Acts 28:24-27

28:24 Some were convinced ¹  by what he said, ²  but others refused ³  to believe. 28:25 So they began to leave, ⁴  unable to agree among themselves, after Paul made one last statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly to your ancestors ⁵  through the prophet Isaiah 28:26 when he said,

‘Go to this people and say,

“You will keep on hearing, ⁶  but will never understand,

and you will keep on looking, ⁷  but will never perceive.

28:27 For the heart of this people has become dull, ⁸ 

and their ears are hard of hearing, ⁹ 

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, ¹⁰  and I would heal them.”’ ¹¹ 

[28:24]  ¹ tn Or “persuaded.”

[28:24]  ² tn Grk “by the things spoken.”

[28:24]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn The imperfect verb ἀπελύοντο (apeluonto) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[28:25]  ⁵ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[28:26]  ⁶ tn Grk “you will hear with hearing” (an idiom).

[28:26]  ⁷ tn Or “seeing”; Grk “you will look by looking” (an idiom).

[28:27]  ⁸ tn Or “insensitive.”

[28:27]  ⁹ tn Grk “they hear heavily with their ears” (an idiom for slow comprehension).

[28:27]  ¹⁰ sn Note how the failure to respond to the message of the gospel is seen as a failure to turn.

[28:27]  ¹¹ sn A quotation from Isa 6:9-10.