Acts 21:1--28:31

Paul’s Journey to Jerusalem

21:1 After ¹  we ²  tore ourselves away ³  from them, we put out to sea, ⁴  and sailing a straight course, ⁵  we came to Cos, ⁶  on the next day to Rhodes, ⁷  and from there to Patara. ⁸  21:2 We found ⁹  a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, ¹⁰  went aboard, ¹¹  and put out to sea. ¹²  21:3 After we sighted Cyprus ¹³  and left it behind on our port side, ¹⁴  we sailed on to Syria and put in ¹⁵  at Tyre, ¹⁶  because the ship was to unload its cargo there. 21:4 After we located ¹⁷  the disciples, we stayed there ¹⁸  seven days. They repeatedly told ¹⁹  Paul through the Spirit ²⁰  not to set foot ²¹  in Jerusalem. ²²  21:5 When ²³  our time was over, ²⁴  we left and went on our way. All of them, with their wives and children, accompanied ²⁵  us outside of the city. After ²⁶  kneeling down on the beach and praying, ²⁷  21:6 we said farewell ²⁸  to one another. ²⁹  Then ³⁰  we went aboard the ship, and they returned to their own homes. ³¹  21:7 We continued the voyage from Tyre ³²  and arrived at Ptolemais, ³³  and when we had greeted the brothers, we stayed with them for one day. 21:8 On the next day we left ³⁴  and came to Caesarea, ³⁵  and entered ³⁶  the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, ³⁷  and stayed with him. 21:9 (He had four unmarried ³⁸  daughters who prophesied.) ³⁹ 

21:10 While we remained there for a number of days, ⁴⁰  a prophet named Agabus ⁴¹  came down from Judea. 21:11 He came ⁴²  to us, took ⁴³  Paul’s belt, ⁴⁴  tied ⁴⁵  his own hands and feet with it, ⁴⁶  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 ⁴⁷  to the Gentiles.’” 21:12 When we heard this, both we and the local people ⁴⁸  begged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 21:13 Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking ⁴⁹  my heart? For I am ready not only to be tied up, ⁵⁰  but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 21:14 Because he could not be persuaded, ⁵¹  we said no more except, ⁵²  “The Lord’s will be done.” ⁵³ 

21:15 After these days we got ready ⁵⁴  and started up ⁵⁵  to Jerusalem. 21:16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea ⁵⁶  came along with us too, and brought us to the house ⁵⁷  of Mnason of Cyprus, a disciple from the earliest times, ⁵⁸  with whom we were to stay. 21:17 When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers welcomed us gladly. ⁵⁹  21:18 The next day Paul went in with us to see James, and all the elders were there. ⁶⁰  21:19 When Paul ⁶¹  had greeted them, he began to explain ⁶²  in detail ⁶³  what God ⁶⁴  had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 21:20 When they heard this, they praised ⁶⁵  God. Then they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews ⁶⁶  there are who have believed, and they are all ardent observers ⁶⁷  of the law. ⁶⁸  21:21 They have been informed about you – that you teach all the Jews now living ⁶⁹  among the Gentiles to abandon ⁷⁰  Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children ⁷¹  or live ⁷²  according to our customs. 21:22 What then should we do? They will no doubt ⁷³  hear that you have come. 21:23 So do what ⁷⁴  we tell you: We have four men ⁷⁵  who have taken ⁷⁶  a vow; ⁷⁷  21:24 take them and purify ⁷⁸  yourself along with them and pay their expenses, ⁷⁹  so that they may have their heads shaved. ⁸⁰  Then ⁸¹  everyone will know there is nothing in what they have been told ⁸²  about you, but that you yourself live in conformity with ⁸³  the law. ⁸⁴  21:25 But regarding the Gentiles who have believed, we have written a letter, having decided ⁸⁵  that they should avoid ⁸⁶  meat that has been sacrificed to idols ⁸⁷  and blood and what has been strangled ⁸⁸  and sexual immorality.” 21:26 Then Paul took the men the next day, ⁸⁹  and after he had purified himself ⁹⁰  along with them, he went to the temple and gave notice ⁹¹  of the completion of the days of purification, ⁹²  when ⁹³  the sacrifice would be offered for each ⁹⁴  of them. 21:27 When the seven days were almost over, ⁹⁵  the Jews from the province of Asia ⁹⁶  who had seen him in the temple area ⁹⁷  stirred up the whole crowd ⁹⁸  and seized ⁹⁹  him, 21:28 shouting, “Men of Israel, ¹⁰⁰  help! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people, our law, ¹⁰¹  and this sanctuary! ¹⁰²  Furthermore ¹⁰³  he has brought Greeks into the inner courts of the temple ¹⁰⁴  and made this holy place ritually unclean!” ¹⁰⁵  21:29 (For they had seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him previously, and ¹⁰⁶  they assumed Paul had brought him into the inner temple courts.) ¹⁰⁷  21:30 The whole city was stirred up, ¹⁰⁸  and the people rushed together. ¹⁰⁹  They seized ¹¹⁰  Paul and dragged him out of the temple courts, ¹¹¹  and immediately the doors were shut. 21:31 While they were trying ¹¹²  to kill him, a report ¹¹³  was sent up ¹¹⁴  to the commanding officer ¹¹⁵  of the cohort ¹¹⁶  that all Jerusalem was in confusion. ¹¹⁷  21:32 He ¹¹⁸  immediately took ¹¹⁹  soldiers and centurions ¹²⁰  and ran down to the crowd. ¹²¹  When they saw ¹²²  the commanding officer ¹²³  and the soldiers, they stopped beating ¹²⁴  Paul. 21:33 Then the commanding officer ¹²⁵  came up and arrested ¹²⁶  him and ordered him to be tied up with two chains; ¹²⁷  he ¹²⁸  then asked who he was and what ¹²⁹  he had done. 21:34 But some in the crowd shouted one thing, and others something else, ¹³⁰  and when the commanding officer ¹³¹  was unable ¹³²  to find out the truth ¹³³  because of the disturbance, ¹³⁴  he ordered Paul ¹³⁵  to be brought into the barracks. ¹³⁶  21:35 When he came to the steps, Paul ¹³⁷  had to be carried ¹³⁸  by the soldiers because of the violence ¹³⁹  of the mob, 21:36 for a crowd of people ¹⁴⁰  followed them, ¹⁴¹  screaming, “Away with him!” 21:37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, ¹⁴²  he said ¹⁴³  to the commanding officer, ¹⁴⁴  “May I say ¹⁴⁵  something to you?” The officer ¹⁴⁶  replied, ¹⁴⁷  “Do you know Greek? ¹⁴⁸  21:38 Then you’re not that Egyptian who started a rebellion ¹⁴⁹  and led the four thousand men of the ‘Assassins’ ¹⁵⁰  into the wilderness ¹⁵¹  some time ago?” ¹⁵²  21:39 Paul answered, ¹⁵³  “I am a Jew ¹⁵⁴  from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city. ¹⁵⁵  Please ¹⁵⁶  allow me to speak to the people.” 21:40 When the commanding officer ¹⁵⁷  had given him permission, ¹⁵⁸  Paul stood ¹⁵⁹  on the steps and gestured ¹⁶⁰  to the people with his hand. When they had become silent, ¹⁶¹  he addressed ¹⁶²  them in Aramaic, ¹⁶³ 

Paul’s Defense

22:1 “Brothers and fathers, listen to my defense ¹⁶⁴  that I now ¹⁶⁵  make to you.” 22:2 (When they heard ¹⁶⁶  that he was addressing ¹⁶⁷  them in Aramaic, ¹⁶⁸  they became even ¹⁶⁹  quieter.) ¹⁷⁰  Then ¹⁷¹  Paul said, 22:3 “I am a Jew, ¹⁷²  born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up ¹⁷³  in this city, educated with strictness ¹⁷⁴  under ¹⁷⁵  Gamaliel ¹⁷⁶  according to the law of our ancestors, ¹⁷⁷  and was ¹⁷⁸  zealous ¹⁷⁹  for God just as all of you are today. 22:4 I ¹⁸⁰  persecuted this Way ¹⁸¹  even to the point of death, ¹⁸²  tying up ¹⁸³  both men and women and putting ¹⁸⁴  them in prison, 22:5 as both the high priest and the whole council of elders ¹⁸⁵  can testify about me. From them ¹⁸⁶  I also received ¹⁸⁷  letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way ¹⁸⁸  to make arrests there and bring ¹⁸⁹  the prisoners ¹⁹⁰  to Jerusalem ¹⁹¹  to be punished. 22:6 As ¹⁹²  I was en route and near Damascus, ¹⁹³  about noon a very bright ¹⁹⁴  light from heaven ¹⁹⁵  suddenly flashed ¹⁹⁶  around me. 22:7 Then I ¹⁹⁷  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 ¹⁹⁸  the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 22:10 So I asked, ¹⁹⁹  ‘What should I do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Get up ²⁰⁰  and go to Damascus; there you will be told about everything ²⁰¹  that you have been designated ²⁰²  to do.’ 22:11 Since I could not see because of ²⁰³  the brilliance ²⁰⁴  of that light, I came to Damascus led by the hand of ²⁰⁵  those who were with me. 22:12 A man named Ananias, ²⁰⁶  a devout man according to the law, ²⁰⁷  well spoken of by all the Jews who live there, ²⁰⁸  22:13 came ²⁰⁹  to me and stood beside me ²¹⁰  and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight!’ ²¹¹  And at that very moment ²¹²  I looked up and saw him. ²¹³  22:14 Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors ²¹⁴  has already chosen ²¹⁵  you to know his will, to see ²¹⁶  the Righteous One, ²¹⁷  and to hear a command ²¹⁸  from his mouth, 22:15 because you will be his witness ²¹⁹  to all people ²²⁰  of what you have seen and heard. 22:16 And now what are you waiting for? ²²¹  Get up, ²²²  be baptized, and have your sins washed away, ²²³  calling on his name.’ ²²⁴  22:17 When ²²⁵  I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance ²²⁶  22:18 and saw the Lord ²²⁷  saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ 22:19 I replied, ²²⁸  ‘Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat those in the various synagogues ²²⁹  who believed in you. 22:20 And when the blood of your witness ²³⁰  Stephen was shed, ²³¹  I myself was standing nearby, approving, ²³²  and guarding the cloaks ²³³  of those who were killing him.’ ²³⁴  22:21 Then ²³⁵  he said to me, ‘Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

The Roman Commander Questions Paul

22:22 The crowd ²³⁶  was listening to him until he said this. ²³⁷  Then ²³⁸  they raised their voices and shouted, ²³⁹  “Away with this man ²⁴⁰  from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live!” ²⁴¹  22:23 While they were screaming ²⁴²  and throwing off their cloaks ²⁴³  and tossing dust ²⁴⁴  in the air, 22:24 the commanding officer ²⁴⁵  ordered Paul ²⁴⁶  to be brought back into the barracks. ²⁴⁷  He told them ²⁴⁸  to interrogate Paul ²⁴⁹  by beating him with a lash ²⁵⁰  so that he could find out the reason the crowd ²⁵¹  was shouting at Paul ²⁵²  in this way. 22:25 When they had stretched him out for the lash, ²⁵³  Paul said to the centurion ²⁵⁴  standing nearby, “Is it legal for you to lash a man who is a Roman citizen ²⁵⁵  without a proper trial?” ²⁵⁶  22:26 When the centurion ²⁵⁷  heard this, ²⁵⁸  he went to the commanding officer ²⁵⁹  and reported it, ²⁶⁰  saying, “What are you about to do? ²⁶¹  For this man is a Roman citizen.” ²⁶²  22:27 So the commanding officer ²⁶³  came and asked ²⁶⁴  Paul, ²⁶⁵  “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” ²⁶⁶  He replied, ²⁶⁷  “Yes.” 22:28 The commanding officer ²⁶⁸  answered, “I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.” ²⁶⁹  “But I was even ²⁷⁰  born a citizen,” ²⁷¹  Paul replied. ²⁷²  22:29 Then those who were about to interrogate him stayed away ²⁷³  from him, and the commanding officer ²⁷⁴  was frightened when he realized that Paul ²⁷⁵  was ²⁷⁶  a Roman citizen ²⁷⁷  and that he had had him tied up. ²⁷⁸ 

Paul Before the Sanhedrin

22:30 The next day, because the commanding officer ²⁷⁹  wanted to know the true reason ²⁸⁰  Paul ²⁸¹  was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and the whole council ²⁸²  to assemble. He then brought ²⁸³  Paul down and had him stand before them.

