Micah 7:5

7:5 Do not rely on a friend;

do not trust a companion!

Don’t even share secrets with the one who lies in your arms! ¹ 

Mark 13:9

Persecution of Disciples

13:9 “You must watch out for yourselves. You will be handed over ²  to councils ³  and beaten in the synagogues. ⁴  You will stand before governors and kings ⁵  because of me, as a witness to them.

Mark 13:12

13:12 Brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise against ⁶  parents and have them put to death.

Acts 14:5-6

14:5 When both the Gentiles and the Jews (together with their rulers) made ⁷  an attempt to mistreat ⁸  them and stone them, ⁹  14:6 Paul and Barnabas ¹⁰  learned about it ¹¹  and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra ¹²  and Derbe ¹³  and the surrounding region.

Acts 17:14

17:14 Then the brothers sent Paul away to the coast ¹⁴  at once, but Silas and Timothy remained in Berea. ¹⁵ 

Acts 23:12-22

The Plot to Kill Paul

23:12 When morning came, ¹⁶  the Jews formed ¹⁷  a conspiracy ¹⁸  and bound themselves with an oath ¹⁹  not to eat or drink anything ²⁰  until they had killed Paul. 23:13 There were more than forty of them who formed this conspiracy. ²¹  23:14 They ²²  went ²³  to the chief priests ²⁴  and the elders and said, “We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath ²⁵  not to partake ²⁶  of anything until we have killed Paul. 23:15 So now you and the council ²⁷  request the commanding officer ²⁸  to bring him down to you, as if you were going to determine ²⁹  his case ³⁰  by conducting a more thorough inquiry. ³¹  We are ready to kill him ³²  before he comes near this place.” ³³ 

23:16 But when the son of Paul’s sister heard about the ambush, ³⁴  he came and entered ³⁵  the barracks ³⁶  and told Paul. 23:17 Paul called ³⁷  one of the centurions ³⁸  and said, “Take this young man to the commanding officer, ³⁹  for he has something to report to him.” 23:18 So the centurion ⁴⁰  took him and brought him to the commanding officer ⁴¹  and said, “The prisoner Paul called ⁴²  me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.” 23:19 The commanding officer ⁴³  took him by the hand, withdrew privately, and asked, “What is it that you want ⁴⁴  to report to me?” 23:20 He replied, ⁴⁵  “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council ⁴⁶  tomorrow, as if they were going to inquire more thoroughly about him. 23:21 So do not let them persuade you to do this, ⁴⁷  because more than forty of them ⁴⁸  are lying in ambush ⁴⁹  for him. They ⁵⁰  have bound themselves with an oath ⁵¹  not to eat or drink anything ⁵²  until they have killed him, and now they are ready, waiting for you to agree to their request.” ⁵³  23:22 Then the commanding officer ⁵⁴  sent the young man away, directing him, ⁵⁵  “Tell no one that you have reported ⁵⁶  these things to me.”

Acts 23:2

23:2 At that ⁵⁷  the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near ⁵⁸  Paul ⁵⁹  to strike ⁶⁰  him on the mouth.

Colossians 1:24-26

1:24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my physical body – for the sake of his body, the church – what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ. 1:25 I became a servant of the church according to the stewardship ⁶¹  from God – given to me for you – in order to complete ⁶²  the word of God, 1:26 that is, the mystery that has been kept hidden from ages and generations, but has now been revealed to his saints.

Philippians 3:2

3:2 Beware of the dogs, ⁶³  beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh! ⁶⁴ 

Philippians 3:2

3:2 Beware of the dogs, ⁶⁵  beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh! ⁶⁶ 

Philippians 4:15

4:15 And as you Philippians know, at the beginning of my gospel ministry, when I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in this matter of giving and receiving except you alone.

[7:5]  ¹ tn Heb “from the one who lies in your arms, guard the doors of your mouth.”

[13:9]  ² tn Grk “They will hand you over.” “They” is an indefinite plural, referring to people in general. The parallel in Matt 10:17 makes this explicit.

[13:9]  ³ 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.

[13:9]  ⁴ sn See the note on synagogue in 1:21.

[13:9]  ⁵ sn These statements look at persecution both from a Jewish context as the mention of councils 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.

[13:12]  ⁶ tn Or “will rebel against.”

