Luke 23:34

23:34 [But Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”] ¹  Then ²  they threw dice ³  to divide his clothes. ⁴ 

Acts 7:60

7:60 Then he fell ⁵  to his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” ⁶  When ⁷  he had said this, he died. ⁸ 

Romans 12:14

12:14 Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse.

Romans 12:1

Consecration of the Believer’s Life

12:1 Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, ⁹  by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice – alive, holy, and pleasing to God ¹⁰  – which is your reasonable service.

Colossians 4:12

4:12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a slave ¹¹  of Christ, ¹²  greets you. He is always struggling in prayer on your behalf, so that you may stand mature and fully assured ¹³  in all the will of God.

James 3:10

3:10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. These things should not be so, my brothers and sisters. ¹⁴ 

James 3:1

The Power of the Tongue

3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, ¹⁵  because you know that we will be judged more strictly. ¹⁶ 

James 3:9

3:9 With it we bless the Lord ¹⁷  and Father, and with it we curse people ¹⁸  made in God’s image.

[23:34]  ¹ tc Many important mss (Ì⁷⁵ א¹ B D* W Θ 070 579 1241 pc sy^s sa) lack v. 34a. It is included in א*^,2 (A) C D² L Ψ 0250 Ë^1,(13) 33 Ï lat sy^c,p,h. It also fits a major Lukan theme of forgiving the enemies (6:27-36), and it has a parallel in Stephen’s response in Acts 7:60. The lack of parallels in the other Gospels argues also for inclusion here. On the other hand, the fact of the parallel in Acts 7:60 may well have prompted early scribes to insert the saying in Luke’s Gospel alone. Further, there is the great difficulty of explaining why early and diverse witnesses lack the saying. A decision is difficult, but even those who regard the verse as inauthentic literarily often consider it to be authentic historically. For this reason it has been placed in single brackets in the translation.

[23:34]  ² tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[23:34]  ³ tn Grk “cast lots” (probably by using marked pebbles or broken pieces of pottery). A modern equivalent “threw dice” was chosen here because of its association with gambling.

[23:34]  ⁴ sn An allusion to Ps 22:18, which identifies Jesus as the suffering innocent one.

[7:60]  ⁵ tn Grk “Then falling to his knees he cried out.” The participle θείς (qeis) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[7:60]  ⁶ sn The remarks Lord Jesus, receive my spirit and Lord, do not hold this sin against them recall statements Jesus made on the cross (Luke 23:34, 46).

[7:60]  ⁷ tn Grk “And when.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here; a new sentence is begun instead.

[7:60]  ⁸ tn The verb κοιμάω (koimaw) literally means “sleep,” but it is often used in the Bible as a euphemism for the death of a believer.

[12:1]  ⁹ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.

[12:1]  ¹⁰ tn The participle and two adjectives “alive, holy, and pleasing to God” are taken as predicates in relation to “sacrifice,” making the exhortation more emphatic. See ExSyn 618-19.

[4:12]  ¹¹ tn See the note on “fellow slave” in 1:7.

[4:12]  ¹² tc ‡ Strong Alexandrian testimony, along with some other witnesses, suggests that ᾿Ιησοῦ (Ihsou, “Jesus”) follows Χριστοῦ (Cristou, “Christ”; so א A B C I L 0278 33 81 365 629 1175 2464 al lat), but the evidence for the shorter reading is diverse (Ì⁴⁶ D F G Ψ 075 1739 1881 Ï it sy Hier), cutting across all major texttypes. There can be little motivation for omitting the name of Jesus; hence, the shorter reading is judged to be original. NA²⁷ has ᾿Ιησοῦ in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.

[4:12]  ¹³ tn Or “filled.”

[3:10]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[3:1]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[3:1]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “will receive a greater judgment.”

[3:9]  ¹⁷ tc Most later mss (Ï), along with several versional witnesses, have θεόν (qeon, “God”) here instead of κύριον (kurion, “Lord”). Such is a predictable variant since nowhere else in the NT is God described as “Lord and Father,” but he is called “God and Father” on several occasions. Further, the reading κύριον is well supported by early and diversified witnesses (̲⁰ א A B C P Ψ 33 81 945 1241 1739), rendering it as the overwhelmingly preferred reading.

[3:9]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “men”; but here ἀνθρώπους (anqrwpous) has generic force, referring to both men and women.