23:1 Paul looked directly ²⁸⁴  at the council ²⁸⁵  and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life with a clear conscience ²⁸⁶  before God to this day.” 23:2 At that ²⁸⁷  the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near ²⁸⁸  Paul ²⁸⁹  to strike ²⁹⁰  him on the mouth. 23:3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! ²⁹¹  Do ²⁹²  you sit there judging me according to the law, ²⁹³  and in violation of the law ²⁹⁴  you order me to be struck?” 23:4 Those standing near him ²⁹⁵  said, “Do you dare insult ²⁹⁶  God’s high priest?” 23:5 Paul replied, ²⁹⁷  “I did not realize, ²⁹⁸  brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You must not speak evil about a ruler of your people.’” ²⁹⁹ 

23:6 Then when Paul noticed ³⁰⁰  that part of them were Sadducees ³⁰¹  and the others Pharisees, ³⁰²  he shouted out in the council, ³⁰³  “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection ³⁰⁴  of the dead!” 23:7 When he said this, ³⁰⁵  an argument ³⁰⁶  began ³⁰⁷  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.) ³⁰⁸  23:9 There was a great commotion, ³⁰⁹  and some experts in the law ³¹⁰  from the party of the Pharisees stood up ³¹¹  and protested strongly, ³¹²  “We find nothing wrong ³¹³  with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” 23:10 When the argument became ³¹⁴  so great the commanding officer ³¹⁵  feared that they would tear Paul to pieces, ³¹⁶  he ordered the detachment ³¹⁷  to go down, take him away from them by force, ³¹⁸  and bring him into the barracks. ³¹⁹ 

23:11 The following night the Lord ³²⁰  stood near ³²¹  Paul ³²²  and said, “Have courage, ³²³  for just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, ³²⁴  so you must also testify in Rome.” ³²⁵ 

The Plot to Kill Paul

23:12 When morning came, ³²⁶  the Jews formed ³²⁷  a conspiracy ³²⁸  and bound themselves with an oath ³²⁹  not to eat or drink anything ³³⁰  until they had killed Paul. 23:13 There were more than forty of them who formed this conspiracy. ³³¹  23:14 They ³³²  went ³³³  to the chief priests ³³⁴  and the elders and said, “We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath ³³⁵  not to partake ³³⁶  of anything until we have killed Paul. 23:15 So now you and the council ³³⁷  request the commanding officer ³³⁸  to bring him down to you, as if you were going to determine ³³⁹  his case ³⁴⁰  by conducting a more thorough inquiry. ³⁴¹  We are ready to kill him ³⁴²  before he comes near this place.” ³⁴³ 

23:16 But when the son of Paul’s sister heard about the ambush, ³⁴⁴  he came and entered ³⁴⁵  the barracks ³⁴⁶  and told Paul. 23:17 Paul called ³⁴⁷  one of the centurions ³⁴⁸  and said, “Take this young man to the commanding officer, ³⁴⁹  for he has something to report to him.” 23:18 So the centurion ³⁵⁰  took him and brought him to the commanding officer ³⁵¹  and said, “The prisoner Paul called ³⁵²  me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.” 23:19 The commanding officer ³⁵³  took him by the hand, withdrew privately, and asked, “What is it that you want ³⁵⁴  to report to me?” 23:20 He replied, ³⁵⁵  “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council ³⁵⁶  tomorrow, as if they were going to inquire more thoroughly about him. 23:21 So do not let them persuade you to do this, ³⁵⁷  because more than forty of them ³⁵⁸  are lying in ambush ³⁵⁹  for him. They ³⁶⁰  have bound themselves with an oath ³⁶¹  not to eat or drink anything ³⁶²  until they have killed him, and now they are ready, waiting for you to agree to their request.” ³⁶³  23:22 Then the commanding officer ³⁶⁴  sent the young man away, directing him, ³⁶⁵  “Tell no one that you have reported ³⁶⁶  these things to me.” 23:23 Then ³⁶⁷  he summoned ³⁶⁸  two of the centurions ³⁶⁹  and said, “Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea ³⁷⁰  along with seventy horsemen ³⁷¹  and two hundred spearmen ³⁷²  by ³⁷³  nine o’clock tonight, ³⁷⁴  23:24 and provide mounts for Paul to ride ³⁷⁵  so that he may be brought safely to Felix ³⁷⁶  the governor.” ³⁷⁷  23:25 He wrote ³⁷⁸  a letter that went like this: ³⁷⁹ 

23:26 Claudius Lysias to His Excellency Governor ³⁸⁰  Felix, ³⁸¹  greetings. 23:27 This man was seized ³⁸²  by the Jews and they were about to kill him, ³⁸³  when I came up ³⁸⁴  with the detachment ³⁸⁵  and rescued him, because I had learned that he was ³⁸⁶  a Roman citizen. ³⁸⁷  23:28 Since I wanted to know ³⁸⁸  what charge they were accusing him of, ³⁸⁹  I brought him down to their council. ³⁹⁰  23:29 I found he ³⁹¹  was accused with reference to controversial questions ³⁹²  about their law, but no charge against him deserved death or imprisonment. ³⁹³  23:30 When I was informed ³⁹⁴  there would be a plot ³⁹⁵  against this man, I sent him to you at once, also ordering his accusers to state their charges ³⁹⁶  against him before you.

23:31 So the soldiers, in accordance with their orders, ³⁹⁷  took ³⁹⁸  Paul and brought him to Antipatris ³⁹⁹  during the night. 23:32 The next day they let ⁴⁰⁰  the horsemen ⁴⁰¹  go on with him, and they returned to the barracks. ⁴⁰²  23:33 When the horsemen ⁴⁰³  came to Caesarea ⁴⁰⁴  and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented ⁴⁰⁵  Paul to him. 23:34 When the governor ⁴⁰⁶  had read ⁴⁰⁷  the letter, ⁴⁰⁸  he asked ⁴⁰⁹  what province he was from. ⁴¹⁰  When he learned ⁴¹¹  that he was from Cilicia, ⁴¹²  23:35 he said, “I will give you a hearing ⁴¹³  when your accusers arrive too.” Then ⁴¹⁴  he ordered that Paul ⁴¹⁵  be kept under guard in Herod’s palace. ⁴¹⁶ 

The Accusations Against Paul

24:1 After five days the high priest Ananias ⁴¹⁷  came down with some elders and an attorney ⁴¹⁸  named ⁴¹⁹  Tertullus, and they ⁴²⁰  brought formal charges ⁴²¹  against Paul to the governor. 24:2 When Paul ⁴²²  had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, ⁴²³  saying, “We have experienced a lengthy time ⁴²⁴  of peace through your rule, ⁴²⁵  and reforms ⁴²⁶  are being made in this nation ⁴²⁷  through your foresight. ⁴²⁸  24:3 Most excellent Felix, ⁴²⁹  we acknowledge this everywhere and in every way ⁴³⁰  with all gratitude. ⁴³¹  24:4 But so that I may not delay ⁴³²  you any further, I beg ⁴³³  you to hear us briefly ⁴³⁴  with your customary graciousness. ⁴³⁵  24:5 For we have found ⁴³⁶  this man to be a troublemaker, ⁴³⁷  one who stirs up riots ⁴³⁸  among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader ⁴³⁹  of the sect of the Nazarenes. ⁴⁴⁰  24:6 He ⁴⁴¹  even tried to desecrate ⁴⁴²  the temple, so we arrested ⁴⁴³  him. 24:7 [[EMPTY]] ⁴⁴⁴  24:8 When you examine ⁴⁴⁵  him yourself, you will be able to learn from him ⁴⁴⁶  about all these things we are accusing him of doing.” ⁴⁴⁷  24:9 The Jews also joined in the verbal attack, ⁴⁴⁸  claiming ⁴⁴⁹  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 ⁴⁵⁰  that you have been a judge over this nation for many years, I confidently make my defense. ⁴⁵¹  24:11 As you can verify ⁴⁵²  for yourself, not more than twelve days ago ⁴⁵³  I went up to Jerusalem ⁴⁵⁴  to worship. 24:12 They did not find me arguing ⁴⁵⁵  with anyone or stirring up a crowd ⁴⁵⁶  in the temple courts ⁴⁵⁷  or in the synagogues ⁴⁵⁸  or throughout the city, ⁴⁵⁹  24:13 nor can they prove ⁴⁶⁰  to you the things ⁴⁶¹  they are accusing me of doing. ⁴⁶²  24:14 But I confess this to you, that I worship ⁴⁶³  the God of our ancestors ⁴⁶⁴  according to the Way (which they call a sect), believing everything that is according to the law ⁴⁶⁵  and that is written in the prophets. 24:15 I have ⁴⁶⁶  a hope in God (a hope ⁴⁶⁷  that ⁴⁶⁸  these men ⁴⁶⁹  themselves accept too) that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁷⁰  24:16 This is the reason ⁴⁷¹  I do my best to always ⁴⁷²  have a clear ⁴⁷³  conscience toward God and toward people. ⁴⁷⁴  24:17 After several years ⁴⁷⁵  I came to bring to my people gifts for the poor ⁴⁷⁶  and to present offerings, ⁴⁷⁷  24:18 which I was doing when they found me in the temple, ritually purified, ⁴⁷⁸  without a crowd or a disturbance. ⁴⁷⁹  24:19 But there are some Jews from the province of Asia ⁴⁸⁰  who should be here before you and bring charges, ⁴⁸¹  if they have anything against me. 24:20 Or these men here ⁴⁸²  should tell what crime ⁴⁸³  they found me guilty of ⁴⁸⁴  when I stood before the council, ⁴⁸⁵  24:21 other than ⁴⁸⁶  this one thing ⁴⁸⁷  I shouted out while I stood before ⁴⁸⁸  them: ‘I am on trial before you today concerning the resurrection of the dead.’” ⁴⁸⁹ 

24:22 Then Felix, ⁴⁹⁰  who understood the facts ⁴⁹¹  concerning the Way ⁴⁹²  more accurately, ⁴⁹³  adjourned their hearing, ⁴⁹⁴  saying, “When Lysias the commanding officer comes down, I will decide your case.” ⁴⁹⁵  24:23 He ordered the centurion ⁴⁹⁶  to guard Paul, ⁴⁹⁷  but to let him have some freedom, ⁴⁹⁸  and not to prevent any of his friends ⁴⁹⁹  from meeting his needs. ⁵⁰⁰ 

Paul Speaks Repeatedly to Felix

24:24 Some days later, when Felix ⁵⁰¹  arrived with his wife Drusilla, ⁵⁰²  who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him speak ⁵⁰³  about faith in Christ Jesus. ⁵⁰⁴  24:25 While Paul ⁵⁰⁵  was discussing ⁵⁰⁶  righteousness, self-control, ⁵⁰⁷  and the coming judgment, Felix ⁵⁰⁸  became ⁵⁰⁹  frightened and said, “Go away for now, and when I have an opportunity, ⁵¹⁰  I will send for you.” 24:26 At the same time he was also hoping that Paul would give him money, ⁵¹¹  and for this reason he sent for Paul ⁵¹²  as often as possible ⁵¹³  and talked ⁵¹⁴  with him. 24:27 After two years ⁵¹⁵  had passed, Porcius Festus ⁵¹⁶  succeeded Felix, ⁵¹⁷  and because he wanted to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison. ⁵¹⁸ 

Paul Appeals to Caesar

25:1 Now ⁵¹⁹  three days after Festus ⁵²⁰  arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem ⁵²¹  from Caesarea. ⁵²²  25:2 So the chief priests and the most prominent men ⁵²³  of the Jews brought formal charges ⁵²⁴  against Paul to him. 25:3 Requesting him to do them a favor against Paul, ⁵²⁵  they urged Festus ⁵²⁶  to summon him to Jerusalem, planning an ambush ⁵²⁷  to kill him along the way. 25:4 Then Festus ⁵²⁸  replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea, ⁵²⁹  and he himself intended to go there ⁵³⁰  shortly. 25:5 “So,” he said, “let your leaders ⁵³¹  go down there ⁵³²  with me, and if this man has done anything wrong, ⁵³³  they may bring charges ⁵³⁴  against him.”

