Acts 3:17-21

3:17 And now, brothers, I know you acted in ignorance, ¹  as your rulers did too. 3:18 But the things God foretold ²  long ago through ³  all the prophets – that his Christ ⁴  would suffer – he has fulfilled in this way. 3:19 Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out, 3:20 so that times of refreshing ⁵  may come from the presence of the Lord, ⁶  and so that he may send the Messiah ⁷  appointed ⁸  for you – that is, Jesus. 3:21 This one ⁹  heaven must ¹⁰  receive until the time all things are restored, ¹¹  which God declared ¹²  from times long ago ¹³  through his holy prophets.

[3:17]  ¹ sn The ignorance Peter mentions here does not excuse them from culpability. It was simply a way to say “you did not realize the great mistake you made.”

[3:18]  ² sn God foretold. Peter’s topic is the working out of God’s plan and promise through events the scriptures also note.

[3:18]  ³ tn Grk “by the mouth of” (an idiom).

[3:18]  ⁴ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[3:20]  ⁵ tn Or “relief.”

[3:20]  ⁶ tn The words “so that…Lord” are traditionally placed in v. 19 by most English translations, but in the present translation the verse division follows the standard critical editions of the Greek text (NA²⁷, UBS⁴).

[3:20]  ⁷ tn Or “the Christ”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[3:20]  ⁸ tn Or “designated in advance.”

[3:21]  ⁹ tn Grk “whom,” continuing the sentence from v. 20.

[3:21]  ¹⁰ sn The term must used here (δεῖ, dei, “it is necessary”) is a key Lukan term to point to the plan of God and what must occur.

[3:21]  ¹¹ tn Grk “until the times of the restoration of all things.” Because of the awkward English style of the extended genitive construction, and because the following relative clause has as its referent the “time of restoration” rather than “all things,” the phrase was translated “until the time all things are restored.”

[3:21]  ¹² tn Or “spoke.”

[3:21]  ¹³ tn Or “from all ages past.”