# verses

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The ·teachers of the law [scribes] and the ·leading [chief] priests ·wanted [tried/sought] to ·arrest [seize; lay hands on] Jesus at once, because they knew the ·story [parable] was ·about [told against] them. But they were afraid of what the people would do.


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Is It Right to Pay Taxes or Not? So they watched Jesus and sent some spies who acted as if they were ·sincere [honest; righteous]. They wanted to trap Jesus in saying something wrong so they could hand him over to the ·authority [jurisdiction; rule] and ·power [authority] of the governor.


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So the spies asked Jesus, “Teacher, we know that what you say and teach is ·true [right; correct]. You ·pay no attention to who people are [play no favorites; are impartial; aren’t swayed by appearances], and you always teach ·the truth [with sincerity/honesty] about God’s way.


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Tell us, is it ·right [permissible; lawful] for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” [Saying yes would anger Jews who hated Roman rule; saying no could result in being charged with insurrection.]


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“Show me a ·coin [denarius]. Whose ·image [likeness; portrait] and ·name [inscription; title] are on it?” They said, “Caesar’s.” [Ironically, the religious leaders carry coins bearing the idolatrous image of Caesar.]


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Jesus said to them, “Then ·give [give back; render] to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and ·give [give back; render] to God the things that are God’s.”


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So they were not able to ·trap [catch] Jesus in anything he said in the presence of the people. And being amazed at his answer, they ·became silent [kept quiet].


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Some Sadducees Try to Trick Jesus Some Sadducees, who believed people would not rise from the dead, came to Jesus.


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They asked, “Teacher, Moses wrote that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, then that man must marry the widow and ·have children [raise up offspring/seed] for his brother [].


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Once there were seven brothers. The first brother ·married [took a wife] and died, but had no children.


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And the third brother married the widow, and he died. The same thing happened with all seven brothers; they died and had no children.


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Since all seven brothers had married her, whose wife will she be ·when people rise from the dead [at the resurrection]?”


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Jesus said to them, “·On earth, people [The children of this age] marry and are given to someone to marry.


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But those who will be worthy ·to be raised from the dead and live again [of the age to come and the resurrection] will not marry, nor will they be given to someone to marry.


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[For] In that life they are ·like [or equal to] angels and cannot die. They are children of God, because they ·have been raised from the dead [are children of the resurrection].


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Even Moses clearly showed that the dead are raised to life. When he wrote about the burning bush [], he said that the Lord is ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob [; God is still the God of the patriarchs, so they must have a continued existence after death].’


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Is the Christ the Son of David? Then Jesus said, “Why do people say that the ·Christ [Messiah] is the Son of David []?


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[For; Since] In the book of Psalms, David himself says: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit by me at my right ·side [hand],


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until I put your enemies ·under your control [as a footstool for your feet; meaning defeated or made subject to your authority; ].”’


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Jesus Accuses Some Leaders While all the people were listening, Jesus said to his ·followers [disciples],


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“Beware of the ·teachers of the law [scribes]. They like to walk around wearing ·fancy clothes [or flowing robes], and they love for people to greet them with respect in the marketplaces. They love to have the most important seats in the synagogues [] and [the place of highest honor] at ·feasts [banquets].


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But they ·cheat widows and steal their houses [devour widows’ homes] and ·then try to make themselves look good by saying [with false motives pray] long prayers. They will receive a greater ·punishment [condemnation].”


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True Giving As Jesus looked up, he saw some rich people putting their gifts into the Temple ·money box [or treasury; one of thirteen trumpet-shaped receptacles used to collect offerings].


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Then he saw a poor widow putting two small copper coins [Greek: lepta; worth only 1/128 of a denarius, the daily wage of a worker] into the box.


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[For] They gave ·only what they did not need [out of their surplus/abundance]. ·This woman is very poor, but she gave [But she, out of her poverty, gave] all she had to live on.”


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The Temple Will Be Destroyed Some ·people [or of the disciples] were talking about the Temple and how it was ·decorated [adorned] with beautiful stones and gifts offered to God. But Jesus said,


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“As for these things you are looking at, the ·time [days] will come when not one stone will be left on another. Every stone will be ·thrown [torn] down.”


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They asked Jesus, “Teacher, when will these things happen? What will be the sign that they are about to take place?”


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Jesus said, “·Be careful [Watch out] so you are not ·fooled [deceived; led astray]. [For; Because] Many people will come in my name, saying, ‘I am ·the One [or he; the Messiah]’ and, ‘The time ·has come [or is near]!’ But don’t follow them.


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When you hear about wars and ·riots [uprisings; insurrections], don’t be ·afraid [terrified], because these things must happen first, but the end will ·come later [not come immediately].”


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Then he said to them, “Nations will ·fight [rise up] against other nations, and kingdoms against other kingdoms.


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In various places there will be great earthquakes, ·sicknesses [plagues; pestilences], and ·a lack of food [famines]. ·Fearful [Terrifying] events and great signs will come from heaven.


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“But before all these things happen, people will ·arrest [seize; lay their hands on] you and ·treat you cruelly [persecute you]. They will ·judge you in their [drag you into the; hand you over to] synagogues and put you in jail and force you to stand before kings and governors, because ·you follow me [of your allegiance to me; of my name].


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[So; Therefore] ·Make up your minds [Resolve; Put it in your hearts] not to ·worry [or rehearse] ahead of time about what you will say [].


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[For] I will give you ·the wisdom to say things [words and wisdom] that none of your enemies will be able to ·stand against [resist] or ·prove wrong [refute; contradict].


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Even your parents, brothers [and sisters], relatives, and friends will ·turn against you [betray you; hand you over], and they will kill some of you.


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But ·none of these things can really harm you [not a hair on your head will perish; a metaphor for living forever with God].


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By ·continuing to have faith [your endurance/perseverance] you will ·save your lives [or gain/win your souls].


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Jerusalem Will Be Destroyed “When you see armies all around Jerusalem, you will know ·it will soon be destroyed [its desolation draws near/is at hand].


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At that time, the people in Judea should run away to the mountains. The people in Jerusalem must get out, and those who are ·near the city [in the countryside] should not go in.


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These are the days of ·punishment [vengeance; retribution] to ·bring about [fulfill] all that is written in the Scriptures.


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·How terrible it will be for [Woe to] women who are pregnant or have nursing babies [in those days]! [For; Because] Great ·trouble [distress; calamity] will come upon this land, and ·God will be angry with these people [wrath will come against this people].


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They will ·be killed by [fall by the mouth of] the sword and taken as ·prisoners [captives] to all nations. Jerusalem will be ·crushed [trampled] by Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles is ·over [fulfilled].


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Don’t Fear “There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars. On earth, nations will be ·afraid [distressed] and confused because of the roar and ·fury [surging waves] of the sea.


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People will be so afraid they will ·faint [or lose all hope], wondering what is ·happening to [coming upon] the world, because the ·powers of the heavens [or heavenly bodies] will be shaken.


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When these things begin to happen, ·look up [or stand up] and hold your heads high, because ·the time when God will free you [your redemption/liberation] is ·near [at hand]!”


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Jesus’ Words Will Live Forever Then Jesus told this ·story [parable]: “Look at the fig tree and all the other trees.


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“I tell you the truth, all these things will happen ·while the people of this time are still living [before this generation passes away; either the generation that sees the destruction of Jerusalem (ad 70), or a future generation of the end times].


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·Earth and sky will be destroyed [Heaven and earth will pass away], but the words I have spoken will never ·be destroyed [pass away].


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Be Ready All the Time “·Be careful [Watch yourselves] not to ·spend your time [or become dulled by; let your hearts be weighed down by] ·feasting [carousing; debauchery], ·drinking [drunkenness], or worrying about worldly things. If you do, that day might come on you suddenly,


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·like a trap. For it will come upon all people who live on the earth. [or Like a trap, it will come upon all people who live on the earth.]


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So be ·ready [alert; watching] all the time. Pray that you will be strong enough to escape all these things that ·will [are about to] happen and that you will be able to stand before the Son of Man.”


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During the day, Jesus taught the people in the Temple, and at night he went out of the city and stayed on the Mount of Olives.


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Judas Betrays Jesus It was almost time for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover Feast [celebrating God’s rescue of Israel from Egypt; ].


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The ·leading [chief] priests and ·teachers of the law [scribes] were trying to find a way to ·kill [destroy; eliminate] Jesus, ·because [or but] they were afraid of the people [because of Jesus’ popularity].


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Judas went to the ·leading [chief] priests and the officers of the Temple guard and talked to them about a way to ·hand Jesus over [betray Jesus] to them.


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He ·agreed [consented] and watched for ·the best [an opportune] time to ·hand Jesus over [betray Jesus] to them when he was away from the crowd.


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Jesus Eats the Passover Meal The Day of Unleavened Bread came when the Passover lambs had to be sacrificed.


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Jesus said to them, “[Pay attention; Look; Behold] After you go into the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters,


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and tell the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says: “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover meal with my ·followers [disciples]?”’


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The Lord’s Supper When the ·time [hour] came, Jesus and the apostles ·were sitting at the table [reclined; the posture at a formal meal; see ].


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[For I tell you] I will not eat another Passover meal until it is ·given its true meaning [fulfilled] in the kingdom of God.”


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[For I tell you] I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine [wine] until God’s kingdom comes.”


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Then Jesus took some bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to the apostles, saying, “This is my body, which I am giving for you. Do this ·to remember [as a memorial to; in remembrance of] me.”


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In the same way, after ·supper [they had eaten], Jesus took the cup and said, “·This cup [or This cup that is poured out…] is the new ·agreement [covenant; a binding relationship between God and his people; ] ·that begins with [that is established by; or that is sealed with; in] my blood, which is poured out for you [interpreters differ as to whether it is the “cup” or the “blood” that Jesus says is “poured out”].


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Who Will Turn Against Jesus? “But [Look; Behold] one of you will ·turn against [betray] me, and ·his hand is with mine on [or he is sharing a place with me at] the table.


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·What God has planned for the Son of Man will happen [For the Son of Man is going (to his death) as it has been determined/decreed (by God)], but ·how terrible it will be for [woe to] that one who ·turns against [betrays] the Son of Man [a title for the Messiah; ].”


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Be Like a Servant ·The apostles also began to argue [Then an argument/dispute occurred among them] about which one of them was the ·most important [greatest].


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But Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles ·rule [lord it] over them, and those who have authority over others like to be called ·‘friends of the people’ [‘Benefactors’].


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But you must not be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the leader should be like the servant.


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[For] Who is more important: the one ·sitting at the table [reclining] or the one serving? Is it not the one ·sitting at the table [reclining]? But I am like a servant among you.


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Just as my Father has ·given [granted; conferred on] me a kingdom, I also ·give [grant; confer on] you a kingdom


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so you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom. And you will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.


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Don’t Lose Your Faith! “Simon [Peter], Simon, [look; behold,] Satan has ·asked [de-manded; sought permission] to ·test all of you as a farmer sifts his [sift all of you as] wheat.


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[But] I have prayed [for you] that ·you will not lose your faith [your faith will not fail]! And when you ·come back to me [return; turn back], help your brothers be stronger.”


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But Jesus said, “[I tell you,] Peter, before the rooster crows this day, you will ·say three times that you don’t [deny three times that you] know me.”


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Be Ready for Trouble Then Jesus said to the apostles, “When I sent you out without ·a purse [money bag], a ·bag [traveling bag], or sandals, did you ·need [lack] anything?” They said, “·No [Nothing].”


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He said to them, “But now if you have a ·purse [money bag] or a ·bag [traveling bag], carry that with you. If you don’t have a sword, sell your ·coat [cloak] and buy one.


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[For] I tell you this scripture must ·have its full meaning [be fulfilled] ·with reference to me [in me]: ‘He was ·treated like a criminal [counted/numbered among the wicked/lawless ones; ],’ [Yes; For] What was written about me ·is happening now [is being fulfilled].”


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His ·followers [disciples] said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” He said to them, “·That is enough [or That’s enough talk like that!].”


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Jesus Prays Alone Jesus left the city and went to the Mount of Olives, as he often did, and his ·followers [disciples] ·went with [followed] him.


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When he reached the place, he said to them, “Pray for strength ·against temptation [or not to fail the test].”


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“Father, if you are willing, take away this ·cup of suffering [cup; suffering or punishment is metaphorically portrayed as something bitter to drink]. But do ·what you want [your will], not ·what I want [my will].”


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Being ·full of pain [in agony/anguish], Jesus prayed even harder. His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.


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When he ·finished praying [rose from prayer], he went to his ·followers [disciples] and found them asleep ·because of their sadness [exhausted from grief].


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Jesus said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray ·for strength against temptation [that you won’t give in to temptation; or that you won’t be tempted/tested].”


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Jesus Is Arrested While Jesus was speaking, [look; behold] a crowd came up, and [the man called] Judas, one of the twelve apostles, was leading them. He came close to Jesus so he could kiss him.


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When those who were standing around him saw what was ·happening [about to happen], they said, “Lord, should we strike them with our swords?”


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Then Jesus said to those who had come to arrest him, the ·leading [chief] priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, “You came out here with swords and clubs as though I were a ·criminal [revolutionary; rebel; robber; a term used by the Romans of insurrectionists].


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I was with you every day in the Temple, and you didn’t ·arrest [extend your hands against] me there. But this is your ·time [hour]—the time when darkness ·rules [has power/authority].”


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Peter Says He Doesn’t Know Jesus They ·arrested [seized] Jesus, and led him away, and brought him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed ·far behind them [at a distance].


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After ·the soldiers [they] started a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat together, Peter sat with them.


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A servant girl saw Peter sitting there in the firelight, and looking closely at him, she said, “This man was also with him.”


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A short time later, another person saw Peter and said, “You are also one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!”


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About an hour later, another man insisted, “Certainly this man was with him, because he is ·from Galilee [a Galilean], too.”


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But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about!” At once, while Peter was still speaking, a rooster crowed.


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Then the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. And Peter remembered what the Lord had said: “Before the rooster crows this day, you will ·say three times that you don’t know me [deny me three times].”


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The People Make Fun of Jesus The men who were guarding Jesus began ·making fun of [mocking] him and beating him.


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They blindfolded him and said, “·Prove that you are a prophet [Prophesy!], and tell us who hit you.”


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Jesus Before the Leaders When day came, the council of the elders of the people, both the ·leading [chief] priests and the ·teachers of the law [scribes], came together and led Jesus to ·their highest court [the high council/Sanhedrin].


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They said, “If you are the ·Christ [Messiah], tell us.” Jesus said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe me.


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They all said, “Then are you the Son of God?” Jesus said to them, “You say that I am [an indirect affirmation].”


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They said, “Why do we need ·witnesses [testimony] now? [For] We ·ourselves heard him say this [heard it from his mouth].”


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Pilate Questions Jesus Then the whole group stood up and led Jesus to Pilate [Pontius Pilate, governor of Judea from ad 26 to 36; see ].


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They began to accuse Jesus, saying, “We caught this man ·misleading [subverting] our ·people [nation]. He ·says that we should not pay [opposes/forbids paying] taxes to Caesar, and he ·calls himself [claims to be] the ·Christ [Messiah], a king.”


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Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “·Those are your words [or It is as you say; You say so; an indirect affirmation; see ].”


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Pilate said to the ·leading [chief] priests and the ·people [crowd], “I find ·nothing against [no basis for a charge against; no guilt in] this man.”


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[But] They were insisting, saying, “But Jesus ·makes trouble with [is inciting/stirring up] the people, teaching all around Judea. He began in Galilee, and now he is here.”


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Pilate Sends Jesus to Herod Pilate heard this and asked if ·Jesus [the man] was ·from Galilee [a Galilean].


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·Since [Learning that] Jesus was under Herod’s authority, Pilate sent Jesus to Herod [Antipas; see ], who was in Jerusalem at that time.


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When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, because he had heard about Jesus and had wanted to ·meet [see] him for a long time. He was hoping to see Jesus ·work a miracle [perform a sign].


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The ·leading [chief] priests and ·teachers of the law [scribes] were standing there, ·strongly [vehemently; vigorously] accusing Jesus.


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After Herod and his soldiers had ·made fun of [ridiculed and mocked] Jesus, they dressed him in a ·kingly [elegant; splendid; bright] ·robe [clothing] and sent him back to Pilate.


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Jesus Must Die Pilate called together the ·leading [chief] priests, the ·rulers [leaders] and the people.


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He said to them, “You brought this man to me, saying he ·makes trouble among [misleads; subverts; incites] the people. But I have questioned him before you all, and I have not found ·him guilty of what you say [any basis for the charges].


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Also, Herod found nothing wrong with him; [because] he sent him back to us. Look, he has done nothing ·for which he should die [worthy/deserving of death].


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But ·the people [they] shouted together, “Take this man away [for execution]! ·Let Barabbas go free [Release Barabbas to/for us]!”


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(Barabbas was a man who was in prison for his part in a ·riot [insurrection] in the city and for murder.)


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A third time Pilate said to them, “Why? What ·wrong [crime; evil] has he done? I can find no reason to kill him. So I will have him ·punished [flogged] and set him free.”


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But they continued to shout, demanding that Jesus be crucified. Their ·yelling became so loud [voices prevailed so] that


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He set free the man who was in jail for ·rioting [insurrection] and murder, and he handed Jesus over ·to them to do with him as they wished [or as they requested; to their will].


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Jesus Is Crucified As they led Jesus away, Simon, a man from Cyrene [a port city in North Africa (modern Libya)], was coming in from the ·fields [countryside; country; Simon may be a Jewish pilgrim visiting Jerusalem for Passover or an immigrant living there]. They forced him to carry Jesus’ cross and to walk behind him.


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A large crowd of people was following Jesus, including some women who were ·sad [mourning] and ·crying [wailing; lamenting] for him.


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But Jesus turned and said to them, “·Women [Daughters] of Jerusalem, don’t ·cry [weep] for me. ·Cry [Weep] for yourselves and for your children.


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[For look/behold] The ·time is [days are] coming when people will say, ‘Blessed are ·the women who cannot have children [the barren women and the wombs that never gave birth] and ·who have no babies to nurse [the breasts that have never nursed].’


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Then people will say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ And they will say to the hills, ‘·Cover [Bury] us []!’


