Acts 2:17

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

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

and your sons and your daughters will prophesy,

and your young men will see visions,

and your old men will dream dreams.

Acts 15:7

15:7 After there had been much debate, ³  Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that some time ago ⁴  God chose ⁵  me to preach to the Gentiles so they would hear the message ⁶  of the gospel ⁷  and believe. ⁸ 

Acts 28:17

Paul Addresses the Jewish Community in Rome

28:17 After three days ⁹  Paul ¹⁰  called the local Jewish leaders ¹¹  together. When they had assembled, he said to them, “Brothers, ¹²  although I had done ¹³  nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, ¹⁴  from Jerusalem ¹⁵  I was handed over as a prisoner to the Romans. ¹⁶ 

Acts 28:23

28:23 They set ¹⁷  a day to meet with him, ¹⁸  and they came to him where he was staying ¹⁹  in even greater numbers. ²⁰  From morning until evening he explained things ²¹  to them, ²²  testifying ²³  about the kingdom of God ²⁴  and trying to convince ²⁵  them about Jesus from both the law of Moses and the prophets.

[2:17]  ¹ sn The phrase in the last days is not quoted from Joel, but represents Peter’s interpretive explanation of the current events as falling “in the last days.”

[2:17]  ² tn Grk “on all flesh.”

[15:7]  ³ tn Or “discussion.” This term is repeated from v. 2.

[15:7]  ⁴ tn Or “long ago” (an idiom, literally “from ancient days”). According to L&N 67.26, “this reference to Peter having been chosen by God sometime before to bring the gospel to the Gentiles can hardly be regarded as a reference to ancient times, though some persons understand this to mean that God’s decision was made at the beginning of time. The usage of ἀφ᾿ ἡμερῶν ἀρχαίων is probably designed to emphasize the established nature of God’s decision for Peter to take the gospel to the Gentiles beginning with the centurion Cornelius. The fact that this was relatively early in the development of the church may also serve to explain the use of the idiom.”

[15:7]  ⁵ sn God chose. The theme of God’s sovereign choice is an important point, because 1st century Jews believed Israel’s unique position and customs were a reflection of God’s choice.

[15:7]  ⁶ tn Or “word.”

[15:7]  ⁷ tn Or “of the good news.”

[15:7]  ⁸ tn Grk “God chose among you from my mouth the Gentiles to hear the message of the gospel and to believe.” The sense of this sentence in Greek is difficult to render in English. The Greek verb ἐκλέγομαι (eklegomai, “choose”) normally takes a person or thing as a direct object; in this verse the verb has neither clearly stated. The translation understands the phrase “from my mouth,” referring to Peter, as a description of both who God chose and the task to be done. This coupled with the following statement about Gentiles hearing the message of the gospel leads to the more dynamic rendering in the translation.

[28:17]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:17]  ⁷ tn L&N 33.309 has “‘after three days, he called the local Jewish leaders together’ Ac 28:17.”

[28:17]  ⁸ tn Grk “Men brothers,” but this is both awkward and unnecessary in English.

[28:17]  ⁹ tn The participle ποιήσας (poihsas) has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[28:17]  ¹⁰ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[28:17]  ¹¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[28:17]  ¹² tn Grk “into the hands of the Romans,” but this is redundant when παρεδόθην (paredoqhn) has been translated “handed over.”

[28:23]  ⁷ tn Grk “Having set.” The participle ταξάμενοι (taxamenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:23]  ⁸ tn Grk “Having set a day with him”; the words “to meet” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[28:23]  ⁹ tn Or “came to him in his rented quarters.”

[28:23]  ¹⁰ tn BDAG 848 s.v. πολύς 1.b.β.ב states, “(even) more πλείονες in even greater numbers Ac 28:23.”

[28:23]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ tn Or “persuade.”