement of Christ. For these reasons, τοῦ θεοῦ best explains the rise of the other readings and should be considered authentic.

[20:28]  ¹⁹⁹ tn Or “acquired.”

[20:28]  ²⁰⁰ tn Or “with his own blood”; Grk “with the blood of his own.” The genitive construction could be taken in two ways: (1) as an attributive genitive (second attributive position) meaning “his own blood”; or (2) as a possessive genitive, “with the blood of his own.” In this case the referent is the Son, and the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity. See further C. F. DeVine, “The Blood of God,” CBQ 9 (1947): 381-408.

[20:29]  ²⁰¹ tn Grk “after my departure.”

[20:29]  ²⁰² tn That is, people like fierce wolves. See BDAG 167-68 s.v. βαρύς 4 on the term translated “fierce.” The battle that will follow would be a savage one.

[20:30]  ²⁰³ tn Grk “from among yourselves.”

[20:30]  ²⁰⁴ tn The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which only rarely is used in a generic sense to refer to both males and females. Since Paul is speaking to the Ephesian elders at this point and there is nothing in the context to suggest women were included in that group (“from among your own group”), it is most likely Paul was not predicting that these false teachers would include women.

[20:30]  ²⁰⁵ tn Grk “speaking crooked things”; BDAG 237 s.v. διαστρέφω 2 has “λαλεῖν διεστραμμένα teach perversions (of the truth) Ac 20:30.”

[20:31]  ²⁰⁶ tn Or “be watchful.”

[20:31]  ²⁰⁷ tn Or “admonishing.”

[20:32]  ²⁰⁸ tn Or “commend.” BDAG 772 s.v. παρατίθημι 3.b has “τινά τινι entrust someone to the care or protection of someone…Of divine protection παρέθεντο αὐτοὺς τῷ κυρίῳ Ac 14:23; cp. 20:32.”

[20:32]  ²⁰⁹ tn Grk “word.”

[20:32]  ²¹⁰ tn Grk “the message of his grace, which.” The phrase τῷ δυναμένῳ οἰκοδομῆσαι… (tw dunamenw oikodomhsai…) refers to τῷ λόγω (tw logw), not τῆς χάριτος (ths caritos); in English it could refer to either “the message” or “grace,” but in Greek, because of agreement in gender, the referent can only be “the message.” To make this clear, a new sentence was begun in the translation and the referent “the message” was repeated at the beginning of this new sentence.

[20:33]  ²¹¹ tn Traditionally, “coveted.” BDAG 371 s.v. ἐπιθυμέω 1 has “to have a strong desire to do or secure someth., desire, long for w. gen. of the thing desired…silver, gold, clothing Ac 20:33.” The traditional term “covet” is not in common usage and difficult for many modern English readers to understand. The statement affirms Paul’s integrity. He was not doing this for personal financial gain.

[20:34]  ²¹² tn The words “of mine” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to clarify whose hands Paul is referring to.

[20:35]  ²¹³ sn The expression By all these things means “In everything I did.”

[20:35]  ²¹⁴ tn Or “must assist.”

[20:35]  ²¹⁵ tn Or “the sick.” See Eph 4:28.

[20:35]  ²¹⁶ sn The saying is similar to Matt 10:8. Service and generosity should be abundant. Interestingly, these exact words are not found in the gospels. Paul must have known of this saying from some other source.

[20:36]  ²¹⁷ 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.

[20:36]  ²¹⁸ tn Grk “kneeling down…he prayed.” The participle θείς (qeis) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:37]  ²¹⁹ tn Grk “weeping a great deal,” thus “loudly” (BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός and BDAG 546 s.v. κλαυθμός).

[20:37]  ²²⁰ tn Grk “fell on Paul’s neck” (an idiom, see BDAG 1014 s.v. τράχηλος).

[20:37]  ²²¹ sn The Ephesians elders kissed Paul as a sign of both affection and farewell. The entire scene shows how much interrelationship Paul had in his ministry and how much he and the Ephesians meant to each other.

[20:38]  ²²² tn Or “pained.”

[20:38]  ²²³ tn Grk “by the word that he had said.”

[20:38]  ²²⁴ tn Grk “to see his face” (an idiom for seeing someone in person).

[20:38]  ²²⁵ tn BDAG 873 s.v. προπέμπω 1 has “they accompanied him to the ship Ac 20:38.”

[21:1]  ²²⁶ tn Grk “It happened that when.” 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. Since the action described by the participle ἀποσπασθέντας (apospasqenta", “tearing ourselves away”) is prior to the departure of the ship, it has been translated as antecedent action (“after”).

[21:1]  ²²⁷ sn This marks the beginning of another “we” section in Acts. These have been traditionally understood to mean that Luke was in the company of Paul for this part of the journey.

[21:1]  ²²⁸ tn BDAG 120 s.v. ἀποσπάω 2.b has “pass. in mid. sense ἀ. ἀπό τινος tear oneself away Ac 21:1”; LSJ 218 gives several illustrations of this verb meaning “to tear or drag away from.”

[21:1]  ²²⁹ 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.”

[21:1]  ²³⁰ tn BDAG 406 s.v. εὐθυδρομέω has “of a ship run a straight course”; L&N 54.3 has “to sail a straight course, sail straight to.”

[21:1]  ²³¹ sn Cos was an island in the Aegean Sea.

[21:1]  ²³² sn Rhodes was an island off the southwestern coast of Asia Minor.

[21:1]  ²³³ sn Patara was a city in Lycia on the southwestern coast of Asia Minor. The entire journey was about 185 mi (295 km).

[21:2]  ²³⁴ tn Grk “and finding.” The participle εὑρόντες (Jeuronte") 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 in the translation.

[21:2]  ²³⁵ sn Phoenicia was the name of an area along the Mediterranean coast north of Palestine.

[21:2]  ²³⁶ tn Grk “going aboard, we put out to sea.” The participle ἐπιβάντες (epibante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:2]  ²³⁷ 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.”

[21:3]  ²³⁸ sn Cyprus is a large island in the Mediterranean off the south coast of Asia Minor.

[21:3]  ²³⁹ sn The expression left it behind on our port side here means “sailed past to the south of it” since the ship was sailing east.

[21:3]  ²⁴⁰ tn BDAG 531 s.v. κατέρχομαι 2 states, “arrive, put in, nautical t.t. of ships and those who sail in them, who ‘come down’ fr. the ‘high seas’…ἔις τι at someth. a harbor 18:22; 21:3; 27:5.”

[21:3]  ²⁴¹ sn Tyre was a city and seaport on the coast of Phoenicia. From Patara to Tyre was about 400 mi (640 km). It required a large cargo ship over 100 ft (30 m) long, and was a four to five day voyage.

[21:4]  ²⁴² tn BDAG 78 s.v. ἀνευρίσκω has “look/search for (w. finding presupposed) τινά…τοὺς μαθητάς Ac 21:4.” The English verb “locate,” when used in reference to persons, has the implication of both looking for and finding someone. The participle ἀνευρόντες (aneuronte") has been taken temporally.

[21:4]  ²⁴³ tn BDAG 154 s.v. αὐτοῦ states, “deictic adv. designating a position relatively near or far…there…Ac 21:4.”

[21:4]  ²⁴⁴ tn The imperfect verb ἔλεγον (elegon) has been taken iteratively.

[21:4]  ²⁴⁵ sn Although they told this to Paul through the Spirit, it appears Paul had a choice here (see v. 14). Therefore this amounted to a warning: There was risk in going to Jerusalem, so he was urged not to go.

[21:4]  ²⁴⁶ tn BDAG 367 s.v. ἐπιβαίνω places Ac 21:4 under 1, “go up/upon, mount, board…πλοίῳ…Ac 27:2…Abs. go on board, embark…21:1 D, 2. – So perh. also ἐ. εἰς ᾿Ιεροσόλυμα embark for Jerusalem (i.e. to the seaport of Caesarea) vs. 4.” BDAG notes, however, “But this pass. may also belong to 2. to move to an area and be there, set foot in.” Because the message from the disciples to Paul through the Holy Spirit has the character of a warning, the latter meaning has been adopted for this translation.

[21:4]  ²⁴⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[21:5]  ²⁴⁸ tn Grk “It happened that when.” 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.

[21:5]  ²⁴⁹ tn Grk “When our days were over.” L&N 67.71 has “ὅτε δὲ ἐγένετο ἡμᾶς ἐξαρτίσαι τὰς ἡμέρας ‘when we brought that time to an end’ or ‘when our time with them was over’ Ac 21:5.”

[21:5]  ²⁵⁰ tn Grk “accompanying.” Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation and the participle προπεμπόντων (propempontwn) translated as a finite verb.

[21:5]  ²⁵¹ tn Grk “city, 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.