25:6 After Festus ⁵³⁵  had stayed ⁵³⁶  not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea, ⁵³⁷  and the next day he sat ⁵³⁸  on the judgment seat ⁵³⁹  and ordered Paul to be brought. 25:7 When he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, ⁵⁴⁰  bringing many serious ⁵⁴¹  charges that they were not able to prove. ⁵⁴²  25:8 Paul said in his defense, ⁵⁴³  “I have committed no offense ⁵⁴⁴  against the Jewish law ⁵⁴⁵  or against the temple or against Caesar.” ⁵⁴⁶  25:9 But Festus, ⁵⁴⁷  wanting to do the Jews a favor, asked Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and be tried ⁵⁴⁸  before me there on these charges?” ⁵⁴⁹  25:10 Paul replied, ⁵⁵⁰  “I am standing before Caesar’s ⁵⁵¹  judgment seat, ⁵⁵²  where I should be tried. ⁵⁵³  I have done nothing wrong ⁵⁵⁴  to the Jews, as you also know very well. ⁵⁵⁵  25:11 If then I am in the wrong ⁵⁵⁶  and have done anything that deserves death, I am not trying to escape dying, ⁵⁵⁷  but if not one of their charges against me is true, ⁵⁵⁸  no one can hand me over to them. ⁵⁵⁹  I appeal to Caesar!” ⁵⁶⁰  25:12 Then, after conferring with his council, ⁵⁶¹  Festus ⁵⁶²  replied, “You have appealed to Caesar; ⁵⁶³  to Caesar ⁵⁶⁴  you will go!” ⁵⁶⁵ 

Festus Asks King Agrippa for Advice

25:13 After several days had passed, King Agrippa ⁵⁶⁶  and Bernice arrived at Caesarea ⁵⁶⁷  to pay their respects ⁵⁶⁸  to Festus. ⁵⁶⁹  25:14 While ⁵⁷⁰  they were staying there many days, Festus ⁵⁷¹  explained Paul’s case to the king to get his opinion, ⁵⁷²  saying, “There is a man left here as a prisoner by Felix. 25:15 When I was in Jerusalem, ⁵⁷³  the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed ⁵⁷⁴  me about him, ⁵⁷⁵  asking for a sentence of condemnation ⁵⁷⁶  against him. 25:16 I answered them ⁵⁷⁷  that it was not the custom of the Romans to hand over anyone ⁵⁷⁸  before the accused had met his accusers face to face ⁵⁷⁹  and had been given ⁵⁸⁰  an opportunity to make a defense against the accusation. ⁵⁸¹  25:17 So after they came back here with me, ⁵⁸²  I did not postpone the case, ⁵⁸³  but the next day I sat ⁵⁸⁴  on the judgment seat ⁵⁸⁵  and ordered the man to be brought. 25:18 When his accusers stood up, they did not charge ⁵⁸⁶  him with any of the evil deeds I had suspected. ⁵⁸⁷  25:19 Rather they had several points of disagreement ⁵⁸⁸  with him about their own religion ⁵⁸⁹  and about a man named Jesus ⁵⁹⁰  who was dead, whom Paul claimed ⁵⁹¹  to be alive. 25:20 Because I was at a loss ⁵⁹²  how I could investigate these matters, ⁵⁹³  I asked if he were willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried ⁵⁹⁴  there on these charges. ⁵⁹⁵  25:21 But when Paul appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of His Majesty the Emperor, ⁵⁹⁶  I ordered him to be kept under guard until I could send him to Caesar.” ⁵⁹⁷  25:22 Agrippa ⁵⁹⁸  said to Festus, ⁵⁹⁹  “I would also like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he replied, ⁶⁰⁰  “you will hear him.”

Paul Before King Agrippa and Bernice

25:23 So the next day Agrippa ⁶⁰¹  and Bernice came with great pomp ⁶⁰²  and entered the audience hall, ⁶⁰³  along with the senior military officers ⁶⁰⁴  and the prominent men of the city. When Festus ⁶⁰⁵  gave the order, ⁶⁰⁶  Paul was brought in. 25:24 Then Festus ⁶⁰⁷  said, “King Agrippa, ⁶⁰⁸  and all you who are present here with us, you see this man about whom the entire Jewish populace ⁶⁰⁹  petitioned ⁶¹⁰  me both in Jerusalem ⁶¹¹  and here, ⁶¹²  shouting loudly ⁶¹³  that he ought not to live any longer. 25:25 But I found that he had done nothing that deserved death, ⁶¹⁴  and when he appealed ⁶¹⁵  to His Majesty the Emperor, ⁶¹⁶  I decided to send him. ⁶¹⁷  25:26 But I have nothing definite ⁶¹⁸  to write to my lord ⁶¹⁹  about him. ⁶²⁰  Therefore I have brought him before you all, and especially before you, King Agrippa, ⁶²¹  so that after this preliminary hearing ⁶²²  I may have something to write. 25:27 For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without clearly indicating ⁶²³  the charges against him.”

Paul Offers His Defense

26:1 So Agrippa ⁶²⁴  said to Paul, “You have permission ⁶²⁵  to speak for yourself.” Then Paul held out his hand ⁶²⁶  and began his defense: ⁶²⁷ 

26:2 “Regarding all the things I have been accused of by the Jews, King Agrippa, ⁶²⁸  I consider myself fortunate that I am about to make my defense before you today, 26:3 because you are especially ⁶²⁹  familiar with all the customs and controversial issues ⁶³⁰  of the Jews. Therefore I ask ⁶³¹  you to listen to me patiently. 26:4 Now all the Jews know the way I lived ⁶³²  from my youth, spending my life from the beginning among my own people ⁶³³  and in Jerusalem. ⁶³⁴  26:5 They know, ⁶³⁵  because they have known ⁶³⁶  me from time past, ⁶³⁷  if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party ⁶³⁸  of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee. ⁶³⁹  26:6 And now I stand here on trial ⁶⁴⁰  because of my hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors, ⁶⁴¹  26:7 a promise ⁶⁴²  that our twelve tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve God ⁶⁴³  night and day. Concerning this hope the Jews are accusing me, ⁶⁴⁴  Your Majesty! ⁶⁴⁵  26:8 Why do you people ⁶⁴⁶  think ⁶⁴⁷  it is unbelievable ⁶⁴⁸  that ⁶⁴⁹  God raises the dead? 26:9 Of course, ⁶⁵⁰  I myself was convinced ⁶⁵¹  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 ⁶⁵²  from the chief priests, but I also cast my vote ⁶⁵³  against them when they were sentenced to death. ⁶⁵⁴  26:11 I punished ⁶⁵⁵  them often in all the synagogues ⁶⁵⁶  and tried to force ⁶⁵⁷  them to blaspheme. Because I was so furiously enraged ⁶⁵⁸  at them, I went to persecute ⁶⁵⁹  them even in foreign cities.

26:12 “While doing this very thing, ⁶⁶⁰  as I was going ⁶⁶¹  to Damascus with authority and complete power ⁶⁶²  from the chief priests, 26:13 about noon along the road, Your Majesty, ⁶⁶³  I saw a light from heaven, ⁶⁶⁴  brighter than the sun, shining everywhere around ⁶⁶⁵  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, ⁶⁶⁶  ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? You are hurting yourself ⁶⁶⁷  by kicking against the goads.’ ⁶⁶⁸  26:15 So I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord replied, ⁶⁶⁹  ‘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 ⁶⁷⁰  as a servant and witness ⁶⁷¹  to the things ⁶⁷²  you have seen ⁶⁷³  and to the things in which I will appear to you. 26:17 I will rescue ⁶⁷⁴  you from your own people ⁶⁷⁵  and from the Gentiles, to whom ⁶⁷⁶  I am sending you 26:18 to open their eyes so that they turn ⁶⁷⁷  from darkness to light and from the power ⁶⁷⁸  of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share ⁶⁷⁹  among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

26:19 “Therefore, King Agrippa, ⁶⁸⁰  I was not disobedient ⁶⁸¹  to the heavenly ⁶⁸²  vision, 26:20 but I declared to those in Damascus first, and then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, ⁶⁸³  and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, ⁶⁸⁴  performing deeds consistent with ⁶⁸⁵  repentance. 26:21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple courts ⁶⁸⁶  and were trying to kill me. 26:22 I have experienced ⁶⁸⁷  help from God to this day, and so I stand testifying to both small and great, saying nothing except ⁶⁸⁸  what the prophets and Moses said ⁶⁸⁹  was going to happen: 26:23 that ⁶⁹⁰  the Christ ⁶⁹¹  was to suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, to proclaim light both to our people ⁶⁹²  and to the Gentiles.” ⁶⁹³ 

26:24 As Paul ⁶⁹⁴  was saying these things in his defense, Festus ⁶⁹⁵  exclaimed loudly, “You have lost your mind, ⁶⁹⁶  Paul! Your great learning is driving you insane!” 26:25 But Paul replied, ⁶⁹⁷  “I have not lost my mind, most excellent Festus, ⁶⁹⁸  but am speaking ⁶⁹⁹  true and rational ⁷⁰⁰  words. 26:26 For the king knows about these things, and I am speaking freely ⁷⁰¹  to him, ⁷⁰²  because I cannot believe ⁷⁰³  that any of these things has escaped his notice, ⁷⁰⁴  for this was not done in a corner. ⁷⁰⁵  26:27 Do you believe the prophets, ⁷⁰⁶  King Agrippa? ⁷⁰⁷  I know that you believe.” 26:28 Agrippa ⁷⁰⁸  said to Paul, “In such a short time are you persuading me to become a Christian?” ⁷⁰⁹  26:29 Paul replied, “I pray to God that whether in a short or a long time ⁷¹⁰  not only you but also all those who are listening to me today could become such as I am, except for these chains.” ⁷¹¹ 

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, ⁷¹²  “This man is not doing anything deserving ⁷¹³  death or imprisonment.” 26:32 Agrippa ⁷¹⁴  said to Festus, ⁷¹⁵  “This man could have been released ⁷¹⁶  if he had not appealed to Caesar.” ⁷¹⁷ 

Paul and Company Sail for Rome

27:1 When it was decided we ⁷¹⁸  would sail to Italy, ⁷¹⁹  they handed over Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion ⁷²⁰  of the Augustan Cohort ⁷²¹  named Julius. 27:2 We went on board ⁷²²  a ship from Adramyttium ⁷²³  that was about to sail to various ports ⁷²⁴  along the coast of the province of Asia ⁷²⁵  and put out to sea, ⁷²⁶  accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian ⁷²⁷  from Thessalonica. ⁷²⁸  27:3 The next day we put in ⁷²⁹  at Sidon, ⁷³⁰  and Julius, treating Paul kindly, ⁷³¹  allowed him to go to his friends so they could provide him with what he needed. ⁷³²  27:4 From there we put out to sea ⁷³³  and sailed under the lee ⁷³⁴  of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 27:5 After we had sailed across the open sea ⁷³⁵  off Cilicia and Pamphylia, ⁷³⁶  we put in ⁷³⁷  at Myra ⁷³⁸  in Lycia. ⁷³⁹  27:6 There the centurion ⁷⁴⁰  found ⁷⁴¹  a ship from Alexandria ⁷⁴²  sailing for Italy, and he put us aboard it. 27:7 We sailed slowly ⁷⁴³  for many days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus. ⁷⁴⁴  Because the wind prevented us from going any farther, ⁷⁴⁵  we sailed under the lee ⁷⁴⁶  of Crete off Salmone. ⁷⁴⁷  27:8 With difficulty we sailed along the coast ⁷⁴⁸  of Crete ⁷⁴⁹  and came to a place called Fair Havens that was near the town of Lasea. ⁷⁵⁰ 

Caught in a Violent Storm

27:9 Since considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous ⁷⁵¹  because the fast ⁷⁵²  was already over, ⁷⁵³  Paul advised them, ⁷⁵⁴  27:10 “Men, I can see the voyage is going to end ⁷⁵⁵  in disaster ⁷⁵⁶  and great loss not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” ⁷⁵⁷  27:11 But the centurion ⁷⁵⁸  was more convinced ⁷⁵⁹  by the captain ⁷⁶⁰  and the ship’s owner than by what Paul said. ⁷⁶¹  27:12 Because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided ⁷⁶²  to put out to sea ⁷⁶³  from there. They hoped that ⁷⁶⁴  somehow they could reach ⁷⁶⁵  Phoenix, ⁷⁶⁶  a harbor of Crete facing ⁷⁶⁷  southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. 27:13 When a gentle south wind sprang up, they thought ⁷⁶⁸  they could carry out ⁷⁶⁹  their purpose, so they weighed anchor ⁷⁷⁰  and sailed close along the coast ⁷⁷¹  of Crete. 27:14 Not long after this, a hurricane-force ⁷⁷²  wind called the northeaster ⁷⁷³  blew down from the island. ⁷⁷⁴  27:15 When the ship was caught in it ⁷⁷⁵  and could not head into ⁷⁷⁶  the wind, we gave way to it and were driven ⁷⁷⁷  along. 27:16 As we ran under the lee of ⁷⁷⁸  a small island called Cauda, ⁷⁷⁹  we were able with difficulty to get the ship’s boat ⁷⁸⁰  under control. 27:17 After the crew ⁷⁸¹  had hoisted it aboard, ⁷⁸²  they used supports ⁷⁸³  to undergird the ship. Fearing they would run aground ⁷⁸⁴  on the Syrtis, ⁷⁸⁵  they lowered the sea anchor, ⁷⁸⁶  thus letting themselves be driven along. 27:18 The next day, because we were violently battered by the storm, ⁷⁸⁷  they began throwing the cargo overboard, ⁷⁸⁸  27:19 and on the third day they threw the ship’s gear ⁷⁸⁹  overboard with their own hands. 27:20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and a violent ⁷⁹⁰  storm continued to batter us, ⁷⁹¹  we finally abandoned all hope of being saved. ⁷⁹² 

27:21 Since many of them had no desire to eat, ⁷⁹³  Paul ⁷⁹⁴  stood up ⁷⁹⁵  among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me ⁷⁹⁶  and not put out to sea ⁷⁹⁷  from Crete, thus avoiding ⁷⁹⁸  this damage and loss. 27:22 And now I advise ⁷⁹⁹  you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only the ship will be lost. ⁸⁰⁰  27:23 For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong ⁸⁰¹  and whom I serve ⁸⁰²  came to me ⁸⁰³  27:24 and said, ⁸⁰⁴  ‘Do not be afraid, Paul! You must stand before ⁸⁰⁵  Caesar, ⁸⁰⁶  and God has graciously granted you the safety ⁸⁰⁷  of all who are sailing with you.’ 27:25 Therefore keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God ⁸⁰⁸  that it will be just as I have been told. 27:26 But we must ⁸⁰⁹  run aground on some island.”