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If they act like this now when ·life is good [the tree is green], what will happen when ·bad times come [it is dry; probably an allusion to the siege and destruction of Jerusalem in ad 70]?”


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When they came to a place called the Skull, the soldiers crucified Jesus and the criminals—one on his right and the other on his left.


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Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, because they don’t know what they are doing.” The soldiers threw lots [similar to dice] to decide who would get his clothes [].


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The people stood there watching. And the leaders ·made fun of [sneered at; mocked] Jesus, saying, “He saved others. Let him save himself if he is ·God’s Chosen One, the Christ [or God’s Messiah, the Chosen One].”


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The soldiers also ·made fun of [mocked] him, coming to Jesus and offering him some ·vinegar [sour wine].


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·At the top of the cross these words were written [Above him there was also an inscription]: this is the king of the jews.


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One of the criminals ·on a cross [who was hanging there] began to ·shout insults at [slander; blaspheme] Jesus: “Aren’t you the ·Christ [Messiah]? Then save yourself and us.”


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But the other criminal ·stopped [rebuked] him and said, “·You should [Don’t you…?] fear God! You are getting the same punishment he is.


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We are punished justly, getting what we deserve for what we did. But this man has done nothing wrong.”


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Jesus said to him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise [heaven or the presence of God].”


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Jesus Dies It was about ·noon [the sixth hour; hours were counted from dawn, about 6 AM], and the whole land became dark until ·three o’clock in the afternoon [the ninth hour],


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because the sun did not shine. The curtain in the Temple [dividing the Most Holy Place from the rest of the Temple] was torn ·in two [down the middle].


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Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father, ·I give you my life [into your hands I entrust/commit my spirit; ].” After Jesus said this, he ·died [expired; breathed his last].


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When the ·army officer [centurion] there saw what happened, he ·praised [glorified] God, saying, “Surely this was a ·good [righteous; or innocent] man!”


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When all the people who had gathered there to watch saw what happened, they returned home, beating their chests [a sign of sorrow and remorse].


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But those who ·were close friends of Jesus [knew him], including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance and watched [these things].


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Joseph Takes Jesus’ Body [And look/behold] There was a good and ·religious [righteous; just] man named Joseph who was a member of the council.


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But he had not agreed to the other leaders’ plans and actions against Jesus. He was from the town of Arimathea [in Judea; or a town of the Jews] and was waiting for the kingdom of God to come.


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He took the body down from the cross, wrapped it in [linen] cloth, and put it in a tomb that was cut out of a wall of rock. ·This tomb had never been used before […where no one had been laid; family tombs held multiple bodies, but this new one was empty].


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This was late on Preparation Day, ·and when the sun went down, the Sabbath day would begin [and the Sabbath was beginning].


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The women who had come from Galilee with Jesus followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how Jesus’ body was laid.


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Then the women left to prepare spices and perfumes [used to honor the dead and cover the stench of decay]. On the Sabbath day they rested, ·as the law of Moses commanded [according to the commandment].


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Jesus Rises from the Dead Very early on the first day of the week, at dawn, the women came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared.


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While they were ·wondering [puzzling; perplexed] about this, two men in ·shining [dazzling; gleaming like lightning; ] clothes suddenly stood beside them.


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The women were ·very afraid [terrified] and bowed their ·heads [faces] to the ground. The men said to them, “Why are you looking for ·a living person in this place for the dead [the living among the dead]?


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He is not here; he has risen from the dead. Do you remember what he told you [while he was still] in Galilee?


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He said the Son of Man must be ·handed over [betrayed] to sinful people, be crucified, and rise from the dead on the third day.”


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The women ·left [returned from] the tomb and told all these things to ·the eleven apostles [the Eleven] and ·the other followers [all the rest].


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It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and some other women who told the apostles ·everything that had happened at the tomb [these things].


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But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. Bending down and looking in, he saw only the [linen] cloth that Jesus’ body had been wrapped in. Peter went away to his home, ·wondering [amazed; marveling] about what had happened.


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Jesus on the Road to Emmaus That same day two of Jesus’ followers were going to a town named Emmaus, about seven miles [Greek: sixty stadia; a stadion was about 600 ft.] from Jerusalem.


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Then he said, “What are these things you are ·talking about [discussing] while you walk?” The two followers stopped, looking ·very sad [downcast].


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The one named Cleopas answered, “·Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who does not [or Are you only a visitor in Jerusalem and don’t] know what just happened there?”


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Jesus said to them, “What ·are you talking about [things]?” They said, “About Jesus of Nazareth. He was a prophet ·who said and did many powerful things [powerful in deed and word] before God and all the people.


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Our ·leading [chief] priests and ·leaders [rulers] handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him.


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But we were hoping that he would ·free [rescue; redeem] Israel. Besides [all] this, it is now the third day since this happened.


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·And [But also; Moreover] some women among us ·amazed [astonished] us. Early this morning they went to the tomb,


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but they did not find his body there. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels who said that Jesus was alive!


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So some of our group went to the tomb, too. They found it just as the women said, but they did not see Jesus.”


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Then Jesus said to them, “·You are foolish [O foolish ones] and slow [in heart] to believe everything the prophets said.


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·They said [Was it not necessary…?] that the ·Christ [Messiah] must suffer these things before he enters his glory.”


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Then starting with what Moses and all the prophets [a way of referring to the whole Old Testament] had said about him, Jesus began to explain everything that had been written about himself in [all] the Scriptures.


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They came near the town ·of Emmaus [to which they were going], and Jesus acted as if he were going farther.


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But they ·begged [urged] him, “Stay with us, because it is late; it is almost night.” So he went in to stay with them.


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When Jesus ·was at the table [reclined; the posture of a formal meal] with them, he took some bread, ·gave thanks [blessed it], ·divided [broke] it, and gave it to them [Jesus, the guest, functions like the host in a Eucharist-like meal].


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And then, ·they were allowed to recognize Jesus [their eyes were opened]. But when they saw who he was, he disappeared.


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They said to each other, “·It felt like a fire burning in [Didn’t our hearts burn within…?] us when Jesus talked to us on the road and ·explained [opened] the Scriptures to us.”


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So ·the two followers [they] got up ·at once [the same hour] and went back to Jerusalem. There they found ·the eleven apostles [the Eleven] and others gathered.


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Then ·the two followers [they] told what had happened on the road and how they recognized Jesus when he ·divided [broke] the bread.


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Jesus Appears to His Followers While ·the two followers [they] were telling this, Jesus himself stood right in the middle of them and said, “Peace be with you.”


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But Jesus said, “Why are you ·troubled [frightened]? Why do ·you doubt what you see [doubts rise in your heart]?


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Look at my hands and my feet. It is ·I myself [really me]! Touch me and see, because a ·ghost [spirit] does not have ·a living body [flesh and bones] as you see I have.”


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While they still could not believe it because they were happy [joyful] and amazed, Jesus said to them, “Do you have any food here?”


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He said to them, “·Remember [This is what I said….] when I was with you before? I said that everything written about me must ·happen [be fulfilled]—everything in the law of Moses, the books of the prophets, and the Psalms [a way of referring to the whole Old Testament; see ].”


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He said to them, “It is written that the ·Christ [Messiah] would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day


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and that ·a change of hearts and lives and [repentance for the] forgiveness of sins would be preached in his name to all nations, starting at Jerusalem.


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[And look/behold] I will send you what my Father has promised, but you must stay in ·Jerusalem [the city] until you ·have received [are clothed with] that power from ·heaven [on high].”


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Jesus Goes Back to Heaven Jesus led his followers as far as Bethany, and he raised his hands and blessed them.


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While he was blessing them, he ·was separated [parted] from them and ·carried [taken up] into heaven.


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Christ Comes to the World In the beginning [] ·there was the Word [the Word already existed; the Word refers to Christ, God’s revelation of himself]. The Word was ·with [in the presence of; in intimate relationship with] God [the Father], and the Word was [fully] God.


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All things ·were made [were created; came to be] ·by [through] him, and nothing ·was made [came to be] without him [].


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·In him there was life [or What was made through him was life], and that life was the light of all people.


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The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not ·overpowered [defeated; or understood; comprehended] it.


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He came to ·tell people the truth [testify; bear witness] about the Light so that ·through him all people could hear about the Light and believe [everyone might believe through him].


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John was not the Light, but he came to ·tell people the truth [testify; bear witness] about the Light. *


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The true Light that ·gives light to [shines on; illuminates; enlightens] all [people] was coming into the world! [or The true Light gives light to all who have come into the world.]


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·The Word [He] was in the world, and the world ·was made [was created; came into being] ·by [through] him, but the world did not ·know [recognize] him.


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He came to ·the world that was his own [or his own country; that which was his own], but his own people did not ·accept [receive] him.


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But to all who did ·accept [receive] him and believe ·in him [in his name; the name indicating the character of the person] he gave the ·right [power; authority] to become children of God.


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They did not become his children ·in any human way [by natural descent; by physical birth; by blood]—by ·any human parents [human passion/decision; desire/will of the flesh] or ·human desire [a husband’s decision; desire/will of a man/husband]. They were born of God.


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The Word became ·a human [flesh] and ·lived [made his home; pitched his tabernacle; God’s glorious presence dwelt in Israel’s tabernacle in the wilderness] among us. We saw his ·glory [majesty]—the glory that belongs to the ·only Son [one and only; only begotten] ·of [who came from] the Father—and he was full of ·grace and truth [God’s gracious love and faithfulness; ].


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John ·tells the truth about [testifies concerning; witnesses about] him and cries out, saying, “This is the One I told you about: ‘The One who comes after me [in time] is greater than I am, because he ·was living [existed] before me [a reference to Christ’s preexistence; ].’”


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·Because he was full of grace and truth [From his fullness; ], from him we all received ·one gift after another [grace for grace; this could mean abundant grace or that the grace under Christ replaced grace under the law].


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No one has ever seen God [God the Father, who is pure spirit; ]. But ·God the only Son [God the one and only; the only Son who is himself God; God the only begotten] is ·very close to [by the side of; close to the heart of; in the bosom of] the Father, and he has ·shown us what God is like [made him known].


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John the Baptist Tells People About Jesus Here is the ·truth John told [testimony John gave; witness of John; ] when the ·leaders [Jewish leadership; Jews; John often uses the term “Jews” to refer to the religious leaders in opposition to Jesus, rather than to the Jewish people generally] in Jerusalem sent ·priests and Levites [the religious authorities; priests oversaw temple worship; Levites were members of the tribe of Levi who assisted them; ] to ask him, “Who are you?”


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John ·spoke freely [confessed] and did not ·refuse to answer [deny it]. He said, “I am not the ·Christ [Messiah].”


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So they asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” [Elijah, an OT prophet, was expected to come back before the Messiah; ; .] He answered, “No, I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” [the Prophet like Moses predicted in ] they asked. He answered, “No.”


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Then they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to tell those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”


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John told them in the words of the prophet Isaiah: “I am the voice of one calling out in the ·desert [wilderness]: ‘Make ·the road straight [a clear path] for the Lord [].’”


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Some Pharisees [a religious party which strictly observed OT laws and later customs] who had been sent asked John:


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John answered, “I baptize with water, but there is one here with you that you don’t ·know about [recognize].


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He is the One who comes after me. I am not ·good enough [worthy; fit] to untie the ·strings [straps] of his sandals.” [Removing sandals was the task of a slave.]


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This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan River [a site east of the Jordan River, not the Bethany near Jerusalem], where John was baptizing people.


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The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him. John said, “Look, the Lamb of God [lambs were used for sacrifice; ], who takes away the sin of the world!


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This is the One I was talking about [] when I said, ‘A man will come after me, but he is greater than I am, because he ·was living [existed] before me.’


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Even I did not ·know [recognize] who he was, although I came baptizing with water so that ·the people of Israel would know who he is [he might be revealed to Israel].”


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Then John ·said [testified; bore witness], “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven in the form of a dove and ·rest [remain] on him. Until then I did not know ·who the Christ was [or he was the one; him]. But the God who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘You will see the Spirit come down and ·rest [remain] on a man; he is the One who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’


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I have seen this happen, and I ·tell you the truth [testify; bear witness]: This man is the Son of God.”


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The First Followers of Jesus The next day John [the Baptist; ] was [standing] there again with two of his ·followers [disciples].


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When Jesus turned and saw them following him, he asked, “What are you looking for?” They said, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” (“Rabbi” means “Teacher.”)


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He answered, “Come and see.” So the two men went with Jesus and saw where he was staying and stayed there with him that day. It was about ·four o’clock in the afternoon [the tenth hour; hours were counted from dawn, about 6 AM].


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One of the two men who followed Jesus after they heard John speak about him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.


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The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and say to him, “We have found the Messiah.” (“Messiah” means “Christ.”) [Both Hebrew Mashiach (Messiah) and Greek Christos (Christ) mean “Anointed One.”]


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Then Andrew took Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas.” (“Cephas” means “Peter.”) [Both Aramaic Cephas and Greek Petros mean “rock.”]


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The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee [a region about 50 miles north of Jerusalem]. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me [as a disciple].”


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Philip was from the town of Bethsaida [a town just to the north of the Sea of Galilee], where Andrew and Peter lived.


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Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the man that Moses wrote about in the law, and the prophets also wrote about him. [The law and the prophets refer to the OT Scriptures.] He is Jesus, the son of Joseph, from Nazareth [a village a few miles southwest of the Sea of Galilee].”


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But Nathanael said to Philip, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” [This is because of its insignificance and lack of mention in the OT.] Philip answered, “Come and see.”


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As Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said, “Here is truly an Israelite. There is ·nothing false [no deceit; no guile] in him.”


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Nathanael asked, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you when you were under the fig tree, before Philip ·told you about me [called you].”


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Then Nathanael said to Jesus, “Teacher [Rabbi], you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”


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Jesus said to Nathanael, “Do you believe simply because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than that.”


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And Jesus said to them, “·I tell you the truth [Truly, truly I say to you], you will all see heaven open and ‘angels of God going up and coming down’ [a reference to Jacob’s dream in ] on the Son of Man [a title for the Messiah; ].”


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The Wedding at Cana ·Two days later [On the third day] there was a wedding in the town of Cana in Galilee [of uncertain location, probably near Nazareth]. Jesus’ mother was there,


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Jesus answered, “·Dear woman [Woman; a respectful form of address in that culture], ·why come to me [what concern is that to me and to you; what to me and to you]? My ·time [hour; here and throughout John, Jesus’ “hour” refers to his messianic sacrifice on the cross] has not yet come.”


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In that place there were six stone water jars that the Jews used in their washing ceremony [a Jewish ritual before eating, before worshiping in the Temple, and at other special times]. Each jar held about twenty or thirty gallons [Greek: two or three metretai; each about nine gallons or forty liters].


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Then he said to them, “Now take some out and give it to the ·master of the feast [chief steward; headwaiter].” So they took the water to the master.


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When he tasted it, the water had become wine. He did not know where the wine came from, but the servants who had brought the water knew. The ·master of the wedding [chief steward; headwaiter] called the bridegroom


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and said to him, “People always serve the ·best [expensive] wine first. Later, after the guests have been drinking awhile [and are less discriminating], they serve the ·cheaper [inferior] wine. But you have saved the ·best [expensive] wine till now.”


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So in Cana of Galilee [see ] Jesus did his first ·miracle [sign; Jesus’ miracles are called semeia, “signs,” in John’s Gospel]. There he ·showed [revealed; manifested] his ·glory [majesty], and his ·followers [disciples] believed in him.


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Jesus in the Temple After this, Jesus went to the town of Capernaum [a town on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee] with his mother, brothers, and ·followers [disciples]. They stayed there for just a few days.


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When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover Feast [annual festival that celebrates God’s rescue of Israel from Egypt; ], Jesus ·went [went up] to Jerusalem.


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In the Temple [area; not in the Temple proper, but in the outer courtyard, the Court of the Gentiles] he found people selling cattle, sheep, and ·doves [or pigeons; for sacrifices in the Temple]. ·He saw others sitting at tables, exchanging different kinds of money […and moneychangers sitting; the annual temple tax () had to be paid in Tyrian shekels, because of their high quality silver].


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Jesus made a whip out of cords and forced all of them, ·both [with] the sheep and cattle, to leave the Temple. He turned over the tables and scattered the money of ·those who were exchanging it [the moneychangers].


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Then he said to those who were selling ·doves [or pigeons], “Take these things out of here! Don’t make my Father’s house [the Temple was God’s home on earth; ] a ·place for buying and selling [a house of market/trade]!”


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When this happened, the ·followers [disciples] remembered what was written [in the Scriptures]: ·“My strong love for your Temple completely controls me [“Zeal for your house will consume me”; ].”


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Some of ·his people [the Jews] ·said to [responded to; demanded of] Jesus, “Show us a ·miracle [sign] to ·prove you have the right to do these things [justify your actions].”


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Jesus ·answered [replied to] them, “Destroy this temple, and I will ·build [raise] it again in three days [an allusion to his resurrection; ; ; ].”


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·They [The Jewish leaders; The Jews] answered, “It took forty-six years [Herod the Great began a reconstruction and expansion of the Temple complex in 20 bc, thus dating this statement to about ad 27] to ·build [reconstruct] this Temple! Do you really believe you can ·build [raise] it again in three days?”


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(But the temple Jesus meant was his own body [Jesus was claiming divinity, his body corresponding with the Temple, the home/dwelling place of God; ].


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After Jesus was raised from the dead, his ·followers [disciples] remembered that Jesus had said this. Then they believed the Scripture [compare ] and the words Jesus had said.)


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When Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Passover Feast [see ], many people ·believed [put their faith; trusted] in ·him [his name] because they saw the ·miracles [signs; ] he did [; ].


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He did not need anyone to ·tell [testify/witness to] him about ·people [human nature], because he knew what was in ·people’s minds [people’s hearts; people].


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Nicodemus Comes to Jesus There was a man named Nicodemus who was one of the Pharisees [a religious party which strictly observed OT laws and later customs] and ·an important Jewish leader [a ruler of the Jews; probably a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish court of the time].


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·One night [or By night; perhaps with connotations that he could not “see” spiritually] Nicodemus came to Jesus and said, “·Teacher [Rabbi], we know you are a teacher sent from God, because no one can do the ·miracles [signs; ] you do unless God is with him.”