[21:5]  ²⁵² sn On praying in Acts, see 1:14, 24; 2:47; 4:23; 6:6; 10:2; 12:5, 12; 13:3; 16:25.

[21:6]  ²⁵³ tn BDAG 98 s.v. ἀπασπάζομαι has “take leave of, say farewell to τινά someone…ἀπησπασάμεθα ἀλλήλους we said farewell to one another Ac 21:6.”

[21:6]  ²⁵⁴ sn These words are part of v. 5 in the standard critical Greek text.

[21:6]  ²⁵⁵ 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.

[21:6]  ²⁵⁶ tn Grk “to their own”; the word “homes” is implied.

[21:7]  ²⁵⁷ sn Tyre was a city and seaport on the coast of Phoenicia.

[21:7]  ²⁵⁸ sn Ptolemais was a seaport on the coast of Palestine about 30 mi (48 km) south of Tyre.

[21:8]  ²⁵⁹ tn Grk “On the next day leaving, we came.” The participle ἐξελθόντες (exelqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:8]  ²⁶⁰ 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 another 40 mi (65 km).

[21:8]  ²⁶¹ tn Grk “and entering…we stayed.” The participle εἰσελθόντες (eiselqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:8]  ²⁶² sn Philip was one of the seven deacons appointed in the Jerusalem church (Acts 6:1-7).

[21:9]  ²⁶³ tn Grk “virgin.” While the term παρθένος (parqeno") can refer to a woman who has never had sexual relations, the emphasis in this context seems to be on the fact that Philip’s daughters were not married (L&N 9.39).

[21:9]  ²⁶⁴ sn This is best taken as a parenthetical note by the author. Luke again noted women who were gifted in the early church (see Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.31; 3.39).

[21:10]  ²⁶⁵ tn BDAG 848 s.v. πολύς 1.b.α has “ἐπὶ ἡμέρας πλείους for a (large) number of days, for many days…Ac 13:31. – 21:10…24:17; 25:14; 27:20.”

[21:10]  ²⁶⁶ sn Agabus also appeared in Acts 11:28. He was from Jerusalem, so the two churches were still in contact with one another.

[21:11]  ²⁶⁷ tn Grk “And coming.” 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. The participle ἐλθών (elqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:11]  ²⁶⁸ tn Grk “and taking.” 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. The participle ἄρας (aras) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:11]  ²⁶⁹ sn The belt was a band or sash used to keep money as well as to gird up the tunic (BDAG 431 s.v. ζώνη).

[21:11]  ²⁷⁰ tn The participle δήσας (dhsas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:11]  ²⁷¹ tn The words “with it” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[21:11]  ²⁷² tn Grk “and will deliver him over into the hands of” (a Semitic idiom).

[21:12]  ²⁷³ tn Or “the people there.”

[21:13]  ²⁷⁴ tn The term translated “breaking” as used by Josephus (Ant. 10.10.4 [10.207]) means to break something into pieces, but in its only NT use (it is a hapax legomenon) it is used figuratively (BDAG 972 s.v. συνθρύπτω).

[21:13]  ²⁷⁵ tn L&N 18.13 has “to tie objects together – ‘to tie, to tie together, to tie up.’” The verb δέω (dew) is sometimes figurative for imprisonment (L&N 37.114), but it is preferable to translate it literally here in light of v. 11 where Agabus tied himself up with Paul’s belt.

[21:14]  ²⁷⁶ tn The participle πειθομένου (peiqomenou) in this genitive absolute construction has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[21:14]  ²⁷⁷ tn Grk “we became silent, saying.”

[21:14]  ²⁷⁸ sn “The Lord’s will be done.” Since no one knew exactly what would happen, the matter was left in the Lord’s hands.

[21:15]  ²⁷⁹ tn Or “we made preparations.”

[21:15]  ²⁸⁰ tn Grk “were going up”; the imperfect verb ἀνεβαίνομεν (anebainomen) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[21:16]  ²⁸¹ 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.

[21:16]  ²⁸² tn Grk “to Mnason…”; the words “the house of” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by the verb ξενισθῶμεν (xenisqwmen).

[21:16]  ²⁸³ tn Or perhaps, “Mnason of Cyprus, one of the original disciples.” BDAG 137 s.v. ἀρχαῖος 1 has “ἀ. μαθητής a disciple of long standing (perh. original disc.) Ac 21:16.”

[21:17]  ²⁸⁴ tn Or “warmly” (see BDAG 144 s.v. ἀσμένως).

[21:18]  ²⁸⁵ tn BDAG 760 s.v. παραγίνομαι 1 has this use under the broad category of meaning “draw near, come, arrive, be present.”

[21:19]  ²⁸⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:19]  ²⁸⁷ tn Or “to report,” “to describe.” The imperfect verb ἐξηγεῖτο (exhgeito) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[21:19]  ²⁸⁸ 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]  ²⁸⁹ sn Note how Paul credited God with the success of his ministry.

[21:20]  ²⁹⁰ tn Or “glorified.”

[21:20]  ²⁹¹ tn Grk “how many thousands there are among the Jews.”

[21:20]  ²⁹² 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]  ²⁹³ 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]  ²⁹⁴ 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]  ²⁹⁵ 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]  ²⁹⁶ sn That is, not to circumcise their male children. Biblical references to circumcision always refer to male circumcision.

[21:21]  ²⁹⁷ tn Grk “or walk.”

[21:22]  ²⁹⁸ 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]  ²⁹⁹ tn Grk “do this that.”

[21:23]  ³⁰⁰ tn Grk “There are four men here.”

[21:23]  ³⁰¹ 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]  ³⁰² tn On the term for “vow,” see BDAG 416 s.v. εὐχή 2.

[21:24]  ³⁰³ 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]  ³⁰⁴ tn L&N 57.146 has “δαπάνησον ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς ‘pay their expenses’ Ac 21:24.”

[21:24]  ³⁰⁵ 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]  ³⁰⁶ 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]  ³⁰⁷ tn The verb here describes a report or some type of information (BDAG 534 s.v. κατηχέω 1).

[21:24]  ³⁰⁸ 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]  ³⁰⁹ sn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[21:25]  ³¹⁰ 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]  ³¹¹ 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]  ³¹² 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]  ³¹³ 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]  ³¹⁴ 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]  ³¹⁵ tn That is, after he had undergone ritual cleansing. The aorist passive participle ἁγνισθείς (Jagnisqei") has been taken temporally of antecedent action.

[21:26]  ³¹⁶ 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]  ³¹⁷ sn The days of purification refers to the days of ritual cleansing.

[21:26]  ³¹⁸ 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]  ³¹⁹ tn Grk “for each one.”

[21:27]  ³²⁰ 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]  ³²¹ 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]  ³²² tn Grk “in the temple.” See the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[21:27]  ³²³ 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]  ³²⁴ tn Grk “and laid hands on.”

[21:28]  ³²⁵ 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]  ³²⁶ sn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[21:28]  ³²⁷ tn Grk “this place.”

[21:28]  ³²⁸ 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]  ³²⁹ 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]  ³³⁰ tn Or “and has defiled this holy place.”

[21:29]  ³³¹ tn Grk “whom.”

[21:29]  ³³² tn On the phrase “inner temple courts” see the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[21:30]  ³³³ tn On this term see BDAG 545 s.v. κινέω 2.b.

[21:30]  ³³⁴ 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]  ³³⁵ 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]  ³³⁶ tn Grk “out of the temple.” See the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[21:31]  ³³⁷ tn Grk “seeking.”

[21:31]  ³³⁸ tn Or “information” (originally concerning a crime; BDAG 1050 s.v. φάσις).

[21:31]  ³³⁹ 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]  ³⁴⁰ 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]  ³⁴¹ sn A cohort was a Roman military unit of about 600 soldiers, one-tenth of a legion.

[21:31]  ³⁴² tn BDAG 953 s.v. συγχέω has “Pass. w. act.force be in confusion…ὅλη συγχύννεται ᾿Ιερουσαλήμ 21:31.”

[21:32]  ³⁴³ 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]  ³⁴⁴ 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]  ³⁴⁵ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[21:32]  ³⁴⁶ tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:32]  ³⁴⁷ tn Grk “seeing.” The participle ἰδόντες (idonte") has been taken temporally.

[21:32]  ³⁴⁸ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.

[21:32]  ³⁴⁹ 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]  ³⁵⁰ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.

[21:33]  ³⁵¹ tn Grk “seized.”

[21:33]  ³⁵² tn The two chains would be something like handcuffs (BDAG 48 s.v. ἅλυσις and compare Acts 28:20).

[21:33]  ³⁵³ 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]  ³⁵⁴ tn Grk “and what it is”; this has been simplified to “what.”

[21:34]  ³⁵⁵ 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]  ³⁵⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the commanding officer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:34]  ³⁵⁷ 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]  ³⁵⁸ tn Or “find out what had happened”; Grk “the certainty” (BDAG 147 s.v. ἀσφαλής 2).