27:27 When the fourteenth night had come, while we were being driven ⁸¹⁰  across the Adriatic Sea, ⁸¹¹  about midnight the sailors suspected they were approaching some land. ⁸¹²  27:28 They took soundings ⁸¹³  and found the water was twenty fathoms ⁸¹⁴  deep; when they had sailed a little farther ⁸¹⁵  they took soundings again and found it was fifteen fathoms ⁸¹⁶  deep. 27:29 Because they were afraid ⁸¹⁷  that we would run aground on the rocky coast, ⁸¹⁸  they threw out ⁸¹⁹  four anchors from the stern and wished ⁸²⁰  for day to appear. ⁸²¹  27:30 Then when the sailors tried to escape from the ship and were lowering the ship’s boat into the sea, pretending ⁸²²  that they were going to put out anchors from the bow, 27:31 Paul said to the centurion ⁸²³  and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you ⁸²⁴  cannot be saved.” 27:32 Then the soldiers cut the ropes ⁸²⁵  of the ship’s boat and let it drift away. ⁸²⁶ 

27:33 As day was about to dawn, ⁸²⁷  Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day you have been in suspense ⁸²⁸  and have gone ⁸²⁹  without food; you have eaten nothing. ⁸³⁰  27:34 Therefore I urge you to take some food, for this is important ⁸³¹  for your survival. ⁸³²  For not one of you will lose a hair from his head.” 27:35 After he said this, Paul ⁸³³  took bread ⁸³⁴  and gave thanks to God in front of them all, ⁸³⁵  broke ⁸³⁶  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 ⁸³⁷  persons on the ship.) ⁸³⁸  27:38 When they had eaten enough to be satisfied, ⁸³⁹  they lightened the ship by throwing the wheat ⁸⁴⁰  into the sea.

Paul is Shipwrecked

27:39 When day came, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed ⁸⁴¹  a bay ⁸⁴²  with a beach, ⁸⁴³  where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. 27:40 So they slipped ⁸⁴⁴  the anchors ⁸⁴⁵  and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the linkage ⁸⁴⁶  that bound the steering oars ⁸⁴⁷  together. Then they hoisted ⁸⁴⁸  the foresail ⁸⁴⁹  to the wind and steered toward ⁸⁵⁰  the beach. 27:41 But they encountered a patch of crosscurrents ⁸⁵¹  and ran the ship aground; the bow stuck fast and could not be moved, but the stern was being broken up by the force ⁸⁵²  of the waves. 27:42 Now the soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners ⁸⁵³  so that none of them would escape by swimming away. ⁸⁵⁴  27:43 But the centurion, ⁸⁵⁵  wanting to save Paul’s life, ⁸⁵⁶  prevented them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land, ⁸⁵⁷  27:44 and the rest were to follow, ⁸⁵⁸  some on planks ⁸⁵⁹  and some on pieces of the ship. ⁸⁶⁰  And in this way ⁸⁶¹  all were brought safely to land.

Paul on Malta

28:1 After we had safely reached shore, ⁸⁶²  we learned that the island was called Malta. ⁸⁶³  28:2 The local inhabitants ⁸⁶⁴  showed us extraordinary ⁸⁶⁵  kindness, for they built a fire and welcomed us all because it had started to rain ⁸⁶⁶  and was cold. 28:3 When Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood ⁸⁶⁷  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 ⁸⁶⁸  saw the creature hanging from Paul’s ⁸⁶⁹  hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer! Although he has escaped from the sea, Justice herself ⁸⁷⁰  has not allowed him to live!” ⁸⁷¹  28:5 However, ⁸⁷²  Paul ⁸⁷³  shook ⁸⁷⁴  the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm. 28:6 But they were expecting that he was going to swell up ⁸⁷⁵  or suddenly drop dead. So after they had waited ⁸⁷⁶  a long time and had seen ⁸⁷⁷  nothing unusual happen ⁸⁷⁸  to him, they changed their minds ⁸⁷⁹  and said he was a god. ⁸⁸⁰ 

28:7 Now in the region around that place ⁸⁸¹  were fields belonging to the chief official ⁸⁸²  of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us hospitably as guests for three days. 28:8 The father ⁸⁸³  of Publius lay sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him ⁸⁸⁴  and after praying, placed ⁸⁸⁵  his hands on him and healed ⁸⁸⁶  him. 28:9 After this had happened, many of the people on the island who were sick ⁸⁸⁷  also came and were healed. ⁸⁸⁸  28:10 They also bestowed many honors, ⁸⁸⁹  and when we were preparing to sail, ⁸⁹⁰  they gave ⁸⁹¹  us all the supplies we needed. ⁸⁹² 

Paul Finally Reaches Rome

28:11 After three months we put out to sea ⁸⁹³  in an Alexandrian ship that had wintered at the island and had the “Heavenly Twins” ⁸⁹⁴  as its figurehead. ⁸⁹⁵  28:12 We put in ⁸⁹⁶  at Syracuse ⁸⁹⁷  and stayed there three days. 28:13 From there we cast off ⁸⁹⁸  and arrived at Rhegium, ⁸⁹⁹  and after one day a south wind sprang up ⁹⁰⁰  and on the second day we came to Puteoli. ⁹⁰¹  28:14 There ⁹⁰²  we found ⁹⁰³  some brothers ⁹⁰⁴  and were invited to stay with them seven days. And in this way we came to Rome. ⁹⁰⁵  28:15 The brothers from there, ⁹⁰⁶  when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius ⁹⁰⁷  and Three Taverns ⁹⁰⁸  to meet us. When he saw them, ⁹⁰⁹  Paul thanked God and took courage. 28:16 When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live ⁹¹⁰  by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.

Paul Addresses the Jewish Community in Rome

28:17 After three days ⁹¹¹  Paul ⁹¹²  called the local Jewish leaders ⁹¹³  together. When they had assembled, he said to them, “Brothers, ⁹¹⁴  although I had done ⁹¹⁵  nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, ⁹¹⁶  from Jerusalem ⁹¹⁷  I was handed over as a prisoner to the Romans. ⁹¹⁸  28:18 When ⁹¹⁹  they had heard my case, ⁹²⁰  they wanted to release me, ⁹²¹  because there was no basis for a death sentence ⁹²²  against me. 28:19 But when the Jews objected, ⁹²³  I was forced to appeal to Caesar ⁹²⁴  – not that I had some charge to bring ⁹²⁵  against my own people. ⁹²⁶  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.” ⁹²⁷  28:21 They replied, ⁹²⁸  “We have received no letters from Judea about you, nor have any of the brothers come from there ⁹²⁹  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 ⁹³⁰  that people ⁹³¹  everywhere speak against ⁹³²  it.”

28:23 They set ⁹³³  a day to meet with him, ⁹³⁴  and they came to him where he was staying ⁹³⁵  in even greater numbers. ⁹³⁶  From morning until evening he explained things ⁹³⁷  to them, ⁹³⁸  testifying ⁹³⁹  about the kingdom of God ⁹⁴⁰  and trying to convince ⁹⁴¹  them about Jesus from both the law of Moses and the prophets. 28:24 Some were convinced ⁹⁴²  by what he said, ⁹⁴³  but others refused ⁹⁴⁴  to believe. 28:25 So they began to leave, ⁹⁴⁵  unable to agree among themselves, after Paul made one last statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly to your ancestors ⁹⁴⁶  through the prophet Isaiah 28:26 when he said,

‘Go to this people and say,

“You will keep on hearing, ⁹⁴⁷  but will never understand,

and you will keep on looking, ⁹⁴⁸  but will never perceive.

28:27 For the heart of this people has become dull, ⁹⁴⁹ 

and their ears are hard of hearing, ⁹⁵⁰ 

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, ⁹⁵¹  and I would heal them.”’ ⁹⁵² 

28:28 “Therefore be advised ⁹⁵³  that this salvation from God ⁹⁵⁴  has been sent to the Gentiles; ⁹⁵⁵  they ⁹⁵⁶  will listen!”

28:29 [[EMPTY]] ⁹⁵⁷ 

28:30 Paul ⁹⁵⁸  lived ⁹⁵⁹  there two whole years in his own rented quarters ⁹⁶⁰  and welcomed ⁹⁶¹  all who came to him, 28:31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ ⁹⁶²  with complete boldness ⁹⁶³  and without restriction. ⁹⁶⁴ 

[21:1]  ¹ 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]  ² 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]  ³ 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]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ sn Cos was an island in the Aegean Sea.

[21:1]  ⁷ sn Rhodes was an island off the southwestern coast of Asia Minor.

[21:1]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ sn Phoenicia was the name of an area along the Mediterranean coast north of Palestine.

[21:2]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ sn Cyprus is a large island in the Mediterranean off the south coast of Asia Minor.

[21:3]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ 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]  ¹⁶ 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]  ¹⁷ 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]  ¹⁸ tn BDAG 154 s.v. αὐτοῦ states, “deictic adv. designating a position relatively near or far…there…Ac 21:4.”

[21:4]  ¹⁹ tn The imperfect verb ἔλεγον (elegon) has been taken iteratively.

[21:4]  ²⁰ 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]  ²¹ 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]  ²² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[21:5]  ²³ 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]  ²⁴ 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]  ²⁵ 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]  ²⁶ 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]  ²⁷ 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]  ²⁸ 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]  ²⁹ sn These words are part of v. 5 in the standard critical Greek text.

[21:6]  ³⁰ 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]  ³¹ tn Grk “to their own”; the word “homes” is implied.

[21:7]  ³² sn Tyre was a city and seaport on the coast of Phoenicia.

[21:7]  ³³ sn Ptolemais was a seaport on the coast of Palestine about 30 mi (48 km) south of Tyre.

[21:8]  ³⁴ 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]  ³⁵ 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]  ³⁶ 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]  ³⁷ sn Philip was one of the seven deacons appointed in the Jerusalem church (Acts 6:1-7).

[21:9]  ³⁸ 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]  ³⁹ 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]  ⁴⁰ 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]  ⁴¹ 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]  ⁴² 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]  ⁴³ 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]  ⁴⁴ 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]  ⁴⁵ tn The participle δήσας (dhsas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:11]  ⁴⁶ tn The words “with it” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[21:11]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “and will deliver him over into the hands of” (a Semitic idiom).

[21:12]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “the people there.”

[21:13]  ⁴⁹ 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]  ⁵⁰ 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]  ⁵¹ tn The participle πειθομένου (peiqomenou) in this genitive absolute construction has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[21:14]  ⁵² tn Grk “we became silent, saying.”

[21:14]  ⁵³ 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]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “we made preparations.”

[21:15]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “were going up”; the imperfect verb ἀνεβαίνομεν (anebainomen) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[21:16]  ⁵⁶ 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]  ⁵⁷ 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]  ⁵⁸ 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]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “warmly” (see BDAG 144 s.v. ἀσμένως).

[21:18]  ⁶⁰ tn BDAG 760 s.v. παραγίνομαι 1 has this use under the broad category of meaning “draw near, come, arrive, be present.”

[21:19]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:19]  ⁶² tn Or “to report,” “to describe.” The imperfect verb ἐξηγεῖτο (exhgeito) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[21:19]  ⁶³ 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]  ⁶⁴ sn Note how Paul credited God with the success of his ministry.

[21:20]  ⁶⁵ tn Or “glorified.”

[21:20]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “how many thousands there are among the Jews.”

[21:20]  ⁶⁷ 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]  ⁶⁸ 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]  ⁶⁹ 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]  ⁷⁰ 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]  ⁷¹ sn That is, not to circumcise their male children. Biblical references to circumcision always refer to male circumcision.

[21:21]  ⁷² tn Grk “or walk.”

[21:22]  ⁷³ 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]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “do this that.”

[21:23]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “There are four men here.”

[21:23]  ⁷⁶ 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]  ⁷⁷ tn On the term for “vow,” see BDAG 416 s.v. εὐχή 2.

[21:24]  ⁷⁸ 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]  ⁷⁹ tn L&N 57.146 has “δαπάνησον ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς ‘pay their expenses’ Ac 21:24.”

[21:24]  ⁸⁰ 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]  ⁸¹ 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]  ⁸² tn The verb here describes a report or some type of information (BDAG 534 s.v. κατηχέω 1).

[21:24]  ⁸³ 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]  ⁸⁴ sn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[21:25]  ⁸⁵ 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]  ⁸⁶ 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]  ⁸⁷ 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]  ⁸⁸ 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]  ⁸⁹ 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]  ⁹⁰ tn That is, after he had undergone ritual cleansing. The aorist passive participle ἁγνισθείς (Jagnisqei") has been taken temporally of antecedent action.

[21:26]  ⁹¹ 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]  ⁹² sn The days of purification refers to the days of ritual cleansing.