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Jesus answered, “·I tell you the truth [Truly, truly I say to you], unless you are born ·again [or from above; this may be a play on words, meaning both “again” and “from above”], you cannot ·be in [experience; see] God’s kingdom.”


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Nicodemus said to him, “But if a person is already old, how can he be born ·again [or from above; ]? ·He cannot enter his mother’s womb again. So how can a person be born a second time [Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born]?”


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But Jesus answered, “·I tell you the truth [Truly, truly I say to you], unless you are born from water and the Spirit [equivalent to being born again (); water could symbolize physical birth, but more likely symbolizes spiritual cleansing which brings renewal; ], you cannot enter God’s kingdom.


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·Human life comes from human parents [That which is born of the flesh is flesh; flesh here means human nature], but ·spiritual life comes from the Spirit [that which is born of the Spirit is spirit].


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Don’t be ·surprised [amazed; astonished] when I tell you, ‘You [plural, referring to the Jews or the Jewish leaders] must be born ·again [or from above; ].’


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The wind [one word means both “wind” and “spirit” in Greek] blows where it wants to and you hear the sound of it, but you don’t know where the wind comes from or where it is going. It is the same with every person who is born from the Spirit.” [We cannot comprehend or control the Spirit, but we experience his effect.]


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Jesus ·said [replied; answered], “You are ·an important teacher in Israel [the teacher of Israel], and you don’t ·understand [know] these things?


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·I tell you the truth [Truly, truly I say to you], we talk about what we know, and we ·tell [testify; bear witness] about what we have seen, but you don’t ·accept what we tell you [receive our testimony/witness].


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I have told you about things here on earth [the teaching about being born again], and you do not believe me. ·So you will not [So how will you…?] believe me if I tell you about things of heaven.


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·The only one who has ever gone up to heaven is [No one has gone up into heaven except] the One who came down from heaven—the Son of Man [a title for the Messiah; ].


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“Just as Moses lifted up the ·snake [serpent] in the ·desert [wilderness; Moses put a bronze snake statue on a pole, and those who looked at it were healed of snake bites; ], the Son of Man must also be lifted up [an allusion to the cross and resurrection].


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So that everyone who ·believes can have eternal life in him [or believes in him can have eternal life].


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“[For] God loved the world so much that he gave his ·one and only [only; unique; only begotten; , ] Son so that whoever believes in him may not ·be lost [perish], but have eternal life.


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[For; Indeed] God did not send his Son into the world to ·judge the world guilty [condemn the world], but to save the world through him.


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People who believe in God’s Son are not ·judged guilty [condemned]. Those who do not believe have already been ·judged guilty [condemned], because they have not believed in [the name of] God’s ·one and only [only; unique; only begotten; ] Son.


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·They are judged by this fact [And this is the judgment/condemnation/verdict]: The Light [Jesus, God’s Son] has come into the world, ·but they did not want light. They wanted darkness [but people loved the darkness more than the light], because they were doing evil things.


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All who do evil hate the light and will not come to the light, because it will show ·all the evil things they do [their deeds/actions].


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But those who ·follow the true way [do what is true; live by the truth] come to the light, and it ·shows [may be seen] that the things they do were done ·through [or in the sight of; or in obedience to; in] God.”


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Jesus and John the Baptist After this, Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] went into the ·area [countryside] of Judea, where he ·stayed [spent time] with his ·followers [disciples] and baptized people.


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John was also baptizing in Aenon [a town (meaning “springs”) of uncertain location on the Jordan River (but see note on Salim)], near Salim [a town (meaning “peace”) probably located either near Shechem or just south of Bethshan, both of which are in a Samaritan area], because there was plenty of water there. People were going there to be baptized.


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Some of John’s ·followers [disciples] had an ·argument [discussion; debate] with a Jew about ·religious washing [ceremonial cleansing; purification; the Jewish people washed themselves for ritual purposes before eating, before worshiping in the Temple, and at other special times].


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So they came to John and said, “Teacher [Rabbi], remember the man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan River, the one ·you spoke about so much [about whom you have testified/witnessed]? He is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”


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You yourselves heard me ·say [testify], ‘I am not the ·Christ [Messiah], but I am the one sent ·to prepare the way for him [before him; ; compare ].’


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The bride belongs only to the bridegroom. But the ·friend who helps the bridegroom [or the best man] stands by and listens to him. He ·is thrilled [rejoices greatly] that he gets to hear the bridegroom’s voice. In the same way, ·I am really happy [my joy is fulfilled; in this analogy, John is the best man and Jesus is the bridegroom].


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The One Who Comes from Heaven “The One [Jesus] who comes from above is ·greater than [above] all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and talks about ·things on the earth [earthly matters]. But the One who comes from heaven is ·greater than [above] all.


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He ·tells [testifies to; bears witness to] what he has seen and heard, but no one ·accepts [receives] ·what he says [his testimony; ].


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Whoever ·accepts what he says [receives his testimony] has ·proven [certified; affirmed; set his seal] that God is true.


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[For] The One whom God sent speaks the words of God, because God gives him the Spirit ·fully [without measure/limit].


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The Father loves the Son and has given ·him power over everything [him authority over all; all things into his hand].


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Those who believe in the Son have eternal life, but those who ·do not obey [reject] the Son will ·never have [not see] life. God’s ·anger [wrath] ·stays [remains] on them.”


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Jesus and a Samaritan Woman The Pharisees [a religious party which strictly observed OT laws and later customs] heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more ·followers [disciples] than John,


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Jesus knew that the Pharisees had heard about him, so he left Judea [the southern region of Israel] and went back to Galilee [the northern region of Israel; ].


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But on the way he had to go through the country of Samaria [the central region occupied by a people disliked because they were only partly Jewish].


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In Samaria Jesus came to the town called Sychar [perhaps Shechem or a village near it; compare ; ], which is near the ·field [plot of ground] Jacob gave to his son Joseph.


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Jacob’s well was there. Jesus was tired from ·his long trip [the journey], so he sat down beside the well. It was about ·twelve o’clock noon [the sixth hour; hours were counted from dawn, about 6 AM].


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When a Samaritan woman came to the well to ·get some [draw] water, Jesus said to her, “·Please give [Give] me a drink.”


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The Samaritan woman said, “·I am surprised [How is it…?] that you ask me for a drink, since you are a ·Jewish man [a Jew] and I am a Samaritan woman.” (Jewish people ·are not friends [do not share things; have no dealings] with Samaritans.)


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Jesus ·said [answered; replied], “If you only knew the ·free gift [gift] of God and who it is that is asking you ·for water [“Give me a drink”], you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” [“Living water” in Greek can mean fresh running water, but Jesus means “water which gives eternal life”; the woman misunderstands this play on words.]


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The woman said, “Sir, where will you get this living water? The well is very deep, and you have ·nothing to get water with [no bucket].


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Are you greater than Jacob, our father [a patriarch recognized by both Jews and Samaritans], who gave us this well and drank from it himself along with his sons and ·flocks [or livestock]?”


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Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again [because physical water only temporarily satisfies thirst],


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but whoever drinks the water I give will never be thirsty [because spiritual renewal/eternal life is forever]. [But; Indeed] The water I give will become a spring of water gushing up inside that person, giving eternal life [; ; ; ].”


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The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so I will never be thirsty again and will not have to come back here to ·get [draw] more water.” [Her response indicates she does not understand.]


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The woman answered, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right to say you have no husband.


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·Really [For] you have had five husbands, and the man you ·live with [have] now is not your husband. You told the truth.”


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Our ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers] worshiped on this mountain [the Samaritans worshiped on Mount Gerizim near Shechem], but you [plural, referring to the Jews] say that Jerusalem [Mount Zion, the location of the temple] is the place where people must worship.”


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Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman [a respectful form of address in that culture; ]. The ·time [hour; the time of salvation established by the death and resurrection of Christ; see ] is coming when neither in Jerusalem nor on this mountain will you ·actually worship [worship] the Father.


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You Samaritans worship something you don’t understand. We [Jews] understand what we worship, because salvation comes from the Jews [because the Messiah who brings salvation comes through the Jews].


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[But] The ·time [hour; see ] is coming when the true worshipers will worship the Father in ·spirit [or the Spirit] and truth, and that time ·is here already [has now come; is now here]. You see, the Father too is actively seeking such people to worship him.


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The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming.” (Messiah is the One called Christ [both Hebrew Mashiach and Greek Christos mean “Anointed One”; see ].) “When ·the Messiah [that one] comes, he will ·explain [report; announce] everything to us.”


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Just then his ·followers [disciples] came back from town and were surprised to see him talking with a woman [some Jews thought it a waste of time for rabbis to teach women]. But none of them asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”


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“Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did. Do you think he might be the ·Christ [Messiah]?”


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Meanwhile, his ·followers [disciples] were ·begging [urging] him, “·Teacher [Rabbi], eat something.”


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So the ·followers [disciples] asked ·themselves [each other], “·Did somebody already bring him food [No one brought him anything to eat, did they]?”


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Jesus said to them, “My food is to do ·what the One who sent me wants me to do [the will of the One who sent me] and to ·finish [complete] his work.


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·You have a saying [Do you not say…?], ‘Four more months till harvest.’ ·But [Look; Behold] I tell you, ·open your eyes and look at [lift up your eyes and see] the fields ·ready [ripe; white] for harvest now.


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Already, the one who ·harvests [reaps] is ·being paid [receiving wages] and is gathering ·crops [fruit] for eternal life. So the one who ·plants [sows] and the one who ·harvests [reaps] ·celebrate [rejoice] ·at the same time [together].


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[For] ·Here [in this case] the saying is true, ‘One person ·plants [sows], and another ·harvests [reaps].’


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I sent you to ·harvest a crop that [reap what] you did not ·work [labor; toil] on. Others did the ·work [labor; toil], and you ·get to finish up [reap the benefits of; have entered into] their work.”


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Many of the Samaritans in that town believed in Jesus because of ·what the woman said [the word of the woman who testified]: “He told me everything I ever did.”


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When the Samaritans came to Jesus, they ·begged [urged; asked] him to stay with them, so he stayed there two more days.


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They said to the woman, “·First we believed in Jesus [It is no longer] because of what you said, but now we believe because we heard him ourselves. We know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”


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Jesus Heals an Officer’s Son Two days later, Jesus left [from there] and went to Galilee [the northern region of Israel].


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(Jesus had ·said [testified; witnessed] before that a prophet ·is not respected [has no honor] in his own ·country [or hometown; probably a reference to Galilee, but some think Judea].)


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When [therefore] Jesus arrived in Galilee, the ·people there [Galileans] ·welcomed [received] him. They had seen all the things he did at the Passover Feast in Jerusalem, because they had been there, too.


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Jesus went again to visit Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine []. One of the king’s important officers lived in the city of Capernaum, and his son was sick.


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When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to Jesus and ·begged [urged; asked] him to come to Capernaum and heal his son, because his son was almost dead.


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Jesus said to him, “·You people must see signs and miracles before you will believe in me [Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe; ; ].”


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Jesus ·answered [said to him], “Go. Your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus told him [he did not need “signs” and miracles] and went home.


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On the way the man’s ·servants [slaves; bond-servants] came and met him and told him, “Your son is alive.”


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[So/Then] The man asked, “What ·time [hour] did my son begin to get well?” They answered, “Yesterday at ·one o’clock [the seventh hour; hours were counted from dawn, about 6 AM] the fever left him.”


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[So/Then] The father knew that ·one o’clock was the exact time that [in that hour] Jesus had said, “Your son will live.” So the man and all ·the people who lived in his house [his household] believed in Jesus.


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That was the second ·miracle [sign; the first sign was turning water into wine; ] Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee.


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Jesus Heals a Man at a Pool ·Later [After these things] Jesus went [up] to Jerusalem for a ·special feast [feast/festival of the Jews].


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In Jerusalem there is a pool with five covered porches, which is called Bethesda [a pool of water north of the temple thought to have curative powers] in the Hebrew language [referring to Aramaic, the native language of the Jews at the time]. This pool is near the Sheep Gate.


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Many sick people were lying on the porches beside the pool. Some were blind, some were crippled, and some were paralyzed ,, and they waited for the water to move.


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·Sometimes [At a certain time; From time to time] an angel of the Lord came down to the pool and stirred up the water. After the angel did this, the first person to go into the pool was healed from any sickness he had,.


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When Jesus saw the man and knew that he had been ·sick [an invalid; disabled] for such a long time, Jesus asked him, “Do you want to be well?”


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The ·sick man [invalid] answered [him], “Sir, there is no one to help me get into the pool when the water ·starts moving [is stirred up]. While I am coming to the water, someone else always ·gets in [goes down] before me.”


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And immediately the man ·was well [was healed; became whole]; he picked up his ·mat [bed; cot] and began to walk. The day this happened was a Sabbath day.


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So the ·Jews [or Jewish leaders] said to the man who had been healed, “Today is the Sabbath. It is ·against our law [not lawful/permitted] for you to carry your ·mat [bed; cot] on the Sabbath day [the fourth commandment prohibited work on the Sabbath, but not specifically this action ()].”


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But the man who had been healed did not know who it was, because there were many people in that place, and Jesus had ·left [withdrawn; slipped away unnoticed].


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Later, Jesus found the man at the Temple [area] and said to him, “See, you are well now. ·Stop sinning [Sin no more] so that something worse does not happen to you.” [Sometimes, not always, suffering can be explained by sin.]


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Then the man left and told ·his people [the Jewish leaders; the Jews] that Jesus was the one who had made him well.


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Because Jesus was doing ·this [these things] on the Sabbath day, ·some evil people [the Jewish leaders; the Jews] began to ·persecute [harass] him.


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But Jesus ·said to [answered] them, “My Father ·never stops [is always; is still] working [even on the Sabbath], and so I keep working, too.”


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This made ·them [the Jewish leaders; the Jews] try still harder to kill him. They said, “First Jesus was breaking the law about the Sabbath day. Now he says that God is his own Father, making himself equal with God!” [Both breaking the Sabbath and blasphemy against God were punishable by death; ; .]


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Jesus Has God’s Authority But Jesus ·said [answered them], “·I tell you the truth [Truly, truly I say to you], the Son can do nothing ·alone [on his own initiative; by himself]. The Son does only what he sees the Father doing, ·because the Son does whatever the Father does [for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise].


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[For] The Father loves the Son and shows the Son all the things he himself does. But the Father will show the Son even greater things than this so that you can all ·be amazed [marvel; be astonished].


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[For] Just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to those he ·wants to [wishes; wills].


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·In fact, [or For] the Father judges no one, but he has ·given [entrusted to] the Son ·power to do all the judging [all judgment; ]


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so that all people will honor the Son as much as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.


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“·I tell you the truth [Truly, truly I say to you], whoever ·hears [obeys] ·what I say [my word/message] and believes in the One who sent me has eternal life. That person will not ·be judged guilty [come into judgment/condemnation] but has ·already left death and entered life [passed from death into life].


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·I tell you the truth [Truly, truly I say to you], the ·time [hour] is coming and is already here when the dead will ·hear [obey] the voice of the Son of God, and those who ·hear [obey] will ·have life [live].


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[For] ·Life comes from the Father himself [just as the Father has life], ·and [so] he has ·allowed the Son to have [given the Son] life in himself as well.


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And the Father has given the Son the ·approval [authority; power; right] to ·judge [execute judgment], because he is the Son of Man [a title for the Messiah; ].


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Don’t ·be surprised [marvel; be amazed] at this: A ·time [hour] is coming when all who are dead and in their graves will hear his voice.


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Then they will come out of their graves. Those who did good ·will rise and have life forever [to the resurrection resulting in life], but those who did evil ·will rise to be judged guilty [to the resurrection resulting in condemnation/judgment].


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Jesus Is God’s Son “I can do nothing ·alone [by myself; on my own initiative]. I judge ·only the way I am told [as I hear], so my judgment is ·fair [just; right; righteous]. I don’t ·try to please myself [seek my own will/desire], but ·I try to please [the will of] the One who sent me.


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“If only I ·tell people [testify; witness] about myself, ·what I say [my testimony; witness] is not ·true [valid].


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But there is another who ·tells [testifies; witnesses] about me, and I know that ·the things he says [the witness/testimony he witnesses/testifies] about me are ·true [valid].


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It is not that I ·need [accept; depend on] ·what humans say [human testimony/witness]; I tell you this so you can be saved.


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John was like a burning and shining lamp, and you were ·happy to enjoy [willing to rejoice in] his light for a while.


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“But I have a ·proof [testimony; witness] about myself that is ·greater [weightier] than that of John. [For] The ·things [works] I do, which are the ·things [works] my Father gave me to ·do [complete; finish; the signs and miracles which point to his saving work on the cross], ·prove [testify; witness] that the Father sent me.


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And the Father himself who sent me has given ·proof [testimony; witness] ·about me [concerning me; on my behalf]. You have never heard his voice or seen ·what he looks like [his form; his outward appearance].


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His ·teaching [word; message] does not ·live [remain; abide] in you, because you don’t believe in the One the Father sent.


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You ·carefully study [search; examine] the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. They do in fact ·tell [testify; witness] ·about me [concerning me; on my behalf],


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I have come ·from my Father and speak for him [in my Father’s name], ·but [or and] you don’t ·accept [receive] me. But when another person comes, ·speaking only for himself [in his own name], you will ·accept [receive] him.


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You try to ·get praise [receive glory/honor] from each other, but you do not try to ·get the praise [receive glory/honor] that comes from the only God. So how can you believe?


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Don’t think that I will ·stand before the Father and say you are wrong [accuse you before the Father]. The one who ·says you are wrong [accuses you] is Moses, the one ·you hoped would save you [in whom you hoped].


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[For] If you really believed Moses, you would believe me, because Moses wrote about me [in the Torah, the first five books of the OT; for example, quoted in ].


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More than Five Thousand Fed After this, Jesus went ·across [to the other side of] ·Lake [the Sea of] Galilee (or, Lake Tiberias).


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Many people followed him because they saw the ·miracles [signs; ] he did ·to heal [for; on behalf of] the sick.


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It was almost the time for the Jewish Passover Feast [the annual festival that celebrates God’s rescue of Israel from Egypt; ; ].