[21:34]  ³⁵⁹ tn Or “clamor,” “uproar” (BDAG 458 s.v. θόρυβος).

[21:34]  ³⁶⁰ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:34]  ³⁶¹ 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]  ³⁶² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:35]  ³⁶³ 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]  ³⁶⁴ tn This refers to mob violence (BDAG 175 s.v. βία b).

[21:36]  ³⁶⁵ 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]  ³⁶⁶ 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]  ³⁶⁷ 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]  ³⁶⁸ tn Grk “says” (a historical present).

[21:37]  ³⁶⁹ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers) See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.

[21:37]  ³⁷⁰ tn Grk “Is it permitted for me to say” (an idiom).

[21:37]  ³⁷¹ tn Grk “He”; the referent (the officer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:37]  ³⁷² tn Grk “said.”

[21:37]  ³⁷³ 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]  ³⁷⁴ 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]  ³⁷⁵ tn Grk “of the Sicarii.”

[21:38]  ³⁷⁶ tn Or “desert.”

[21:38]  ³⁷⁷ tn Grk “before these days.”

[21:39]  ³⁷⁸ tn Grk “said.”

[21:39]  ³⁷⁹ tn Grk “a Jewish man.”

[21:39]  ³⁸⁰ 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]  ³⁸¹ tn Grk “I beg you.”

[21:40]  ³⁸² tn The referent (the commanding officer) has been supplied here in the translation for clarity.

[21:40]  ³⁸³ 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]  ³⁸⁴ tn Grk “standing.” The participle ἑστώς (Jestws) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:40]  ³⁸⁵ tn Or “motioned.”

[21:40]  ³⁸⁶ 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]  ³⁸⁷ 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]  ³⁸⁸ 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]  ³⁸⁹ 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]  ³⁹⁰ 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]  ³⁹¹ tn ἀκούσαντες (akousante") has been taken temporally.

[22:2]  ³⁹² 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]  ³⁹³ tn Grk “in the Hebrew language.” See the note on “Aramaic” in 21:40.

[22:2]  ³⁹⁴ 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]  ³⁹⁵ tn BDAG 440 s.v. ἡσυχία 2 has “παρέχειν ἡσυχίαν quiet down, give a hearing…Ac 22:2.”

[22:2]  ³⁹⁶ 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]  ³⁹⁷ tn Grk “a Jewish man.”

[22:3]  ³⁹⁸ 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]  ³⁹⁹ 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]  ⁴⁰⁰ tn Grk “strictly at the feet of” (an idiom).

[22:3]  ⁴⁰¹ 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]  ⁴⁰² tn Or “our forefathers.”

[22:3]  ⁴⁰³ tn Grk “ancestors, being.” The participle ὑπάρχων (Juparcwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:3]  ⁴⁰⁴ 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]  ⁴⁰⁵ 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]  ⁴⁰⁶ 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]  ⁴⁰⁷ tn BDAG 442-43 s.v. θάνατος 1.a has “διώκειν ἄχρι θανάτου persecute even to death Ac 22:4.”

[22:4]  ⁴⁰⁸ tn Grk “binding.” See Acts 8:3.

[22:4]  ⁴⁰⁹ 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]  ⁴¹⁰ 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]  ⁴¹¹ 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]  ⁴¹² tn Grk “receiving.” The participle δεξάμενος (dexameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:5]  ⁴¹³ 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]  ⁴¹⁴ 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]  ⁴¹⁵ tn BDAG 221 s.v. δέω 1.b has “δεδεμένον ἄγειν τινά bring someone as prisoner…Ac 9:2, 21; 22:5.”

[22:5]  ⁴¹⁶ tn Grk “I was going…to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem as prisoners that they might be punished.”

[22:6]  ⁴¹⁷ 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]  ⁴¹⁸ tn Grk “going and nearing Damascus.”

[22:6]  ⁴¹⁹ tn BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 3.b has “φῶς a very bright light Ac 22:6.”

[22:6]  ⁴²⁰ tn Or “from the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[22:6]  ⁴²¹ tn Or “shone.”

[22:7]  ⁴²² 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]  ⁴²³ 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]  ⁴²⁴ tn Grk “So I said.”

[22:10]  ⁴²⁵ 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]  ⁴²⁶ tn Grk “about all things.”

[22:10]  ⁴²⁷ 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]  ⁴²⁸ 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]  ⁴²⁹ tn Or “brightness”; Grk “glory.”

[22:11]  ⁴³⁰ tn Grk “by” (ὑπό, Jupo), but this would be too awkward in English following the previous “by.”

[22:12]  ⁴³¹ tn Grk “a certain Ananias.”

[22:12]  ⁴³² sn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[22:12]  ⁴³³ 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]  ⁴³⁴ tn Grk “coming.” The participle ἐλθών (elqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:13]  ⁴³⁵ 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]  ⁴³⁶ 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]  ⁴³⁷ 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]  ⁴³⁸ tn Grk “I looked up to him.”

[22:14]  ⁴³⁹ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[22:14]  ⁴⁴⁰ 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]  ⁴⁴¹ 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]  ⁴⁴² sn The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ (Acts 3:14).

[22:14]  ⁴⁴³ 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]  ⁴⁴⁴ tn Or “a witness to him.”

[22:15]  ⁴⁴⁵ tn Grk “all men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo").

[22:16]  ⁴⁴⁶ 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]  ⁴⁴⁷ 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]  ⁴⁴⁸ sn The expression have your sins washed away means “have your sins purified” (the washing is figurative).

[22:16]  ⁴⁴⁹ 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]  ⁴⁵⁰ 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]  ⁴⁵¹ tn BDAG 309 s.v. ἔκστασις 2 has “γενέσθαι ἐν ἐκστάσει fall into a trance Ac 22:17.”

[22:18]  ⁴⁵² tn Or “Jesus”; Grk “him.” The referent (the Lord, cf. v. 19) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:19]  ⁴⁵³ 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]  ⁴⁵⁴ 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.

[22:20]  ⁴⁵⁵ 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]  ⁴⁵⁶ sn When the blood of your witness Stephen was shed means “when your witness Stephen was murdered.”

[22:20]  ⁴⁵⁷ 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]  ⁴⁵⁸ tn Or “outer garments.”

[22:20]  ⁴⁵⁹ 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]  ⁴⁶⁰ 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]  ⁴⁶¹ tn Grk “They were listening”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:22]  ⁴⁶² tn Grk “until this word.”

[22:22]  ⁴⁶³ tn Grk “And.” To indicate the logical sequence, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” here.

[22:22]  ⁴⁶⁴ tn Grk “and said.”

[22:22]  ⁴⁶⁵ tn Grk “this one.”

[22:22]  ⁴⁶⁶ 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]  ⁴⁶⁷ tn The participle κραυγαζόντων (kraugazontwn) has been translated temporally.

[22:23]  ⁴⁶⁸ tn Or “outer garments.”

[22:23]  ⁴⁶⁹ 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]  ⁴⁷⁰ 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]  ⁴⁷¹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:24]  ⁴⁷² 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]  ⁴⁷³ 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]  ⁴⁷⁴ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:24]  ⁴⁷⁵ 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]  ⁴⁷⁶ tn Grk “they”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:24]  ⁴⁷⁷ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:25]  ⁴⁷⁸ 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]  ⁴⁷⁹ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[22:25]  ⁴⁸⁰ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:25]  ⁴⁸¹ tn Or “a Roman citizen and uncondemned.” BDAG 35 s.v. ἀκατάκριτος has “uncondemned, without due process” for this usage.

[22:26]  ⁴⁸² sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[22:26]  ⁴⁸³ 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]  ⁴⁸⁴ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:26]  ⁴⁸⁵ 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]  ⁴⁸⁶ 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]  ⁴⁸⁷ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:27]  ⁴⁸⁸ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:27]  ⁴⁸⁹ tn Grk “and said to.”

[22:27]  ⁴⁹⁰ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:27]  ⁴⁹¹ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:27]  ⁴⁹² tn Grk “He said.”

[22:28]  ⁴⁹³ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:28]  ⁴⁹⁴ 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]  ⁴⁹⁵ tn BDAG 495-96 s.v. καί 2.b has “intensive: even…Ac 5:39; 22:28.”

[22:28]  ⁴⁹⁶ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:28]  ⁴⁹⁷ tn Grk “Paul said.” This phrase has been placed at the end of the sentence in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[22:29]  ⁴⁹⁸ 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]  ⁴⁹⁹ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:29]  ⁵⁰⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:29]  ⁵⁰¹ 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]  ⁵⁰² tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:29]  ⁵⁰³ 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]  ⁵⁰⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the commanding officer) has been supplied here in the translation for clarity.

