Psalms 34:6

34:6 This oppressed man cried out and the Lord heard;

he saved him ¹  from all his troubles.

Psalms 34:15

34:15 The Lord pays attention to the godly

and hears their cry for help. ² 

Psalms 34:19

34:19 The godly ³  face many dangers, ⁴ 

but the Lord saves ⁵  them ⁶  from each one of them.

Psalms 91:15

91:15 When he calls out to me, I will answer him.

I will be with him when he is in trouble;

I will rescue him and bring him honor.

Psalms 145:18-20

145:18 The Lord is near all who cry out to him,

all who cry out to him sincerely. ⁷ 

145:19 He satisfies the desire ⁸  of his loyal followers; ⁹ 

he hears their cry for help and delivers them.

145:20 The Lord protects those who love him,

but he destroys all the wicked.

Psalms 145:2

145:2 Every day I will praise you!

I will praise your name continually! ¹⁰ 

Psalms 32:1

Psalm 32 ¹¹ 

By David; a well-written song. ¹² 

32:1 How blessed ¹³  is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven, ¹⁴ 

whose sin is pardoned! ¹⁵ 

Psalms 32:1

Psalm 32 ¹⁶ 

By David; a well-written song. ¹⁷ 

32:1 How blessed ¹⁸  is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven, ¹⁹ 

whose sin is pardoned! ²⁰ 

Psalms 32:1

Psalm 32 ²¹ 

By David; a well-written song. ²² 

32:1 How blessed ²³  is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven, ²⁴ 

whose sin is pardoned! ²⁵ 

Isaiah 65:24

65:24 Before they even call out, ²⁶  I will respond;

while they are still speaking, I will hear.

Acts 12:5-11

12:5 So Peter was kept in prison, but those in the church were earnestly ²⁷  praying to God for him. ²⁸  12:6 On that very night before Herod was going to bring him out for trial, ²⁹  Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, while ³⁰  guards in front of the door were keeping watch ³¹  over the prison. 12:7 Suddenly ³²  an angel of the Lord ³³  appeared, and a light shone in the prison cell. He struck ³⁴  Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly!” And the chains fell off Peter’s ³⁵  wrists. ³⁶  12:8 The angel said to him, “Fasten your belt ³⁷  and put on your sandals.” Peter ³⁸  did so. Then the angel ³⁹  said to him, “Put on your cloak ⁴⁰  and follow me.” 12:9 Peter ⁴¹  went out ⁴²  and followed him; ⁴³  he did not realize that what was happening through the angel was real, ⁴⁴  but thought he was seeing a vision. 12:10 After they had passed the first and second guards, ⁴⁵  they came to the iron ⁴⁶  gate leading into the city. It ⁴⁷  opened for them by itself, ⁴⁸  and they went outside and walked down one narrow street, ⁴⁹  when at once the angel left him. 12:11 When ⁵⁰  Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued ⁵¹  me from the hand ⁵²  of Herod ⁵³  and from everything the Jewish people ⁵⁴  were expecting to happen.”

[34:6]  ¹ tn The pronoun refers back to “this oppressed man,” namely, the psalmist.

[34:15]  ² tn Heb “the eyes of the Lord [are] toward the godly, and his ears [are] toward their cry for help.”

[34:19]  ³ tn The Hebrew text uses the singular form; the representative or typical godly person is envisioned.

[34:19]  ⁴ tn Or “trials.”

[34:19]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the Lord typically delivers the godly.

[34:19]  ⁶ tn Heb “him,” agreeing with the singular form in the preceding line.

[145:18]  ⁷ tn Heb “in truth.”

[145:19]  ⁸ tn In this context “desire” refers to the followers’ desire to be delivered from wicked enemies.

[145:19]  ⁹ tn Heb “the desire of those who fear him, he does.”

[145:2]  ¹⁰ tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever.”

[32:1]  ¹¹ sn Psalm 32. The psalmist recalls the agony he experienced prior to confessing his sins and affirms that true happiness comes when one’s sins are forgiven. He then urges others not to be stubborn, but to turn to God while forgiveness is available, for God extends his mercy to the repentant, while the wicked experience nothing but sorrow.

[32:1]  ¹² tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.

[32:1]  ¹³ tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15). Here it refers to the relief that one experiences when one’s sins are forgiven.