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When Jesus ·looked up [raised his eyes] and saw a large crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip [one of the twelve disciples; ], “Where can we buy enough bread for all these people to eat?”


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(Jesus asked Philip this question to test him, because Jesus already knew what he ·planned [was going] to do.)


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Philip answered [him], “·Someone would have to work almost a year to buy enough bread [Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not enough; a denarius was a unit of money worth about a day’s wages] for each person to have only a little piece.”


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“Here is a boy with five loaves of barley bread and two little fish, but ·that is not enough [what are these…?] for so many people.”


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Jesus said, “·Tell [Make] the people to sit down.” There was plenty of grass there, and about five thousand men sat down there.


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Then Jesus took the loaves of bread, ·thanked God [gave thanks] for them, and ·gave [distributed] them to the people who were sitting there. He did the same with the fish, giving as much as the people wanted.


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When they ·had all had enough to eat [were filled/satisfied], Jesus said to his ·followers [disciples], “Gather the leftover ·pieces of fish and bread [pieces] so that nothing is wasted.”


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So they gathered up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with the pieces left from the five barley loaves [; Jesus’ miracle surpasses that of Elisha].


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When the people saw this ·miracle [sign] that Jesus did, they said, “He must truly be the Prophet [; probably the “prophet like Moses” of ] who is coming into the world.”


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Jesus knew that the people ·planned [intended; were about] to come and take him by force and make him their king, so he ·left [withdrew] and went into the ·hills [or mountains] alone.


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Jesus Walks on the Water That evening Jesus’ ·followers [disciples] went down to ·Lake Galilee [the lake/sea].


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It was dark now, and Jesus had not yet ·come to [joined] them. The ·followers [disciples] got into a boat and started across the lake to Capernaum.


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By now a strong wind was blowing, and ·the waves on the lake were getting bigger [the sea/lake rose up].


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When they had rowed the boat about ·three or four miles [twenty-five or thirty stadia; a stadion was about 600 feet], they saw Jesus walking on the ·water [sea; lake], coming toward the boat. The ·followers [disciples] were afraid,


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Then they ·were glad [or were willing] to take him into the boat. ·At once [Immediately] the boat came to land at the place where they wanted to go. [The sea often stands for chaos, and God controls it.]


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The People Seek Jesus The next day the ·people [crowd] who had stayed on the ·other [opposite] side of the ·lake [sea] knew that Jesus had not gone in the boat with his ·followers [disciples] but that they had left ·without him [alone]. And they ·knew [saw] that only one boat had been there.


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But then some boats came from Tiberias [a major city on the western shore of Lake Galilee] and landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.


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When the ·people [crowd] saw that Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] were not there now, they got into boats and went to Capernaum to find Jesus.


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Jesus, the Bread of Life When ·the people [they] found Jesus on the ·other [opposite] side of the ·lake [sea], they asked him, “·Teacher [Rabbi], when did you come here?”


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Jesus answered, “·I tell you the truth [Truly, truly I say to you], you aren’t looking for me because you saw ·me do miracles [signs]. You are looking for me because you ate the bread and were ·satisfied [filled].


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Don’t work for the food that ·spoils [perishes]. Work for the food that ·stays good always and gives eternal life [endures/remains/abides for eternal life]. The Son of Man [a title for the Messiah; ] will give you this food, because on him God the Father has ·put his power [set his seal; a seal impression signifies ownership and authority; ].”


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The people asked Jesus, “What ·are the things God wants us to do [should we do to work the works of God]?”


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Jesus answered, “·The work God wants you to do is this [This is the work of God]: Believe the One he sent.”


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So ·the people [they] asked, “What ·miracle will you do? If we see a miracle, we will believe you [sign will you do that we might see and believe you?]. What ·will you do [work will you perform]?


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Our ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers] ate the manna [a flaky breadlike food that God provided the Israelites in the wilderness; ] in the ·desert [wilderness]. ·This is written in the Scriptures [As it is written]: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat [compare ; ; ].’


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[Therefore; So; Then] Jesus said to them, “·I tell you the truth [Truly, truly I say to you], it was not Moses who gave you bread from heaven; it is my Father who is giving you the true bread from heaven.


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Then Jesus said to them, “I am the ·bread that gives life [bread of life]. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.


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·The Father gives me the people who are mine. Every one of them will come to me [All/Everything the Father gives me will come to me], and I will ·always accept them [not reject them; not cast them out].


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[For] I came down from heaven to do ·what God wants me to do [the will of him who sent me], not ·what I want to do [my own will].


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Here is ·what the One who sent me wants me to do [the will of him who sent me]: I must not lose even one whom God gave me, but I must raise them all on the last day.


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Those who see the Son and believe in him have eternal life, and I will raise them on the last day. This is ·what my Father wants [the will of my Father].”


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·Some people [The Jewish leaders; The Jews] began to ·complain [grumble; murmur] about Jesus because he said, “I am the bread that comes down from heaven.”


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They said, “·This is [Is this not…?] Jesus, the son of Joseph. We know his father and mother. How can he [now] say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”


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But Jesus ·answered [responded], “Stop ·complaining to each other [grumbling/murmuring among yourselves].


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The Father is the One who sent me. No one can come to me unless the Father draws him to me, and I will raise that person up on the last day.


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It is written in the prophets, ‘They will all be taught by God [].’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.


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·No one has [or Not that anyone has] seen the Father except the One who is from God; only he has seen the Father. [Some interpreters put the previous sentence in parentheses as a side comment made by the author.]


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Your ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers] ate the manna [see ] in the ·desert [wilderness], but still they died.


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I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give up so that the world may have life.”


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Then the ·Jewish leaders [Jews] began to ·argue [dispute; quarrel] among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”


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[So] Jesus said to them, “·I tell you the truth [Truly, truly I say to you], you must eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood. Otherwise, you won’t have ·real life [life] in you.


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Those who ·eat [feed on; Jesus uses a different Greek word for “eat” in than in the previous verses; but the difference is probably stylistic] my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day.


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Those who ·eat [feed on] my flesh and drink my blood ·live [remain; abide] in me, and I ·live [remain; abide] in them.


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The living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father. So whoever ·eats [feeds on] me will live because of me.


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I am not like the bread your ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers] ate [the manna; ]. They ate that bread and still died. I am the bread that came down from heaven, and whoever ·eats [feeds on] this bread will live forever.”


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Jesus said all these things while he was teaching in the synagogue [a local congregation of Jews] in Capernaum [].


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The Words of Eternal Life When the ·followers [disciples; a broader circle of followers, not the twelve disciples] of Jesus heard this, many of them said, “This teaching [that Jesus is the bread of life; ] is ·hard [difficult; offensive]. Who can ·accept [obey; hear] it?”


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Knowing that his ·followers [disciples] were ·complaining [grumbling] about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this teaching ·bother [offend] you?


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Then ·will it also bother you to [what if you] see the Son of Man ·going back [going up; ascending] to the place ·where he came from [where he was before; heaven]?


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It is the Spirit that gives life. The flesh ·doesn’t give life [is useless; counts for nothing]. The words I told you ·are spirit, and they give life [or are from the Spirit who gives life].


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But some of you don’t believe.” ([For] Jesus knew from the beginning who did not believe and who would ·turn against [betray] him.)


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Jesus said, “That is the reason I said, ·‘If the Father does not bring a person to me, that one cannot come.’ [‘No one can come to me unless the Father enables/grants him.’]”


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After Jesus said this, many of his ·followers [disciples] ·left him [turned back to previous things] and ·stopped following [no longer walked with] him.


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Simon Peter answered him, “Lord [or Master], who would we go to? You have the words that give eternal life.


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Then Jesus answered them, “·I chose [Did I not choose…?] all twelve of you, but one of you is ·a devil [or the Devil; Jesus equates the work of Judas with the work of Satan; compare ].”


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Jesus was talking about Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Judas was one of the twelve, but later he was going to ·turn against [betray] Jesus.


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Jesus’ Brothers Don’t Believe After this, Jesus ·traveled [walked] around Galilee. He did not want to ·travel [walk] in Judea, because the ·Jewish leaders [Jews] there ·wanted [sought] to kill him [see ].


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[But] It was [near the] time for the Feast of ·Shelters [Tabernacles; Booths; an important annual festival celebrating harvest, sometimes known as Ingathering, and commemorating the exodus from Egypt; ; ; ].


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So Jesus’ brothers [children of Joseph and Mary born after Jesus, or children of Joseph from a previous marriage; , ] said to him, “You should leave here and go to Judea so your ·followers [disciples] there can see the ·miracles [works] you do.


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[For] Anyone who wants to be ·well [publicly] known does not ·hide what he does [act in secret]. If you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.”


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[Therefore] Jesus said to his brothers, “·The right time for me [My time; ] has not yet come, but any time is right for you [they could go to Jerusalem anytime; but Jesus had a special destiny to fulfill there].


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The world cannot hate you [because they are part of it], but it hates me, because I ·tell it [testify concerning; witness to] ·the evil things it does [that its works are evil].


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So you go [up] to the feast. I will not go [up] yet to this feast, because ·the right time for me [my time] has not yet ·come [fully come; been fulfilled].”


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But after Jesus’ brothers had gone [up] to the feast, Jesus went [up] also. But he did not ·let people see him [go publicly, but in secret].


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At the feast ·some people [the Jewish leaders; the Jews] were ·looking for [watching for] him and saying, “Where is that man?”


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Within the large crowd there, many people were ·whispering [arguing; murmuring; grumbling] to each other about Jesus. Some said, “He is a good man.” Others said, “No, he ·fools [deceives; misleads] the people.”


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But no one was brave enough to talk about Jesus openly, because they were afraid of the ·elders [the Jewish leaders; the Jews].


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Jesus Teaches at the Feast When the feast was about half over, Jesus went to the Temple [courts; ] and began to teach.


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The people ·were amazed [marveled] and said, “This man has never studied in school. How did he learn so much?”


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If people ·choose [desire; want] to do ·what God wants [God’s will], they will know that my teaching comes from God and not from me.


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Those who ·teach their own ideas [speak with their own authority] are trying to get ·honor [glory] for themselves. But those who try to bring ·honor [glory] to the one who sent them speak the truth, and there is nothing ·false [or unrighteous] in them. [The Greek here is singular (“But the one who…”), so Jesus is speaking especially about himself.]


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Moses gave you the law [Has not Moses given you the law?; ], but none of you obeys that law. Why are you trying to kill me?”


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The people answered, “A demon has come into you [You have a demon]. We are not trying to kill you [Who is trying to kill you?].”


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Jesus ·said to [answered] them, “I did one ·miracle [work; deed; ], and you are all ·amazed [astonished].


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Moses gave you the law about circumcision []. (But really Moses did not give you circumcision; it came from ·our ancestors [the fathers/patriarchs; ].) And yet you circumcise a ·baby boy [person] on a Sabbath day.


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If a ·baby boy [person] can be circumcised on a Sabbath day ·to obey the law of Moses [so the law of Moses may not be broken], why are you angry at me for healing a person’s whole body on the Sabbath day?


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Stop judging by ·the way things look [outward appearances], but judge by ·what is really right [right/just/righteous judgment].”


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Is Jesus the Christ? Then some of the people who lived in Jerusalem said, “·This is the man [Isn’t this the man…?] they are trying to kill.


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But he is ·teaching where everyone can see and hear him [speaking publicly], and no one is ·trying to stop [saying anything to] him. Maybe the ·leaders [rulers; authorities] have ·decided [come to recognize] he really is the ·Christ [Messiah].


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But we know where this man is from. Yet when the real ·Christ [Messiah] comes, no one will know where he comes from.” [Some Jewish traditions claimed the Messiah would be unknown until he came to deliver Israel.]


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Jesus, teaching in the Temple [courts; ], cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. But I have not come ·by my own authority [on my own initiative; from myself]. I was sent by the One who is true, whom you don’t know.


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When Jesus said this, they tried to ·seize [arrest] him. But no one was able to ·touch him [lay a hand on him], because ·it was not yet the right time [his hour had not yet come; see ].


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But many ·of the people [in the crowd] believed in Jesus. They said, “When the ·Christ [Messiah] comes, will he do more ·miracles [signs] than this man has done?”


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The Leaders Try to Arrest Jesus The Pharisees [see ] heard the crowd ·whispering [arguing; murmuring; grumbling] these things about Jesus. So the leading priests and the Pharisees sent some Temple ·guards [police; officers] to ·arrest [seize] him.


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[Therefore] Jesus said, “I will be with you a little while longer. Then I will go back to the One who sent me.


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You will ·look for [seek] me, but you will not find me. And you cannot come where I am [in heaven].”


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[Therefore] ·Some people [The Jewish leaders; The Jews] said to each other, “Where will this man go so we cannot find him? Will he go to the ·Greek cities where our people live [dispersion/scattering among the Greeks; ever since the Babylonian exile many Jewish people had lived outside the land of Israel] and teach the Greek people there? [The Jews often used “Greeks” for Gentiles generally.]


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What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me,’ and ‘You cannot come where I am’?”


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Jesus Talks About the Spirit On the last and ·most important [greatest] day of the feast Jesus stood up and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. [The feast of Shelters/Tabernacles featured a water pouring ritual that may stand in the background of Jesus’ speech.]


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If anyone believes in me, rivers of living water will flow out from that person’s ·heart [belly; gut], as the Scripture says [; ; ; , compare ; ; ].”


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Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit. The Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been ·raised to glory [glorified]. But later, those who believed in Jesus would receive the Spirit.


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The People Argue About Jesus When the people heard Jesus’ words, some of them said, “This man really is the Prophet [; the “prophet like Moses” of ].”


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Others said, “He is the ·Christ [Messiah].” Still others said, “The ·Christ [Messiah] will not come from Galilee.


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The Scripture says that the ·Christ [Messiah] will come from David’s ·family [offspring; seed; ; ; ; ] and from Bethlehem, the ·town [village] where David lived [].”


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Some Leaders Won’t Believe [Therefore] The Temple ·guards [police; officers] went back to the ·leading [chief] priests and the Pharisees, who asked, “Why didn’t you bring Jesus?”


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The ·guards [police; officers] answered, “·The words he says are greater than the words of any other person who has ever spoken [No one has ever spoken like this]!”


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“·Our law does not [Does our law…?] judge a person without hearing him and knowing what he has done.”


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They answered, “Are you from Galilee, too? ·Study the Scriptures, and you will learn [Search and see] that no prophet comes from Galilee.”


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The Woman Caught in Adultery Jesus went to the Mount of Olives [east of Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley].


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But ·early in the morning [at dawn] he went back to the Temple [courts; ], and all the people came to him, and he sat and taught them.


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The ·teachers of the law [scribes; experts in the law of Moses] and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery. They forced her to stand ·before [or in the midst of] the people.


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They said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught ·having sexual relations with a man who is not her husband [in the very act of committing adultery].


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The law of Moses commands that we stone to death every woman who does this [compare ; ]. What do you say we should do?”


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They were asking this to ·trick [trap; test] Jesus so that they could have some ·charge [accusation] against him. But Jesus ·bent over [stooped down] and started writing on the ground with his finger [we do not know what he is writing though there has been much speculation].


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When they continued to ask Jesus their question, he ·raised up [straightened] and said, “Anyone here who ·has never sinned [is guiltless; is without sin] can throw the first stone at her [; ; comp. ].”


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Those who heard Jesus began to leave one by one, first the ·older men [elders] and then the others. Jesus was left there alone with the woman standing before him.


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Jesus ·raised up [straightened] again and asked her, “Woman [a respectful term of address in Greek; see ], where are they? Has no one ·judged you guilty [condemned you]?”


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She answered, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “I also don’t ·judge you guilty [condemn you]. ·You may go now, but don’t sin anymore [Go, and sin no more].”,


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Jesus Is the Light of the World Later, Jesus talked to the people again, saying, “I am the light of the world [the Feast of Shelters included a lamp lighting ritual that Jesus may be alluding to; ]. The person who follows me will never ·live [walk] in darkness but will have the light ·that gives life [of life].”


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The Pharisees [see ] said to Jesus, “When you ·talk [testify; witness] about yourself, ·you are the only one to say these things are true. We cannot accept what you say [your testimony/witness is not true/valid; ].”


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Jesus answered, “Yes, I am ·saying these things [witnessing; testifying] about myself, but they are true [valid]. I know where I came from [from the Father or “from above”] and where I am going. But you don’t know where I came from or where I am going.


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You judge ·by human standards [according to the flesh; rather than guided by the Spirit]. I am not judging anyone.


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But ·when [if] I do judge, ·I judge truthfully [my judgment is true], because I am not alone. The Father who sent me is with me.


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Your own law says that ·when two witnesses say the same thing, you must accept what they say [the testimony of two witnesses is true/valid; ; ].


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I am one of the witnesses who speaks about myself, and the Father who sent me is the other witness.”


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[Therefore] They asked him, “Where is your father?” Jesus answered, “You don’t know me or my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father, too.”


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Jesus said these things while he was teaching in the Temple [courts], near ·where the money is kept [the treasury; offering box]. But no one ·arrested [seized] him, because ·the right time for him [his hour; see ] had not yet come.


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The People Misunderstand Jesus Again, Jesus said to the people, “I will leave you [when he dies, is raised, and ascends to the Father], and you will ·look for [seek; search for] me, but you will die in your ·sins [sin; of unbelief]. You cannot come where I am going.”


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Jesus said, “You people are from here below [from the earth], but I am from above [from heaven or from God]. You belong to this world, but I ·don’t belong to this world [am not of this world].


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So I told you that you would die in your sins. Yes, you will die in your sins if you don’t believe that ·I am he [I am; this may be an allusion to God’s (Yahweh’s) self identification either from (the great “I AM”) or , where God repeatedly says, “I am he”)].”


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[Therefore] They asked, “Then who are you?” Jesus answered them, “·I am what I have told you from the beginning [or Why do I speak to you at all?].


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I have many things to say and ·decide about you [or condemn/judge you for]. But I tell ·people [the world] only the things I have heard from the One who sent me, and he speaks the truth.”