[22:30]  ⁵⁰⁵ 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]  ⁵⁰⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:30]  ⁵⁰⁷ tn Grk “the whole Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[22:30]  ⁵⁰⁸ 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]  ⁵⁰⁹ 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]  ⁵¹⁰ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:1]  ⁵¹¹ 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]  ⁵¹² tn Grk “and” (δέ, de); the phrase “at that” has been used in the translation to clarify the cause and effect relationship.

[23:2]  ⁵¹³ tn BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 2.b.α has “οἱ παρεστῶτες αὐτῷ those standing near him Ac 23:2.”

[23:2]  ⁵¹⁴ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:2]  ⁵¹⁵ 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]  ⁵¹⁶ 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]  ⁵¹⁷ 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]  ⁵¹⁸ tn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[23:3]  ⁵¹⁹ tn BDAG 769 s.v. παρανομέω has “παρανομῶν κελεύεις in violation of the law you order Ac 23:3.”

[23:4]  ⁵²⁰ tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[23:4]  ⁵²¹ tn L&N 33.393 has for λοιδορέω (loidorew) “to speak in a highly insulting manner – ‘to slander, to insult strongly, slander, insult.’”

[23:5]  ⁵²² tn Grk “said.”

[23:5]  ⁵²³ tn Or “know.”

[23:5]  ⁵²⁴ 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]  ⁵²⁵ 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]  ⁵²⁶ sn See the note on Sadducees in 4:1.

[23:6]  ⁵²⁷ sn See the note on Pharisee in 5:34.

[23:6]  ⁵²⁸ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:6]  ⁵²⁹ 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]  ⁵³⁰ tn The participle εἰπόντος (eiponto") has been translated temporally.

[23:7]  ⁵³¹ tn Or “a dispute” (BDAG 940 s.v. στάσις 3).

[23:7]  ⁵³² tn Grk “there came about an argument.” This has been simplified to “an argument began”

[23:8]  ⁵³³ 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).

[23:9]  ⁵³⁴ 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]  ⁵³⁵ tn Or “and some scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 4:5.

[23:9]  ⁵³⁶ tn Grk “standing up.” The participle ἀναστάντες (anastante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:9]  ⁵³⁷ 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]  ⁵³⁸ 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]  ⁵³⁹ tn This genitive absolute construction with the participle γινομένης (ginomenhs) has been taken temporally (it could also be translated as causal).

[23:10]  ⁵⁴⁰ 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]  ⁵⁴¹ 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]  ⁵⁴² 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]  ⁵⁴³ tn Or “to go down, grab him out of their midst.”

[23:10]  ⁵⁴⁴ 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]  ⁵⁴⁵ sn The presence of the Lord indicated the vindicating presence and direction of God.

[23:11]  ⁵⁴⁶ 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]  ⁵⁴⁷ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:11]  ⁵⁴⁸ tn Or “Do not be afraid.”

[23:11]  ⁵⁴⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[23:11]  ⁵⁵⁰ 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).

[23:12]  ⁵⁵¹ tn Grk “when it was day.”

[23:12]  ⁵⁵² 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]  ⁵⁵³ 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]  ⁵⁵⁴ 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]  ⁵⁵⁵ 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]  ⁵⁵⁶ 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]  ⁵⁵⁷ 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]  ⁵⁵⁸ tn Grk “going.” The participle προσελθόντες (proselqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:14]  ⁵⁵⁹ 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]  ⁵⁶⁰ 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]  ⁵⁶¹ tn This included both food and drink (γεύομαι [geuomai] is used of water turned to wine in John 2:9).

[23:15]  ⁵⁶² tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:15]  ⁵⁶³ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:15]  ⁵⁶⁴ 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]  ⁵⁶⁵ tn Grk “determine the things about him.”

[23:15]  ⁵⁶⁶ tn The expression “more thorough inquiry” reflects the comparative form of ἀκριβέστερον (akribesteron).

[23:15]  ⁵⁶⁷ 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]  ⁵⁶⁸ tn The words “this place” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[23:16]  ⁵⁶⁹ tn Or “plot” (BDAG 334 s.v. ἐνέδρα).

[23:16]  ⁵⁷⁰ 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]  ⁵⁷¹ 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]  ⁵⁷² 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]  ⁵⁷³ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[23:17]  ⁵⁷⁴ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:18]  ⁵⁷⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the centurion) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:18]  ⁵⁷⁶ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:18]  ⁵⁷⁷ tn Grk “calling.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:19]  ⁵⁷⁸ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:19]  ⁵⁷⁹ 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]  ⁵⁸⁰ tn Grk “He said.”

[23:20]  ⁵⁸¹ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:21]  ⁵⁸² 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]  ⁵⁸³ 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]  ⁵⁸⁴ tn Grk “are lying in wait for him” (BDAG 334 s.v. ἐνεδρεύω); see also v. 16.

[23:21]  ⁵⁸⁵ 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]  ⁵⁸⁶ 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]  ⁵⁸⁷ 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]  ⁵⁸⁸ 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]  ⁵⁸⁹ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:22]  ⁵⁹⁰ 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]  ⁵⁹¹ 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]  ⁵⁹² 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]  ⁵⁹³ 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]  ⁵⁹⁴ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[23:23]  ⁵⁹⁵ 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]  ⁵⁹⁶ tn Or “cavalrymen.”

[23:23]  ⁵⁹⁷ 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]  ⁵⁹⁸ tn Grk “from.”

[23:23]  ⁵⁹⁹ tn Grk “from the third hour of the night.”

[23:24]  ⁶⁰⁰ tn Grk “provide mounts to put Paul on.”

[23:24]  ⁶⁰¹ 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]  ⁶⁰² tn Grk “Felix the procurator.” The official Roman title has been translated as “governor” (BDAG 433 s.v. ἡγεμών 2).

[23:25]  ⁶⁰³ 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]  ⁶⁰⁴ 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]  ⁶⁰⁵ tn Grk “Procurator.” The official Roman title has been translated as “governor” (BDAG 433 s.v. ἡγεμών 2).

[23:26]  ⁶⁰⁶ sn Governor Felix. See the note on Felix in v. 24.

[23:27]  ⁶⁰⁷ 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]  ⁶⁰⁸ 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]  ⁶⁰⁹ tn Or “approached.”

[23:27]  ⁶¹⁰ 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]  ⁶¹¹ tn In Greek this is a present tense retained in indirect discourse.

[23:27]  ⁶¹² tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[23:28]  ⁶¹³ tn Or “determine.”

[23:28]  ⁶¹⁴ 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]  ⁶¹⁵ tn Grk “their Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:29]  ⁶¹⁶ 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]  ⁶¹⁷ 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]  ⁶¹⁸ 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.”

[23:30]  ⁶¹⁹ tn Grk “It being revealed to me.” The participle μηνυθείσης (mhnuqeish") has been taken temporally.

[23:30]  ⁶²⁰ 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]  ⁶²¹ 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]  ⁶²² tn BDAG 237-38 s.v. διατάσσω 2 has “κατὰ τὸ δ. αὐτοῖς in accordance w. their orders…Ac 23:31.”

[23:31]  ⁶²³ tn Grk “taking.” The participle ἀναλαβόντες (analabonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:31]  ⁶²⁴ 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]  ⁶²⁵ tn Grk “letting.” The participle ἐάσαντες (easante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:32]  ⁶²⁶ tn Or “cavalrymen.”

[23:32]  ⁶²⁷ 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]  ⁶²⁸ 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]  ⁶²⁹ 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]  ⁶³⁰ 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]  ⁶³¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the governor) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:34]  ⁶³² tn Grk “having read.” The participle ἀναγνούς (anagnou") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:34]  ⁶³³ 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]  ⁶³⁴ 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]  ⁶³⁵ 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]  ⁶³⁶ tn Grk “and learning.” The participle πυθόμενος (puqomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:34]  ⁶³⁷ sn Cilicia was a province in northeastern Asia Minor.

[23:35]  ⁶³⁸ 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]  ⁶³⁹ 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]  ⁶⁴⁰ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:35]  ⁶⁴¹ 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]  ⁶⁴² sn Ananias was in office from a.d. 47-59.

[24:1]  ⁶⁴³ tn The term refers to a professional advocate (BDAG 905 s.v. ῥήτωρ).

[24:1]  ⁶⁴⁴ tn Grk “an attorney, a certain Tertullus.”

[24:1]  ⁶⁴⁵ 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]  ⁶⁴⁶ tn BDAG 326 s.v. ἐμφανίζω 3 has “ἐ. τινὶ κατά τινος bring formal charges against someone…Ac 24:1; 25:2.”

[24:2]  ⁶⁴⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[24:2]  ⁶⁴⁸ tn Or “began to bring charges, saying.”

[24:2]  ⁶⁴⁹ tn Grk “experienced much peace.”

[24:2]  ⁶⁵⁰ tn Grk “through you” (“rule” is implied).

