Mark 1:3

1:3 the voice of one shouting in the wilderness,

‘Prepare the way for the Lord,

make ¹  his paths straight.’” ² 

Mark 1:15

1:15 He ³  said, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God ⁴  is near. Repent and believe the gospel!”

Ezekiel 18:30

18:30 “Therefore I will judge each person according to his conduct, ⁵  O house of Israel, declares the sovereign Lord. Repent ⁶  and turn from all your wickedness; then it will not be an obstacle leading to iniquity. ⁷ 

Matthew 3:2

3:2 “Repent, ⁸  for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

Matthew 3:8

3:8 Therefore produce fruit ⁹  that proves your ¹⁰  repentance,

Matthew 4:17

4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach this message: ¹¹  “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

Matthew 9:13

9:13 Go and learn what this saying means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice.’ ¹²  For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Matthew 11:20

Woes on Unrepentant Cities

11:20 Then Jesus began to criticize openly the cities ¹³  in which he had done many of his miracles, because they did not repent.

Luke 11:32

11:32 The people ¹⁴  of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented when Jonah preached to them ¹⁵  – and now, ¹⁶  something greater than Jonah is here!

Luke 13:3

13:3 No, I tell you! But unless you repent, ¹⁷  you will all perish as well! ¹⁸ 

Luke 13:5

13:5 No, I tell you! But unless you repent ¹⁹  you will all perish as well!” ²⁰ 

Luke 15:7

15:7 I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner ²¹  who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people ²²  who have no need to repent. ²³ 

Luke 15:10

15:10 In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels ²⁴  over one sinner who repents.”

Luke 24:47

24:47 and repentance ²⁵  for the forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed ²⁶  in his name to all nations, ²⁷  beginning from Jerusalem. ²⁸ 

Acts 2:38

2:38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each one of you be baptized ²⁹  in the name of Jesus Christ ³⁰  for ³¹  the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³² 

Acts 3:19

3:19 Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out,

Acts 11:18

11:18 When they heard this, ³³  they ceased their objections ³⁴  and praised ³⁵  God, saying, “So then, God has granted the repentance ³⁶  that leads to life even to the Gentiles.” ³⁷ 

Acts 20:21

20:21 testifying ³⁸  to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus. ³⁹ 

Acts 26:20

26:20 but I declared to those in Damascus first, and then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, ⁴⁰  and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, ⁴¹  performing deeds consistent with ⁴²  repentance.

Acts 26:2

26:2 “Regarding all the things I have been accused of by the Jews, King Agrippa, ⁴³  I consider myself fortunate that I am about to make my defense before you today,

Colossians 1:9-10

Paul’s Prayer for the Growth of the Church

1:9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, ⁴⁴  have not ceased praying for you and asking God ⁴⁵  to fill ⁴⁶  you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 1:10 so that you may live ⁴⁷  worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects ⁴⁸  – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God,

Colossians 1:2

1:2 to the saints, the faithful ⁴⁹  brothers and sisters ⁵⁰  in Christ, at Colossae. Grace and peace to you ⁵¹  from God our Father! ⁵² 

Colossians 2:1

2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, ⁵³  and for those in Laodicea, and for those who have not met me face to face. ⁵⁴ 

Colossians 2:1

2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, ⁵⁵  and for those in Laodicea, and for those who have not met me face to face. ⁵⁶ 

[1:3]  ¹ sn This call to “make his paths straight” in this context is probably an allusion to preparation through repentance.

[1:3]  ² sn A quotation from Isa 40:3.

[1:15]  ³ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:15]  ⁴ sn The kingdom of God is a reference to the sovereign activity of God as he rules over his creation and brings his plans to realization.

[18:30]  ⁵ tn Heb “ways.”

[18:30]  ⁶ tn The verbs and persons in this verse are plural whereas the individual has been the subject of the chapter.

[18:30]  ⁷ tn Or “leading to punishment.”

[3:2]  ⁸ tn Grk “and saying, ‘Repent.’” The participle λέγων (legwn) at the beginning of v. 2 is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[3:8]  ⁹ sn Fruit worthy of repentance refers to the deeds that indicate a change of attitude (heart) on the part of John’s hearers.

[3:8]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “fruit worthy of.”

[4:17]  ¹¹ tn Grk “and to say.”

[9:13]  ¹² sn A quotation from Hos 6:6 (see also Matt 12:7).

[11:20]  ¹³ tn The Greek word here is πόλις (polis) which can be translated “city” or “town.” “Cities” was chosen here to emphasize the size of the places Jesus’ mentions in the following verses.