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So Jesus said to them, “When you lift up [on the cross] the Son of Man [a title for the Messiah; ], you will know that ·I am he [I am; see ]. You will know that these things I do are not ·by my own authority [on my own] but that I say only what the Father has taught me.


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Freedom from Sin So Jesus said to the Jews who believed in him, “If you ·continue to obey my teaching [remain/abide in my word], you are truly my ·followers [disciples].


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They answered, “We are Abraham’s ·children [descendants; seed; ], and we have never been anyone’s slaves. So why do you say we will be free?”


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Jesus answered them, “·I tell you the truth [Truly, truly I say to you], everyone who ·lives in sin [commits/practices sin] is a slave to sin.


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A slave does not ·stay with a family [live in the household] forever, but a son ·belongs to the family [lives in the household] forever.


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I know you are Abraham’s ·children [descendants; seed], but you ·want [are trying; seek] to kill me because ·you don’t accept my teaching [my word has no place in you; thus showing they were Abraham’s children only physically, not spiritually; ; ; ].


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I am telling you ·what my Father has shown me [what I have seen in the Father’s presence], but you do what ·your father [or the Father] has told you.”


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They answered, “Our father is Abraham.” Jesus said to them, “If you were really Abraham’s children, you would do the things Abraham did.


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I am a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God, but you are trying to kill me. Abraham did nothing like that.


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So you are doing the things your own father did.” But [or Therefore] they said to him, “We are not ·like children who never knew who their father was [illegitimate children; born from/of fornication]. God is our Father; he is the only Father we have.”


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Jesus said to them, “If God were really your Father, you would love me, because I came from God and now I am here. [For] I did not come ·by my own authority [on my own]; God sent me.


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You don’t understand [Why don’t you understand…?] what I say, because you cannot ·accept my teaching [hear my word/message].


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You ·belong to [are from] your father the devil, and you want to do what he wants. He was a murderer from the beginning [; ] and ·was against the truth [does not uphold the truth], because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, ·he shows what he is really like [he reveals his own nature; or he speaks his own language; he speaks from his own], because he is a liar and the father of lies.


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·Can any of you [Who among you can…?] ·prove that I am guilty [convict me] of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me?


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The person who belongs to God ·accepts what God says [hears/obeys the words of God]. But you don’t ·accept what God says [hear; obey], because you don’t belong to God.”


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Jesus Is Greater than Abraham ·They [The Jewish leaders; The Jews] answered, “We say you are a Samaritan [a people disliked by the Jews; , ] and ·have a demon in you [are demon-possessed]. Are we not right?”


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Jesus answered, “I ·have no demon in me [am not demon-possessed]. I give honor to my Father, but you dishonor me.


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I am not trying to get ·honor [glory] for myself. There is One who wants this ·honor [glory] for me, and he is the judge.


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·I tell you the truth [Truly, truly I say to you], whoever ·obeys my teaching will never die [keeps my word will never see death].”


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[Therefore] ·They [The Jewish leaders; The Jews] said to Jesus, “Now we know that you ·have a demon in you [are demon-possessed]! Even Abraham and the prophets died. But you say, ‘Whoever ·obeys my teaching will never die [keeps my word will never taste death].’


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Do you think you are greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died, too. ·Who do you think you are [or Who are you claiming/pretending to be]?”


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Jesus answered, “If I give ·honor [glory] to myself, that ·honor [glory] is worth nothing. The One who gives me ·honor [glory] is my Father, and you say he is your God.


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You don’t really know him, but I know him. If I said I did not know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him, and I ·obey what he says [keep his word].


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Your father Abraham ·was very happy [rejoiced] that he would see my day [the day of the Messiah’s arrival]. He saw that day and was glad.”


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[Therefore] ·They [The Jewish leaders; The Jews] said to him, “You have never seen Abraham! You are not even fifty years old [Abraham had been dead for almost 2,000 years].”


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Jesus answered, “·I tell you the truth [Truly, truly I say to you], before Abraham was even born, ·I am!” [A claim to deity; see comments at ; .]


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When Jesus said this, the people picked up stones to throw at him [believing he had committed blasphemy worthy of death]. But Jesus hid himself, and then he left the Temple.


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Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind As Jesus ·was walking along [passed by; went along], he saw a man who had been born blind.


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His ·followers [disciples] asked him, “·Teacher [Rabbi], whose sin caused this man to be born blind—his own sin or his parents’ sin?” [The disciples, like the friends of Job, viewed suffering as the result of a person’s own sins.]


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Jesus answered, “It is not this man’s sin or his parents’ sin that made him blind. This man was born blind so that God’s ·power [works] could be ·shown [displayed; revealed; manifest] in him.


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While it is daytime, we must continue doing the work of the One who sent me. Night is coming [Jesus’ death], when no one can work.


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After Jesus said this, he spit on the ground and made some mud with ·it [the saliva] and ·put [spread; anointed] the mud on the man’s eyes [the significance of the mud made with spit is unclear].


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Then he told the man, “Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam.” (Siloam [from a Hebrew word] means Sent.) So the man went, washed, and came back seeing.


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The neighbors and some people who had earlier seen this man begging said, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?”


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Some said, “He is the one,” but others said, “No, he only looks like him.” The man himself said, “I am the man.”


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He answered, “The man named Jesus made some mud and ·put [spread; anointed] it on my eyes. Then he told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”


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Pharisees Question the Healing Then the people took to the Pharisees [a religious party which strictly observed OT laws and later customs] the man who had been blind.


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So now the Pharisees asked the man, “How did you get your sight?” He answered, “He put mud on my eyes, I washed, and now I see.”


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So some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man does not keep the Sabbath day [according to rabbinic tradition neither kneading nor healing were permitted on the Sabbath], so he is not from God.” But others said, “·A man who is a sinner can’t [How can a man who is a sinner…?] do ·miracles [signs] like these.” So ·they could not agree with each other [there was a division among them].


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[Therefore; So; Then] They asked the man again, “What do you say about him, since it was your eyes he opened?” The man answered, “He is a prophet.”


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·These leaders [The Jews; the Pharisees] did not believe that he had been blind and could now see again. So they sent for the ·man’s parents [parents of the man who could now see]


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But we don’t know how he can now see. We don’t know who opened his eyes. Ask him. He is old enough to speak for himself [of legal age to give testimony].”


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His parents said this because they were afraid of the ·elders [Jewish leaders; Jews], who had already decided that anyone who ·said [confessed; acknowledged] Jesus was the ·Christ [Messiah] would be ·avoided [put out of the synagogue; an act of expulsion or excommunication].


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So for the second time, they called the man who had been blind. They said, “·You should give God the glory by telling the truth [Give God the glory; see where this phrase is a command to tell the truth]. We know that this man is a sinner.”


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[So; Then] He answered, “I don’t know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I see.”


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He answered them, “I already told you, and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his ·followers [disciples] too?”


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Then they ·insulted [ridiculed; reviled] him and said, “You are his ·follower [disciple], but we are ·followers [disciples] of Moses.


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The man answered, “This is a very ·strange [astonishing; marvelous] thing. You don’t know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes.


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We all know that God does not listen to sinners, but he listens to anyone who ·worships [is devout; is godfearing] and ·obeys him [does his will].


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Nobody has ·ever [or since the beginning of the world; from the age/eternity] heard of anyone giving sight to a man born blind.


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They answered, “You were born ·full of sin [or in utter sinfulness]! Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out [of the synagogue; an act of excommunication].


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Spiritual Blindness When Jesus heard that they had ·thrown [cast; driven] him out [of the synagogue], Jesus found him and said, “Do you ·believe [trust] in the Son of Man [a title for the Messiah; ]?”


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He said, “·Lord [the same word is rendered “sir” in , but here may have a more solemn sense], I ·believe [trust]!” Then the man ·worshiped [prostrated himself before] Jesus.


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Jesus said, “I came into this world ·so that the world could be judged [for judgment]. I came so that the blind would see and so that those who see will become blind.” [Those who acknowledge they are spiritually blind will see the truth; and those who think they see spiritually (the Jewish religious leaders) are actually blind; ; .]


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Some of the Pharisees who were nearby heard Jesus say this and asked, “Are you saying we are blind, too?”


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Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin. But since you keep saying you see, your ·guilt [or sin] remains.”


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The Shepherd and His Sheep Jesus said, “·I tell you the truth [Truly, truly I say to you], the person who does not enter the ·sheepfold [sheep pen] by the ·door [gate], but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. [The sheep represent the people of God; the thief/robber stands for those who would lead them astray; ; .]


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The ·one who guards the door [gatekeeper; watchman] opens it for him. And the sheep listen to the voice of the shepherd. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out [compare ].


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When he brings all his sheep out, he goes ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.


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But they will never follow a stranger. They will run away from him because they don’t know his voice.”


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Jesus told the people this ·story [figure of speech; illustration; parable], but they did not understand what ·it meant [he was telling them].


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Jesus Is the Good Shepherd So Jesus said again, “·I tell you the truth [Truly, truly I say to you], I am the ·door [gate] for the sheep. [Jesus now refers to himself as the door rather than the shepherd.]


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All the people who came before me were thieves and robbers [others who claimed to be the Messiah]. The sheep did not listen to them.


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I am the ·door [gate], and the person who enters through me will be saved and will be able to come in and go out and find pasture [compare ].


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A thief comes [only] to steal and kill and destroy, but I came ·to give life [that they might have life]—life in all its ·fullness [abundance].


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The ·worker who is paid to keep the sheep [hired hand] is different from the shepherd who owns them. When the worker sees a wolf coming, he runs away and leaves the sheep alone. Then the wolf ·attacks [or snatches; seizes] the sheep and scatters them.


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The man runs away because he is only a ·paid worker [hired hand] and does not really care about the sheep.


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I have other sheep that are not in this ·flock [fold; pen; a reference to future Gentile followers of Christ], and I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock and one shepherd.


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No one takes it away from me; I ·give [lay down] my own life ·freely [voluntarily; of my own free will]. I have the ·right [power; authority] to ·give [lay down] my life, and I have the ·right [power; authority] to ·take [receive] it back. This is what my Father commanded me to do.”


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Again ·the leaders did not agree with each other [there was a division among the Jews] because of these words of Jesus.


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Many of them said, “·A demon has come into him and made him crazy [He has a demon and is crazy]. Why listen to him?”


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But others said, “A man who is ·crazy with a demon [demon-possessed] does not say things like this. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”


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Jesus Is Rejected The time came for the ·Feast of Dedication [also called Hanukkah or the Feast of Lights, recalling the rededication of the Temple in 164 bc] at Jerusalem. It was winter,


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and Jesus was walking in the Temple in Solomon’s ·Porch [Portico; Colonnade; on the eastern side of the Temple area; at a later time Christians gathered there to worship; ; ].


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·Some people [The Jewish leaders; The Jews] gathered around him and said, “How long will you ·make us wonder [keep us in suspense] about you? If you are the ·Christ [Messiah], tell us plainly.”


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Jesus answered them, “I told you already, but you did not believe. The ·miracles [works] I do in my Father’s name ·show who I am [testify/bear witness about me].


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I give them eternal life, and they will never ·die [perish], and no one can ·steal [snatch] them out of my hand.


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My Father gave my sheep to me. He is greater than all, and no person can ·steal [snatch] my sheep out of my Father’s hand.


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But he ·said to [answered] them, “I have ·done [shown you] many good works from the Father. Which of these good works are you ·killing [stoning] me for?”


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·They [The Jewish leaders; The Jews] answered him, “We are not ·killing [stoning] you because of any good work you did, but ·because you speak against God [for blasphemy]. You are only a human, but you ·say you are the same as God [claim to be God; make yourself God]!”


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Jesus answered them, “·It is written [Is it not written…?] in your law that God said, ‘I said, you are gods’ [; the “gods” here may be Israel’s judges, or the Israelites generally, or angelic powers].


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This Scripture called those people gods who received God’s ·message [word], and Scripture ·is always true [cannot be broken/annulled/set aside].


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So why do you say that I ·speak against God [blaspheme] because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? [Jesus is not denying he is God, but is making a lesser-to-greater argument; if Scripture calls lesser beings “gods,” why should they object that he—the One God sent—calls himself the Son of God?] I am the one ·God [the Father] ·chose [consecrated; set apart] and sent into the world.


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But if I do ·what my Father does [the works of my Father; them], even though you don’t believe in me, believe ·what I do [the works]. Then you will ·know [recognize; learn] and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”


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[So] They tried to ·take [seize; arrest] Jesus again [see ], but he escaped from ·them [their hands].


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Then he went back across the Jordan River to the place where John had ·first [or earlier] baptized. Jesus stayed there,


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and many people came to him and said, “John never did a ·miracle [sign], but everything John said about this man is true.”


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The Death of Lazarus A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in the town of Bethany, where Mary and her sister Martha lived [near Jerusalem to the east, not the same Bethany as in ].


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Mary was the woman who ·later put perfume on the Lord [anointed the Lord with perfume/ointment/fragrant oil] and wiped his feet with her hair []. Mary’s brother was Lazarus, the man who was now sick.


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When Jesus heard this, he said, “This sickness will not end in death. It is for the glory of God, to bring glory to the Son of God.”


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The ·followers [disciples] said to him, “But Teacher [Rabbi], ·some people [the Jewish leaders; the Jews] there tried to stone you to death only a short time ago. Now you want to go back there?”


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Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours ·in the day [of daylight]? If anyone walks in the daylight, he will not stumble, because he can see by ·this world’s light [the sun].


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But if anyone walks at night, he stumbles because ·there is no light to help him see [the light is not in him].”


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After Jesus said this, he added, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to wake him.”


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The ·followers [disciples] said, “But Lord, if he is only asleep, he will ·be all right [recover; get better; be saved/healed].”


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[But] Jesus meant that Lazarus was dead, but his followers thought he meant Lazarus was really sleeping.


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And I ·am glad [rejoice] for your sakes I was not there so that you may believe. But let’s go to him now.”


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Then Thomas (the one called Didymus [meaning, “the Twin”]) said to ·the other followers [his fellow disciples], “Let us also go so that we can die with him.”


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Jesus in Bethany When Jesus arrived, he learned that Lazarus had already been dead and in the tomb for four days. [Some Jews believed that a soul would stay near a body for up to three days after death.]


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When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary ·stayed [was sitting at] home.


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Martha answered, “I know that he will rise and live again in the resurrection on the last day.” [Many Jews, particularly Pharisees, believed in a future bodily resurrection.]


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Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. ·Those who believe [The one who believes…] in me will have life even if they die.


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Martha answered, “Yes, Lord. I believe that you are the ·Christ [Messiah], the Son of God, the One ·coming to [who was to come into] the world.”


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Jesus Weeps After Martha said this, she went back and ·talked to [summoned] her sister Mary ·alone [privately]. Martha said, “The Teacher is here and he is ·asking for [summoning; calling for] you.”


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The Jews were with Mary in the house, ·comforting [consoling] her. When they saw her stand and leave quickly, they followed her, thinking she was going to the tomb to weep there.


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But Mary went to the place where Jesus was. When she saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”


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When Jesus saw Mary weeping and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was ·upset [disturbed in spirit] and was deeply troubled.


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But some of them said, “·If Jesus [Could not the one who…] opened the eyes of the blind man, why couldn’t he keep ·Lazarus [this man] from dying?”


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Jesus Raises Lazarus Again feeling ·very upset [deeply disturbed/moved], Jesus came to the tomb. It was a cave with a large stone ·covering the entrance [lying on/against it; Jews typically buried their dead in caves with stones covering the entrance].


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Jesus said, “Move the stone away.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said, “But, Lord, it has been ·four days since he died [see ]. There will be a ·bad smell [stench].”


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So they moved the stone away from the entrance. Then Jesus ·looked up [raised his eyes] and said, “Father, I thank you that you heard me.


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I know that you always hear me, but I said these things ·because [for the benefit] of the people here around me. ·I want them to [so that they might] believe that you sent me.”


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The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with ·pieces of cloth [strips of linen; graveclothes; the dead were wrapped in strips of cloth], and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take the cloth off of him and let him go.”


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The Plan to Kill Jesus [So] Many of the ·people [Jews], who had come to visit Mary and saw what Jesus did, believed in him.


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Then the ·leading [chief] priests and Pharisees called a meeting of the ·council [Sanhedrin; the highest Jewish court of the time]. They asked, “·What should we do? [or What are we accomplishing?] This man is doing many ·miracles [signs].


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If we let him continue doing these things, everyone will believe in him. Then the Romans will come and take away our ·Temple [place; probably a reference to the “holy place”—the Jerusalem Temple] and our nation.”


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One of the men there was Caiaphas, the high priest that year. [He was high priest between ad 18 and 36.] He said, “·You people know nothing [You don’t know what you are talking about]!


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You don’t realize that it is better [for you] for one man to die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed.”


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Caiaphas did not ·think of this himself [say this from himself]. As high priest that year, he was really prophesying that Jesus would die for their nation


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and for God’s scattered children to bring them all together and make them one. [Although Caiaphas was thinking politically, his words predicted spiritual salvation.]


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So Jesus no longer ·traveled [walked] openly among the ·people [Jews]. He ·left there [withdrew; departed] and went to a ·place [region] near the ·desert [wilderness], to a town called Ephraim and stayed there with his ·followers [disciples].


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It was almost time for the ·Passover Feast [Passover of the Jews; the annual festival that celebrates God’s rescue of Israel from Egypt; ; ]. Many from the country went up to Jerusalem before the Passover to ·do the special things to make themselves pure [purify/consecrate themselves; ].


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The people ·looked for [sought] Jesus and stood in the Temple [courts] asking each other, “·Is he [Surely he is not] coming to the Feast? What do you think?”


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But the ·leading [chief] priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where Jesus was, he must tell them. Then they could ·arrest [seize] him.


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Jesus with Friends in Bethany [Therefore] Six days before the Passover Feast, Jesus went to Bethany, where Lazarus lived. (Lazarus is the man Jesus raised from the dead.)


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There they had a dinner for Jesus. Martha served the food, and Lazarus was one of the people ·eating [reclining; it was customary to eat formal meals while reclining around a low table] with Jesus.