[24:2]  ⁶⁵¹ 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]  ⁶⁵² tn Or “being made for this people.”

[24:2]  ⁶⁵³ 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]  ⁶⁵⁴ sn Most excellent Felix. See the note on Felix in 23:24.

[24:3]  ⁶⁵⁵ tn Grk “in every way and everywhere.”

[24:3]  ⁶⁵⁶ 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]  ⁶⁵⁷ 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]  ⁶⁵⁸ tn Or “request.”

[24:4]  ⁶⁵⁹ 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]  ⁶⁶⁰ tn BDAG 371 s.v. ἐπιείκεια has “τῇ σῇ ἐ. with your (customary) indulgence Ac 24:4.”

[24:5]  ⁶⁶¹ 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]  ⁶⁶² 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]  ⁶⁶³ 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]  ⁶⁶⁴ tn This term is yet another NT hapax legomenon (BDAG 894 s.v. πρωτοστάτης).

[24:5]  ⁶⁶⁵ sn The sect of the Nazarenes is a designation for followers of Jesus the Nazarene, that is, Christians.

[24:6]  ⁶⁶⁶ 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]  ⁶⁶⁷ tn Or “profane” (BDAG 173 s.v. βεβηλόω). The term was also used of profaning the Sabbath.

[24:6]  ⁶⁶⁸ 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]  ⁶⁶⁹ 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]  ⁶⁷⁰ tn Or “question.”

[24:8]  ⁶⁷¹ 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]  ⁶⁷² 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]  ⁶⁷³ 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]  ⁶⁷⁴ tn Or “asserting” (BDAG 1050 s.v. φάσκω).

[24:10]  ⁶⁷⁵ tn Grk “knowing.” The participle ἐπιστάμενος (epistamenos) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[24:10]  ⁶⁷⁶ sn “Because…defense.” Paul also paid an indirect compliment to the governor, implying that he would be fair in his judgment.

[24:11]  ⁶⁷⁷ 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]  ⁶⁷⁸ tn Grk “it is not more than twelve days from when.” This has been simplified to “not more than twelve days ago.”

[24:11]  ⁶⁷⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[24:12]  ⁶⁸⁰ tn Or “disputing,” “conducting a heated discussion.”

[24:12]  ⁶⁸¹ 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]  ⁶⁸² tn Grk “in the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[24:12]  ⁶⁸³ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[24:12]  ⁶⁸⁴ 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]  ⁶⁸⁵ 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]  ⁶⁸⁶ 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]  ⁶⁸⁷ 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]  ⁶⁸⁸ tn Or “serve.”

[24:14]  ⁶⁸⁹ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[24:14]  ⁶⁹⁰ 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]  ⁶⁹¹ 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]  ⁶⁹² 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]  ⁶⁹³ 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]  ⁶⁹⁴ tn Grk “that they”; the referent (these men, Paul’s accusers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:15]  ⁶⁹⁵ tn Or “the unjust.”

[24:16]  ⁶⁹⁶ 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]  ⁶⁹⁷ 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]  ⁶⁹⁸ tn BDAG 125 s.v. ἀπρόσκοπος 1 has “ἀ. συνείδησις a clear conscience Ac 24:16.”

[24:16]  ⁶⁹⁹ tn Grk “men,” but this is a generic use (Paul does not have only males in view).

[24:17]  ⁷⁰⁰ tn BDAG 401 s.v. ἔτος has “δι᾿ ἐ. πλειόνων after several years 24:17.”

[24:17]  ⁷⁰¹ 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]  ⁷⁰² 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]  ⁷⁰³ 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]  ⁷⁰⁴ tn BDAG 458 s.v. θόρυβος 3.b has “μετὰ θορύβου…with a disturbance Ac 24:18.”

[24:19]  ⁷⁰⁵ 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]  ⁷⁰⁶ 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.’”

[24:20]  ⁷⁰⁷ tn Grk “these [men] themselves.”

[24:20]  ⁷⁰⁸ tn Or “unrighteous act.”

[24:20]  ⁷⁰⁹ 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]  ⁷¹⁰ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[24:21]  ⁷¹¹ 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]  ⁷¹² tn Grk “one utterance.”

[24:21]  ⁷¹³ tn Cf. BDAG 327 s.v. ἐν 1.e, which has “before, in the presence of, etc.”

[24:21]  ⁷¹⁴ sn The resurrection of the dead. Paul’s point was, what crime was there in holding this religious belief?

[24:22]  ⁷¹⁵ sn See the note on Antonius Felix in 23:24.

[24:22]  ⁷¹⁶ tn Grk “the things.”

[24:22]  ⁷¹⁷ tn That is, concerning Christianity.

[24:22]  ⁷¹⁸ 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]  ⁷¹⁹ 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]  ⁷²⁰ 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]  ⁷²¹ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[24:23]  ⁷²² 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]  ⁷²³ 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]  ⁷²⁴ tn Grk “any of his own” (this could also refer to relatives).

[24:23]  ⁷²⁵ tn Grk “from serving him.”

[24:24]  ⁷²⁶ sn See the note on Antonius Felix in 23:24.

[24:24]  ⁷²⁷ 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]  ⁷²⁸ 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]  ⁷²⁹ tn Or “Messiah Jesus”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[24:25]  ⁷³⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:25]  ⁷³¹ tn Or “speaking about.”

[24:25]  ⁷³² 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]  ⁷³³ sn See the note on Felix in 23:26.

[24:25]  ⁷³⁴ tn Grk “becoming.” The participle γενόμενος (genomenos) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[24:25]  ⁷³⁵ 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]  ⁷³⁶ 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]  ⁷³⁷ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:26]  ⁷³⁸ 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]  ⁷³⁹ tn On this term, which could mean “conferred with him,” see BDAG 705 s.v. ὁμιλέω.

[24:27]  ⁷⁴⁰ tn Grk “After a two-year period.”

[24:27]  ⁷⁴¹ 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]  ⁷⁴² tn Grk “Felix received as successor Porcius Festus.”

[24:27]  ⁷⁴³ tn Grk “left Paul imprisoned.”

[25:1]  ⁷⁴⁴ 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]  ⁷⁴⁵ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:1]  ⁷⁴⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[25:1]  ⁷⁴⁷ 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).

[25:2]  ⁷⁴⁸ 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]  ⁷⁴⁹ tn BDAG 326 s.v. ἐμφανίζω 3 has “ἐ. τινὶ κατά τινος bring formal charges against someone…Ac 24:1; 25:2.”

[25:3]  ⁷⁵⁰ 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]  ⁷⁵¹ 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]  ⁷⁵² 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]  ⁷⁵³ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:4]  ⁷⁵⁴ 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]  ⁷⁵⁵ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[25:5]  ⁷⁵⁶ tn Grk “let those who are influential among you” (i.e., the powerful).

[25:5]  ⁷⁵⁷ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[25:5]  ⁷⁵⁸ 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]  ⁷⁵⁹ 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]  ⁷⁶⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Festus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:6]  ⁷⁶¹ tn Grk “Having stayed.” The participle διατρίψας (diatriya") has been taken temporally.

[25:6]  ⁷⁶² 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]  ⁷⁶³ 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]  ⁷⁶⁴ 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.

[25:7]  ⁷⁶⁵ tn BDAG 801 s.v. περιίστημι 1.a has “περιέστησαν αὐτὸν οἱ ᾿Ιουδαῖοι the Judeans stood around him 25:7.”

[25:7]  ⁷⁶⁶ tn Grk “many and serious.” The term βαρύς (barus) refers to weighty or serious charges (BDAG 167 s.v. 1).

[25:7]  ⁷⁶⁷ tn The term ἀποδείκνυμι (apodeiknumi) in a legal context refers to legal proof (4 Macc 1:8; BDAG 108 s.v. 3).

[25:8]  ⁷⁶⁸ 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]  ⁷⁶⁹ tn Grk “I have sinned…in nothing.”

[25:8]  ⁷⁷⁰ tn Grk “against the law of the Jews.” Here τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[25:8]  ⁷⁷¹ tn Or “against the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:9]  ⁷⁷² sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:9]  ⁷⁷³ tn Or “stand trial.”

[25:9]  ⁷⁷⁴ tn Grk “concerning these things.”

[25:10]  ⁷⁷⁵ tn Grk “said.”

[25:10]  ⁷⁷⁶ tn Or “before the emperor’s” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:10]  ⁷⁷⁷ 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]  ⁷⁷⁸ tn That is, tried by an imperial representative and subject to Roman law.

[25:10]  ⁷⁷⁹ sn “I have done nothing wrong.” Here is yet another declaration of total innocence on Paul’s part.

[25:10]  ⁷⁸⁰ 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]  ⁷⁸¹ tn BDAG 20 s.v. ἀδικέω 1.b has “intr. be in the wrong (Ex 2:13) εἰ ἀδικῶ Ac 25:11.”