[21:26]  ⁹³ 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]  ⁹⁴ tn Grk “for each one.”

[21:27]  ⁹⁵ 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]  ⁹⁶ 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]  ⁹⁷ tn Grk “in the temple.” See the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[21:27]  ⁹⁸ 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]  ⁹⁹ tn Grk “and laid hands on.”

[21:28]  ¹⁰⁰ 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]  ¹⁰¹ sn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[21:28]  ¹⁰² tn Grk “this place.”

[21:28]  ¹⁰³ 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]  ¹⁰⁴ 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]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Or “and has defiled this holy place.”

[21:29]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Grk “whom.”

[21:29]  ¹⁰⁷ tn On the phrase “inner temple courts” see the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[21:30]  ¹⁰⁸ tn On this term see BDAG 545 s.v. κινέω 2.b.

[21:30]  ¹⁰⁹ 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]  ¹¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹¹ tn Grk “out of the temple.” See the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[21:31]  ¹¹² tn Grk “seeking.”

[21:31]  ¹¹³ tn Or “information” (originally concerning a crime; BDAG 1050 s.v. φάσις).

[21:31]  ¹¹⁴ 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]  ¹¹⁵ 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]  ¹¹⁶ sn A cohort was a Roman military unit of about 600 soldiers, one-tenth of a legion.

[21:31]  ¹¹⁷ tn BDAG 953 s.v. συγχέω has “Pass. w. act.force be in confusion…ὅλη συγχύννεται ᾿Ιερουσαλήμ 21:31.”

[21:32]  ¹¹⁸ 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]  ¹¹⁹ 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]  ¹²⁰ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[21:32]  ¹²¹ tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:32]  ¹²² tn Grk “seeing.” The participle ἰδόντες (idonte") has been taken temporally.

[21:32]  ¹²³ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.

[21:32]  ¹²⁴ 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]  ¹²⁵ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.

[21:33]  ¹²⁶ tn Grk “seized.”

[21:33]  ¹²⁷ tn The two chains would be something like handcuffs (BDAG 48 s.v. ἅλυσις and compare Acts 28:20).

[21:33]  ¹²⁸ 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]  ¹²⁹ tn Grk “and what it is”; this has been simplified to “what.”

[21:34]  ¹³⁰ 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]  ¹³¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the commanding officer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:34]  ¹³² 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]  ¹³³ tn Or “find out what had happened”; Grk “the certainty” (BDAG 147 s.v. ἀσφαλής 2).

[21:34]  ¹³⁴ tn Or “clamor,” “uproar” (BDAG 458 s.v. θόρυβος).

[21:34]  ¹³⁵ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:34]  ¹³⁶ 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]  ¹³⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:35]  ¹³⁸ 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]  ¹³⁹ tn This refers to mob violence (BDAG 175 s.v. βία b).

[21:36]  ¹⁴⁰ 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]  ¹⁴¹ 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]  ¹⁴² 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]  ¹⁴³ tn Grk “says” (a historical present).

[21:37]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers) See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.

[21:37]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Grk “Is it permitted for me to say” (an idiom).

[21:37]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Grk “He”; the referent (the officer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:37]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Grk “said.”

[21:37]  ¹⁴⁸ 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]  ¹⁴⁹ 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]  ¹⁵⁰ tn Grk “of the Sicarii.”

[21:38]  ¹⁵¹ tn Or “desert.”

[21:38]  ¹⁵² tn Grk “before these days.”

[21:39]  ¹⁵³ tn Grk “said.”

[21:39]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Grk “a Jewish man.”

[21:39]  ¹⁵⁵ 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]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Grk “I beg you.”

[21:40]  ¹⁵⁷ tn The referent (the commanding officer) has been supplied here in the translation for clarity.

[21:40]  ¹⁵⁸ 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]  ¹⁵⁹ tn Grk “standing.” The participle ἑστώς (Jestws) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:40]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Or “motioned.”

[21:40]  ¹⁶¹ 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]  ¹⁶² 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]  ¹⁶³ 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]  ¹⁶⁴ 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]  ¹⁶⁵ 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]  ¹⁶⁶ tn ἀκούσαντες (akousante") has been taken temporally.

[22:2]  ¹⁶⁷ 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]  ¹⁶⁸ tn Grk “in the Hebrew language.” See the note on “Aramaic” in 21:40.

[22:2]  ¹⁶⁹ 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]  ¹⁷⁰ tn BDAG 440 s.v. ἡσυχία 2 has “παρέχειν ἡσυχίαν quiet down, give a hearing…Ac 22:2.”

[22:2]  ¹⁷¹ 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]  ¹⁷² tn Grk “a Jewish man.”

[22:3]  ¹⁷³ 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]  ¹⁷⁴ 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]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Grk “strictly at the feet of” (an idiom).

[22:3]  ¹⁷⁶ 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]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Or “our forefathers.”

[22:3]  ¹⁷⁸ tn Grk “ancestors, being.” The participle ὑπάρχων (Juparcwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:3]  ¹⁷⁹ 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]  ¹⁸⁰ 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]  ¹⁸¹ 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]  ¹⁸² tn BDAG 442-43 s.v. θάνατος 1.a has “διώκειν ἄχρι θανάτου persecute even to death Ac 22:4.”

[22:4]  ¹⁸³ tn Grk “binding.” See Acts 8:3.

[22:4]  ¹⁸⁴ 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]  ¹⁸⁵ 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]  ¹⁸⁶ 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]  ¹⁸⁷ tn Grk “receiving.” The participle δεξάμενος (dexameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:5]  ¹⁸⁸ 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]  ¹⁸⁹ 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]  ¹⁹⁰ tn BDAG 221 s.v. δέω 1.b has “δεδεμένον ἄγειν τινά bring someone as prisoner…Ac 9:2, 21; 22:5.”

[22:5]  ¹⁹¹ tn Grk “I was going…to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem as prisoners that they might be punished.”

[22:6]  ¹⁹² 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]  ¹⁹³ tn Grk “going and nearing Damascus.”

[22:6]  ¹⁹⁴ tn BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 3.b has “φῶς a very bright light Ac 22:6.”

[22:6]  ¹⁹⁵ tn Or “from the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[22:6]  ¹⁹⁶ tn Or “shone.”

[22:7]  ¹⁹⁷ 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]  ¹⁹⁸ 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]  ¹⁹⁹ tn Grk “So I said.”

[22:10]  ²⁰⁰ 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]  ²⁰¹ tn Grk “about all things.”

[22:10]  ²⁰² 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]  ²⁰³ 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]  ²⁰⁴ tn Or “brightness”; Grk “glory.”

[22:11]  ²⁰⁵ tn Grk “by” (ὑπό, Jupo), but this would be too awkward in English following the previous “by.”

[22:12]  ²⁰⁶ tn Grk “a certain Ananias.”

[22:12]  ²⁰⁷ sn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[22:12]  ²⁰⁸ 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]  ²⁰⁹ tn Grk “coming.” The participle ἐλθών (elqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:13]  ²¹⁰ 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]  ²¹¹ 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]  ²¹² 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]  ²¹³ tn Grk “I looked up to him.”

[22:14]  ²¹⁴ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[22:14]  ²¹⁵ 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]  ²¹⁶ 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]  ²¹⁷ sn The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ (Acts 3:14).

[22:14]  ²¹⁸ 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]  ²¹⁹ tn Or “a witness to him.”

[22:15]  ²²⁰ tn Grk “all men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo").

[22:16]  ²²¹ 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]  ²²² 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]  ²²³ sn The expression have your sins washed away means “have your sins purified” (the washing is figurative).

[22:16]  ²²⁴ 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]  ²²⁵ 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]  ²²⁶ tn BDAG 309 s.v. ἔκστασις 2 has “γενέσθαι ἐν ἐκστάσει fall into a trance Ac 22:17.”

[22:18]  ²²⁷ tn Or “Jesus”; Grk “him.” The referent (the Lord, cf. v. 19) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:19]  ²²⁸ 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]  ²²⁹ 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]  ²³⁰ 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]  ²³¹ sn When the blood of your witness Stephen was shed means “when your witness Stephen was murdered.”

[22:20]  ²³² 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]  ²³³ tn Or “outer garments.”

[22:20]  ²³⁴ 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]  ²³⁵ 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]  ²³⁶ tn Grk “They were listening”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:22]  ²³⁷ tn Grk “until this word.”

[22:22]  ²³⁸ tn Grk “And.” To indicate the logical sequence, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” here.

[22:22]  ²³⁹ tn Grk “and said.”

[22:22]  ²⁴⁰ tn Grk “this one.”

[22:22]  ²⁴¹ 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]  ²⁴² tn The participle κραυγαζόντων (kraugazontwn) has been translated temporally.

[22:23]  ²⁴³ tn Or “outer garments.”

[22:23]  ²⁴⁴ 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]  ²⁴⁵ 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]  ²⁴⁶ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:24]  ²⁴⁷ 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]  ²⁴⁸ 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]  ²⁴⁹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:24]  ²⁵⁰ 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]  ²⁵¹ tn Grk “they”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:24]  ²⁵² tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:25]  ²⁵³ 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]  ²⁵⁴ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[22:25]  ²⁵⁵ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:25]  ²⁵⁶ tn Or “a Roman citizen and uncondemned.” BDAG 35 s.v. ἀκατάκριτος has “uncondemned, without due process” for this usage.

[22:26]  ²⁵⁷ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[22:26]  ²⁵⁸ 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]  ²⁵⁹ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:26]  ²⁶⁰ 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]  ²⁶¹ 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]  ²⁶² tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:27]  ²⁶³ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:27]  ²⁶⁴ tn Grk “and said to.”

[22:27]  ²⁶⁵ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:27]  ²⁶⁶ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:27]  ²⁶⁷ tn Grk “He said.”

[22:28]  ²⁶⁸ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:28]  ²⁶⁹ 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]  ²⁷⁰ tn BDAG 495-96 s.v. καί 2.b has “intensive: even…Ac 5:39; 22:28.”

[22:28]  ²⁷¹ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:28]  ²⁷² tn Grk “Paul said.” This phrase has been placed at the end of the sentence in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[22:29]  ²⁷³ 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]  ²⁷⁴ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:29]  ²⁷⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:29]  ²⁷⁶ 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]  ²⁷⁷ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:29]  ²⁷⁸ 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]  ²⁷⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the commanding officer) has been supplied here in the translation for clarity.

[22:30]  ²⁸⁰ 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]  ²⁸¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:30]  ²⁸² tn Grk “the whole Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[22:30]  ²⁸³ 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]  ²⁸⁴ 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]  ²⁸⁵ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:1]  ²⁸⁶ 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]  ²⁸⁷ tn Grk “and” (δέ, de); the phrase “at that” has been used in the translation to clarify the cause and effect relationship.

[23:2]  ²⁸⁸ tn BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 2.b.α has “οἱ παρεστῶτες αὐτῷ those standing near him Ac 23:2.”

[23:2]  ²⁸⁹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:2]  ²⁹⁰ 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]  ²⁹¹ 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]  ²⁹² 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]  ²⁹³ tn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[23:3]  ²⁹⁴ tn BDAG 769 s.v. παρανομέω has “παρανομῶν κελεύεις in violation of the law you order Ac 23:3.”

[23:4]  ²⁹⁵ tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[23:4]  ²⁹⁶ 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]  ²⁹⁷ tn Grk “said.”

[23:5]  ²⁹⁸ tn Or “know.”

[23:5]  ²⁹⁹ 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]  ³⁰⁰ 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]  ³⁰¹ sn See the note on Sadducees in 4:1.

[23:6]  ³⁰² sn See the note on Pharisee in 5:34.

[23:6]  ³⁰³ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:6]  ³⁰⁴ 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]  ³⁰⁵ tn The participle εἰπόντος (eiponto") has been translated temporally.

[23:7]  ³⁰⁶ tn Or “a dispute” (BDAG 940 s.v. στάσις 3).

[23:7]  ³⁰⁷ tn Grk “there came about an argument.” This has been simplified to “an argument began”

[23:8]  ³⁰⁸ 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]  ³⁰⁹ 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]  ³¹⁰ tn Or “and some scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 4:5.

[23:9]  ³¹¹ tn Grk “standing up.” The participle ἀναστάντες (anastante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:9]  ³¹² 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]  ³¹³ 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]  ³¹⁴ tn This genitive absolute construction with the participle γινομένης (ginomenhs) has been taken temporally (it could also be translated as causal).

[23:10]  ³¹⁵ 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]  ³¹⁶ 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]  ³¹⁷ 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]  ³¹⁸ tn Or “to go down, grab him out of their midst.”

[23:10]  ³¹⁹ 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]  ³²⁰ sn The presence of the Lord indicated the vindicating presence and direction of God.

[23:11]  ³²¹ 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]  ³²² tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:11]  ³²³ tn Or “Do not be afraid.”

[23:11]  ³²⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[23:11]  ³²⁵ 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]  ³²⁶ tn Grk “when it was day.”

