Deuteronomy 19:16-21

19:16 If a false ¹  witness testifies against another person and accuses him of a crime, ²  19:17 then both parties to the controversy must stand before the Lord, that is, before the priests and judges ³  who will be in office in those days. 19:18 The judges will thoroughly investigate the matter, and if the witness should prove to be false and to have given false testimony against the accused, ⁴  19:19 you must do to him what he had intended to do to the accused. In this way you will purge ⁵  evil from among you. 19:20 The rest of the people will hear and become afraid to keep doing such evil among you. 19:21 You must not show pity; the principle will be a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, and a foot for a foot. ⁶ 

Deuteronomy 19:1

Laws Concerning Manslaughter

19:1 When the Lord your God destroys the nations whose land he ⁷  is about to give you and you dispossess them and settle in their cities and houses,

Deuteronomy 21:8-13

21:8 Do not blame ⁸  your people Israel whom you redeemed, O Lord, and do not hold them accountable for the bloodshed of an innocent person.” ⁹  Then atonement will be made for the bloodshed. 21:9 In this manner you will purge out the guilt of innocent blood from among you, for you must do what is right before ¹⁰  the Lord.

Laws Concerning Wives

21:10 When you go out to do battle with your enemies and the Lord your God allows you to prevail ¹¹  and you take prisoners, 21:11 if you should see among them ¹²  an attractive woman whom you wish to take as a wife, 21:12 you may bring her back to your house. She must shave her head, ¹³  trim her nails, 21:13 discard the clothing she was wearing when captured, ¹⁴  and stay ¹⁵  in your house, lamenting for her father and mother for a full month. After that you may have sexual relations ¹⁶  with her and become her husband and she your wife.

Psalms 27:12

27:12 Do not turn me over to my enemies, ¹⁷ 

for false witnesses who want to destroy me testify against me. ¹⁸ 

Psalms 35:11-12

35:11 Violent men perjure themselves, ¹⁹ 

and falsely accuse me. ²⁰ 

35:12 They repay me evil for the good I have done; ²¹ 

I am overwhelmed with sorrow. ²² 

Psalms 94:20-21

94:20 Cruel rulers ²³  are not your allies,

those who make oppressive laws. ²⁴ 

94:21 They conspire against ²⁵  the blameless, ²⁶ 

and condemn to death the innocent. ²⁷ 

Proverbs 25:18

25:18 Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow, ²⁸ 

so is the one who testifies against ²⁹  his neighbor as a false witness. ³⁰ 

Mark 14:55-56

14:55 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find anything. 14:56 Many gave false testimony against him, but their testimony did not agree.

Acts 6:11-13

6:11 Then they secretly instigated ³¹  some men to say, “We have heard this man ³²  speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 6:12 They incited the people, the ³³  elders, and the experts in the law; ³⁴  then they approached Stephen, ³⁵  seized him, and brought him before the council. ³⁶  6:13 They brought forward false witnesses who said, “This man does not stop saying things against this holy place ³⁷  and the law. ³⁸ 

Acts 24:1-13

The Accusations Against Paul

24:1 After five days the high priest Ananias ³⁹  came down with some elders and an attorney ⁴⁰  named ⁴¹  Tertullus, and they ⁴²  brought formal charges ⁴³  against Paul to the governor. 24:2 When Paul ⁴⁴  had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, ⁴⁵  saying, “We have experienced a lengthy time ⁴⁶  of peace through your rule, ⁴⁷  and reforms ⁴⁸  are being made in this nation ⁴⁹  through your foresight. ⁵⁰  24:3 Most excellent Felix, ⁵¹  we acknowledge this everywhere and in every way ⁵²  with all gratitude. ⁵³  24:4 But so that I may not delay ⁵⁴  you any further, I beg ⁵⁵  you to hear us briefly ⁵⁶  with your customary graciousness. ⁵⁷  24:5 For we have found ⁵⁸  this man to be a troublemaker, ⁵⁹  one who stirs up riots ⁶⁰  among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader ⁶¹  of the sect of the Nazarenes. ⁶²  24:6 He ⁶³  even tried to desecrate ⁶⁴  the temple, so we arrested ⁶⁵  him. 24:7 [[EMPTY]] ⁶⁶  24:8 When you examine ⁶⁷  him yourself, you will be able to learn from him ⁶⁸  about all these things we are accusing him of doing.” ⁶⁹  24:9 The Jews also joined in the verbal attack, ⁷⁰  claiming ⁷¹  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 ⁷²  that you have been a judge over this nation for many years, I confidently make my defense. ⁷³  24:11 As you can verify ⁷⁴  for yourself, not more than twelve days ago ⁷⁵  I went up to Jerusalem ⁷⁶  to worship. 24:12 They did not find me arguing ⁷⁷  with anyone or stirring up a crowd ⁷⁸  in the temple courts ⁷⁹  or in the synagogues ⁸⁰  or throughout the city, ⁸¹  24:13 nor can they prove ⁸²  to you the things ⁸³  they are accusing me of doing. ⁸⁴ 

