Ezra 4:12-15

4:12 Now ¹  let the king be aware that the Jews who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and odious city. ²  They are completing its walls and repairing its foundations. 4:13 Let the king also be aware that if this city is built and its walls are completed, no more tax, custom, or toll will be paid, and the royal treasury ³  will suffer loss. 4:14 In light of the fact that we are loyal to the king, ⁴  and since it does not seem appropriate to us that the king should sustain damage, ⁵  we are sending the king this information ⁶  4:15 so that he may initiate a search of the records ⁷  of his predecessors ⁸  and discover in those records ⁹  that this city is rebellious ¹⁰  and injurious to both kings and provinces, producing internal revolts ¹¹  from long ago. ¹²  It is for this very reason that this city was destroyed.

Acts 16:20-21

16:20 When ¹³  they had brought them ¹⁴  before the magistrates, they said, “These men are throwing our city into confusion. ¹⁵  They are ¹⁶  Jews 16:21 and are advocating ¹⁷  customs that are not lawful for us to accept ¹⁸  or practice, ¹⁹  since we are ²⁰  Romans.”

Acts 17:6-7

17:6 When they did not find them, they dragged ²¹  Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, ²²  screaming, “These people who have stirred up trouble ²³  throughout the world ²⁴  have come here too, 17:7 and ²⁵  Jason has welcomed them as guests! They ²⁶  are all acting against Caesar’s ²⁷  decrees, saying there is another king named ²⁸  Jesus!” ²⁹ 

Acts 24:5

24:5 For we have found ³⁰  this man to be a troublemaker, ³¹  one who stirs up riots ³²  among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader ³³  of the sect of the Nazarenes. ³⁴ 

Acts 28:22

28:22 But we would like to hear from you what you think, for regarding this sect we know ³⁵  that people ³⁶  everywhere speak against ³⁷  it.”

[4:12]  ¹ tn The MT takes this word with the latter part of v. 11, but in English style it fits better with v. 12.

[4:12]  ² sn Management of the provinces that were distantly removed from the capital was difficult, and insurrection in such places was a perennial problem. The language used in this report about Jerusalem (i.e., “rebellious,” “odious”) is intentionally inflammatory. It is calculated to draw immediate attention to the perceived problem.

[4:13]  ³ tn Aram “the treasury of kings.” The plural “kings” is Hebrew, not Aramaic. If the plural is intended in a numerical sense the reference is not just to Artaxerxes but to his successors as well. Some scholars understand this to be the plural of majesty, referring to Artaxerxes. See F. C. Fensham, Ezra and Nehemiah (NICOT), 74.

[4:14]  ⁴ tn Aram “we eat the salt of the palace.”

[4:14]  ⁵ tn Aram “the dishonor of the king is not fitting for us to see.”

[4:14]  ⁶ tn Aram “and we have made known.”

[4:15]  ⁷ tn Aram “the book of the minutes.”

[4:15]  ⁸ tn Aram “of your fathers.”

[4:15]  ⁹ tn Aram “discover…and learn.” For stylistic reasons this has been translated as a single concept.

[4:15]  ¹⁰ tn Aram “is a rebellious city.”

[4:15]  ¹¹ tn Aram “revolts they are making in its midst.”

[4:15]  ¹² tn Aram “from olden days.” So also in v. 19.

[16:20]  ¹³ tn Grk “And when.” 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.

[16:20]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “having brought them.” The participle ἐπιλαβόμενοι (epilabomenoi) has been taken temporally. It is also possible in English to translate this participle as a finite verb: “they brought them before the magistrates and said.”

[16:20]  ¹⁵ tn BDAG 309 s.v. ἐκταράσσω has “agitate, cause trouble to, throw into confusion” for the meaning of this verb.

[16:20]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “being Jews, and they are proclaiming.” The participle ὑπάρχοντες (Juparconte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:21]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “proclaiming,” but in relation to customs, “advocating” is a closer approximation to the meaning.

[16:21]  ¹⁸ tn Or “acknowledge.”

[16:21]  ¹⁹ sn Customs that are not lawful for us to accept or practice. Ironically, the charges are similar to those made against Jesus in Luke 23:2, where Jews argued he was “twisting” their customs. The charge has three elements: (1) a racial element (Jewish); (2) a social element (unlawful); and (3) a traditional element (not their customs).

[16:21]  ²⁰ tn Grk “we being Romans.” The participle οὖσιν (ousin) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[17:6]  ²¹ tn See BDAG 977-78 s.v. σύρω on this verb. It was used in everyday speech of dragging in fish by a net, or dragging away someone’s (presumably) dead body (Paul in Acts 14:19).

[17:6]  ²² tn L&N 37.93 defines πολιτάρχης (politarch") as “a public official responsible for administrative matters within a town or city and a member of the ruling council of such a political unit – ‘city official’” (see also BDAG 845 s.v.).

[17:6]  ²³ tn Or “rebellion.” BDAG 72 s.v. ἀναστατόω has “disturb, trouble, upset,” but in light of the references in the following verse to political insurrection, “stirred up rebellion” would also be appropriate.

[17:6]  ²⁴ tn Or “the empire.” This was a way of referring to the Roman empire (BDAG 699 s.v. οἰκουμένη 2.b).

[17:7]  ²⁵ tn Grk “whom.” Because of the awkwardness in English of having two relative clauses follow one another (“who have stirred up trouble…whom Jason has welcomed”) the relative pronoun here (“whom”) has been replaced by the conjunction “and,” creating a clause that is grammatically coordinate but logically subordinate in the translation.

[17:7]  ²⁶ tn Grk “and they.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[17:7]  ²⁷ tn Or “the emperor’s” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[17:7]  ²⁸ tn The word “named” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied for clarity.

[17:7]  ²⁹ sn Acting…saying…Jesus. The charges are serious, involving sedition (Luke 23:2). If the political charges were true, Rome would have to react.

[24:5]  ³⁰ 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]  ³¹ 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]  ³² 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]  ³³ tn This term is yet another NT hapax legomenon (BDAG 894 s.v. πρωτοστάτης).

[24:5]  ³⁴ sn The sect of the Nazarenes is a designation for followers of Jesus the Nazarene, that is, Christians.

[28:22]  ³⁵ 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]  ³⁶ 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]  ³⁷ tn On the term translated “speak against,” see BDAG 89 s.v. ἀντιλέγω 1.