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[Then] Mary brought in a pint [Greek litra; about eleven ounces, weighing just under a pound] of very expensive ·perfume [ointment/fragrant oil] made from pure nard. She ·poured the perfume on [anointed; not the word for royal or priestly anointing, but for hospitality or care] Jesus’ feet, and then she wiped his feet with her hair. And the ·sweet smell [fragrance] from the perfume filled the whole house.


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Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’ ·followers [disciples] who would later ·turn against [betray] him, was there. Judas said,


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“This ·perfume [ointment/fragrant oil] was worth an ·entire year’s wages [three hundred denarii]. Why wasn’t it sold and the money given to the poor?”


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But Judas did not really care about the poor; he said this because he was a thief. He was the one who kept the money ·box [or bag], and he often stole from it.


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[Therefore] Jesus answered, “Leave her alone. It was right for her to save this perfume for today, the day for me to be prepared for burial.


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The Plot Against Lazarus A large crowd of ·people [Jews] ·heard [learned; came to know] that Jesus was ·in Bethany [there]. So they went there to see not only Jesus but Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead.


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Because of Lazarus many of the Jews were ·leaving [going away from; deserting] them and believing in Jesus.


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Jesus Enters Jerusalem The next day a great crowd who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast [the annual festival celebrating God’s rescue of Israel from Egypt; ; ] heard that Jesus was coming there.


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So they took branches of palm trees [a symbol of the nation of Israel] and went out to meet Jesus, shouting, “·Praise God [Hosanna; an Aramaic cry to God for salvation, which became a shout of praise]! ·God bless [Blessed is] the One who comes in the name of the Lord []! ·God bless [Blessed is] the King of Israel!”


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Jesus found a ·colt [young donkey] and sat on it. ·This was as the Scripture says [As it is written],


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“Don’t be afraid, ·people of Jerusalem [Daughter of Zion; a term of endearment for the people of Jerusalem]! Your king is coming, sitting on the colt of a donkey [; riding a donkey rather than a warhorse, perhaps signaling that he was a different sort of king than their nationalist expectations anticipated].”


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The ·followers [disciples] of Jesus did not understand this at first. But after Jesus was ·raised to glory [glorified], they remembered that this had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.


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People Tell About Jesus There had been ·many people [a crowd] with Jesus when he raised Lazarus from the dead and told him to come out of the tomb. Now they were ·telling others [testifying; witnessing] about what Jesus did.


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·Many people [A crowd] went out to meet Jesus, because they had heard ·about this miracle [that he had done this sign].


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So the Pharisees said to each other, “You can see that ·nothing is going right for us [we are getting nowhere; you are gaining nothing]. Look! The whole world ·is following [has gone after] him.”


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Jesus Talks About His Death There were some Greek people [Gentiles—here meant to represent people from all over the world; ], too, who came to Jerusalem to worship at the Passover Feast.


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[So] They went to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and ·said [requested], “Sir, we would like to ·see [meet] Jesus.”


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Jesus ·said to [answered; replied to] them, “The ·time [hour] has come for the Son of Man [a title for the Messiah; ] to ·receive his glory [be glorified; through his death, resurrection, and ascension].


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·I tell you the truth [Truly, truly I say to you], a grain of wheat must fall to the ground and die to make ·many seeds [much fruit]. But if it never dies, it remains only a single ·seed [grain].


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·Those who [The one who…] love their lives will lose them, but those who hate their lives in this world will ·keep [guard; preserve] ·true life forever [it for eternal life].


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Whoever serves me must follow me. Then my servant will be with me everywhere I am. My Father will honor anyone who serves me.


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“Now ·I am very [my soul is] troubled. Should I say, ‘Father, save me from this ·time [hour]’? No, ·I came to this time so I could suffer [for this reason I have come to this hour].


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Father, ·bring glory to [glorify; honor] your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have ·brought glory to [glorified] it, and I will ·do [glorify; honor] it again.”


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The crowd standing there, who heard the voice, said it was thunder. But others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”


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Now is the time for the world to be judged; now the ·ruler [prince] of this world [Satan] will be ·thrown down [cast/driven out].


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The crowd ·said [responded to him], “We have heard from the ·law [the Old Testament] that the ·Christ [Messiah] will ·live [remain] forever [; ; ]. So why do you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”


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Then Jesus said, “The light will be ·with [among] you for a little longer, so walk while you have the light. Then the darkness will not ·catch [overtake] you. ·If you walk [The one who walks] in the darkness, you will not know where you are going.


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·Believe [Put your trust] in the light while you still have it so that you will become children of light.” When Jesus had said this, he left and hid himself from them.


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Some People Won’t Believe in Jesus Though Jesus had done many ·miracles [signs; ] in front of the people, they still did not believe in him.


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This was to ·bring about [fulfill] ·what [the message/word that] Isaiah the prophet had said: “Lord, who believed ·what we told them [our message/report]? Who saw the Lord’s ·power [arm; a symbol of his power] in this []?”


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“He has blinded their eyes, and he has ·closed their minds [hardened their heart]. Otherwise they would see with their eyes and understand in their ·minds [heart] and ·come back to me and be healed [turn/repent, and I would heal them; ].”


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But many believed in Jesus, even many of the ·leaders [authorities]. But because of the Pharisees, they did not ·say they believed in him [confess/proclaim him/it] for fear they would be put out of the synagogue.


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I have come as light into the world so that whoever believes in me would not ·stay [remain] in darkness.


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“Anyone who hears my words and does not ·obey [keep] them, I do not judge, because I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.


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There is a judge for those who ·refuse to believe in [reject] me and do not accept my words. The word I have ·taught [spoken] will ·be their judge [judge them] on the last day.


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The things I ·taught [spoke] were not from myself. The Father who sent me ·told [commanded] me what to say and what to ·teach [speak].


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And I know that eternal life comes from what the Father commands. So whatever I say is what the Father told me to say.”


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Jesus Washes His Followers’ Feet ·It was almost time for [Now before…,] the Passover Feast []. Jesus knew that it was ·time [the hour] for him to ·leave [depart from] this world and go back to the Father. He had always loved those who were his own in the world, and he loved them ·all the way to the end [or completely; totally].


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·Jesus and his followers were at the evening meal [It was dinnertime]. The devil had already ·persuaded [put it into the heart of] Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to ·turn against [betray] Jesus.


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Jesus knew that the Father had ·given him power over everything [placed everything into his hands] and that he had come from God and was going back to God.


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So ·during the meal [from supper] Jesus stood up and took off his outer clothing. Taking a towel, he wrapped it around his waist.


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Then he poured water into a bowl and began to wash the ·followers’ [disciples’] feet, ·drying [wiping] them with the towel that was wrapped around him. [This act was considered so demeaning by some people that they only allowed Gentile slaves to do it.]


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Peter said, “No, you will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “If I don’t wash your feet, you ·are not one of my people [have no share/part with me].”


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Jesus said to him, “After a person has ·had a bath [washed; bathed], his whole body is clean. He needs only to wash his feet. And you men are clean, but not all of you.”


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[For] Jesus knew who would ·turn against [betray] him, and that is why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”


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When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and ·sat down [reclined; the posture for a banquet or dinner party] again. He asked, “Do you understand what I have just done ·for [to] you?


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You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’ [titles appropriately ascribed to an esteemed Rabbi, but which took on deeper meaning after his death and resurrection], and you are right, because that is what I am.


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·I tell you the truth [Truly, truly, I say to you], a ·servant [slave; bond-servant] is not greater than his ·master [lord]. [And] A messenger is not greater than the one who sent him.


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“I am not talking about all of you. I know those I have chosen. But this is to ·bring about what the Scripture said [fulfill the Scripture]: ·‘The man who ate at my table has turned against me.’ [‘The one who ate bread with me lifted his heel against me’; ; eating with someone showed an intimate relationship, and lifting one’s heel was an act of betrayal.]


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I am telling you this now before it happens so that when it happens, you will believe that ·I am he [I am; this may be an allusion to God’s (Yahweh’s) self identification as “I AM” in , or to God’s repeated claim that “I am he” throughout ; see , , ].


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·I tell you the truth [Truly, truly, I say to you], whoever ·accepts [receives] anyone I send also ·accepts [receives] me. And whoever ·accepts [receives] me also ·accepts [receives] the One who sent me [].”


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Jesus Talks About His Death After Jesus said this, he was very troubled [in spirit]. He ·said openly [bore witness and said], “·I tell you the truth [Truly, truly, I say to you], one of you will ·turn against [betray] me.”


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The ·followers [disciples] all looked at each other, because they did not know whom Jesus was talking about.


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One of the ·followers [disciples] ·sitting next to Jesus [reclining at his side/chest; an honored position] was the ·follower [disciple] Jesus loved [a reference to John].


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Jesus answered, “I will dip this [piece/morsel of] bread into the dish. The man I give it to is the man who will ·turn against [betray] me.” So Jesus took a piece of bread, dipped it, and gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.


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·As soon as [After] Judas took the [piece/morsel of] bread, Satan entered him. [Then] Jesus said to him, “·The thing that you will do—do it quickly [What you do, do quickly].”


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Since he was the one who kept the money ·box [or bag], some of the ·followers [disciples] thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the ·feast [festival] or to give something to the poor.


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[So] Judas took the [piece/morsel of] bread Jesus gave him and immediately went out. It was night. [The night is both a time reference and a symbol of Judas’ evil actions.]


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When Judas was gone, Jesus said, “Now the ·Son of Man [a title for the Messiah; ] ·receives his glory [is glorified], and God ·receives glory [is glorified] through him.


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If God ·receives glory [is glorified] through him, then God will ·give glory to [glorify; honor] the Son through himself. And God will ·give him glory [glorify/honor him] ·quickly [immediately; at once].”


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Jesus said, “·My children [or Little children; a term of endearment], I will be with you only a little longer. You will ·look for [seek] me, and what I told the Jews [; ], I tell you now: Where I am going you cannot come.


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“I give you a new ·command [commandment]: Love ·each other [one another]. You must love ·each other [one another] as I have loved you.


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Peter Will Say He Doesn’t Know Jesus Simon Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered, “Where I am going you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”


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Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I ·am ready to die for you [will lay down my life for you]!”


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Jesus answered, “·Are you ready to die for me [Will you lay down your life for me]? ·I tell you the truth [Truly, truly, I say to you], before the ·rooster [cock] crows, you will ·say three times that you don’t know me [deny/disown me three times].”


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Jesus Comforts His Followers Jesus said, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. ·Trust [Believe] in God, and ·trust [believe] in me [or You trust/believe in God, trust/believe also in me].


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There are many ·rooms [places to live] in my Father’s house [heaven, metaphorically portrayed as a great palace]; I would not tell you this if it were not true. I am going there to prepare a place for you.


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·After [And if] I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me so that you may be where I am.


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Jesus answered, “I am ·the way, and the truth, and the life [or the one true way to have life]. ·The only way to the Father is through me [No one comes to the Father except through me].


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If you really knew me, you would know my Father, too. ·But now [or From now on] you do know him, and you have seen him.”


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Jesus answered, “I have been with you ·a long time now [all this time; for so long]. Do you still not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. So why do you say, ‘Show us the Father’?


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Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I say to you don’t come ·from me [on my own authority], but the Father ·lives [remains; abides] in me and does his own work.


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Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or believe because of ·the miracles I have done [the works themselves].


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·I tell you the truth [Truly, truly, I say to you], whoever believes in me will do the same things that I do. Those who believe will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. [They will do greater things because all believers—not just Jesus—will have the Holy Spirit living in them and empowering them.]


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And if you ask for anything in my name [asking “in my name” means acknowledging that Jesus is the mediator between God and human beings; the name represents the person], I will do it for you so that ·the Father’s glory will be shown [the Father might be glorified] ·through [or in] the Son.


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The Promise of the Holy Spirit “·If you love me, you will obey my commands [or If you love me, obey my commands; this may be either a declaration or a command].


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I will ask the Father, and he will give you another ·Helper [Counselor; Advocate; the Holy Spirit] to be with you forever—


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the Spirit of truth. The world cannot ·accept [receive] him, because it does not see him or know him. But you know him, because he ·lives [remains; abides] with you and he will be ·in [or among] you.


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“I will not leave you all alone like orphans [orphans had little or no support in ancient society]; I will ·come back [come] to you.


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In a little while the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you will live, too.


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Those who ·know [have] my commands and ·obey [keep] them are the ones who love me, and my Father will love those who love me. I will love them and will ·show [reveal] myself to them.”


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Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot [probably Judas son of James; ; ]) said, “But, Lord, ·why do [how is it that; what has happened that] you plan to ·show [reveal] yourself to us and not to the rest of the world?”


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Jesus answered, “If people love me, they will ·obey my teaching [keep my word]. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.


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Those who do not love me do not ·obey my teaching [keep my words]. This ·teaching [word] that you hear is not really mine; it is from my Father, who sent me.


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But the ·Helper [Counselor; Advocate; see ] will teach you ·everything [all things] and will ·cause you to remember [remind you of] all that I told you. This Helper is the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name.


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“I leave you peace [the Greek word for “peace” reflects the Hebrew shalom, a typical Hebrew farewell; but Jesus’ peace, in the sense of wholeness, is also a characteristic of the messianic kingdom]; my peace I give you. I do not give it to you as the world does. So don’t let your hearts be troubled or afraid.


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You heard me say to you, ‘I am going, but I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you should ·be happy [rejoice] that I am going back to the Father, because he is greater than I am.


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I will not talk with you much longer, because the ·ruler [prince] of this world [Satan] is coming. He has ·no power [no claim/hold; nothing] over me,


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but the world must know that I love the Father, so I do ·exactly what [just as] the Father ·told [commanded] me to do [go to the cross]. “·Come now [Get up; Rise up], let us go.


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Jesus Is Like a Vine “I am the ·true vine [contrast Israel, the unreliable vine; ; ]; my Father is the ·gardener [farmer; vinedresser].


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He ·cuts off [or takes away] every branch ·of mine [in me] that does not produce fruit [whose lives bear no indication of a relationship with Christ]. And he ·trims and cleans [prunes; the verb implies both trimming and cleaning] every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce even more fruit [].


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·Remain [Abide] in me, and I will ·remain [abide] in you. A branch cannot produce fruit ·alone [by itself] but must ·remain [abide] in the vine. In the same way, you cannot produce fruit alone but must ·remain [abide] in me.


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“I am the vine, and you are the branches. If any ·remain [abide] in me and I ·remain [abide] in them, they produce much fruit. But ·without [apart from] me they can do nothing.


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If any do not ·remain [abide] in me, they are like a branch that is thrown away and then ·dies [withers; dries up]. People ·pick up [gather together] dead branches, throw them into the fire, and burn them.


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If you ·remain [abide] in me and ·follow my teachings [my words abide/remain in you], you can ask anything you want, and it will ·be given to [be done for; come to] you.


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You should produce much fruit and ·show that you are [or become] my ·followers [disciples], which ·brings glory to [glorifies] my Father.


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I have ·obeyed [kept] my Father’s commands, and I ·remain [abide] in his love. In the same way, if you ·obey [keep] my commands, you will ·remain [abide] in my love.


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I have told you these things so that ·you can have the same joy I have [my joy may be in you] and so that your joy ·will be the fullest possible joy [might be complete].


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·The greatest love a person can show is to die for his friends [No one has greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends; Jesus’ death is the ultimate expression of this principle].


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I no longer call you ·servants [slaves; bond-servants], because a ·servant [slave; bond-servant] does not know what his ·master [lord] is doing. But I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I heard from my Father.


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You did not choose me; I chose you. And I ·gave you this work: [appointed you] to go and produce fruit, fruit that will ·last [remain; abide]. Then the Father will give you anything you ask for in my name [see ].


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If you ·belonged to [were of] the world, it would love you as it loves its own. But I have chosen you out of the world, ·so [because] you don’t belong to it. That is why the world hates you.


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Remember ·what [the word] I told you: A ·servant [slave; bond-servant] is not greater than his ·master [lord; see ]. If people ·did wrong to [persecuted] me, they will ·do wrong to [persecute] you, too. And if they ·obeyed my teaching [kept my word], they will ·obey [keep] yours, too.


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[But] They will do all this to you on account of ·me [my name; ], because they do not know the One who sent me.


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If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.


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I did works among them that no one else has ever done. If I had not done these works, they would not be guilty of sin. [Jesus’ words and actions resulted in their guilt because they rejected him despite the evidence (the “signs”) that God was working through him; see ; .] But now they have seen what I have done, and yet they have hated both me and my Father.


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But this happened so that what is written in their law ·would be true [might be fulfilled]: ‘They hated me for no reason [the quote could be from or ].’


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“I will send you the ·Helper [Counselor; Advocate; the Holy Spirit] from the Father; he is the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father. When he comes, he will ·tell [testify; witness] about me,


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and you also must ·tell people [testify; witness] about me, because you have been with me from the beginning.


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People will ·put you out of [ban you from] their synagogues. Yes, ·the time [an hour; an indefinite reference to a future time but likely connected to the period after the death and resurrection of Christ] is coming when those who kill you will think they are offering ·service [worship] to God.


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I have told you these things now so that when ·the time [their hour; the time of persecution] comes you will remember that I ·warned [told] you [about them]. The Work of the Holy Spirit “I did not tell you ·these things [that they would experience persecution] ·at [from] the beginning, because I was with you then.


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But I tell you the truth, it is ·better for you [for your advantage] that I go away. [For] When I go away, I will send the ·Helper [Counselor; Advocate; the Holy Spirit] to you. If I do not go away, the Helper will not come [to you].


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When the Helper comes, he will ·prove to the people of the world the truth about sin [convict/expose/convince the world about sin], about ·being right with God [righteousness], and about judgment [the meaning of this sentence is uncertain, as are the explanatory phrases in ].


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·He will prove to them that sin is not believing in me [concerning sin, because they do not believe in me].


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·He will prove to them that being right with God comes from my going to the Father and not being seen anymore [concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you will no longer see me; probably means the Spirit will convict the world of its empty righteousness because Jesus is no longer present to model true righteousness].


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·And the Helper will prove to them that judgment happened when the ruler of this world was judged [concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged; probably means the Spirit will convict the world that its judgments are false because Satan—the one they follow—has been condemned by Christ’s victory on the cross].


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“I [still] have many more things to say to you, but ·they are too much for you [you cannot bear them] now.


