Matthew 5:10-12

5:10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

5:11 “Blessed are you when people ¹  insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things about you falsely ²  on account of me. 5:12 Rejoice and be glad because your reward is great in heaven, for they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.

Matthew 10:12-18

10:12 As you enter the house, give it greetings. ³  10:13 And if the house is worthy, let your peace come on it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. ⁴  10:14 And if anyone will not welcome you or listen to your message, shake the dust off ⁵  your feet as you leave that house or that town. 10:15 I tell you the truth, ⁶  it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom and Gomorrah ⁷  on the day of judgment than for that town!

Persecution of Disciples

10:16 “I ⁸  am sending you out like sheep surrounded by wolves, ⁹  so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 10:17 Beware ¹⁰  of people, because they will hand you over to councils ¹¹  and flog ¹²  you in their synagogues. ¹³  10:18 And you will be brought before governors and kings ¹⁴  because of me, as a witness to them and the Gentiles.

Matthew 10:22-25

10:22 And you will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 10:23 Whenever ¹⁵  they persecute you in one place, ¹⁶  flee to another. I tell you the truth, ¹⁷  you will not finish going through all the towns ¹⁸  of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

10:24 “A disciple is not greater than his teacher, nor a slave ¹⁹  greater than his master. 10:25 It is enough for the disciple to become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house ‘Beelzebul,’ how much more will they defame the members of his household!

Matthew 21:35-39

21:35 But the tenants seized his slaves, beat one, ²⁰  killed another, and stoned another. 21:36 Again he sent other slaves, more than the first, and they treated them the same way. 21:37 Finally he sent his son to them, ²¹  saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 21:38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and get his inheritance!’ 21:39 So ²²  they seized him, ²³  threw him out of the vineyard, ²⁴  and killed him.

Matthew 23:34-37

23:34 “For this reason I ²⁵  am sending you prophets and wise men and experts in the law, ²⁶  some of whom you will kill and crucify, ²⁷  and some you will flog ²⁸  in your synagogues ²⁹  and pursue from town to town, 23:35 so that on you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, ³⁰  whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 23:36 I tell you the truth, ³¹  this generation will be held responsible for all these things! ³² 

Judgment on Israel

23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, ³³  you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! ³⁴  How often I have longed ³⁵  to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but ³⁶  you would have none of it! ³⁷ 

John 15:19-20

15:19 If you belonged to the world, ³⁸  the world would love you as its own. ³⁹  However, because you do not belong to the world, ⁴⁰  but I chose you out of the world, for this reason ⁴¹  the world hates you. ⁴²  15:20 Remember what ⁴³  I told you, ‘A slave ⁴⁴  is not greater than his master.’ ⁴⁵  If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they obeyed ⁴⁶  my word, they will obey ⁴⁷  yours too.

John 16:2-3

16:2 They will put you out of ⁴⁸  the synagogue, ⁴⁹  yet a time ⁵⁰  is coming when the one who kills you will think he is offering service to God. ⁵¹  16:3 They ⁵²  will do these things because they have not known the Father or me. ⁵³ 

Acts 4:1-3

The Arrest and Trial of Peter and John

4:1 While Peter and John ⁵⁴  were speaking to the people, the priests and the commander ⁵⁵  of the temple guard ⁵⁶  and the Sadducees ⁵⁷  came up ⁵⁸  to them, 4:2 angry ⁵⁹  because they were teaching the people and announcing ⁶⁰  in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 4:3 So ⁶¹  they seized ⁶²  them and put them in jail ⁶³  until the next day (for it was already evening).

Acts 5:40-41

5:40 and they summoned the apostles and had them beaten. ⁶⁴  Then ⁶⁵  they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus and released them. 5:41 So they left the council rejoicing because they had been considered worthy ⁶⁶  to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name. ⁶⁷ 

Acts 7:51-57

7:51 “You stubborn ⁶⁸  people, with uncircumcised ⁶⁹  hearts and ears! ⁷⁰  You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, like your ancestors ⁷¹  did! 7:52 Which of the prophets did your ancestors ⁷²  not persecute? ⁷³  They ⁷⁴  killed those who foretold long ago the coming of the Righteous One, ⁷⁵  whose betrayers and murderers you have now become! ⁷⁶  7:53 You ⁷⁷  received the law by decrees given by angels, ⁷⁸  but you did not obey ⁷⁹  it.” ⁸⁰ 