[23:12]  ³²⁷ 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]  ³²⁸ 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]  ³²⁹ 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]  ³³⁰ 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]  ³³¹ 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]  ³³² 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]  ³³³ tn Grk “going.” The participle προσελθόντες (proselqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:14]  ³³⁴ 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]  ³³⁵ 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]  ³³⁶ tn This included both food and drink (γεύομαι [geuomai] is used of water turned to wine in John 2:9).

[23:15]  ³³⁷ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:15]  ³³⁸ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:15]  ³³⁹ 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]  ³⁴⁰ tn Grk “determine the things about him.”

[23:15]  ³⁴¹ tn The expression “more thorough inquiry” reflects the comparative form of ἀκριβέστερον (akribesteron).

[23:15]  ³⁴² 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]  ³⁴³ tn The words “this place” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[23:16]  ³⁴⁴ tn Or “plot” (BDAG 334 s.v. ἐνέδρα).

[23:16]  ³⁴⁵ 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]  ³⁴⁶ 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]  ³⁴⁷ 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]  ³⁴⁸ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[23:17]  ³⁴⁹ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:18]  ³⁵⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the centurion) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:18]  ³⁵¹ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:18]  ³⁵² tn Grk “calling.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:19]  ³⁵³ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:19]  ³⁵⁴ 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]  ³⁵⁵ tn Grk “He said.”

[23:20]  ³⁵⁶ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:21]  ³⁵⁷ 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]  ³⁵⁸ 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]  ³⁵⁹ tn Grk “are lying in wait for him” (BDAG 334 s.v. ἐνεδρεύω); see also v. 16.

[23:21]  ³⁶⁰ 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]  ³⁶¹ 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]  ³⁶² 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]  ³⁶³ 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]  ³⁶⁴ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:22]  ³⁶⁵ 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]  ³⁶⁶ 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]  ³⁶⁷ 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]  ³⁶⁸ 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]  ³⁶⁹ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[23:23]  ³⁷⁰ 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]  ³⁷¹ tn Or “cavalrymen.”

[23:23]  ³⁷² 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]  ³⁷³ tn Grk “from.”

[23:23]  ³⁷⁴ tn Grk “from the third hour of the night.”

[23:24]  ³⁷⁵ tn Grk “provide mounts to put Paul on.”

[23:24]  ³⁷⁶ 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]  ³⁷⁷ tn Grk “Felix the procurator.” The official Roman title has been translated as “governor” (BDAG 433 s.v. ἡγεμών 2).

[23:25]  ³⁷⁸ 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]  ³⁷⁹ 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]  ³⁸⁰ tn Grk “Procurator.” The official Roman title has been translated as “governor” (BDAG 433 s.v. ἡγεμών 2).

[23:26]  ³⁸¹ sn Governor Felix. See the note on Felix in v. 24.

[23:27]  ³⁸² 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]  ³⁸³ 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]  ³⁸⁴ tn Or “approached.”

[23:27]  ³⁸⁵ 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]  ³⁸⁶ tn In Greek this is a present tense retained in indirect discourse.

[23:27]  ³⁸⁷ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[23:28]  ³⁸⁸ tn Or “determine.”

[23:28]  ³⁸⁹ 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]  ³⁹⁰ tn Grk “their Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:29]  ³⁹¹ 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]  ³⁹² 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]  ³⁹³ 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]  ³⁹⁴ tn Grk “It being revealed to me.” The participle μηνυθείσης (mhnuqeish") has been taken temporally.

[23:30]  ³⁹⁵ 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]  ³⁹⁶ 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]  ³⁹⁷ tn BDAG 237-38 s.v. διατάσσω 2 has “κατὰ τὸ δ. αὐτοῖς in accordance w. their orders…Ac 23:31.”

[23:31]  ³⁹⁸ tn Grk “taking.” The participle ἀναλαβόντες (analabonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:31]  ³⁹⁹ 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]  ⁴⁰⁰ tn Grk “letting.” The participle ἐάσαντες (easante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:32]  ⁴⁰¹ tn Or “cavalrymen.”

[23:32]  ⁴⁰² 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]  ⁴⁰³ 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]  ⁴⁰⁴ 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]  ⁴⁰⁵ 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]  ⁴⁰⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the governor) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:34]  ⁴⁰⁷ tn Grk “having read.” The participle ἀναγνούς (anagnou") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:34]  ⁴⁰⁸ 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]  ⁴⁰⁹ 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]  ⁴¹⁰ 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]  ⁴¹¹ tn Grk “and learning.” The participle πυθόμενος (puqomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:34]  ⁴¹² sn Cilicia was a province in northeastern Asia Minor.

[23:35]  ⁴¹³ 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]  ⁴¹⁴ 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]  ⁴¹⁵ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:35]  ⁴¹⁶ 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]  ⁴¹⁷ sn Ananias was in office from a.d. 47-59.

[24:1]  ⁴¹⁸ tn The term refers to a professional advocate (BDAG 905 s.v. ῥήτωρ).

[24:1]  ⁴¹⁹ tn Grk “an attorney, a certain Tertullus.”

[24:1]  ⁴²⁰ 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]  ⁴²¹ tn BDAG 326 s.v. ἐμφανίζω 3 has “ἐ. τινὶ κατά τινος bring formal charges against someone…Ac 24:1; 25:2.”

[24:2]  ⁴²² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[24:2]  ⁴²³ tn Or “began to bring charges, saying.”

[24:2]  ⁴²⁴ tn Grk “experienced much peace.”

[24:2]  ⁴²⁵ tn Grk “through you” (“rule” is implied).

[24:2]  ⁴²⁶ 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]  ⁴²⁷ tn Or “being made for this people.”

[24:2]  ⁴²⁸ 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]  ⁴²⁹ sn Most excellent Felix. See the note on Felix in 23:24.

[24:3]  ⁴³⁰ tn Grk “in every way and everywhere.”

[24:3]  ⁴³¹ 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]  ⁴³² 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]  ⁴³³ tn Or “request.”

[24:4]  ⁴³⁴ 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]  ⁴³⁵ tn BDAG 371 s.v. ἐπιείκεια has “τῇ σῇ ἐ. with your (customary) indulgence Ac 24:4.”

[24:5]  ⁴³⁶ 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]  ⁴³⁷ 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]  ⁴³⁸ 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]  ⁴³⁹ tn This term is yet another NT hapax legomenon (BDAG 894 s.v. πρωτοστάτης).

[24:5]  ⁴⁴⁰ sn The sect of the Nazarenes is a designation for followers of Jesus the Nazarene, that is, Christians.

[24:6]  ⁴⁴¹ 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]  ⁴⁴² tn Or “profane” (BDAG 173 s.v. βεβηλόω). The term was also used of profaning the Sabbath.

[24:6]  ⁴⁴³ 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]  ⁴⁴⁴ 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]  ⁴⁴⁵ tn Or “question.”

[24:8]  ⁴⁴⁶ 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]  ⁴⁴⁷ 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]  ⁴⁴⁸ 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]  ⁴⁴⁹ tn Or “asserting” (BDAG 1050 s.v. φάσκω).

[24:10]  ⁴⁵⁰ tn Grk “knowing.” The participle ἐπιστάμενος (epistamenos) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[24:10]  ⁴⁵¹ sn “Because…defense.” Paul also paid an indirect compliment to the governor, implying that he would be fair in his judgment.

[24:11]  ⁴⁵² 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]  ⁴⁵³ tn Grk “it is not more than twelve days from when.” This has been simplified to “not more than twelve days ago.”

[24:11]  ⁴⁵⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[24:12]  ⁴⁵⁵ tn Or “disputing,” “conducting a heated discussion.”

[24:12]  ⁴⁵⁶ 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]  ⁴⁵⁷ tn Grk “in the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[24:12]  ⁴⁵⁸ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[24:12]  ⁴⁵⁹ 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]  ⁴⁶⁰ 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]  ⁴⁶¹ 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]  ⁴⁶² 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]  ⁴⁶³ tn Or “serve.”

[24:14]  ⁴⁶⁴ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[24:14]  ⁴⁶⁵ 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]  ⁴⁶⁶ 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]  ⁴⁶⁷ 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]  ⁴⁶⁸ 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]  ⁴⁶⁹ tn Grk “that they”; the referent (these men, Paul’s accusers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:15]  ⁴⁷⁰ tn Or “the unjust.”

[24:16]  ⁴⁷¹ 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]  ⁴⁷² 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]  ⁴⁷³ tn BDAG 125 s.v. ἀπρόσκοπος 1 has “ἀ. συνείδησις a clear conscience Ac 24:16.”

[24:16]  ⁴⁷⁴ tn Grk “men,” but this is a generic use (Paul does not have only males in view).

[24:17]  ⁴⁷⁵ tn BDAG 401 s.v. ἔτος has “δι᾿ ἐ. πλειόνων after several years 24:17.”

[24:17]  ⁴⁷⁶ 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]  ⁴⁷⁷ 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]  ⁴⁷⁸ 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]  ⁴⁷⁹ tn BDAG 458 s.v. θόρυβος 3.b has “μετὰ θορύβου…with a disturbance Ac 24:18.”

[24:19]  ⁴⁸⁰ 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]  ⁴⁸¹ 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]  ⁴⁸² tn Grk “these [men] themselves.”

[24:20]  ⁴⁸³ tn Or “unrighteous act.”

[24:20]  ⁴⁸⁴ 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]  ⁴⁸⁵ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[24:21]  ⁴⁸⁶ 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]  ⁴⁸⁷ tn Grk “one utterance.”

[24:21]  ⁴⁸⁸ tn Cf. BDAG 327 s.v. ἐν 1.e, which has “before, in the presence of, etc.”

[24:21]  ⁴⁸⁹ sn The resurrection of the dead. Paul’s point was, what crime was there in holding this religious belief?

[24:22]  ⁴⁹⁰ sn See the note on Antonius Felix in 23:24.

[24:22]  ⁴⁹¹ tn Grk “the things.”

[24:22]  ⁴⁹² tn That is, concerning Christianity.

[24:22]  ⁴⁹³ 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]  ⁴⁹⁴ 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]  ⁴⁹⁵ 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]  ⁴⁹⁶ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[24:23]  ⁴⁹⁷ 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]  ⁴⁹⁸ 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]  ⁴⁹⁹ tn Grk “any of his own” (this could also refer to relatives).

[24:23]  ⁵⁰⁰ tn Grk “from serving him.”

[24:24]  ⁵⁰¹ sn See the note on Antonius Felix in 23:24.

[24:24]  ⁵⁰² 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]  ⁵⁰³ 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]  ⁵⁰⁴ tn Or “Messiah Jesus”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[24:25]  ⁵⁰⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:25]  ⁵⁰⁶ tn Or “speaking about.”

[24:25]  ⁵⁰⁷ 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]  ⁵⁰⁸ sn See the note on Felix in 23:26.

[24:25]  ⁵⁰⁹ tn Grk “becoming.” The participle γενόμενος (genomenos) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[24:25]  ⁵¹⁰ 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]  ⁵¹¹ 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]  ⁵¹² tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:26]  ⁵¹³ 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]  ⁵¹⁴ tn On this term, which could mean “conferred with him,” see BDAG 705 s.v. ὁμιλέω.

[24:27]  ⁵¹⁵ tn Grk “After a two-year period.”

[24:27]  ⁵¹⁶ 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]  ⁵¹⁷ tn Grk “Felix received as successor Porcius Festus.”

[24:27]  ⁵¹⁸ tn Grk “left Paul imprisoned.”

[25:1]  ⁵¹⁹ 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]  ⁵²⁰ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:1]  ⁵²¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[25:1]  ⁵²² 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]  ⁵²³ 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]  ⁵²⁴ tn BDAG 326 s.v. ἐμφανίζω 3 has “ἐ. τινὶ κατά τινος bring formal charges against someone…Ac 24:1; 25:2.”

[25:3]  ⁵²⁵ 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]  ⁵²⁶ 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]  ⁵²⁷ 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]  ⁵²⁸ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:4]  ⁵²⁹ 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]  ⁵³⁰ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[25:5]  ⁵³¹ tn Grk “let those who are influential among you” (i.e., the powerful).

[25:5]  ⁵³² tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[25:5]  ⁵³³ 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]  ⁵³⁴ 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]  ⁵³⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Festus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:6]  ⁵³⁶ tn Grk “Having stayed.” The participle διατρίψας (diatriya") has been taken temporally.

[25:6]  ⁵³⁷ 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]  ⁵³⁸ 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]  ⁵³⁹ 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]  ⁵⁴⁰ tn BDAG 801 s.v. περιίστημι 1.a has “περιέστησαν αὐτὸν οἱ ᾿Ιουδαῖοι the Judeans stood around him 25:7.”

[25:7]  ⁵⁴¹ tn Grk “many and serious.” The term βαρύς (barus) refers to weighty or serious charges (BDAG 167 s.v. 1).

[25:7]  ⁵⁴² tn The term ἀποδείκνυμι (apodeiknumi) in a legal context refers to legal proof (4 Macc 1:8; BDAG 108 s.v. 3).

[25:8]  ⁵⁴³ 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]  ⁵⁴⁴ tn Grk “I have sinned…in nothing.”