[25:11]  ⁷⁸² 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]  ⁷⁸³ 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]  ⁷⁸⁴ 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]  ⁷⁸⁵ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:12]  ⁷⁸⁶ tn That is, with his advisers.

[25:12]  ⁷⁸⁷ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:12]  ⁷⁸⁸ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:12]  ⁷⁸⁹ tn Or “to the emperor.”

[25:12]  ⁷⁹⁰ 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]  ⁷⁹¹ 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]  ⁷⁹² 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]  ⁷⁹³ tn BDAG 144 s.v. ἀσπάζομαι 1.b states, “Of official visits pay one’s respects to…Ac 25:13.”

[25:13]  ⁷⁹⁴ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:14]  ⁷⁹⁵ 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]  ⁷⁹⁶ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:14]  ⁷⁹⁷ 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]  ⁷⁹⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[25:15]  ⁷⁹⁹ 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]  ⁸⁰⁰ 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]  ⁸⁰¹ 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]  ⁸⁰² 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]  ⁸⁰³ tn Grk “any man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpos).

[25:16]  ⁸⁰⁴ tn Or “has met his accusers in person.”

[25:16]  ⁸⁰⁵ tn Grk “and receives.”

[25:16]  ⁸⁰⁶ 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]  ⁸⁰⁷ 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]  ⁸⁰⁸ 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]  ⁸⁰⁹ 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]  ⁸¹⁰ 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.

[25:18]  ⁸¹¹ 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]  ⁸¹² tn Or “I was expecting.”

[25:19]  ⁸¹³ 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]  ⁸¹⁴ tn On this term see BDAG 216 s.v. δεισιδαιμονία 2. It is a broad term for religion.

[25:19]  ⁸¹⁵ tn Grk “a certain Jesus.”

[25:19]  ⁸¹⁶ tn Or “asserted.”

[25:20]  ⁸¹⁷ 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]  ⁸¹⁸ 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]  ⁸¹⁹ tn Or “stand trial.”

[25:20]  ⁸²⁰ tn Grk “on these things.”

[25:21]  ⁸²¹ 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]  ⁸²² tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:22]  ⁸²³ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[25:22]  ⁸²⁴ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:22]  ⁸²⁵ tn Grk “said.”

[25:23]  ⁸²⁶ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[25:23]  ⁸²⁷ tn Or “great pageantry” (BDAG 1049 s.v. φαντασία; the term is a NT hapax legomenon).

[25:23]  ⁸²⁸ 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]  ⁸²⁹ 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]  ⁸³⁰ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:23]  ⁸³¹ 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]  ⁸³² sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:24]  ⁸³³ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[25:24]  ⁸³⁴ 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]  ⁸³⁵ tn Or “appealed to” (BDAG 341 s.v. ἐντυγχάνω 1.a).

[25:24]  ⁸³⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[25:24]  ⁸³⁷ sn Here means “here in Caesarea.”

[25:24]  ⁸³⁸ tn Or “screaming.”

[25:25]  ⁸³⁹ 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]  ⁸⁴⁰ tn The participle ἐπικαλεσαμένου (epikalesamenou) has been taken temporally. It could also be translated as causal: “and because he appealed…”

[25:25]  ⁸⁴¹ 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]  ⁸⁴² 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]  ⁸⁴³ sn There is irony here. How can Festus write anything definite about Paul, if he is guilty of nothing.

[25:26]  ⁸⁴⁴ sn To my lord means “to His Majesty the Emperor.”

[25:26]  ⁸⁴⁵ 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]  ⁸⁴⁶ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[25:26]  ⁸⁴⁷ 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]  ⁸⁴⁸ 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.”

[26:1]  ⁸⁴⁹ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:1]  ⁸⁵⁰ tn Grk “It is permitted for you.”

[26:1]  ⁸⁵¹ tn Or “extended his hand” (a speaker’s gesture).

[26:1]  ⁸⁵² tn Or “and began to speak in his own defense.”

[26:2]  ⁸⁵³ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:3]  ⁸⁵⁴ tn BDAG 613 s.v. μάλιστα 1 states, “μ. γνώστην ὄντα σε since you are outstandingly familiar Ac 26:3.”

[26:3]  ⁸⁵⁵ 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]  ⁸⁵⁶ 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]  ⁸⁵⁷ tn Grk “my manner of life.”

[26:4]  ⁸⁵⁸ tn Or “nation.”

[26:4]  ⁸⁵⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[26:5]  ⁸⁶⁰ 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]  ⁸⁶¹ tn Grk “having known me from time past.” The participle προγινώσκοντες (proginwskonte") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[26:5]  ⁸⁶² 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]  ⁸⁶³ 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]  ⁸⁶⁴ sn See the note on Pharisee in 5:34.

[26:6]  ⁸⁶⁵ 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]  ⁸⁶⁶ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[26:7]  ⁸⁶⁷ 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]  ⁸⁶⁸ 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]  ⁸⁶⁹ 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]  ⁸⁷⁰ tn Grk “O King!”

[26:8]  ⁸⁷¹ 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]  ⁸⁷² 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]  ⁸⁷³ 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]  ⁸⁷⁴ tn Grk “if.” The first-class conditional construction, which assumes reality for the sake of argument, has been translated as indirect discourse.

[26:9]  ⁸⁷⁵ 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]  ⁸⁷⁶ 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]  ⁸⁷⁷ tn Grk “by receiving authority.” The participle λαβών (labwn) has been taken instrumentally.

[26:10]  ⁸⁷⁸ 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]  ⁸⁷⁹ 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]  ⁸⁸⁰ 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]  ⁸⁸¹ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[26:11]  ⁸⁸² 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]  ⁸⁸³ 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]  ⁸⁸⁴ tn Or “I pursued them even as far as foreign cities.”

[26:12]  ⁸⁸⁵ 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]  ⁸⁸⁶ tn Grk “going.” The participle πορευόμενος (poreuomenos) has been taken temporally.

[26:12]  ⁸⁸⁷ 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]  ⁸⁸⁸ tn Grk “O King.”

[26:13]  ⁸⁸⁹ tn Or “from the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[26:13]  ⁸⁹⁰ 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]  ⁸⁹¹ tn Grk “in the Hebrew language.” See Acts 22:7 and 9:4.

[26:14]  ⁸⁹² tn Grk “It is hard for you.”

[26:14]  ⁸⁹³ tn “Goads” are pointed sticks used to direct a draft animal (an idiom for stubborn resistance). See BDAG 539-40 s.v. κέντρον 2.

[26:15]  ⁸⁹⁴ tn Grk “said.”

[26:16]  ⁸⁹⁵ tn L&N 30.89 has “‘to choose in advance, to select beforehand, to designate in advance.’”

[26:16]  ⁸⁹⁶ 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]  ⁸⁹⁷ 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]  ⁸⁹⁸ 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]  ⁸⁹⁹ 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]  ⁹⁰⁰ tn That is, from the Jewish people. Grk “the people”; the words “your own” have been supplied to clarify the meaning.

[26:17]  ⁹⁰¹ 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]  ⁹⁰² 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]  ⁹⁰³ 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]  ⁹⁰⁴ tn Or “and an inheritance.”

[26:19]  ⁹⁰⁵ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:19]  ⁹⁰⁶ 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]  ⁹⁰⁷ 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]  ⁹⁰⁸ 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]  ⁹⁰⁹ sn That they should repent and turn to God. This is the shortest summary of Paul’s message that he preached.

[26:20]  ⁹¹⁰ 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]  ⁹¹¹ tn Grk “in the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[26:22]  ⁹¹² 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]  ⁹¹³ 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]  ⁹¹⁴ sn What the prophets and Moses said. Paul argued that his message reflected the hope of the Jewish scriptures.

[26:23]  ⁹¹⁵ 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]  ⁹¹⁶ tn Or “the Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[26:23]  ⁹¹⁷ tn That is, to the Jewish people. Grk “the people”; the word “our” has been supplied to clarify the meaning.

[26:23]  ⁹¹⁸ 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]  ⁹¹⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:24]  ⁹²⁰ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[26:24]  ⁹²¹ 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.”

[26:25]  ⁹²² tn Grk “said.”

[26:25]  ⁹²³ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[26:25]  ⁹²⁴ tn Or “declaring.” BDAG 125 s.v. ἀποφθέγγομαι states, “speak out, declare boldly or loudly…τὶ: σωφροσύνης ῥήματα Ac 26:25.”

[26:25]  ⁹²⁵ 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]  ⁹²⁶ 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]  ⁹²⁷ 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]  ⁹²⁸ 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]  ⁹²⁹ 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]  ⁹³⁰ 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]  ⁹³¹ 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]  ⁹³² sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:28]  ⁹³³ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:28]  ⁹³⁴ 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.