[11:32]  ¹⁴ tn See the note on the word “people” in v. 31.

[11:32]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “at the preaching of Jonah.”

[11:32]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “behold.”

[13:3]  ¹⁷ sn Jesus was stressing that all stand at risk of death, if they do not repent and receive life.

[13:3]  ¹⁸ tn Or “you will all likewise perish,” but this could be misunderstood to mean that they would perish by the same means as the Galileans. Jesus’ point is that apart from repentance all will perish.

[13:5]  ¹⁹ sn Jesus’ point repeats v. 3. The circumstances make no difference. All must deal with the reality of what death means.

[13:5]  ²⁰ tn Grk “similarly.”

[15:7]  ²¹ sn There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. The pursuit of the sinner is a priority in spite of the presence of others who are doing well (see also Luke 5:32; 19:10). The theme of repentance, a major Lukan theme, is again emphasized.

[15:7]  ²² tn Here δικαίοις (dikaioi") is an adjective functioning substantivally and has been translated “righteous people.”

[15:7]  ²³ tn Or “who do not need to repent”; Grk “who do not have need of repentance.”

[15:10]  ²⁴ sn The whole of heaven is said to rejoice. Joy in the presence of God’s angels is a way of referring to God’s joy as well without having to name him explicitly. Contemporary Judaism tended to refer to God indirectly where possible out of reverence or respect for the divine name.

[24:47]  ²⁵ sn This repentance has its roots in declarations of the Old Testament. It is the Hebrew concept of a turning of direction.

[24:47]  ²⁶ tn Or “preached,” “announced.”

[24:47]  ²⁷ sn To all nations. The same Greek term (τὰ ἔθνη, ta eqnh) may be translated “the Gentiles” or “the nations.” The hope of God in Christ was for all the nations from the beginning.

[24:47]  ²⁸ sn Beginning from Jerusalem. See Acts 2, which is where it all starts.

[2:38]  ²⁹ tn The verb is a third person imperative, but the common translation “let each of you be baptized” obscures the imperative force in English, since it sounds more like a permissive (“each of you may be baptized”) to the average English reader.

[2:38]  ³⁰ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[2:38]  ³¹ tn There is debate over the meaning of εἰς in the prepositional phrase εἰς ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ὑμῶν (eis afesin twn Jamartiwn Jumwn, “for/because of/with reference to the forgiveness of your sins”). Although a causal sense has been argued, it is difficult to maintain here. ExSyn 369-71 discusses at least four other ways of dealing with the passage: (1) The baptism referred to here is physical only, and εἰς has the meaning of “for” or “unto.” Such a view suggests that salvation is based on works – an idea that runs counter to the theology of Acts, namely: (a) repentance often precedes baptism (cf. Acts 3:19; 26:20), and (b) salvation is entirely a gift of God, not procured via water baptism (Acts 10:43 [cf. v. 47]; 13:38-39, 48; 15:11; 16:30-31; 20:21; 26:18); (2) The baptism referred to here is spiritual only. Although such a view fits well with the theology of Acts, it does not fit well with the obvious meaning of “baptism” in Acts – especially in this text (cf. 2:41); (3) The text should be repunctuated in light of the shift from second person plural to third person singular back to second person plural again. The idea then would be, “Repent for/with reference to your sins, and let each one of you be baptized…” Such a view is an acceptable way of handling εἰς, but its subtlety and awkwardness count against it; (4) Finally, it is possible that to a first-century Jewish audience (as well as to Peter), the idea of baptism might incorporate both the spiritual reality and the physical symbol. That Peter connects both closely in his thinking is clear from other passages such as Acts 10:47 and 11:15-16. If this interpretation is correct, then Acts 2:38 is saying very little about the specific theological relationship between the symbol and the reality, only that historically they were viewed together. One must look in other places for a theological analysis. For further discussion see R. N. Longenecker, “Acts,” EBC 9:283-85; B. Witherington, Acts, 154-55; F. F. Bruce, The Acts of the Apostles: The Greek Text with Introduction and Commentary, 129-30; BDAG 290 s.v. εἰς 4.f.

[2:38]  ³² tn Here the genitive τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος (tou Jagiou pneumato") is a genitive of apposition; the gift consists of the Holy Spirit.

[11:18]  ³³ tn Grk “these things.”

[11:18]  ³⁴ tn Or “became silent,” but this would create an apparent contradiction with the subsequent action of praising God. The point, in context, is that they ceased objecting to what Peter had done.