[25:8]  ⁵⁴⁵ tn Grk “against the law of the Jews.” Here τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[25:8]  ⁵⁴⁶ tn Or “against the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:9]  ⁵⁴⁷ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:9]  ⁵⁴⁸ tn Or “stand trial.”

[25:9]  ⁵⁴⁹ tn Grk “concerning these things.”

[25:10]  ⁵⁵⁰ tn Grk “said.”

[25:10]  ⁵⁵¹ tn Or “before the emperor’s” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:10]  ⁵⁵² 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]  ⁵⁵³ tn That is, tried by an imperial representative and subject to Roman law.

[25:10]  ⁵⁵⁴ sn “I have done nothing wrong.” Here is yet another declaration of total innocence on Paul’s part.

[25:10]  ⁵⁵⁵ 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]  ⁵⁵⁶ tn BDAG 20 s.v. ἀδικέω 1.b has “intr. be in the wrong (Ex 2:13) εἰ ἀδικῶ Ac 25:11.”

[25:11]  ⁵⁵⁷ 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]  ⁵⁵⁸ 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]  ⁵⁵⁹ 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]  ⁵⁶⁰ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:12]  ⁵⁶¹ tn That is, with his advisers.

[25:12]  ⁵⁶² sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:12]  ⁵⁶³ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:12]  ⁵⁶⁴ tn Or “to the emperor.”

[25:12]  ⁵⁶⁵ 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]  ⁵⁶⁶ 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]  ⁵⁶⁷ 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]  ⁵⁶⁸ tn BDAG 144 s.v. ἀσπάζομαι 1.b states, “Of official visits pay one’s respects to…Ac 25:13.”

[25:13]  ⁵⁶⁹ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:14]  ⁵⁷⁰ 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]  ⁵⁷¹ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:14]  ⁵⁷² 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]  ⁵⁷³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[25:15]  ⁵⁷⁴ 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]  ⁵⁷⁵ 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]  ⁵⁷⁶ 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]  ⁵⁷⁷ 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]  ⁵⁷⁸ tn Grk “any man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpos).

[25:16]  ⁵⁷⁹ tn Or “has met his accusers in person.”

[25:16]  ⁵⁸⁰ tn Grk “and receives.”

[25:16]  ⁵⁸¹ 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]  ⁵⁸² 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]  ⁵⁸³ 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]  ⁵⁸⁴ 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]  ⁵⁸⁵ 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]  ⁵⁸⁶ 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]  ⁵⁸⁷ tn Or “I was expecting.”

[25:19]  ⁵⁸⁸ 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]  ⁵⁸⁹ tn On this term see BDAG 216 s.v. δεισιδαιμονία 2. It is a broad term for religion.

[25:19]  ⁵⁹⁰ tn Grk “a certain Jesus.”

[25:19]  ⁵⁹¹ tn Or “asserted.”

[25:20]  ⁵⁹² 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]  ⁵⁹³ 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]  ⁵⁹⁴ tn Or “stand trial.”

[25:20]  ⁵⁹⁵ tn Grk “on these things.”

[25:21]  ⁵⁹⁶ 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]  ⁵⁹⁷ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:22]  ⁵⁹⁸ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[25:22]  ⁵⁹⁹ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:22]  ⁶⁰⁰ tn Grk “said.”

[25:23]  ⁶⁰¹ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[25:23]  ⁶⁰² tn Or “great pageantry” (BDAG 1049 s.v. φαντασία; the term is a NT hapax legomenon).

[25:23]  ⁶⁰³ 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]  ⁶⁰⁴ 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]  ⁶⁰⁵ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:23]  ⁶⁰⁶ 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]  ⁶⁰⁷ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:24]  ⁶⁰⁸ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[25:24]  ⁶⁰⁹ 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]  ⁶¹⁰ tn Or “appealed to” (BDAG 341 s.v. ἐντυγχάνω 1.a).

[25:24]  ⁶¹¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[25:24]  ⁶¹² sn Here means “here in Caesarea.”

[25:24]  ⁶¹³ tn Or “screaming.”

[25:25]  ⁶¹⁴ 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]  ⁶¹⁵ tn The participle ἐπικαλεσαμένου (epikalesamenou) has been taken temporally. It could also be translated as causal: “and because he appealed…”

[25:25]  ⁶¹⁶ 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]  ⁶¹⁷ 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]  ⁶¹⁸ sn There is irony here. How can Festus write anything definite about Paul, if he is guilty of nothing.

[25:26]  ⁶¹⁹ sn To my lord means “to His Majesty the Emperor.”

[25:26]  ⁶²⁰ 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]  ⁶²¹ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[25:26]  ⁶²² 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]  ⁶²³ 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]  ⁶²⁴ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:1]  ⁶²⁵ tn Grk “It is permitted for you.”

[26:1]  ⁶²⁶ tn Or “extended his hand” (a speaker’s gesture).

[26:1]  ⁶²⁷ tn Or “and began to speak in his own defense.”

[26:2]  ⁶²⁸ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:3]  ⁶²⁹ tn BDAG 613 s.v. μάλιστα 1 states, “μ. γνώστην ὄντα σε since you are outstandingly familiar Ac 26:3.”

[26:3]  ⁶³⁰ 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]  ⁶³¹ 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]  ⁶³² tn Grk “my manner of life.”

[26:4]  ⁶³³ tn Or “nation.”

[26:4]  ⁶³⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[26:5]  ⁶³⁵ 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]  ⁶³⁶ tn Grk “having known me from time past.” The participle προγινώσκοντες (proginwskonte") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[26:5]  ⁶³⁷ 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]  ⁶³⁸ 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]  ⁶³⁹ sn See the note on Pharisee in 5:34.

[26:6]  ⁶⁴⁰ 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]  ⁶⁴¹ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[26:7]  ⁶⁴² 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]  ⁶⁴³ 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]  ⁶⁴⁴ 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]  ⁶⁴⁵ tn Grk “O King!”

[26:8]  ⁶⁴⁶ 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]  ⁶⁴⁷ 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]  ⁶⁴⁸ 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]  ⁶⁴⁹ tn Grk “if.” The first-class conditional construction, which assumes reality for the sake of argument, has been translated as indirect discourse.

[26:9]  ⁶⁵⁰ 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]  ⁶⁵¹ 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]  ⁶⁵² tn Grk “by receiving authority.” The participle λαβών (labwn) has been taken instrumentally.

[26:10]  ⁶⁵³ 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]  ⁶⁵⁴ 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]  ⁶⁵⁵ 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]  ⁶⁵⁶ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[26:11]  ⁶⁵⁷ 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]  ⁶⁵⁸ 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]  ⁶⁵⁹ tn Or “I pursued them even as far as foreign cities.”

[26:12]  ⁶⁶⁰ 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]  ⁶⁶¹ tn Grk “going.” The participle πορευόμενος (poreuomenos) has been taken temporally.

[26:12]  ⁶⁶² 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]  ⁶⁶³ tn Grk “O King.”

[26:13]  ⁶⁶⁴ tn Or “from the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[26:13]  ⁶⁶⁵ 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]  ⁶⁶⁶ tn Grk “in the Hebrew language.” See Acts 22:7 and 9:4.

[26:14]  ⁶⁶⁷ tn Grk “It is hard for you.”

[26:14]  ⁶⁶⁸ 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]  ⁶⁶⁹ tn Grk “said.”

[26:16]  ⁶⁷⁰ tn L&N 30.89 has “‘to choose in advance, to select beforehand, to designate in advance.’”

[26:16]  ⁶⁷¹ 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]  ⁶⁷² 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]  ⁶⁷³ 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]  ⁶⁷⁴ 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]  ⁶⁷⁵ tn That is, from the Jewish people. Grk “the people”; the words “your own” have been supplied to clarify the meaning.

[26:17]  ⁶⁷⁶ 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]  ⁶⁷⁷ 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]  ⁶⁷⁸ 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]  ⁶⁷⁹ tn Or “and an inheritance.”

[26:19]  ⁶⁸⁰ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:19]  ⁶⁸¹ 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]  ⁶⁸² 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]  ⁶⁸³ 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]  ⁶⁸⁴ sn That they should repent and turn to God. This is the shortest summary of Paul’s message that he preached.

[26:20]  ⁶⁸⁵ 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]  ⁶⁸⁶ tn Grk “in the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[26:22]  ⁶⁸⁷ 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]  ⁶⁸⁸ 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]  ⁶⁸⁹ sn What the prophets and Moses said. Paul argued that his message reflected the hope of the Jewish scriptures.

[26:23]  ⁶⁹⁰ 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]  ⁶⁹¹ tn Or “the Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[26:23]  ⁶⁹² tn That is, to the Jewish people. Grk “the people”; the word “our” has been supplied to clarify the meaning.

[26:23]  ⁶⁹³ 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]  ⁶⁹⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:24]  ⁶⁹⁵ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[26:24]  ⁶⁹⁶ 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]  ⁶⁹⁷ tn Grk “said.”

[26:25]  ⁶⁹⁸ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[26:25]  ⁶⁹⁹ tn Or “declaring.” BDAG 125 s.v. ἀποφθέγγομαι states, “speak out, declare boldly or loudly…τὶ: σωφροσύνης ῥήματα Ac 26:25.”

[26:25]  ⁷⁰⁰ 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]  ⁷⁰¹ 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]  ⁷⁰² 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]  ⁷⁰³ 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]  ⁷⁰⁴ 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]  ⁷⁰⁵ 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]  ⁷⁰⁶ 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]  ⁷⁰⁷ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:28]  ⁷⁰⁸ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:28]  ⁷⁰⁹ 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]  ⁷¹⁰ 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]  ⁷¹¹ 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]  ⁷¹² tn Grk “they spoke to one another saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[26:31]  ⁷¹³ tn BDAG 93 s.v. ἄξιος 1.b has “θανάτου ἢ δεσμῶν ἄ. nothing deserving death or imprisonment 23:29; 26:31.”

[26:32]  ⁷¹⁴ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:32]  ⁷¹⁵ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[26:32]  ⁷¹⁶ tn Or “set free.”

[26:32]  ⁷¹⁷ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[27:1]  ⁷¹⁸ sn The last “we” section in Acts begins here and extends to 28:16 (the previous one ended at 21:18).

[27:1]  ⁷¹⁹ 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]  ⁷²⁰ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:1]  ⁷²¹ 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]  ⁷²² 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]  ⁷²³ sn Adramyttium was a seaport in Mysia on the western coast of Asia Minor.

[27:2]  ⁷²⁴ tn Grk “places.”

[27:2]  ⁷²⁵ 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]  ⁷²⁶ 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]  ⁷²⁷ sn A Macedonian. The city of Thessalonica (modern Salonica) was in the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[27:2]  ⁷²⁸ map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[27:3]  ⁷²⁹ 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]  ⁷³⁰ sn Sidon is another seaport 75 mi (120 km) north of Caesarea.

[27:3]  ⁷³¹ tn BDAG 1056 s.v. φιλανθρώπως states, “benevolently, kindly φιλανθρώπως χρῆσθαί (τινι) treat someone in kindly fashion…Ac 27:3.”

[27:3]  ⁷³² tn Grk “to go to his friends to be cared for.” The scene is an indication of Christian hospitality.

[27:4]  ⁷³³ 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]  ⁷³⁴ 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]  ⁷³⁵ 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]  ⁷³⁶ 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]  ⁷³⁷ 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]  ⁷³⁸ 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]  ⁷³⁹ sn Lycia was the name of a peninsula on the southern coast of Asia Minor between Caria and Pamphylia.

[27:6]  ⁷⁴⁰ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:6]  ⁷⁴¹ tn Grk “finding.” The participle εὑρών (Jeurwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:6]  ⁷⁴² 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]  ⁷⁴³ tn The participle βραδυπλοοῦντες (braduploounte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:7]  ⁷⁴⁴ 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]  ⁷⁴⁵ 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]  ⁷⁴⁶ 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]  ⁷⁴⁷ 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]  ⁷⁴⁸ 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]  ⁷⁴⁹ tn Grk “it”; the referent (Crete) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[27:8]  ⁷⁵⁰ sn Lasea was a city on the southern coast of the island of Crete. This was about 60 mi (96 km) farther.

[27:9]  ⁷⁵¹ tn Or “unsafe” (BDAG 383 s.v. ἐπισφαλής). The term is a NT hapax legomenon.

[27:9]  ⁷⁵² 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]  ⁷⁵³ 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]  ⁷⁵⁴ 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]  ⁷⁵⁵ tn Grk “is going to be with disaster.”

[27:10]  ⁷⁵⁶ 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]  ⁷⁵⁷ tn Grk “souls” (here, one’s physical life).

[27:11]  ⁷⁵⁸ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:11]  ⁷⁵⁹ tn Or “persuaded.”

[27:11]  ⁷⁶⁰ 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]  ⁷⁶¹ 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]  ⁷⁶² 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]  ⁷⁶³ 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]  ⁷⁶⁴ 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]  ⁷⁶⁵ 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]  ⁷⁶⁶ 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]  ⁷⁶⁷ tn Or “a harbor of Crete open to the southwest and northwest.”