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But when the Spirit of truth [the Helper; see ] comes, he will ·lead [guide] you into all truth. He will not speak ·his own words [from his own authority; from himself], but he will speak only what he hears [from the Father], and he will ·tell [announce/declare to] you what is to come.


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The Spirit of truth will ·bring glory to [glorify; honor] me, because he will take what ·I have to say [is mine] and ·tell [announce; declare] it to you.


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All that the Father has is mine. That is why I said that the Spirit will take what ·I have to say [what is mine] and ·tell [announce; declare] it to you.


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Sadness Will Become Happiness “After a little while you will not see me [after his crucifixion], and then after a little while you will see me again [after his resurrection].”


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[Therefore] Some of the ·followers [disciples] ·said to each other [discussed among themselves], “What does Jesus mean when he says, ‘After a little while you will not see me, and then after a little while you will see me again’? And what does he mean when he says, ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”


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Jesus ·saw [knew; was aware] that the ·followers [disciples] wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you ·asking each other [discussing among yourselves] what I meant when I said, ‘After a little while you will not see me, and then after a little while you will see me again’?


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·I tell you the truth [Truly, truly I say to you], you will ·cry and be sad [weep and mourn/lament], but the world will be happy. You will ·be sad [grieve; have pain], but your ·sadness [grief; pain] will become joy.


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When a woman ·gives birth to a baby [goes into labor], she has pain, because her ·time [hour] has come. But when her baby is born, she ·forgets the pain [does not remember the suffering/affliction], because ·she is so happy [of the joy] that a ·child [human being] has been born into the world.


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It is the same with you. Now you are ·sad [sorrowful; in pain; grieving], but I will see you again and ·you [your heart] will ·be happy [rejoice], and no one will take away your joy.


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In that day [after his resurrection] you will not ask me for anything. ·I tell you the truth [Truly, truly I say to you], my Father will give you anything you ask for in my name [see ].


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Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy will be ·the fullest possible joy [complete; fulfilled].


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Victory over the World “I have told you these things ·indirectly in stories [in parables/figurative speech]. But ·the time [the hour] will come when I will ·not [no longer] use ·stories like that [parables; figurative speech; ] to tell you things; I will speak to you in plain words about the Father.


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In that day you will ask the Father for things in my name. I mean, I will not need to ask the Father for you.


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[For] The Father himself loves you. He loves you because you loved me and believed that I came from God.


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Then the ·followers [disciples] of Jesus said, “You are speaking ·clearly [plainly] to us now and are not using ·stories that are hard to understand [parables; figurative speech].


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We can see now that you know all things. ·You can answer a person’s question even before it is asked. [You do not need anyone to question you.] This makes us believe you came from God.”


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Listen to me; ·a time [an hour] is coming when you will be scattered, each to your own home [compare ]. That time is now here. You will leave me alone, but I am ·never really [not] alone, because the Father is with me.


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“I told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world you will have ·trouble [persecution; suffering], but ·be brave [take courage/heart]! I have ·defeated [victory over; conquered; overcome] the world.”


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Jesus Prays for His Followers After Jesus said these things, he ·looked [raised his eyes] toward heaven and ·prayed [said], “Father, the ·time [hour; the time of his death and resurrection] has come. ·Give glory to [Glorify; Honor] your Son so that the Son can ·give glory to [glorify; honor] you.


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You gave the Son ·power [authority] over all ·people [flesh] so that the Son could give eternal life to all those you gave him.


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And this is eternal life: that people know you, the only true God, and that they know Jesus Christ, the One you sent.


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Having ·finished [completed] the work you gave me to do, I ·brought you glory [glorified/honored you] on earth [by leading people to praise God].


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And now, Father, ·give me glory [glorify/honor me] ·with you [or in your presence]; give me the ·glory [honor] I had with you before the world ·was made [existed; began].


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“I ·showed what you are like [revealed your name; God’s reputation/character] to ·those [the people] you gave me from the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have ·obeyed your teaching [kept your word].


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[Because] I gave them the ·teachings [words; utterances] you gave me, and they ·accepted [received] them. They knew that I truly came from you, and they believed that you sent me.


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I am ·praying for them [asking on their behalf]. I am not ·praying for [asking on behalf of] people in the world but for those you gave me, because they are yours.


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·All I have is yours, and all you have is mine [All mine are yours and all yours are mine]. And ·my glory is shown [I am glorified] through them.


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I am coming to you; I will not stay in the world any longer. But they are still in the world. Holy Father, ·keep them safe by the power of [or keep them loyal to] your name, the name you gave me, so that they will be one, just as you and I are one.


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While I was with them, I kept them safe by the power of [or kept them loyal to] your name, the name you gave me. I ·protected [guarded] them, and only one of them, the ·one worthy of destruction [son of destruction/perdition; Judas], was lost so that the Scripture would ·come true [be fulfilled; ].


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“I am coming to you now. But I ·pray [say] these things while I am still in the world so that ·these followers [these disciples; they] can have all of my joy [ made complete; fulfilled] in them.


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I have given them your ·teaching [word]. And the world has hated them, because they don’t belong to the world, just as I don’t belong to the world.


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I am not asking you to take them out of the world but to ·keep them safe [protect them] from the ·Evil One [or evil; the Evil One is the Devil].


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·Make them ready for your service [Sanctify them; Consecrate them; setting them apart for service] through your truth; your ·teaching [word] is truth.


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For their sake, I am ·making myself ready to serve [sanctifying/consecrating myself] so that they can be ·ready for their service of [sanctified/consecrated by] the truth.


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“I ·pray for these followers [ask not only for these], but I am also ·praying [asking] for all those who will believe in me because of their ·teaching [message; proclamation; word].


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Father, I ·pray [ask] that they can be one. As you are in me and I am in you, I ·pray [ask] that they can also be ·one in us [in us]. Then the world will believe that you sent me.


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I have given these people the ·glory [honor] that you gave me so that they can be one, just as you and I are one.


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·I will be in them and you will be in me [I in them and you in me] so that they will be ·completely one [in perfect unity]. ·Then […so that] the world will know that you sent me and that you loved them just as much as you loved me.


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“Father, I want these people that you gave me to be with me where I am. ·I want them to […so that they may] see my ·glory [honor], which you gave me because you loved me before the ·world was made [foundation/creation of the world].


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·Father, you are the One who is good [Righteous Father,…]. The world does not know you, but I know you, and these people know you sent me.


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I ·showed [made known to] them ·what you are like [your name; ], and I will ·show them again [continue to make it known]. ·Then […so that] they will have the same love that you have for me, and I will ·live [be] in them.”


text:
Jesus Is Arrested When Jesus finished ·praying [saying these things], he went with his ·followers [disciples] across the Kidron Valley [a deep wadi or ravine separating Jerusalem on the east from the Mount of Olives]. On the other side there was a garden [or grove; Gethsemane; ; ], and Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] went into it.


text:
Judas knew where this place was, because Jesus met there often with his ·followers [disciples]. Judas was the one who ·turned against [betrayed] Jesus.


text:
So Judas came there with a group of soldiers [Roman] and some guards [Jewish temple police] from the ·leading [chief] priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns, and weapons.


text:
Knowing everything that would happen to him, Jesus went out and asked, “Who is it you are looking for?”


text:
They answered him, “Jesus ·from Nazareth [the Nazarene].” “·I am he [I am; this may be an allusion to God’s (Yahweh’s) self identification as “I AM” in or to God’s repeated claim that “I am he” throughout ; see , , ],” Jesus said. (Judas, the one who ·turned against [betrayed] Jesus, was standing there with them.)


text:
Jesus asked them again, “Who is it you are looking for?” They said, “Jesus ·of Nazareth [the Nazarene].”


text:
“I told you that I am he [see ],” Jesus ·said [answered]. “So if you are looking for me, let the others go.”


text:
This happened so that the words Jesus said before would ·come true [be fulfilled]: “I have not lost any of the ones you gave me [; ].”


text:
[Then] Simon Peter, who had a sword, pulled it out and struck the ·servant [slave; bond-servant] of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. (The ·servant’s [slave’s; bond-servant’s] name was Malchus.)


text:
Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back [into its sheath]. Shouldn’t I drink the cup the Father gave me?” [The prophets spoke of a cup of judgment; by dying on the cross Jesus drinks it on our behalf; .]


text:
Jesus Is Brought Before Annas Then the soldiers [Roman] with their commander and the guards [Jewish temple police] arrested Jesus. They tied him


text:
Caiaphas was the one who ·told [advised; counseled] the Jews that it would be better if one man died ·for [on behalf of] all the people.


text:
Peter Says He Doesn’t Know Jesus Simon Peter and another one of Jesus’ ·followers [disciples] ·went along after [followed] Jesus. This ·follower [disciple] knew the high priest, so he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard.


text:
But Peter waited outside near the ·door [gate]. The ·follower [disciple] who knew the high priest came back outside, spoke to the ·girl at the door [gatekeeper; doorkeeper], and brought Peter inside.


text:
The ·girl at the door [gatekeeper; doorkeeper] said to Peter, “Aren’t you also one of that man’s ·followers [disciples]?” Peter answered, “No, I am not!”


text:
It was cold, so the ·servants [slaves; bond-servants] and guards [temple police] had built a [charcoal] fire and were standing around it, warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.


text:
The High Priest Questions Jesus The high priest asked Jesus questions about his ·followers [disciples] and his teaching.


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Jesus answered him, “I have spoken ·openly [publicly] to ·everyone [the world]. I have always taught in synagogues and in the Temple, where all the Jews come together. I never said anything in secret.


text:
So why do you question me? Ask the people who heard ·my teaching [what I said to them]. They know what I said.”


text:
When Jesus said this, one of the ·guards [officials; temple police] standing there ·hit [slapped] him. The ·guard [official; temple policeman] said, “Is that the way you answer the high priest?”


text:
Jesus answered him, “If I said something wrong, then ·show [testify to; witness to] what it was. But if what I said is ·true [right], why do you hit me?”


text:
Peter Says Again He Doesn’t Know Jesus As Simon Peter was standing and warming himself, they said to him, “Aren’t you one of that man’s ·followers [disciples]?” Peter ·said it was not true [denied it]; he said, “No, I am not.”


text:
One of the ·servants [slaves; bond-servants] of the high priest was there. This servant was a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off [see ]. The servant said, “Didn’t I see you with him in the ·garden [grove]?”


text:
Jesus Is Brought Before Pilate Early in the morning they [the Jewish leaders] led Jesus from Caiaphas’s house to the ·Roman governor’s palace [or governor’s headquarters; Praetorium]. They would not go inside the ·palace [Praetorium], because they did not want to make themselves ·unclean [according to early Jewish sources a Jew who entered the house of a Gentile would become ritually unclean]; they wanted to eat the Passover meal.


text:
So Pilate [Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea from ad 26 to 37] went outside to them and asked, “What ·charges [accusation] do you bring against this man?”


text:
Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” “But ·we are not allowed [it is not legal for us] to put anyone to death,” the Jews answered. [The Jewish people had to concede the authority for capital punishment to their Roman occupiers.]


text:
(This happened so that what Jesus said about how he would die [by crucifixion rather than stoning] would ·come true [be fulfilled; see ].)


text:
Then Pilate went back inside the ·palace [headquarters; Praetorium] and called Jesus to him and asked, “Are you the king of the Jews?”


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Pilate answered, “·I am not one of you [Am I a Jew?]. It was your own ·people [nation] and their ·leading [chief] priests who ·handed you over [or betrayed you] to me. What have you done wrong?”


text:
Jesus answered, “My kingdom ·does not belong to [is not of] this world. If it belonged to this world, my servants would have fought to keep me from being ·given over [betrayed; handed over] to the ·Jewish leaders [Jews]. But my kingdom is from another place.”


text:
Pilate said, “So you are a king!” Jesus answered, “You are the one saying I am a king. This is why I was born and came into the world: to ·tell people [testify/witness to] the truth. And everyone ·who belongs to the [on the side of] truth ·listens to me [hears my voice].”


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Pilate said, “What is truth?” After he said this, he went out to the ·crowd [Jews] again and said to them, “I find ·nothing [no case; no basis for a charge] against this man.


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But it is your custom that I ·free [release] one prisoner to you at Passover time. Do you want me to ·free [release] the ‘king of the Jews’?”


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They shouted back, “No, not him! Let Barabbas ·go free [be released]!” (Barabbas was a ·robber [bandit; revolutionary; terrorist; the Romans referred to insurrectionists as “robbers” or “criminals”].)


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The soldiers ·made [wove; twisted together] a crown ·from some thorny branches [of thorns] and put it on Jesus’ head and put a purple robe [purple was the color of royalty] around him.


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Then they came to him many times and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and ·hit him in the face [slapped/struck him].


text:
Again Pilate came out and said to them, “Look, I am bringing Jesus out to you. I want you to know that I find ·nothing [no case; no basis for a charge] against him.”


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So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “·Here is the man [Behold the man]!”


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When the ·leading [chief] priests and the ·guards [officials; temple police] saw Jesus, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” But Pilate answered them, “Crucify him yourselves, because I find ·nothing [no case; no basis for a charge] against him.”


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The ·leaders [Jewish leaders; Jews] answered [him], “We have a law [] that says he should die, because he ·said he is [made himself; claimed to be] the Son of God.”


text:
He went back inside the ·palace [headquarters; Praetorium] and asked Jesus, “Where do you come from?” But Jesus did not answer him.


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Pilate said [to him], “You refuse to speak to me? Don’t you know I have ·power [authority] to ·set you free [release you] and ·power [authority] to have you crucified?”


text:
Jesus answered [him], “The only ·power [authority] you have over me is the ·power [authority] given to you ·by God [from above]. The man who ·turned me in to you [betrayed me; Caiaphas or perhaps Judas] is guilty of a greater sin.”


text:
·After this [or For this reason], Pilate tried to let Jesus go. But ·some in the crowd [the Jews] ·cried out [shouted], “Anyone who makes himself king ·is against [opposes] Caesar [the Roman emperor]. If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar.”


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When Pilate heard ·what they were saying [these words], he brought Jesus out and ·sat down [or seated him] on the judge’s seat at the place called The Stone Pavement. (In the ·Hebrew language [more specifically, Aramaic, the native language of the Jews at the time] the name is Gabbatha.)


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It was about ·noon [the sixth hour; hours were counted from dawn, about 6 AM] on Preparation Day of Passover week. Pilate said to ·the crowd [the Jews], “·Here is your king! [Look, your king! or Look at your king!]”


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They shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Do you want me to crucify your king?” The ·leading [chief] priests answered, “The only king we have is Caesar.”


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So Pilate handed Jesus over to them to be crucified. Jesus Is Crucified The soldiers took charge of Jesus.


text:
Carrying his own cross, Jesus went out to a place called The Place of the Skull, which in the Hebrew [Aramaic; see ] language is called Golgotha.


text:
There they crucified Jesus. They also crucified two other men, one on each side, with Jesus in the middle.


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Pilate wrote a ·sign [title; notice; inscription] and ·put [fastened] it on the cross. It read: jesus ·of nazareth [the Nazarene], the king of the jews.


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The ·sign [title; notice; inscription] was written in Hebrew [Aramaic; ], in Latin, and in Greek [the languages spoken in Jerusalem at the time]. Many of the people read the sign, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city.


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The ·leading [chief] priests [of the Jews] said to Pilate, “Don’t write, ‘The King of the Jews.’ But write, ‘This man ·said [claimed], “I am the King of the Jews.”’”


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After the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, with each soldier getting one part [it was a custom that the executioners would get the victim’s clothes]. They also took his ·long shirt [tunic; undergarment], which was ·all one piece of cloth [seamless], woven from top to bottom.


text:
So the soldiers said to each other, “We should not tear this into parts. Let’s throw lots [similar to dice] to see who will get it.” This happened so that this Scripture would come true: “They divided my clothes among them, and they threw lots for my clothing [].” So the soldiers did this.


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[Now] Standing near his cross were Jesus’ mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. [It is unclear whether Mary the wife of Clopas is the same as Jesus’ mother’s sister or someone else.]


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When Jesus [therefore] saw his mother and the ·follower [disciple] he loved [probably John himself] standing nearby, he said to his mother, “·Dear woman [Woman; see ], ·here is [behold] your son.”


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Then he said to the ·follower [disciple], “·Here is [Behold] your mother.” From that time on, the ·follower [disciple] took her to live in his home.


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Jesus Dies After this, Jesus knew that everything had been ·done [finished; completed]. So that the Scripture would ·come true [be fulfilled], he said, “I ·am thirsty [thirst; ; ].”


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There was a jar full of ·vinegar [sour wine] there, so the soldiers soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a ·branch [stalk] of a hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ mouth.


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When Jesus ·tasted [received] the ·vinegar [sour wine], he said, “It is ·finished [completed; accomplished].” Then he bowed his head and ·died [gave up/yielded his spirit].


text:
This day was Preparation Day [for the celebration of Passover; ], and the next day was a ·special [high; great] Sabbath day [special because it occurred during Passover]. Since the ·religious leaders [Jews] did not want the bodies to stay on the cross on the Sabbath day, they asked Pilate to order that the legs of the men be broken [so they would die quicker] and the bodies be taken away [].


text:
So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man on the cross beside Jesus. Then they broke the legs of the man on the other cross beside Jesus.


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But one of the soldiers ·stuck [pierced] his ·spear [lance; javelin] into Jesus’ side, and at once blood and water came out [indicating his death as a human being].


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(The one who saw this happen is the one who ·told us this [witnesses; testifies; again probably an allusion to the disciple John], and ·whatever he says [his witness/testimony] is true. And he knows that he tells the truth, and he tells it so that you might believe [see ].)


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[For] These things happened to ·make the Scripture come true [fulfill the Scripture]: “Not one of his bones will be broken [; see ; ].”


text:
Jesus Is Buried ·Later [After these things], Joseph from Arimathea asked Pilate if he could take the body of Jesus. (Joseph was a secret ·follower [disciple] of Jesus, because he was afraid of ·some of the leaders [the Jewish leaders; the Jews].) Pilate gave his permission, so Joseph came and took Jesus’ body away.


text:
Nicodemus, who earlier had come to Jesus at night [; ], went with Joseph. He brought about seventy-five pounds [Greek: a hundred litrai; a litra was about 12 ounces] of [a mixture of] myrrh and aloes [used to cover a decomposing body to prevent the stench].


text:
These two men took Jesus’ body and wrapped it with the spices in pieces of linen cloth, ·which is how they bury the dead [according to the burial custom of the Jews].