[19:16]  ¹ tn Heb “violent” (חָמָס, khamas). This is a witness whose motivation from the beginning is to do harm to the accused and who, therefore, resorts to calumny and deceit. See I. Swart and C. VanDam, NIDOTTE 2:177-80.

[19:16]  ² tn Or “rebellion.” Rebellion against God’s law is in view (cf. NAB “of a defection from the law”).

[19:17]  ³ tn The appositional construction (“before the Lord, that is, before the priests and judges”) indicates that these human agents represented the Lord himself, that is, they stood in his place (cf. Deut 16:18-20; 17:8-9).

[19:18]  ⁴ tn Heb “his brother” (also in the following verse).

[19:19]  ⁵ tn Heb “you will burn out” (בִּעַרְתָּ, bi’arta). Like a cancer, unavenged sin would infect the whole community. It must, therefore, be excised by the purging out of its perpetrators who, presumably, remained unrepentant (cf. Deut 13:6; 17:7, 12; 21:21; 22:21-22, 24; 24:7).

[19:21]  ⁶ sn This kind of justice is commonly called lex talionis or “measure for measure” (cf. Exod 21:23-25; Lev 24:19-20). It is likely that it is the principle that is important and not always a strict application. That is, the punishment should fit the crime and it may do so by the payment of fines or other suitable and equitable compensation (cf. Exod 22:21; Num 35:31). See T. S. Frymer-Kensky, “Tit for Tat: The Principle of Equal Retribution in Near Eastern and Biblical Law,” BA 43 (1980): 230-34.

[19:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

[21:8]  ⁸ tn Heb “Atone for.”

[21:8]  ⁹ tn Heb “and do not place innocent blood in the midst of your people Israel.”

[21:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “in the eyes of” (so ASV, NASB, NIV).

[21:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “gives him into your hands.”

[21:11]  ¹² tn Heb “the prisoners.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.

[21:12]  ¹³ sn This requirement for the woman to shave her head may symbolize the putting away of the old life and customs in preparation for being numbered among the people of the Lord. The same is true for the two following requirements.

[21:13]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “she is to…remove the clothing of her captivity” (cf. NASB); NRSV “discard her captive’s garb.”

[21:13]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “sit”; KJV, NASB, NRSV “remain.”

[21:13]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “go unto,” a common Hebrew euphemism for sexual relations.

[27:12]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “do not give me over to the desire of my enemies.”

[27:12]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “for they have risen up against me, lying witnesses and a testifier of violence.” The form יָפֵחַ (yafeakh) is traditionally understood as a verb meaning “snort, breathe out”: “for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty” (KJV; cf. BDB 422 s.v.). A better option is to take the form as a noun meaning “a witness” (or “testifier”). See Prov 6:19; 12:17; 14:5, 25; 19:5, 9, and Hab 2:3.

[35:11]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “witnesses of violence rise up.”

[35:11]  ²⁰ tn Heb “[that] which I do not know they ask me.”

[35:12]  ²¹ tn Heb “they repay me evil instead of good.”

[35:12]  ²² tn Heb “[there is] bereavement to my soul.”

[94:20]  ²³ tn Heb “a throne of destruction.” “Throne” stands here by metonymy for rulers who occupy thrones.

[94:20]  ²⁴ tn Heb “Is a throne of destruction united to you, one that forms trouble upon a statute?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “Of course not!” The translation, while not preserving the interrogative form of the statement, reflects its rhetorical force.

[94:21]  ²⁵ tn Or “attack.”

[94:21]  ²⁶ tn Heb “the life of the blameless.”

[94:21]  ²⁷ tn Heb “and the blood of the innocent they declare guilty.”

[25:18]  ²⁸ sn The first line identifies the emblem of the proverb: False witnesses are here compared to deadly weapons because they can cause the death of innocent people (e.g., Exod 20:16; Deut 5:20; and Prov 14:5).