[27:13]  ⁷⁶⁸ tn Grk “thinking.” The participle δόξαντες (doxante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:13]  ⁷⁶⁹ 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]  ⁷⁷⁰ tn Or “departed.”

[27:13]  ⁷⁷¹ 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]  ⁷⁷² 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]  ⁷⁷³ 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]  ⁷⁷⁴ tn Grk “from it”; the referent (the island) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:15]  ⁷⁷⁵ 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]  ⁷⁷⁶ 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]  ⁷⁷⁷ 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]  ⁷⁷⁸ 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]  ⁷⁷⁹ 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]  ⁷⁸⁰ 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]  ⁷⁸¹ tn Grk “After hoisting it up, they…”; the referent (the ship’s crew) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:17]  ⁷⁸² tn The participle ἄραντες (arantes) has been taken temporally.

[27:17]  ⁷⁸³ 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]  ⁷⁸⁴ 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]  ⁷⁸⁵ tn That is, on the sandbars and shallows of the Syrtis.

[27:17]  ⁷⁸⁶ 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]  ⁷⁸⁷ tn BDAG 980 s.v. σφόδρῶς states, “very much, greatly, violently…σφ. χειμάζεσθαι be violently beaten by a storm Ac 27:18.”

[27:18]  ⁷⁸⁸ 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]  ⁷⁸⁹ 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]  ⁷⁹⁰ tn Grk “no small storm” = a very great storm.

[27:20]  ⁷⁹¹ 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]  ⁷⁹² 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]  ⁷⁹³ 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]  ⁷⁹⁴ tn Here τότε (tote) is redundant (pleonastic) according to BDAG 1012-13 s.v. τότε 2; thus it has not been translated.

[27:21]  ⁷⁹⁵ 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]  ⁷⁹⁶ 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]  ⁷⁹⁷ 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]  ⁷⁹⁸ tn The infinitive κερδῆσαι (kerdhsai) has been translated as resultative.

[27:22]  ⁷⁹⁹ tn The same verb is used for Paul’s original recommendation in Ac 27:9.

[27:22]  ⁸⁰⁰ 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]  ⁸⁰¹ tn Grk “of whom I am.” The relative clause with its possessive was translated following L&N 15.86 s.v. παρίσταμαι.

[27:23]  ⁸⁰² tn Or “worship.”

[27:23]  ⁸⁰³ 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]  ⁸⁰⁴ 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]  ⁸⁰⁵ 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]  ⁸⁰⁶ tn Or “before the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[27:24]  ⁸⁰⁷ 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]  ⁸⁰⁸ 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]  ⁸⁰⁹ 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]  ⁸¹⁰ 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]  ⁸¹¹ sn The Adriatic Sea. They were now somewhere between Crete and Malta.

[27:27]  ⁸¹² 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]  ⁸¹³ 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]  ⁸¹⁴ 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]  ⁸¹⁵ tn L&N 15.12, “βραχὺ δὲ διαστήσαντες ‘when they had gone a little farther’ Ac 27:28.”

[27:28]  ⁸¹⁶ sn Here the depth was about 90 ft (27 m).

[27:29]  ⁸¹⁷ tn Grk “fearing.” The participle φοβούμενοι (foboumenoi) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[27:29]  ⁸¹⁸ 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]  ⁸¹⁹ 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]  ⁸²⁰ 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]  ⁸²¹ tn Grk “and wished for day to come about.”

[27:30]  ⁸²² 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]  ⁸²³ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:31]  ⁸²⁴ sn The pronoun you is plural in Greek.

[27:32]  ⁸²⁵ 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]  ⁸²⁶ 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]  ⁸²⁷ 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]  ⁸²⁸ 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]  ⁸²⁹ tn Or “continued.”

[27:33]  ⁸³⁰ 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]  ⁸³¹ 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]  ⁸³² tn Or “deliverance” (‘salvation’ in a nontheological sense).

[27:35]  ⁸³³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:35]  ⁸³⁴ 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]  ⁸³⁵ tn Or “before them all,” but here this could be misunderstood to indicate a temporal sequence.

[27:35]  ⁸³⁶ 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]  ⁸³⁷ 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]  ⁸³⁸ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[27:38]  ⁸³⁹ tn Or “When they had eaten their fill.”

[27:38]  ⁸⁴⁰ tn Or “grain.”

[27:39]  ⁸⁴¹ tn Or “observed,” “saw.”

[27:39]  ⁸⁴² tn Or “gulf” (BDAG 557 s.v. κόλπος 3).

[27:39]  ⁸⁴³ sn A beach would refer to a smooth sandy beach suitable for landing.

[27:40]  ⁸⁴⁴ 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]  ⁸⁴⁵ tn The term is used of a ship’s anchor. (BDAG 12 s.v. ἄγκυρα a).

[27:40]  ⁸⁴⁶ tn Grk “bands”; possibly “ropes.”

[27:40]  ⁸⁴⁷ tn Or “rudders.”

[27:40]  ⁸⁴⁸ tn Grk “hoisting…they.” The participle ἐπάραντες (eparante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:40]  ⁸⁴⁹ tn Grk “sail”; probably a reference to the foresail.

[27:40]  ⁸⁵⁰ 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]  ⁸⁵¹ 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]  ⁸⁵² tn Or “violence” (BDAG 175 s.v. βία a).

[27:42]  ⁸⁵³ 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]  ⁸⁵⁴ tn The participle ἐκκολυμβήσας (ekkolumbhsa") has been taken instrumentally.

[27:43]  ⁸⁵⁵ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:43]  ⁸⁵⁶ tn Or “wanting to rescue Paul.”

[27:43]  ⁸⁵⁷ tn BDAG 347 s.v. I. ἔξειμι has “ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν get to land Ac 27:43.”

[27:44]  ⁸⁵⁸ 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]  ⁸⁵⁹ tn Or “boards” according to BDAG 913 s.v. σανίς.

[27:44]  ⁸⁶⁰ tn Grk “on pieces from the ship”; that is, pieces of wreckage from the ship.

[27:44]  ⁸⁶¹ 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]  ⁸⁶² 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]  ⁸⁶³ 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]  ⁸⁶⁴ 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]  ⁸⁶⁵ tn BDAG 1019 s.v. τυγχάνω 2.d states, “δυνάμεις οὐ τὰς τυχούσας extraordinary miracles Ac 19:11. Cp. 28:2.”

[28:2]  ⁸⁶⁶ 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]  ⁸⁶⁷ tn Or “sticks.”

[28:4]  ⁸⁶⁸ 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]  ⁸⁶⁹ tn Grk “his”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:4]  ⁸⁷⁰ 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]  ⁸⁷¹ 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]  ⁸⁷² tn BDAG 737 s.v. οὖν 4 indicates the particle has an adversative sense here: “but, however.”

[28:5]  ⁸⁷³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:5]  ⁸⁷⁴ 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]  ⁸⁷⁵ 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]  ⁸⁷⁶ tn The participle προσδοκώντων (prosdokwntwn) has been taken temporally.

[28:6]  ⁸⁷⁷ tn The participle θεωρούντων (qewrountwn) has been taken temporally.

[28:6]  ⁸⁷⁸ tn Grk “happening.” The participle γινόμενον (ginomenon) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:6]  ⁸⁷⁹ 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]  ⁸⁸⁰ 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]  ⁸⁸¹ 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]  ⁸⁸² 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]  ⁸⁸³ 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]  ⁸⁸⁴ 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]  ⁸⁸⁵ tn The participle ἐπιθείς (epiqeis) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:8]  ⁸⁸⁶ sn And healed him. Here are healings like Luke 9:40; 10:30; 13:13; Acts 16:23.

[28:9]  ⁸⁸⁷ tn BDAG 142 s.v. ἀσθένεια 1 states, “ἔχειν ἀ. be ill Ac 28:9.”

[28:9]  ⁸⁸⁸ sn Many…also came and were healed. Again, here is irony. Paul, though imprisoned, “frees” others of their diseases.

[28:10]  ⁸⁸⁹ tn Or “they also honored us greatly”; Grk “they also honored us with many honors” (an idiom).

[28:10]  ⁸⁹⁰ 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]  ⁸⁹¹ 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]  ⁸⁹² 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]  ⁸⁹³ 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]  ⁸⁹⁴ tn Or “the ‘Twin Gods’”; Grk “the Dioscuri” (a joint name for the pagan deities Castor and Pollux).

[28:11]  ⁸⁹⁵ tn Or “as its emblem.”

[28:12]  ⁸⁹⁶ 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]  ⁸⁹⁷ sn Syracuse was a city on the eastern coast of the island of Sicily. It was 75 mi (120 km) from Malta.

[28:13]  ⁸⁹⁸ 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]  ⁸⁹⁹ sn Rhegium was a city on the southern tip of Italy. It was 80 mi (130 km) from Syracuse.

[28:13]  ⁹⁰⁰ 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]  ⁹⁰¹ 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]  ⁹⁰² 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]  ⁹⁰³ tn Grk “finding.” The participle εὑρόντες (Jeurontes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:14]  ⁹⁰⁴ sn That is, some fellow Christians.

[28:14]  ⁹⁰⁵ map For location see JP4 A1.

[28:15]  ⁹⁰⁶ 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]  ⁹⁰⁷ 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]  ⁹⁰⁸ sn Three Taverns was a stop on the Appian Way 33 mi (55 km) south of Rome.

[28:15]  ⁹⁰⁹ 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]  ⁹¹⁰ tn Or “to stay.”

[28:17]  ⁹¹¹ 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]  ⁹¹² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:17]  ⁹¹³ tn L&N 33.309 has “‘after three days, he called the local Jewish leaders together’ Ac 28:17.”

[28:17]  ⁹¹⁴ tn Grk “Men brothers,” but this is both awkward and unnecessary in English.

[28:17]  ⁹¹⁵ tn The participle ποιήσας (poihsas) has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[28:17]  ⁹¹⁶ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[28:17]  ⁹¹⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[28:17]  ⁹¹⁸ tn Grk “into the hands of the Romans,” but this is redundant when παρεδόθην (paredoqhn) has been translated “handed over.”

[28:18]  ⁹¹⁹ 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]  ⁹²⁰ 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]  ⁹²¹ sn They wanted to release me. See Acts 25:23-27.

[28:18]  ⁹²² tn Grk “no basis for death,” but in this context a sentence of death is clearly indicated.

[28:19]  ⁹²³ tn That is, objected to my release.

[28:19]  ⁹²⁴ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[28:19]  ⁹²⁵ 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]  ⁹²⁶ tn Or “my own nation.”

[28:20]  ⁹²⁷ 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]  ⁹²⁸ tn Grk “they said to him.”

[28:21]  ⁹²⁹ 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]  ⁹³⁰ 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]  ⁹³¹ 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]  ⁹³² tn On the term translated “speak against,” see BDAG 89 s.v. ἀντιλέγω 1.

[28:23]  ⁹³³ tn Grk “Having set.” The participle ταξάμενοι (taxamenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:23]  ⁹³⁴ tn Grk “Having set a day with him”; the words “to meet” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[28:23]  ⁹³⁵ tn Or “came to him in his rented quarters.”

[28:23]  ⁹³⁶ tn BDAG 848 s.v. πολύς 1.b.β.ב states, “(even) more πλείονες in even greater numbers Ac 28:23.”

[28:23]  ⁹³⁷ 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]  ⁹³⁸ 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]  ⁹³⁹ 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]  ⁹⁴⁰ 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]  ⁹⁴¹ tn Or “persuade.”

[28:24]  ⁹⁴² tn Or “persuaded.”

[28:24]  ⁹⁴³ tn Grk “by the things spoken.”

[28:24]  ⁹⁴⁴ 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]  ⁹⁴⁵ tn The imperfect verb ἀπελύοντο (apeluonto) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[28:25]  ⁹⁴⁶ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[28:26]  ⁹⁴⁷ tn Grk “you will hear with hearing” (an idiom).

[28:26]  ⁹⁴⁸ tn Or “seeing”; Grk “you will look by looking” (an idiom).

[28:27]  ⁹⁴⁹ tn Or “insensitive.”

[28:27]  ⁹⁵⁰ tn Grk “they hear heavily with their ears” (an idiom for slow comprehension).

[28:27]  ⁹⁵¹ sn Note how the failure to respond to the message of the gospel is seen as a failure to turn.

[28:27]  ⁹⁵² sn A quotation from Isa 6:9-10.

[28:28]  ⁹⁵³ tn Grk “Therefore let it be known to you.”

[28:28]  ⁹⁵⁴ tn Or “of God.”

[28:28]  ⁹⁵⁵ 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]  ⁹⁵⁶ tn Grk “they also.”

[28:29]  ⁹⁵⁷ 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]  ⁹⁵⁸ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:30]  ⁹⁵⁹ tn Or “stayed.”

[28:30]  ⁹⁶⁰ 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]  ⁹⁶¹ tn Or “and received.”

[28:31]  ⁹⁶² tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[28:31]  ⁹⁶³ tn Or “openness.”

[28:31]  ⁹⁶⁴ 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.