[26:29]  ⁹³⁵ 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]  ⁹³⁶ 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]  ⁹³⁷ tn Grk “they spoke to one another saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[26:31]  ⁹³⁸ tn BDAG 93 s.v. ἄξιος 1.b has “θανάτου ἢ δεσμῶν ἄ. nothing deserving death or imprisonment 23:29; 26:31.”

[26:32]  ⁹³⁹ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:32]  ⁹⁴⁰ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[26:32]  ⁹⁴¹ tn Or “set free.”

[26:32]  ⁹⁴² tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[27:1]  ⁹⁴³ sn The last “we” section in Acts begins here and extends to 28:16 (the previous one ended at 21:18).

[27:1]  ⁹⁴⁴ 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]  ⁹⁴⁵ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:1]  ⁹⁴⁶ 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.

[27:2]  ⁹⁴⁷ 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]  ⁹⁴⁸ sn Adramyttium was a seaport in Mysia on the western coast of Asia Minor.

[27:2]  ⁹⁴⁹ tn Grk “places.”

[27:2]  ⁹⁵⁰ 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]  ⁹⁵¹ 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]  ⁹⁵² sn A Macedonian. The city of Thessalonica (modern Salonica) was in the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[27:2]  ⁹⁵³ map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[27:3]  ⁹⁵⁴ 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]  ⁹⁵⁵ sn Sidon is another seaport 75 mi (120 km) north of Caesarea.

[27:3]  ⁹⁵⁶ tn BDAG 1056 s.v. φιλανθρώπως states, “benevolently, kindly φιλανθρώπως χρῆσθαί (τινι) treat someone in kindly fashion…Ac 27:3.”

[27:3]  ⁹⁵⁷ tn Grk “to go to his friends to be cared for.” The scene is an indication of Christian hospitality.

[27:4]  ⁹⁵⁸ 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]  ⁹⁵⁹ 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]  ⁹⁶⁰ 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]  ⁹⁶¹ 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]  ⁹⁶² 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]  ⁹⁶³ 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]  ⁹⁶⁴ sn Lycia was the name of a peninsula on the southern coast of Asia Minor between Caria and Pamphylia.

[27:6]  ⁹⁶⁵ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:6]  ⁹⁶⁶ tn Grk “finding.” The participle εὑρών (Jeurwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:6]  ⁹⁶⁷ 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]  ⁹⁶⁸ tn The participle βραδυπλοοῦντες (braduploounte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:7]  ⁹⁶⁹ 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]  ⁹⁷⁰ 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]  ⁹⁷¹ 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]  ⁹⁷² 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]  ⁹⁷³ 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]  ⁹⁷⁴ tn Grk “it”; the referent (Crete) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[27:8]  ⁹⁷⁵ sn Lasea was a city on the southern coast of the island of Crete. This was about 60 mi (96 km) farther.

[27:9]  ⁹⁷⁶ tn Or “unsafe” (BDAG 383 s.v. ἐπισφαλής). The term is a NT hapax legomenon.

[27:9]  ⁹⁷⁷ 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]  ⁹⁷⁸ 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]  ⁹⁷⁹ 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.

[27:10]  ⁹⁸⁰ tn Grk “is going to be with disaster.”

[27:10]  ⁹⁸¹ 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]  ⁹⁸² tn Grk “souls” (here, one’s physical life).

[27:11]  ⁹⁸³ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:11]  ⁹⁸⁴ tn Or “persuaded.”

[27:11]  ⁹⁸⁵ 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]  ⁹⁸⁶ tn Grk “than by what was said by Paul.” The passive construction has been converted to an active one to simplify the translation.

[27:12]  ⁹⁸⁷ 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]  ⁹⁸⁸ 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]  ⁹⁸⁹ 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]  ⁹⁹⁰ 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]  ⁹⁹¹ 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]  ⁹⁹² tn Or “a harbor of Crete open to the southwest and northwest.”

[27:13]  ⁹⁹³ tn Grk “thinking.” The participle δόξαντες (doxante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:13]  ⁹⁹⁴ 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]  ⁹⁹⁵ tn Or “departed.”

[27:13]  ⁹⁹⁶ 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]  ⁹⁹⁷ 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]  ⁹⁹⁸ 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]  ⁹⁹⁹ tn Grk “from it”; the referent (the island) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:15]  ¹⁰⁰⁰ 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]  ¹⁰⁰¹ 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]  ¹⁰⁰² 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]  ¹⁰⁰³ 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]  ¹⁰⁰⁴ 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]  ¹⁰⁰⁵ 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]  ¹⁰⁰⁶ tn Grk “After hoisting it up, they…”; the referent (the ship’s crew) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:17]  ¹⁰⁰⁷ tn The participle ἄραντες (arantes) has been taken temporally.

[27:17]  ¹⁰⁰⁸ 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]  ¹⁰⁰⁹ 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]  ¹⁰¹⁰ tn That is, on the sandbars and shallows of the Syrtis.

[27:17]  ¹⁰¹¹ 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]  ¹⁰¹² tn BDAG 980 s.v. σφόδρῶς states, “very much, greatly, violently…σφ. χειμάζεσθαι be violently beaten by a storm Ac 27:18.”

[27:18]  ¹⁰¹³ 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.

[27:19]  ¹⁰¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁰¹⁵ tn Grk “no small storm” = a very great storm.

[27:20]  ¹⁰¹⁶ 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]  ¹⁰¹⁷ 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]  ¹⁰¹⁸ 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]  ¹⁰¹⁹ tn Here τότε (tote) is redundant (pleonastic) according to BDAG 1012-13 s.v. τότε 2; thus it has not been translated.

[27:21]  ¹⁰²⁰ 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]  ¹⁰²¹ 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]  ¹⁰²² 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]  ¹⁰²³ tn The infinitive κερδῆσαι (kerdhsai) has been translated as resultative.

[27:22]  ¹⁰²⁴ tn The same verb is used for Paul’s original recommendation in Ac 27:9.

[27:22]  ¹⁰²⁵ 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.

[27:23]  ¹⁰²⁶ tn Grk “of whom I am.” The relative clause with its possessive was translated following L&N 15.86 s.v. παρίσταμαι.

[27:23]  ¹⁰²⁷ tn Or “worship.”

[27:23]  ¹⁰²⁸ 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]  ¹⁰²⁹ 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]  ¹⁰³⁰ 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]  ¹⁰³¹ tn Or “before the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[27:24]  ¹⁰³² 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.

[27:25]  ¹⁰³³ 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]  ¹⁰³⁴ 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]  ¹⁰³⁵ 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]  ¹⁰³⁶ sn The Adriatic Sea. They were now somewhere between Crete and Malta.

[27:27]  ¹⁰³⁷ 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]  ¹⁰³⁸ 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]  ¹⁰³⁹ 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]  ¹⁰⁴⁰ tn L&N 15.12, “βραχὺ δὲ διαστήσαντες ‘when they had gone a little farther’ Ac 27:28.”

[27:28]  ¹⁰⁴¹ sn Here the depth was about 90 ft (27 m).

[27:29]  ¹⁰⁴² tn Grk “fearing.” The participle φοβούμενοι (foboumenoi) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[27:29]  ¹⁰⁴³ 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]  ¹⁰⁴⁴ 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]  ¹⁰⁴⁵ 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]  ¹⁰⁴⁶ tn Grk “and wished for day to come about.”

[27:30]  ¹⁰⁴⁷ 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]  ¹⁰⁴⁸ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:31]  ¹⁰⁴⁹ sn The pronoun you is plural in Greek.

[27:32]  ¹⁰⁵⁰ 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]  ¹⁰⁵¹ 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]  ¹⁰⁵² 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]  ¹⁰⁵³ 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]  ¹⁰⁵⁴ tn Or “continued.”

[27:33]  ¹⁰⁵⁵ 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]  ¹⁰⁵⁶ 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]  ¹⁰⁵⁷ tn Or “deliverance” (‘salvation’ in a nontheological sense).

[27:35]  ¹⁰⁵⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:35]  ¹⁰⁵⁹ 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]  ¹⁰⁶⁰ tn Or “before them all,” but here this could be misunderstood to indicate a temporal sequence.

[27:35]  ¹⁰⁶¹ 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]  ¹⁰⁶² 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]  ¹⁰⁶³ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[27:38]  ¹⁰⁶⁴ tn Or “When they had eaten their fill.”

[27:38]  ¹⁰⁶⁵ tn Or “grain.”

[27:39]  ¹⁰⁶⁶ tn Or “observed,” “saw.”

[27:39]  ¹⁰⁶⁷ tn Or “gulf” (BDAG 557 s.v. κόλπος 3).

[27:39]  ¹⁰⁶⁸ sn A beach would refer to a smooth sandy beach suitable for landing.

[27:40]  ¹⁰⁶⁹ 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]  ¹⁰⁷⁰ tn The term is used of a ship’s anchor. (BDAG 12 s.v. ἄγκυρα a).