Stephen is Killed

7:54 When they heard these things, they became furious ⁸¹  and ground their teeth ⁸²  at him. 7:55 But Stephen, ⁸³  full ⁸⁴  of the Holy Spirit, looked intently ⁸⁵  toward heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing ⁸⁶  at the right hand of God. 7:56 “Look!” he said. ⁸⁷  “I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 7:57 But they covered their ears, ⁸⁸  shouting out with a loud voice, and rushed at him with one intent.

Acts 8:1

8:1 And Saul agreed completely with killing ⁸⁹  him.

Saul Begins to Persecute the Church

Now on that day a great ⁹⁰  persecution began ⁹¹  against the church in Jerusalem, ⁹²  and all ⁹³  except the apostles were forced to scatter throughout the regions ⁹⁴  of Judea and Samaria.

Acts 8:1

8:1 And Saul agreed completely with killing ⁹⁵  him.

Saul Begins to Persecute the Church

Now on that day a great ⁹⁶  persecution began ⁹⁷  against the church in Jerusalem, ⁹⁸  and all ⁹⁹  except the apostles were forced to scatter throughout the regions ¹⁰⁰  of Judea and Samaria.

Acts 2:14-15

Peter’s Address on the Day of Pentecost

2:14 But Peter stood up ¹⁰¹  with the eleven, raised his voice, and addressed them: “You men of Judea ¹⁰²  and all you who live in Jerusalem, ¹⁰³  know this ¹⁰⁴  and listen carefully to what I say. 2:15 In spite of what you think, these men are not drunk, ¹⁰⁵  for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. ¹⁰⁶ 

[5:11]  ¹ tn Grk “when they insult you.” The third person pronoun (here implied in the verb ὀνειδίσωσιν [ojneidiswsin]) has no specific referent, but refers to people in general.

[5:11]  ² tc Although ψευδόμενοι (yeudomenoi, “bearing witness falsely”) could be a motivated reading, clarifying that the disciples are unjustly persecuted, its lack in only D it sy^s Tert does not help its case. Since the Western text is known for numerous free alterations, without corroborative evidence the shorter reading must be judged as secondary.

[10:12]  ³ tn This is a metonymy; the “house” is put for those who live in it.

[10:13]  ⁴ sn The response to these messengers determines how God’s blessing is bestowed – if the messengers are not welcomed, their blessing will return to them. Jesus shows just how important their mission is by this remark.

[10:14]  ⁵ sn To shake the dust off represented shaking off the uncleanness from one’s feet; see Luke 10:11; Acts 13:51; 18:6. It was a sign of rejection.

[10:15]  ⁶ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[10:15]  ⁷ sn The allusion to Sodom and Gomorrah, the most wicked of OT cities from Gen 19:1-29, shows that to reject the current message is even more serious than the worst sins of the old era and will result in more severe punishment.

[10:16]  ⁸ tn Grk “Behold I.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[10:16]  ⁹ sn This imagery of wolves is found in intertestamental Judaism; see Pss. Sol. 8:23, 30.

[10:17]  ¹⁰ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[10:17]  ¹¹ sn Councils in this context refers to local judicial bodies attached to the Jewish synagogue. This group would be responsible for meting out justice and discipline within the Jewish community.

[10:17]  ¹² tn BDAG 620 s.v. μαστιγόω 1.a states, “of flogging as a punishment decreed by the synagogue (Dt 25:2f; s. the Mishna Tractate Sanhedrin-Makkoth, edited w. notes by SKrauss ’33) w. acc. of pers. Mt 10:17; 23:34.”

[10:17]  ¹³ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.

[10:18]  ¹⁴ sn These statements look at persecution both from a Jewish context as the mention of courts and synagogues suggests, and from a Gentile one as the reference to governors and kings suggests. Some fulfillment of Jewish persecution can be seen in Acts.

[10:23]  ¹⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[10:23]  ¹⁶ tn The Greek word here is πόλις (polis), which can mean either “town” or “city.”