[11:18]  ³⁵ tn Or “glorified.”

[11:18]  ³⁶ sn Here the summary phrase for responding to the gospel is the repentance that leads to life. Note how the presence of life is tied to the presence of the Spirit (cf. John 4:7-42; 7:37-39).

[11:18]  ³⁷ sn In the Greek text the phrase even to the Gentiles is in an emphatic position.

[20:21]  ³⁸ tn BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 1 has “testify of, bear witness to (orig. under oath)…of repentance to Judeans and Hellenes Ac 20:21.”

[20:21]  ³⁹ tc Several mss, including some of the more important ones (Ì⁷⁴ א Α C [D] E 33 36 323 945 1175 1241 1505 1739 pm and a number of versions), read Χριστόν (Criston, “Christ”) at the end of this verse. This word is lacking in B H L P Ψ 614 pm. Although the inclusion is supported by many earlier and better mss, internal evidence is on the side of the omission: In Acts, both “Lord Jesus” and “Lord Jesus Christ” occur, though between 16:31 and the end of the book “Lord Jesus Christ” appears only in 28:31, perhaps as a kind of climactic assertion. Thus, the shorter reading is to be preferred.

[26:20]  ⁴⁰ tn BDAG 1093-94 s.v. χώρα 2.b states, “of the provincial name (1 Macc 8:3) ἡ χώρα τῆς ᾿Ιουδαίας Ac 26:20.”

[26:20]  ⁴¹ sn That they should repent and turn to God. This is the shortest summary of Paul’s message that he preached.

[26:20]  ⁴² tn BDAG 93 s.v. ἄξιος 1.b, “καρποὶ ἄ. τῆς μετανοίας fruits in keeping with your repentance…Lk 3:8; Mt 3:8. For this ἄ. τῆς μετανοίας ἔργα Ac 26:20.” Note how Paul preached the gospel offer and the issue of response together, side by side.

[26:2]  ⁴³ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[1:9]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “heard about it”; Grk “heard.” There is no direct object stated in the Greek (direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context). A direct object is expected by an English reader, however, so most translations supply one. Here, however, it is not entirely clear what the author “heard”: a number of translations supply “it” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV; NAB “this”), but this could refer back either to (1) “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8, or (2) “your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints” (v. 4). In light of this uncertainty, other translations supply “about you” (TEV, NIV, CEV, NLT). This is preferred by the present translation since, while it does not resolve the ambiguity entirely, it does make it less easy for the English reader to limit the reference only to “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8.

[1:9]  ⁴⁵ tn The term “God” does not appear in the Greek text, but the following reference to “the knowledge of his will” makes it clear that “God” is in view as the object of the “praying and asking,” and should therefore be included in the English translation for clarity.

[1:9]  ⁴⁶ tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause has been translated as substantival, indicating the content of the prayer and asking. The idea of purpose may also be present in this clause.

[1:10]  ⁴⁷ tn The infinitive περιπατῆσαι (peripathsai, “to walk, to live, to live one’s life”) is best taken as an infinitive of purpose related to “praying” (προσευχόμενοι, proseucomenoi) and “asking” (αἰτούμενοι, aitoumenoi) in v. 9 and is thus translated as “that you may live.”

[1:10]  ⁴⁸ tn BDAG 129 s.v. ἀρεσκεία states that ἀρεσκείαν (areskeian) refers to a “desire to please εἰς πᾶσαν ἀ. to please (the Lord) in all respects Col 1:10.”

[1:2]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “and faithful.” The construction in Greek (as well as Paul’s style) suggests that the saints are identical to the faithful; hence, the καί (kai) is best left untranslated (cf. Eph 1:1). See ExSyn 281-82.

[1:2]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).

[1:2]  ⁵¹ tn Or “Grace to you and peace.”

[1:2]  ⁵² tc Most witnesses, including some important ones (א A C F G I [P] 075 Ï it bo), read “and the Lord Jesus Christ” at the end of this verse, no doubt to conform the wording to the typical Pauline salutation. However, excellent and early witnesses (B D K L Ψ 33 81 1175 1505 1739 1881 al sa) lack this phrase. Since the omission is inexplicable as arising from the longer reading (otherwise, these mss would surely have deleted the phrase in the rest of the corpus Paulinum), it is surely authentic.

[2:1]  ⁵³ tn Or “I want you to know how hard I am working for you…”

[2:1]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “as many as have not seen my face in the flesh.”

[2:1]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “I want you to know how hard I am working for you…”

[2:1]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “as many as have not seen my face in the flesh.”