[27:40]  ¹⁰⁷¹ tn Grk “bands”; possibly “ropes.”

[27:40]  ¹⁰⁷² tn Or “rudders.”

[27:40]  ¹⁰⁷³ tn Grk “hoisting…they.” The participle ἐπάραντες (eparante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:40]  ¹⁰⁷⁴ tn Grk “sail”; probably a reference to the foresail.

[27:40]  ¹⁰⁷⁵ 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]  ¹⁰⁷⁶ 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]  ¹⁰⁷⁷ tn Or “violence” (BDAG 175 s.v. βία a).

[27:42]  ¹⁰⁷⁸ 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]  ¹⁰⁷⁹ tn The participle ἐκκολυμβήσας (ekkolumbhsa") has been taken instrumentally.

[27:43]  ¹⁰⁸⁰ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:43]  ¹⁰⁸¹ tn Or “wanting to rescue Paul.”

[27:43]  ¹⁰⁸² tn BDAG 347 s.v. I. ἔξειμι has “ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν get to land Ac 27:43.”

[27:44]  ¹⁰⁸³ 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]  ¹⁰⁸⁴ tn Or “boards” according to BDAG 913 s.v. σανίς.

[27:44]  ¹⁰⁸⁵ tn Grk “on pieces from the ship”; that is, pieces of wreckage from the ship.

[27:44]  ¹⁰⁸⁶ 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]  ¹⁰⁸⁷ 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]  ¹⁰⁸⁸ 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.

[28:2]  ¹⁰⁸⁹ 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]  ¹⁰⁹⁰ tn BDAG 1019 s.v. τυγχάνω 2.d states, “δυνάμεις οὐ τὰς τυχούσας extraordinary miracles Ac 19:11. Cp. 28:2.”

[28:2]  ¹⁰⁹¹ 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]  ¹⁰⁹² tn Or “sticks.”

[28:4]  ¹⁰⁹³ 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]  ¹⁰⁹⁴ tn Grk “his”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:4]  ¹⁰⁹⁵ 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]  ¹⁰⁹⁶ 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]  ¹⁰⁹⁷ tn BDAG 737 s.v. οὖν 4 indicates the particle has an adversative sense here: “but, however.”

[28:5]  ¹⁰⁹⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:5]  ¹⁰⁹⁹ 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]  ¹¹⁰⁰ 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]  ¹¹⁰¹ tn The participle προσδοκώντων (prosdokwntwn) has been taken temporally.

[28:6]  ¹¹⁰² tn The participle θεωρούντων (qewrountwn) has been taken temporally.

[28:6]  ¹¹⁰³ tn Grk “happening.” The participle γινόμενον (ginomenon) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:6]  ¹¹⁰⁴ 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]  ¹¹⁰⁵ 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]  ¹¹⁰⁶ 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]  ¹¹⁰⁷ 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]  ¹¹⁰⁸ 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]  ¹¹⁰⁹ 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]  ¹¹¹⁰ tn The participle ἐπιθείς (epiqeis) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:8]  ¹¹¹¹ sn And healed him. Here are healings like Luke 9:40; 10:30; 13:13; Acts 16:23.

[28:9]  ¹¹¹² tn BDAG 142 s.v. ἀσθένεια 1 states, “ἔχειν ἀ. be ill Ac 28:9.”

[28:9]  ¹¹¹³ sn Many…also came and were healed. Again, here is irony. Paul, though imprisoned, “frees” others of their diseases.

[28:10]  ¹¹¹⁴ tn Or “they also honored us greatly”; Grk “they also honored us with many honors” (an idiom).

[28:10]  ¹¹¹⁵ 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]  ¹¹¹⁶ 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]  ¹¹¹⁷ 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]  ¹¹¹⁸ 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]  ¹¹¹⁹ tn Or “the ‘Twin Gods’”; Grk “the Dioscuri” (a joint name for the pagan deities Castor and Pollux).

[28:11]  ¹¹²⁰ tn Or “as its emblem.”

[28:12]  ¹¹²¹ 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]  ¹¹²² sn Syracuse was a city on the eastern coast of the island of Sicily. It was 75 mi (120 km) from Malta.

[28:13]  ¹¹²³ 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]  ¹¹²⁴ sn Rhegium was a city on the southern tip of Italy. It was 80 mi (130 km) from Syracuse.

[28:13]  ¹¹²⁵ 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]  ¹¹²⁶ 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]  ¹¹²⁷ 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]  ¹¹²⁸ tn Grk “finding.” The participle εὑρόντες (Jeurontes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:14]  ¹¹²⁹ sn That is, some fellow Christians.

[28:14]  ¹¹³⁰ map For location see JP4 A1.

[28:15]  ¹¹³¹ 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]  ¹¹³² 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]  ¹¹³³ sn Three Taverns was a stop on the Appian Way 33 mi (55 km) south of Rome.

[28:15]  ¹¹³⁴ 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]  ¹¹³⁵ tn Or “to stay.”

[28:17]  ¹¹³⁶ 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]  ¹¹³⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:17]  ¹¹³⁸ tn L&N 33.309 has “‘after three days, he called the local Jewish leaders together’ Ac 28:17.”

[28:17]  ¹¹³⁹ tn Grk “Men brothers,” but this is both awkward and unnecessary in English.

[28:17]  ¹¹⁴⁰ tn The participle ποιήσας (poihsas) has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[28:17]  ¹¹⁴¹ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[28:17]  ¹¹⁴² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[28:17]  ¹¹⁴³ tn Grk “into the hands of the Romans,” but this is redundant when παρεδόθην (paredoqhn) has been translated “handed over.”

[28:18]  ¹¹⁴⁴ 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]  ¹¹⁴⁵ 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]  ¹¹⁴⁶ sn They wanted to release me. See Acts 25:23-27.

[28:18]  ¹¹⁴⁷ tn Grk “no basis for death,” but in this context a sentence of death is clearly indicated.

[28:19]  ¹¹⁴⁸ tn That is, objected to my release.

[28:19]  ¹¹⁴⁹ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[28:19]  ¹¹⁵⁰ 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]  ¹¹⁵¹ tn Or “my own nation.”

[28:20]  ¹¹⁵² 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]  ¹¹⁵³ tn Grk “they said to him.”

[28:21]  ¹¹⁵⁴ 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]  ¹¹⁵⁵ 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]  ¹¹⁵⁶ 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]  ¹¹⁵⁷ tn On the term translated “speak against,” see BDAG 89 s.v. ἀντιλέγω 1.

[28:23]  ¹¹⁵⁸ tn Grk “Having set.” The participle ταξάμενοι (taxamenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:23]  ¹¹⁵⁹ tn Grk “Having set a day with him”; the words “to meet” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[28:23]  ¹¹⁶⁰ tn Or “came to him in his rented quarters.”

[28:23]  ¹¹⁶¹ tn BDAG 848 s.v. πολύς 1.b.β.ב states, “(even) more πλείονες in even greater numbers Ac 28:23.”

[28:23]  ¹¹⁶² 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]  ¹¹⁶³ 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]  ¹¹⁶⁴ 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]  ¹¹⁶⁵ 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]  ¹¹⁶⁶ tn Or “persuade.”

[28:24]  ¹¹⁶⁷ tn Or “persuaded.”

[28:24]  ¹¹⁶⁸ tn Grk “by the things spoken.”

[28:24]  ¹¹⁶⁹ 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]  ¹¹⁷⁰ tn The imperfect verb ἀπελύοντο (apeluonto) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[28:25]  ¹¹⁷¹ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[28:26]  ¹¹⁷² tn Grk “you will hear with hearing” (an idiom).

[28:26]  ¹¹⁷³ tn Or “seeing”; Grk “you will look by looking” (an idiom).

[28:27]  ¹¹⁷⁴ tn Or “insensitive.”

[28:27]  ¹¹⁷⁵ tn Grk “they hear heavily with their ears” (an idiom for slow comprehension).

[28:27]  ¹¹⁷⁶ sn Note how the failure to respond to the message of the gospel is seen as a failure to turn.

[28:27]  ¹¹⁷⁷ sn A quotation from Isa 6:9-10.

[28:28]  ¹¹⁷⁸ tn Grk “Therefore let it be known to you.”

[28:28]  ¹¹⁷⁹ tn Or “of God.”

[28:28]  ¹¹⁸⁰ 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]  ¹¹⁸¹ tn Grk “they also.”

[28:29]  ¹¹⁸² 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]  ¹¹⁸³ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:30]  ¹¹⁸⁴ tn Or “stayed.”

[28:30]  ¹¹⁸⁵ 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]  ¹¹⁸⁶ tn Or “and received.”

[28:31]  ¹¹⁸⁷ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[28:31]  ¹¹⁸⁸ tn Or “openness.”

[28:31]  ¹¹⁸⁹ 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.