[10:23]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “For truly (ἀμήν, amhn) I say to you.” Here γάρ (gar, “for”) has not been translated.

[10:23]  ¹⁸ tn The Greek word here is πόλις (polis), which can mean either “town” or “city.” “Town” was chosen here to emphasize the extensive nature of the disciples’ ministry. The same word is translated earlier in the verse as “place.”

[10:24]  ¹⁹ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.

[21:35]  ²⁰ sn The image of the tenants mistreating the owner’s slaves pictures the nation’s rejection of the prophets and their message.

[21:37]  ²¹ sn The owner’s decision to send his son represents God sending Jesus.

[21:39]  ²² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the tenants’ decision to kill the son in v. 38.

[21:39]  ²³ tn Grk “seizing him.” The participle λαβόντες (labontes) has been translated as attendant circumstance.

[21:39]  ²⁴ sn Throwing the heir out of the vineyard pictures Jesus’ death outside of Jerusalem.

[23:34]  ²⁵ tn Grk “behold I am sending.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[23:34]  ²⁶ tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[23:34]  ²⁷ sn See the note on crucified in 20:19.

[23:34]  ²⁸ tn BDAG 620 s.v. μαστιγόω 1.a states, “of flogging as a punishment decreed by the synagogue (Dt 25:2f; s. the Mishna Tractate Sanhedrin-Makkoth, edited w. notes by SKrauss ’33) w. acc. of pers. Mt 10:17; 23:34.”

[23:34]  ²⁹ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.

[23:35]  ³⁰ sn Spelling of this name (Βαραχίου, Baraciou) varies among the English versions: “Barachiah” (RSV, NRSV); “Berechiah” (NASB); “Berachiah” (NIV).

[23:36]  ³¹ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[23:36]  ³² tn Grk “all these things will come on this generation.”

[23:37]  ³³ sn The double use of the city’s name betrays intense emotion.

[23:37]  ³⁴ tn Although the opening address (“Jerusalem, Jerusalem”) is direct (second person), the remainder of this sentence in the Greek text is third person (“who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her”). The following sentences then revert to second person (“your… you”), so to keep all this consistent in English, the third person pronouns in the present verse were translated as second person (“you who kill… sent to you”).

[23:37]  ³⁵ sn How often I have longed to gather your children. Jesus, like a lamenting prophet, speaks for God here, who longed to care tenderly for Israel and protect her.

[23:37]  ³⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[23:37]  ³⁷ tn Grk “you were not willing.”

[15:19]  ³⁸ tn Grk “if you were of the world.”

[15:19]  ³⁹ tn The words “you as” are not in the original but are supplied for clarity.

[15:19]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “because you are not of the world.”

[15:19]  ⁴¹ tn Or “world, therefore.”

[15:19]  ⁴² sn I chose you out of the world…the world hates you. Two themes are brought together here. In 8:23 Jesus had distinguished himself from the world in addressing his Jewish opponents: “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.” In 15:16 Jesus told the disciples “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you.” Now Jesus has united these two ideas as he informs the disciples that he has chosen them out of the world. While the disciples will still be “in” the world after Jesus has departed, they will not belong to it, and Jesus prays later in John 17:15-16 to the Father, “I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” The same theme also occurs in 1 John 4:5-6: “They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us.” Thus the basic reason why the world hates the disciples (as it hated Jesus before them) is because they are not of the world. They are born from above, and are not of the world. For this reason the world hates them.

[15:20]  ⁴³ tn Grk “Remember the word that I said to you.”

[15:20]  ⁴⁴ tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.

[15:20]  ⁴⁵ sn A slave is not greater than his master. Jesus now recalled a statement he had made to the disciples before, in John 13:16. As the master has been treated, so will the slaves be treated also. If the world had persecuted Jesus, then it would also persecute the disciples. If the world had kept Jesus’ word, it would likewise keep the word of the disciples. In this statement there is the implication that the disciples would carry on the ministry of Jesus after his departure; they would in their preaching and teaching continue to spread the message which Jesus himself had taught while he was with them. And they would meet with the same response, by and large, that he encountered.

[15:20]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “if they kept.”

[15:20]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “they will keep.”

[16:2]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “expel you from.”

[16:2]  ⁴⁹ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:59.

[16:2]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “an hour.”

