Romans 1:19

1:19 because what can be known about God is plain to them, ¹  because God has made it plain to them.

Romans 1:28

1:28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, ²  God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done. ³ 

Romans 1:32

1:32 Although they fully know ⁴  God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, ⁵  they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them. ⁶ 

Romans 2:3

2:3 And do you think, ⁷  whoever you are, when you judge ⁸  those who practice such things and yet do them yourself, ⁹  that you will escape God’s judgment?

Romans 2:15-23

2:15 They ¹⁰  show that the work of the law is written ¹¹  in their hearts, as their conscience bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or else defend ¹²  them, ¹³  2:16 on the day when God will judge ¹⁴  the secrets of human hearts, ¹⁵  according to my gospel ¹⁶  through Christ Jesus.

The Condemnation of the Jew

2:17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law ¹⁷  and boast of your relationship to God ¹⁸  2:18 and know his will ¹⁹  and approve the superior things because you receive instruction from the law, ²⁰  2:19 and if you are convinced ²¹  that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 2:20 an educator of the senseless, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the essential features of knowledge and of the truth – 2:21 therefore ²²  you who teach someone else, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 2:22 You who tell others not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor ²³  idols, do you rob temples? 2:23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by transgressing the law!

Luke 12:46-47

12:46 then the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not foresee, and will cut him in two, ²⁴  and assign him a place with the unfaithful. ²⁵  12:47 That ²⁶  servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or do what his master asked ²⁷  will receive a severe beating.

John 3:19-21

3:19 Now this is the basis for judging: ²⁸  that the light has come into the world and people ²⁹  loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. 3:20 For everyone who does evil deeds hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed. 3:21 But the one who practices the truth comes to the light, so that it may be plainly evident that his deeds have been done in God. ³⁰ 

Acts 24:24-25

Paul Speaks Repeatedly to Felix

24:24 Some days later, when Felix ³¹  arrived with his wife Drusilla, ³²  who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him speak ³³  about faith in Christ Jesus. ³⁴  24:25 While Paul ³⁵  was discussing ³⁶  righteousness, self-control, ³⁷  and the coming judgment, Felix ³⁸  became ³⁹  frightened and said, “Go away for now, and when I have an opportunity, ⁴⁰  I will send for you.”

Acts 24:2

24:2 When Paul ⁴¹  had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, ⁴²  saying, “We have experienced a lengthy time ⁴³  of peace through your rule, ⁴⁴  and reforms ⁴⁵  are being made in this nation ⁴⁶  through your foresight. ⁴⁷ 

Acts 2:10

2:10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene, ⁴⁸  and visitors from Rome, ⁴⁹ 

Acts 2:1

The Holy Spirit and the Day of Pentecost

2:1 Now ⁵⁰  when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.

Acts 4:1-2

The Arrest and Trial of Peter and John

4:1 While Peter and John ⁵¹  were speaking to the people, the priests and the commander ⁵²  of the temple guard ⁵³  and the Sadducees ⁵⁴  came up ⁵⁵  to them, 4:2 angry ⁵⁶  because they were teaching the people and announcing ⁵⁷  in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.

[1:19]  ¹ tn Grk “is manifest to/in them.”

[1:28]  ² tn Grk “and just as they did not approve to have God in knowledge.”

[1:28]  ³ tn Grk “the things that are improper.”

[1:32]  ⁴ tn Grk “who, knowing…, not only do them but also approve…” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:32]  ⁵ tn Grk “are worthy of death.”

[1:32]  ⁶ sn “Vice lists” like vv. 28-32 can be found elsewhere in the NT in Matt 15:19; Gal 5:19-21; 1 Tim 1:9-10; and 1 Pet 4:3. An example from the intertestamental period can be found in Wis 14:25-26.

[2:3]  ⁷ tn Grk “do you think this,” referring to the clause in v. 3b.

[2:3]  ⁸ tn Grk “O man, the one who judges.”

[2:3]  ⁹ tn Grk “and do them.” The other words are supplied to bring out the contrast implied in this clause.

[2:15]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “who.” The relative pronoun was converted to a personal pronoun and, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[2:15]  ¹¹ tn Grk “show the work of the law [to be] written,” with the words in brackets implied by the Greek construction.

[2:15]  ¹² tn Or “excuse.”

[2:15]  ¹³ tn Grk “their conscience bearing witness and between the thoughts accusing or also defending one another.”

[2:16]  ¹⁴ tn The form of the Greek word is either present or future, but it is best to translate in future because of the context of future judgment.

[2:16]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “of people.”

[2:16]  ¹⁶ sn On my gospel cf. Rom 16:25; 2 Tim 2:8.

[2:17]  ¹⁷ sn The law refers to the Mosaic law, described mainly in the OT books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

[2:17]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “boast in God.” This may be an allusion to Jer 9:24.

[2:18]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “the will.”

[2:18]  ²⁰ tn Grk “because of being instructed out of the law.”

[2:19]  ²¹ tn This verb is parallel to the verbs in vv. 17-18a, so it shares the conditional meaning even though the word “if” is not repeated.

[2:21]  ²² tn The structure of vv. 21-24 is difficult. Some take these verses as the apodosis of the conditional clauses (protases) in vv. 17-20; others see vv. 17-20 as an instance of anacoluthon (a broken off or incomplete construction).