[14:5]  ⁷ tn Grk “So there came about an attempt” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[14:5]  ⁸ tn On this verb see BDAG 1022 s.v. ὑβρίζω.

[14:5]  ⁹ tn The direct object “them” is repeated after both verbs in the translation for stylistic reasons, although it occurs only after λιθοβολῆσαι (liqobolhsai) in the Greek text.

[14:6]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “they”; the referents (Paul and Barnabas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:6]  ¹¹ tn Grk “learning about it, fled.” The participle συνιδόντες (sunidonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. It could also be taken temporally (“when they learned about it”) as long as opening clause of v. 5 is not translated as a temporal clause too, which results in a redundancy.

[14:6]  ¹² sn Lystra was a city in Lycaonia about 18 mi (30 km) south of Iconium, a Roman colony that was not on the main roads of Lycaonia. Because of its relative isolation, its local character was able to be preserved.

[14:6]  ¹³ sn Derbe was a city in Lycaonia about 35 mi (60 km) southeast of Lystra.

[17:14]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “to the sea.” Here ἕως ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν ({ew" epi thn qalassan) must mean “to the edge of the sea,” that is, “to the coast.” Since there is no mention of Paul taking a ship to Athens, he presumably traveled overland. The journey would have been about 340 mi (550 km).

[17:14]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “remained there”; the referent (Berea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:12]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “when it was day.”

[23:12]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “forming a conspiracy, bound.” The participle ποιήσαντες (poihsantes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:12]  ¹⁸ tn L&N 30.72 has ‘some Jews formed a conspiracy’ Ac 23:12”; BDAG 979 s.v. συστροφή 1 has “Judeans came together in a mob 23:12. But in the last pass. the word may also mean – 2. the product of a clandestine gathering, plot, conspiracy” (see also Amos 7:10; Ps 63:3).

[23:12]  ¹⁹ tn Or “bound themselves under a curse.” BDAG 63 s.v. ἀναθεματίζω 1 has “trans. put under a curse τινά someone…pleonastically ἀναθέματι ἀ. ἑαυτόν Ac 23:14…ἀ. ἑαυτόν vss. 12, 21, 13 v.l.” On such oaths see m. Shevi’it 3:1-5. The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[23:12]  ²⁰ tn The word “anything” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[23:13]  ²¹ tn L&N 30.73 defines συνωμοσία (sunwmosia) as “a plan for taking secret action someone or some institution, with the implication of an oath binding the conspirators – ‘conspiracy, plot.’ …‘there were more than forty of them who formed this conspiracy’ Ac 23:13.”

[23:14]  ²² tn Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was translated by the third person plural pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[23:14]  ²³ tn Grk “going.” The participle προσελθόντες (proselqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:14]  ²⁴ sn They went to the chief priests. The fact that the high priest knew of this plot and did nothing shows the Jewish leadership would even become accomplices to murder to stop Paul. They would not allow Roman justice to take its course. Paul’s charge in v. 3 of superficially following the law is thus shown to be true.

[23:14]  ²⁵ tn Or “bound ourselves under a curse.” BDAG 63 s.v. ἀναθεματίζω 1 has “trans. put under a curse τινά someone…pleonastically ἀναθέματι ἀ. ἑαυτόν Ac 23:14…ἀ. ἑαυτόν vss. 12, 21, 13 v.l.” The pleonastic use ἀναθέματι ἀνεθεματίσαμεν (literally “we have cursed ourselves with a curse”) probably serves as an intensifier following Semitic usage, and is represented in the translation by the word “solemn.” On such oaths see m. Nedarim 3:1, 3.

[23:14]  ²⁶ tn This included both food and drink (γεύομαι [geuomai] is used of water turned to wine in John 2:9).

[23:15]  ²⁷ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:15]  ²⁸ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:15]  ²⁹ tn Or “decide.” BDAG 227 s.v. διαγινώσκω has “ἀκριβέστερον τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ to make a more thorough examination of his case Ac 23:15.”

[23:15]  ³⁰ tn Grk “determine the things about him.”

[23:15]  ³¹ tn The expression “more thorough inquiry” reflects the comparative form of ἀκριβέστερον (akribesteron).

[23:15]  ³² sn “We are ready to kill him.” Now those Jews involved in the conspiracy, along with the leaders as accomplices, are going to break one of the ten commandments.