[16:2]  ⁵¹ sn Jesus now refers not to the time of his return to the Father, as he has frequently done up to this point, but to the disciples’ time of persecution. They will be excommunicated from Jewish synagogues. There will even be a time when those who kill Jesus’ disciples will think that they are offering service to God by putting the disciples to death. Because of the reference to service offered to God, it is almost certain that Jewish opposition is intended here in both cases rather than Jewish opposition in the first instance (putting the disciples out of synagogues) and Roman opposition in the second (putting the disciples to death). Such opposition materializes later and is recorded in Acts: The stoning of Stephen in 7:58-60 and the slaying of James the brother of John by Herod Agrippa I in Acts 12:2-3 are notable examples.

[16:3]  ⁵² tn Grk “And they.” 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.

[16:3]  ⁵³ sn Ignorance of Jesus and ignorance of the Father are also linked in 8:19; to know Jesus would be to know the Father also, but since the world does not know Jesus, neither does it know his Father. The world’s ignorance of the Father is also mentioned in 8:55, 15:21, and 17:25.

[4:1]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “While they”; the referents (Peter and John) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:1]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “captain.”

[4:1]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “the official of the temple,” a title for the commander of the Jewish soldiers guarding the temple (thus the translation, “the commander of the temple guard”). See L&N 37.91.

[4:1]  ⁵⁷ sn The Sadducees controlled the official political structures of Judaism at this time, being the majority members of the Sanhedrin. They were known as extremely strict on law and order issues (Josephus, J. W. 2.8.2 [2.119], 2.8.14 [2.164-166]; Ant. 13.5.9 [13.171-173], 13.10.6 [13.293-298], 18.1.2 [18.11], 18.1.4 [18.16-17], 20.9.1 [20.199]; Life 2 [10-11]). See also Matt 3:7; 16:1-12; 22:23-34; Mark 12:18-27; Luke 20:27-38; Acts 5:17; 23:6-8.

[4:1]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “approached.” This verb often denotes a sudden appearing (BDAG 418 s.v. ἐφίστημι 1).

[4:2]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “greatly annoyed,” “provoked.”

[4:2]  ⁶⁰ tn Or “proclaiming.”

[4:3]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “And” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the logical sequence of events.

[4:3]  ⁶² tn Or “they arrested”; Grk “they laid hands on.”

[4:3]  ⁶³ tn Or “prison,” “custody.”

[5:40]  ⁶⁴ sn Had them beaten. The punishment was the “forty lashes minus one,” see also Acts 22:19; 2 Cor 11:24; Mark 13:9. The apostles had disobeyed the religious authorities and took their punishment for their “disobedience” (Deut 25:2-3; m. Makkot 3:10-14). In Acts 4:18 they were warned. Now they are beaten. The hostility is rising as the narrative unfolds.

[5:40]  ⁶⁵ tn The word “Then” is supplied as the beginning of a new sentence in the translation. The construction in Greek has so many clauses (most of them made up of participles) that a continuous English sentence would be very awkward.

[5:41]  ⁶⁶ sn That is, considered worthy by God. They “gloried in their shame” of honoring Jesus with their testimony (Luke 6:22-23; 2 Macc 6:30).

[5:41]  ⁶⁷ sn The name refers to the name of Jesus (cf. 3 John 7).

[7:51]  ⁶⁸ sn Traditionally, “stiff-necked people.” Now the critique begins in earnest.

[7:51]  ⁶⁹ tn The term ἀπερίτμητοι (aperitmhtoi, “uncircumcised”) is a NT hapax legomenon (occurs only once). See BDAG 101-2 s.v. ἀπερίτμητος and Isa 52:1.

[7:51]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “You stubborn and obstinate people!” (The phrase “uncircumcised hearts and ears” is another figure for stubbornness.)

[7:51]  ⁷¹ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:52]  ⁷² tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:52]  ⁷³ sn Which…persecute. The rhetorical question suggests they persecuted them all.

[7:52]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “And they.” 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.

[7:52]  ⁷⁵ sn The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ.

[7:52]  ⁷⁶ sn Whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. The harsh critique has OT precedent (1 Kgs 19:10-14; Neh 9:26; 2 Chr 36:16).