[32:1]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “lifted up.”

[32:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “covered over.”

[32:1]  ¹⁶ sn Psalm 32. The psalmist recalls the agony he experienced prior to confessing his sins and affirms that true happiness comes when one’s sins are forgiven. He then urges others not to be stubborn, but to turn to God while forgiveness is available, for God extends his mercy to the repentant, while the wicked experience nothing but sorrow.

[32:1]  ¹⁷ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.

[32:1]  ¹⁸ tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15). Here it refers to the relief that one experiences when one’s sins are forgiven.

[32:1]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “lifted up.”

[32:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “covered over.”

[32:1]  ²¹ sn Psalm 32. The psalmist recalls the agony he experienced prior to confessing his sins and affirms that true happiness comes when one’s sins are forgiven. He then urges others not to be stubborn, but to turn to God while forgiveness is available, for God extends his mercy to the repentant, while the wicked experience nothing but sorrow.

[32:1]  ²² tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.

[32:1]  ²³ tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15). Here it refers to the relief that one experiences when one’s sins are forgiven.

[32:1]  ²⁴ tn Heb “lifted up.”

[32:1]  ²⁵ tn Heb “covered over.”

[65:24]  ²⁶ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[12:5]  ²⁷ tn Or “constantly.” This term also appears in Luke 22:14 and Acts 26:7.

[12:5]  ²⁸ tn Grk “but earnest prayer was being made by the church to God for him.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged to follow English style, and the somewhat awkward passive “prayer was being made” has been changed to the simpler active verb “were praying.” Luke portrays what follows as an answer to prayer.

[12:6]  ²⁹ tn Grk “was going to bring him out,” but the upcoming trial is implied. See Acts 12:4.

[12:6]  ³⁰ tn Grk “two chains, and.” Logically it makes better sense to translate this as a temporal clause, although technically it is a coordinate clause in Greek.

[12:6]  ³¹ tn Or “were guarding.”

[12:7]  ³² tn Grk “And behold.” 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. The interjection ἰδού (idou), often difficult to translate into English, expresses the suddenness of the angel’s appearance.

[12:7]  ³³ tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 5:19.

[12:7]  ³⁴ tn Grk “striking the side of Peter, he awoke him saying.” The term refers to a push or a light tap (BDAG 786 s.v. πατάσσω 1.a). The participle πατάξας (pataxa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[12:7]  ³⁵ tn Grk “his”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:7]  ³⁶ tn Grk “the hands,” but the wrist was considered a part of the hand.

[12:8]  ³⁷ tn While ζώννυμι (zwnnumi) sometimes means “to dress,” referring to the fastening of the belt or sash as the final act of getting dressed, in this context it probably does mean “put on your belt” since in the conditions of a prison Peter had probably not changed into a different set of clothes to sleep. More likely he had merely removed his belt or sash, which the angel now told him to replace. The translation “put on your belt” is given by L&N 49.14 for this verse. The archaic English “girdle” for the sash or belt has an entirely different meaning today.

[12:8]  ³⁸ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:8]  ³⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:8]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “outer garment.”

[12:9]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “And going out he followed.”

[12:9]  ⁴² tn Grk “Peter going out followed him.” The participle ἐξελθών (exelqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[12:9]  ⁴³ tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[12:9]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “what was done through the angel was a reality” (see BDAG 43 s.v. ἀληθής 3).

[12:10]  ⁴⁵ tn Or perhaps, “guard posts.”

[12:10]  ⁴⁶ sn The iron gate shows how important security was here. This door was more secure than one made of wood (which would be usual).

[12:10]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “which.” The relative pronoun (“which”) was replaced by the pronoun “it,” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek.

[12:10]  ⁴⁸ tn The Greek term here, αὐτομάτη (automath), indicates something that happens without visible cause (BDAG 152 s.v. αὐτόματος).

[12:10]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “lane,” “alley” (BDAG 907 s.v. ῥύμη).

[12:11]  ⁵⁰ 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.

[12:11]  ⁵¹ tn Or “delivered.”

[12:11]  ⁵² sn Here the hand of Herod is a metaphor for Herod’s power or control.

[12:11]  ⁵³ sn King Herod was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod I (Herod the Great).

[12:11]  ⁵⁴ sn Luke characterizes the opposition here as the Jewish people, including their leadership (see 12:3).