[23:15]  ³³ tn The words “this place” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[23:16]  ³⁴ tn Or “plot” (BDAG 334 s.v. ἐνέδρα).

[23:16]  ³⁵ tn Grk “coming and entering…, he told.” The participles παραγενόμενος (paragenomeno") and εἰσελθών (eiselqwn) have been translated as finite verbs due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:16]  ³⁶ tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[23:17]  ³⁷ tn Grk “calling…Paul said.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:17]  ³⁸ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[23:17]  ³⁹ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:18]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the centurion) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:18]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:18]  ⁴² tn Grk “calling.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:19]  ⁴³ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:19]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “you have,” but the expression “have to report” in English could be understood to mean “must report” rather than “possess to report.” For this reason the nearly equivalent expression “want to report,” which is not subject to misunderstanding, was used in the translation.

[23:20]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “He said.”

[23:20]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:21]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “do not be persuaded by them.” The passive construction μὴ πεισθῇς αὐτοῖς (mh peisqh" autoi") has been converted to an active construction in the translation, and the phrase “to do this” supplied to indicate more clearly the object of their persuasion.

[23:21]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “forty men of them.” In the expression ἐξ αὐτῶν ἄνδρες (ex autwn andre") “men” is somewhat redundant and has not been included in the English translation.

[23:21]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “are lying in wait for him” (BDAG 334 s.v. ἐνεδρεύω); see also v. 16.

[23:21]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “for him, who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“who”) was translated by the third person plural pronoun (“they”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[23:21]  ⁵¹ tn Or “bound themselves under a curse.” BDAG 63 s.v. ἀναθεματίζω 1 has “trans. put under a curse τινά someone… ἀ. ἑαυτόν vss. 12, 21, 13 v.l.”

[23:21]  ⁵² tn The word “anything” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[23:21]  ⁵³ tn Grk “waiting for your approval,” “waiting for your agreement.” Since it would be possible to misunderstand the literal translation “waiting for your approval” to mean that the Jews were waiting for the commander’s approval to carry out their plot or to kill Paul (as if he were to be an accomplice to their plot), the object of the commander’s approval (their request to bring Paul to the council) has been specified in the translation as “their request.”

[23:22]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:22]  ⁵⁵ tn BDAG 760 s.v. παραγγέλλω has “to make an announcement about someth. that must be done, give orders, command, instruct, direct of all kinds of persons in authority, worldly rulers, Jesus, the apostles…παραγγέλλειν w. an inf. and μή comes to mean forbid to do someth.: π. τινί w. aor. inf. Lk 5:14; 8:56; without the dat., which is easily supplied fr. the context Ac 23:22.” However, if the direct discourse which follows is to be retained in the translation, a different translation must be used since it is awkward to introduce direct discourse with the verb to forbid. Thus the alternative to direct was used.

[23:22]  ⁵⁶ tn On this verb, see BDAG 325-26 s.v. ἐμφανίζω 2. The term was frequently used of an official report to authorities. In modern terms, this was a police tip.

[23:2]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “and” (δέ, de); the phrase “at that” has been used in the translation to clarify the cause and effect relationship.

[23:2]  ⁵⁸ tn BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 2.b.α has “οἱ παρεστῶτες αὐτῷ those standing near him Ac 23:2.”

[23:2]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:2]  ⁶⁰ tn Or “hit” (‘strike’ maintains the wordplay with the following verse). The action was probably designed to indicate a rejection of Paul’s claim to a clear conscience in the previous verse.

[1:25]  ⁶¹ tn BDAG 697 s.v. οἰκονομία 1.b renders the term here as “divine office.”

[1:25]  ⁶² tn See BDAG 828 s.v. πληρόω 3. The idea here seems to be that the apostle wants to “complete the word of God” in that he wants to preach it to every person in the known world (cf. Rom 15:19). See P. T. O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon (WBC), 82.

[3:2]  ⁶³ sn Dogs is a figurative reference to false teachers whom Paul regards as just as filthy as dogs.

[3:2]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “beware of the mutilation.”

[3:2]  ⁶⁵ sn Dogs is a figurative reference to false teachers whom Paul regards as just as filthy as dogs.

[3:2]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “beware of the mutilation.”