[7:53]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “whose betrayers and murderers you have now become, who received the law” The two consecutive relative clauses make for awkward English style, so the second was begun as a new sentence with the pronoun “You” supplied in place of the Greek relative pronoun to make a complete sentence in English.

[7:53]  ⁷⁸ tn Traditionally, “as ordained by angels,” but εἰς (eis) with the accusative here should be understood as instrumental (a substitute for ἐν [en]); so BDAG 291 s.v. εἰς 9, BDF §206. Thus the phrase literally means “received the law by the decrees [orders] of angels” with the genitive understood as a subjective genitive, that is, the angels gave the decrees.

[7:53]  ⁷⁹ tn The Greek word φυλάσσω (fulassw, traditionally translated “keep”) in this context connotes preservation of and devotion to an object as well as obedience.

[7:53]  ⁸⁰ tn Or “did not obey it.”

[7:54]  ⁸¹ tn This verb, which also occurs in Acts 5:33, means “cut to the quick” or “deeply infuriated” (BDAG 235 s.v. διαπρίω).

[7:54]  ⁸² tn Or “they gnashed their teeth.” This idiom is a picture of violent rage (BDAG 184 s.v. βρύχω). See also Ps 35:16.

[7:55]  ⁸³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Stephen) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:55]  ⁸⁴ tn Grk “being full,” but the participle ὑπάρχων (Juparcwn) has not been translated since it would be redundant in English.

[7:55]  ⁸⁵ tn Grk “looking intently toward heaven, saw.” The participle ἀτενίσας (atenisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[7:55]  ⁸⁶ sn The picture of Jesus standing (rather than seated) probably indicates his rising to receive his child. By announcing his vision, Stephen thoroughly offended his audience, who believed no one could share God’s place in heaven. The phrase is a variation on Ps 110:1.

[7:56]  ⁸⁷ tn Grk “And he said, ‘Look!’” 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.

[7:57]  ⁸⁸ sn They covered their ears to avoid hearing what they considered to be blasphemy.

[8:1]  ⁸⁹ tn The term ἀναίρεσις (anairesi") can refer to murder (BDAG 64 s.v.; 2 Macc 5:13; Josephus, Ant. 5.2.12 [5.165]).

[8:1]  ⁹⁰ tn Or “severe.”

[8:1]  ⁹¹ tn Grk “Now there happened on that day a great persecution.” It is less awkward to say in English “Now on that day a great persecution began.”

[8:1]  ⁹² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[8:1]  ⁹³ sn All. Given that the Jerusalem church is still active after this and that the Hellenists are the focus of Acts 6-8, it is possible to argue that only the Hellenistic Christians were forced to scatter.

[8:1]  ⁹⁴ tn Or “countryside.”

[8:1]  ⁹⁵ tn The term ἀναίρεσις (anairesi") can refer to murder (BDAG 64 s.v.; 2 Macc 5:13; Josephus, Ant. 5.2.12 [5.165]).

[8:1]  ⁹⁶ tn Or “severe.”

[8:1]  ⁹⁷ tn Grk “Now there happened on that day a great persecution.” It is less awkward to say in English “Now on that day a great persecution began.”

[8:1]  ⁹⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[8:1]  ⁹⁹ sn All. Given that the Jerusalem church is still active after this and that the Hellenists are the focus of Acts 6-8, it is possible to argue that only the Hellenistic Christians were forced to scatter.

[8:1]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Or “countryside.”

[2:14]  ¹⁰¹ tn Grk “standing up.” The participle σταθείς (staqei") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[2:14]  ¹⁰² tn Or “You Jewish men.” “Judea” is preferred here because it is paired with “Jerusalem,” a location. This suggests locality rather than ethnic background is the primary emphasis in the context. As for “men,” the Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which only exceptionally is used in a generic sense of both males and females. In this context, where “all” who live in Jerusalem are addressed, it is conceivable that this is a generic usage, although it can also be argued that Peter’s remarks were addressed primarily to the men present, even if women were there.

[2:14]  ¹⁰³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[2:14]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Grk “let this be known to you.” The passive construction has been translated as an active for stylistic reasons.

[2:15]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Grk “These men are not drunk, as you suppose.”

[2:15]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Grk “only the third hour.”