[25:18]  ²⁹ tn The verb עָנָה (’anah) followed by the preposition בְּ (bet) with its object means “to testify against” (answer against someone). With the preposition לְ (lamed) it would mean “to testify for” someone. Here the false witness is an adversary, hence the comparison with deadly weapons.

[25:18]  ³⁰ tn While עֵד (’ed) could be interpreted as “evidence” (a meaning that came from a metonymy – what the witness gives in court), its normal meaning is “witness.” Here it would function as an adverbial accusative, specifying how he would answer in court.

[6:11]  ³¹ tn Another translation would be “they suborned” (but this term is not in common usage). “Instigate (secretly), suborn” is given by BDAG 1036 s.v. ὑποβάλλω.

[6:11]  ³² tn Grk “heard him”; but since this is direct discourse, it is more natural (and clearer) to specify the referent (Stephen) as “this man.”

[6:12]  ³³ tn Grk “and the,” but 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.

[6:12]  ³⁴ tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 4:5.

[6:12]  ³⁵ tn Grk “approaching, they seized him”; the referent (Stephen) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:12]  ³⁶ tn Or “the Sanhedrin” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews). Stephen suffers just as Peter and John did.

[6:13]  ³⁷ sn This holy place is a reference to the temple.

[6:13]  ³⁸ sn The law refers to the law of Moses. It elaborates the nature of the blasphemy in v. 11. To speak against God’s law in Torah was to blaspheme God (Deut 28:15-19). On the Jewish view of false witnesses, see Exod 19:16-18; 20:16; m. Sanhedrin 3.6; 5.1-5. Stephen’s speech in Acts 7 may indicate why the temple was mentioned.

[24:1]  ³⁹ sn Ananias was in office from a.d. 47-59.

[24:1]  ⁴⁰ tn The term refers to a professional advocate (BDAG 905 s.v. ῥήτωρ).

[24:1]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “an attorney, a certain Tertullus.”

[24:1]  ⁴² 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]  ⁴³ tn BDAG 326 s.v. ἐμφανίζω 3 has “ἐ. τινὶ κατά τινος bring formal charges against someone…Ac 24:1; 25:2.”

[24:2]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[24:2]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “began to bring charges, saying.”

[24:2]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “experienced much peace.”

[24:2]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “through you” (“rule” is implied).

[24:2]  ⁴⁸ 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]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “being made for this people.”

[24:2]  ⁵⁰ 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]  ⁵¹ sn Most excellent Felix. See the note on Felix in 23:24.

[24:3]  ⁵² tn Grk “in every way and everywhere.”

[24:3]  ⁵³ 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]  ⁵⁴ 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]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “request.”

[24:4]  ⁵⁶ 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]  ⁵⁷ tn BDAG 371 s.v. ἐπιείκεια has “τῇ σῇ ἐ. with your (customary) indulgence Ac 24:4.”

[24:5]  ⁵⁸ 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]  ⁵⁹ 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]  ⁶⁰ 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]  ⁶¹ tn This term is yet another NT hapax legomenon (BDAG 894 s.v. πρωτοστάτης).

[24:5]  ⁶² sn The sect of the Nazarenes is a designation for followers of Jesus the Nazarene, that is, Christians.

[24:6]  ⁶³ 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]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “profane” (BDAG 173 s.v. βεβηλόω). The term was also used of profaning the Sabbath.

[24:6]  ⁶⁵ 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]  ⁶⁶ 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]  ⁶⁷ tn Or “question.”

[24:8]  ⁶⁸ 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]  ⁶⁹ 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]  ⁷⁰ 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]  ⁷¹ tn Or “asserting” (BDAG 1050 s.v. φάσκω).

[24:10]  ⁷² tn Grk “knowing.” The participle ἐπιστάμενος (epistamenos) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[24:10]  ⁷³ sn “Because…defense.” Paul also paid an indirect compliment to the governor, implying that he would be fair in his judgment.

[24:11]  ⁷⁴ 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]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “it is not more than twelve days from when.” This has been simplified to “not more than twelve days ago.”

[24:11]  ⁷⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[24:12]  ⁷⁷ tn Or “disputing,” “conducting a heated discussion.”

[24:12]  ⁷⁸ 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]  ⁷⁹ tn Grk “in the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[24:12]  ⁸⁰ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[24:12]  ⁸¹ 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]  ⁸² 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]  ⁸³ 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]  ⁸⁴ 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.