[2:22]  ²³ tn Or “detest.”

[12:46]  ²⁴ tn The verb διχοτομέω (dicotomew) means to cut an object into two parts (L&N 19.19). This is an extremely severe punishment compared to the other two later punishments. To translate it simply as “punish” is too mild. If taken literally this servant is dismembered, although it is possible to view the stated punishment as hyperbole (L&N 38.12).

[12:46]  ²⁵ tn Or “unbelieving.” Here the translation employs the slightly more ambiguous “unfaithful,” which creates a link with the point of the parable – faithfulness versus unfaithfulness in servants. The example of this verse must be taken together with the examples of vv. 47-48 as part of a scale of reactions with the most disobedient response coming here. The fact that this servant is placed in a distinct group, unlike the one in vv. 47-48, also suggests ultimate exclusion. This is the hypocrite of Matt 24:51.

[12:47]  ²⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[12:47]  ²⁷ tn Grk “or do according to his will”; the referent (the master) has been specified in the translation for clarity. This example deals with the slave who knew what the command was and yet failed to complete it.

[3:19]  ²⁸ tn Or “this is the reason for God judging,” or “this is how judgment works.”

[3:19]  ²⁹ tn Grk “and men,” but in a generic sense, referring to people of both genders (as “everyone” in v. 20 makes clear).

[3:21]  ³⁰ sn John 3:16-21 provides an introduction to the (so-called) “realized” eschatology of the Fourth Gospel: Judgment has come; eternal life may be possessed now, in the present life, as well as in the future. The terminology “realized eschatology” was originally coined by E. Haenchen and used by J. Jeremias in discussion with C. H. Dodd, but is now characteristically used to describe Dodd’s own formulation. See L. Goppelt, Theology of the New Testament, 1:54, note 10, and R. E. Brown (John [AB], 1:cxvii-cxviii) for further discussion. Especially important to note is the element of choice portrayed in John’s Gospel. If there is a twofold reaction to Jesus in John’s Gospel, it should be emphasized that that reaction is very much dependent on a person’s choice, a choice that is influenced by his way of life, whether his deeds are wicked or are done in God (John 3:20-21). For John there is virtually no trace of determinism at the surface. Only when one looks beneath the surface does one find statements like “no one can come to me, unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44).

[24:24]  ³¹ sn See the note on Antonius Felix in 23:24.

[24:24]  ³² sn It is possible that Drusilla, being Jewish, was the source of Felix’s knowledge about the new movement called Christianity. The youngest daughter of Herod Agrippa I and sister of Agrippa II, she would have been close to 20 years old at the time. She had married the king of a small region in Syria but divorced him at the age of 16 to marry Felix. This was her second marriage and Felix’s third (Josephus, Ant. 19.9.1 [19.354], 20.7.2 [20.141-144]). As a member of Herod’s family, she probably knew about the Way.

[24:24]  ³³ tn The word “speak” is implied; BDAG 32 s.v. ἀκούω 1.c has “ἤκουσεν αὐτοῦ περὶ τῆς…πίστεως he heard him speak about faith Ac 24:24.”

[24:24]  ³⁴ tn Or “Messiah Jesus”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[24:25]  ³⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:25]  ³⁶ tn Or “speaking about.”

[24:25]  ³⁷ tn Grk “and self-control.” This καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[24:25]  ³⁸ sn See the note on Felix in 23:26.

[24:25]  ³⁹ tn Grk “becoming.” The participle γενόμενος (genomenos) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[24:25]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “when I find time.” BDAG 639 s.v. μεταλαμβάνω 2 has “καιρὸν μ. have an opportunity = find time…Ac 24:25.”

[24:2]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[24:2]  ⁴² tn Or “began to bring charges, saying.”

[24:2]  ⁴³ tn Grk “experienced much peace.”

[24:2]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “through you” (“rule” is implied).

[24:2]  ⁴⁵ tn This term is used only once in the NT (a hapax legomenon). It refers to improvements in internal administration (BDAG 251 s.v. διόρθωμα).

[24:2]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “being made for this people.”

[24:2]  ⁴⁷ sn References to peaceful rule, reforms, and the governor’s foresight in the opening address by Tertullus represent an attempt to praise the governor and thus make him favorable to the case. Actual descriptions of his rule portray him as inept (Tacitus, Annals 12.54; Josephus, J. W. 2.13.2-7 [2.253-270]).

[2:10]  ⁴⁸ tn According to BDAG 595 s.v. Λιβύη, the western part of Libya, Libya Cyrenaica, is referred to here (see also Josephus, Ant. 16.6.1 [16.160] for a similar phrase).

[2:10]  ⁴⁹ map For location see JP4 A1.

[2:1]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “And” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style does not.

[4:1]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “While they”; the referents (Peter and John) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:1]  ⁵² tn Or “captain.”

[4:1]  ⁵³ 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]  ⁵⁴ 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]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “approached.” This verb often denotes a sudden appearing (BDAG 418 s.v. ἐφίστημι 1).

[4:2]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “greatly annoyed,” “provoked.”

[4:2]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “proclaiming.”