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In the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden. In the garden was a new tomb that had never been used before.


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The men laid Jesus in that tomb because it was nearby, and ·they were preparing to start their Sabbath day [because it was the Jewish Day of Preparation].


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Jesus’ Tomb Is Empty Early on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb while it was still dark. When she saw that the large stone had been moved away from the tomb,


text:
she ran to Simon Peter and the ·follower [disciple] whom Jesus loved [probably John]. Mary said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him.”


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They were both running, but the other ·follower [disciple] ran faster than Peter and reached the tomb first.


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Then following him, Simon Peter arrived and went into the tomb and saw the strips of linen lying there.


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He also saw the [burial] cloth that had been around Jesus’ head, which was ·folded [or rolled] up and laid [by itself] in a different place from the strips of linen.


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Then the other ·follower [disciple], who had reached the tomb first, also went in. He saw and believed.


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([For] They did not yet understand from the Scriptures that ·Jesus must rise [it was necessary for him to rise] from the dead.)


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But Mary stood outside the tomb, ·crying [weeping]. As she was ·crying [weeping], she bent down and looked inside the tomb.


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She saw two angels dressed in white, sitting where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and one at the feet.


text:
They asked her, “Woman, why are you ·crying [weeping]?” She answered, “They have taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they have put him.”


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When Mary said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not ·know [realize] it was Jesus.


text:
Jesus asked her, “Woman, why are you ·crying [weeping]? Whom are you looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said to him, “·Did you take him away, sir? [If you took him away, sir…] Tell me where you put him, and I will get him.”


text:
Jesus said to her, “Mary.” Mary turned toward Jesus and said in the Hebrew [Aramaic] language, “Rabboni [a variant of the more common Rabbi].” (This means “Teacher.”)


text:
Jesus said to her, “Don’t ·hold on to [cling to; or touch] me, because I have not yet ·gone up [ascended] to the Father. But go to my brothers [his disciples] and tell them, ‘I am ·going back [ascending] to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”


text:
Mary Magdalene went and said to the ·followers [disciples], “I saw the Lord!” And she told them what Jesus had said to her.


text:
Jesus Appears to His Followers When it was evening on the first day of the week, Jesus’ ·followers [disciples] were together. The doors were ·locked [shut], because they were afraid of ·the elders [the Jewish leaders; the Jews]. Then Jesus came and stood right in the middle of them and said, “Peace be with you.”


text:
After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. His ·followers [disciples] ·were thrilled [rejoiced] when they saw the Lord.


text:
If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven. If you ·don’t forgive them [withhold forgiveness; retain the sins of any; ; ], they are not forgiven.”


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Jesus Appears to Thomas Thomas (called Didymus [meaning “the Twin”]), who was one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.


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The other ·followers [disciples] kept telling Thomas, “We saw the Lord.” But Thomas said, “I will not believe it until I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were and put my hand into his side.”


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·A week later [After eight days] the ·followers [disciples] were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. The doors were ·locked [shut], but Jesus came in and stood right in the middle of them. He said, “Peace be with you.”


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Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand here in my side. Stop ·being an unbeliever [doubting] and believe.”


text:
Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you see me. ·Those who believe without seeing me will be truly blessed [Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed].”


text:
Why John Wrote This Book Jesus [therefore] did many other ·miracles [signs; ] in the presence of his ·followers [disciples] that are not written in this book.


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But these are written so that you may ·believe [or keep on believing] that Jesus is the Christ [Greek: Christos, for Hebrew Mashiach, the “anointed one”], the Son of God. Then, by believing, you may have life through his name.


text:
Jesus Appears to Seven Followers ·Later [After these things], Jesus ·showed [revealed] himself to his ·followers [disciples] again—this time at ·Lake Galilee [the Sea of Tiberias; an alternate name of Lake/the Sea of Galilee]. This is how he ·showed [revealed] himself:


text:
Some of the ·followers [disciples] were together: Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus [meaning “the Twin”]), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the two sons of Zebedee [James and John], and two other ·followers [disciples].


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Simon Peter said to them, “I am going out to fish.” The others said [to him], “We will go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat. They fished that night but caught nothing.


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·Early the next morning [Just at daybreak] Jesus stood on the shore, but the ·followers [disciples] did not ·know [realize] it was Jesus.


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Then he said to them, “·Friends [Children; a term of endearment], did you catch any fish?” They answered, “No.”


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He said to them, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they did, and they caught so many fish they could not pull the net back into the boat.


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The ·follower [disciple] whom Jesus loved [John] said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” [So] When Peter heard him say this, he wrapped his ·coat [outer garment] around himself. (·Peter had taken his clothes off [for he was naked].) Then he jumped into the ·water [sea; lake].


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The other ·followers [disciples] went to shore in the boat, ·dragging [towing] the net full of fish. They were not very far from shore, only about a hundred yards [two hundred cubits].


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When the ·followers [disciples] ·stepped out of the boat and onto the shore [landed; disembarked], they saw a fire of hot coals. There were fish on the fire, and there was bread.


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Simon Peter went into the boat and ·pulled [hauled] the net to the shore. It was full of big fish, one hundred fifty-three in all, but even though there were so many, the net did not tear.


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Jesus said to them, “Come and ·eat [or have breakfast].” None of the followers dared ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord.


text:
This was now the third time [see ; ] Jesus ·showed [revealed; manifested] himself to his ·followers [disciples] after he was raised from the dead.


text:
Jesus Talks to Peter When they finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” [“These” probably refers to the other disciples (rather than the fishing gear), and could mean “Do you love me more than you love your friends?” or “Do you love me more than they love me?” The latter is more likely. This whole scene is the restoration of Peter after he had boasted of his loyalty to Jesus and then denied him.] He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”


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Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “·Take care of [Tend; Shepherd] my sheep.”


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A third time he said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter ·was hurt [grieved] because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” Peter said, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you!” He said to him, “Feed my sheep. [In and Jesus uses a different word for “love” (agapaō) than Peter uses (phileō); but then in Jesus uses Peter’s word (phileō). The two terms can be synonymous, and the difference is probably stylistic. The passage is not contrasting two kinds of love; rather, Peter’s three affirmations counterbalance his three denials; see , ]


text:
·I tell you the truth [Truly, truly I say to you], when you were younger, you ·tied your own belt [dressed yourself] and went where you wanted. But when you are old, you will put out your hands and someone else will ·tie [dress] you and take you where you don’t want to go.”


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(Jesus said this to ·show [indicate; signify] how Peter would die to ·give glory to [glorify] God.) Then Jesus said to Peter, “Follow me!”


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Peter turned and saw that the ·follower [disciple] Jesus loved [John] was ·walking behind them [following]. (This was the ·follower [disciple] who had leaned against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who will ·turn against [betray] you?” [see ])


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Jesus answered [him], “If I want him to live until I come back, ·that is not your business [what is that to you?]. You follow me.”


text:
So a ·story [rumor; report; saying; word] spread among the ·followers [disciples; brothers] that this one would not die. But Jesus did not say he would not die. He only said, “If I want him to live until I come back, ·that is not your business [what is that to you?].”


text:
That ·follower [disciple] is the one who ·is telling [witnesses/testifies to] these things and who has now written them down. We know that ·what he says [his testimony/witness] is true.


text:
There are many other things Jesus did. If every one of them were written down, I suppose the whole world would not be big enough for all the books that would be written.


text:
Luke’s Second Volume ·To [O] Theophilus [a name meaning “Lover of God”; probably a specific individual, though possibly addressing all who love God]. The ·first [or former; previous] ·book [account; a reference to the Gospel of Luke] I wrote was about everything Jesus began to do and teach


text:
until the day he was taken up into heaven. Before this, ·with the help of [through] the Holy Spirit, Jesus ·told [instructed; commanded] the apostles he had chosen [] what they should do.


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After his ·death [suffering], he showed himself to them and ·proved [provided undeniable evidence] in many ways that he was alive []. The apostles saw Jesus during the forty days after he was raised from the dead, and he spoke to them about the kingdom of God.


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Once when he was ·eating [or staying; meeting] with them, he ·told [commanded] them not to leave Jerusalem. He said, “Wait here to receive the promise from the Father [the gift of the Holy Spirit] which I told you about [].


text:
John baptized people ·with [or in] water [], but in a few days you will be baptized ·with [by; or in] the Holy Spirit.”


text:
Jesus Is Taken Up into Heaven When the apostles were all together, they ·asked [kept asking] Jesus, “Lord, are you ·now [at this time] going to ·give the kingdom back [restore the kingdom] to Israel [Israel had lived for centuries under the oppression of foreign nations; ; ; ; the disciples were expecting the messianic kingdom; ; ]?”


text:
Jesus said to them, “The Father is the only One who has the ·authority [or power] to ·decide [set] dates and times []. These things are not for you to know.


text:
But when the Holy Spirit comes to you, you will receive power. You will be my witnesses—in Jerusalem [], in all of Judea, in Samaria [], and ·in every part of the world [to the ends of the earth; ; ].”


text:
After he said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud ·hid him from [or took him out of; a reference to the cloud chariot; ] their sight [a description of Christ’s ascension into heaven].


text:
As he was going, they were ·looking [staring; gazing] into the ·sky [heavens]. Suddenly, two men wearing white clothes [angels] stood beside them.


text:
They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing here ·looking into [staring at] ·the sky [heaven]? Jesus, whom you saw taken up from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you saw him go [on a cloud; ].”


text:
A New Apostle Is Chosen Then they went back to Jerusalem from the Mount ·of Olives [or called Olivet]. (This mountain is about ·half a mile [a Sabbath day’s journey] from Jerusalem.)


text:
When they entered the city, they went to the upstairs room where they were staying. Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon (known as the Zealot [either a political revolutionary or one zealous for the Law of Moses; ]), and Judas son of James were there.


text:
They all ·continued [or were constantly] praying together with some women [followers of Jesus (; ) and perhaps wives of the apostles], including Mary the mother of Jesus, and Jesus’ brothers.


text:
·During this time [In those days] there was a meeting of the ·believers [brothers (and sisters)] (about one hundred twenty of them). Peter stood up and said,


text:
“·Brothers and sisters [Men, brothers; Peter is probably specifically addressing the apostles], in the Scriptures the Holy Spirit ·said [foretold] through [the mouth of] David ·something that must happen involving [concerning] Judas. He was one of our own group and ·served together with us [shared part of this ministry]. He ·led [guided] those who arrested Jesus.”


text:
(Judas bought a field with the ·money [wages; reward] he got for his ·evil [unjust] act. But he fell to his death, his body burst open, and all his ·intestines [bowels; guts] poured out [].


text:
Everyone in Jerusalem learned about this so they named this place Akeldama. In their language [Aramaic] Akeldama means “Field of Blood.”)


text:
“[For] In the Book of Psalms,” Peter said, “this is written: ‘May his ·place [dwelling; home] be ·empty [deserted]; leave no one to live in it [].’ And it is also written: ‘Let another man ·replace him as leader [take his office/position of leadership; ].’


text:
“So now a man must become a witness with us of Jesus’ ·being raised from the dead [resurrection]. He must be one of the men who were part of our group during all the time the Lord Jesus ·was [went in and out] among us—·from the time John was baptizing people [or from John’s baptism of Jesus; from the baptism of John] until the day Jesus was taken up from us to heaven.”


text:
They put the names of two men before the group. One was Joseph Barsabbas, who was also called Justus. The other was Matthias.


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The apostles prayed, “Lord, you know the ·thoughts [hearts] of everyone. Show us which one of these two you have chosen to ·do this work and to be an apostle [take this position of ministry and apostleship] in place of Judas, who turned away and went where he belongs [to death, destruction, or hell].”


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Then they ·used [cast] lots to choose between them [often used as a means to discern God’s will in the OT; ; ; ; ; ], and the lots showed that Matthias was the one. So he ·became [was counted as] an apostle with the other eleven.


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The Coming of the Holy Spirit When the day of Pentecost [a harvest festival fifty days after Passover, celebrating the firstfruits of the crops (while on this day the firstfruits of the Spirit); ; , ] ·came [arrived], they were all together in one place.


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Suddenly a ·noise [roar] like a ·strong [violent], ·blowing [rushing] wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.


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They saw something like ·flames [tongues] of fire ·that were separated [that were divided; or that spread out] and ·stood [came to rest] over each person there.


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They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak ·different [other; or foreign] ·languages [tongues] by the power the Holy Spirit was giving them [reversing the confusion of languages at the Tower of Babel; ].


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There were some ·religious [devout; God-fearing] Jews ·staying [living] in Jerusalem who were from every ·country [nation] ·in the world [under heaven].


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When they heard this noise, a crowd came together. They were all ·surprised [or confused; bewildered], because each one heard them speaking in his own language.


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They were ·completely [astounded and] amazed at this. They said, “Look! Aren’t all these people that we hear speaking ·from Galilee [Galileans]?


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Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia [a Roman province, in present-day Turkey],


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(both Jews and ·those who had become Jews [proselytes]), Crete, and Arabia. But we hear them telling in our own ·languages [tongues] about the ·great things [mighty acts] God has done!”


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But others ·were making fun of them [sneered], saying, “They have had too much [sweet; new] wine [they accuse them of being intoxicated and speaking nonsense].”


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Peter Speaks to the People But Peter stood up with the eleven apostles, and in a loud voice he ·spoke to [addressed] the crowd: “·My fellow Jews [or Judeans], and all of you who ·are [are living/staying] in Jerusalem, ·listen to me [let this be known to you]. Pay attention to what I have to say.


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These people are not drunk, as you think; it is only ·nine o’clock in the morning [the third hour of the day]!


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‘God says: In the last days I will pour out my Spirit on all ·kinds of people [people; humanity; flesh]. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.


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At that time I will pour out my Spirit also on my male ·slaves [servants] and female ·slaves [servants], and they will prophesy.


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I will show ·miracles [wonders; marvels] in the ·sky [or heaven] above and ·signs [miracles] on the earth below: blood, fire, and ·thick [a cloud/billow of] smoke.


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The sun will ·become dark [be turned to darkness], the moon ·red as blood [to blood], before the ·overwhelming [great] and glorious day of the Lord will come.


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“·People of Israel [Men, Israelites], ·listen to [hear] these words: Jesus ·from Nazareth [or the Nazarene] was a very special man. God clearly ·showed [attested; pointed out] this to you by the ·miracles [mighty deeds], wonders, and signs he did through Jesus. You all know this, because it happened ·right here among you [in your midst].


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Jesus was ·given [handed over] to you, and ·with the help [by the hands] of ·those who don’t know the law [or lawless ones; wicked people; a reference to the Gentiles/Romans who crucified Jesus], you put him to death by nailing him to a cross. But this was ·God’s plan which he had made long ago [according to God’s predetermined plan]; ·he knew all this would happen […and his foreknowledge].


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God raised Jesus from the dead and set him free from the ·pain [agony; birthpains] of death, because death could not hold him.


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For David said this about him: ‘I ·keep [saw] the Lord before me always. Because he is ·close by my side [at my right hand; a soldier’s shieldbearer would stand at his right side to protect him], [so that] I will not be ·hurt [shaken].


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So ·I am [my heart was] glad, and ·I rejoice [my tongue rejoiced]. Even my body ·has [will live in; or will rest in] hope,


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because you will not ·leave [abandon] ·me [my soul/life] in ·the grave [Hades; the underworld]. You will not let your Holy One [experience; see] decay.


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You ·will teach me [have made known to me] ·how to live a holy life [the way/path of life]. ·Being with you [Your presence; Your face] will fill me with joy [].”


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“·Brothers and sisters [Men, brothers], I can tell you ·truly [or with confidence] that David, ·our ancestor [the patriarch], died and was buried. His ·grave [tomb] is still here with us today.


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[But because] He was a prophet and knew God had ·promised him [sworn with an oath] that he would ·make a person from David’s family a king just as he was [put one of his descendants on his throne; a reference to the Davidic covenant; ; ].


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·Knowing this before it happened [Foreseeing this], David talked about the ·Christ [Messiah] rising from the dead. He said: ‘He was not ·left [abandoned] in ·the grave [Hades]. His ·body [flesh] did not ·rot [see/experience decay; ].’


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Jesus was ·lifted up to heaven and is now at [exalted to] God’s right ·side [hand; a position of highest honor beside the king]. The Father has given the Holy Spirit to Jesus as he promised. So Jesus has poured out that Spirit, and this is what you now see and hear.


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David was not the one who ·was lifted up [went up; ascended] to heaven, but he said: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit by me at my right ·side [hand; ],


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“·So [Therefore], all the ·people [house] of Israel should know this ·truly [with certainty]: God has made Jesus—the man you ·nailed to the cross [crucified]—both Lord and ·Christ [Messiah].”


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When the people heard this, they ·felt guilty [were deeply distressed; were cut/pierced to the heart] and asked Peter and the other apostles, “What shall we do, ·brothers [men, brothers]?”


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Peter said to them, “·Change your hearts and lives [Repent] and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.


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[For] This promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away [both in space and time; may refer to Gentiles and/or Jews scattered outside the land of Israel]. It is for everyone the Lord our God calls to himself [].”


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Peter ·warned [testified to] them with many other ·words [arguments]. He ·begged [pleaded with; exhorted; urged] them, “Save yourselves from ·the evil of today’s people [this corrupt/crooked/perverse generation]!”


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Then those people who accepted what Peter said were baptized. About three thousand ·people [souls] were added to the number of believers that day.


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They ·spent [devoted] their time learning the apostles’ teaching, ·sharing [fellowship], breaking bread [this may refer to a meal as in , or to the Lord’s Supper; ], and praying together.


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The Believers Share The apostles were doing many miracles and signs, and ·everyone [every soul] felt great ·respect [fear; awe; ] for God.


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All the believers were ·together [in one place; or in close fellowship] and ·shared everything [had/held all things in common].


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They would sell their land and the things they owned and then divide ·the money [the proceeds; them] and give it to anyone who needed it.


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The believers met together in the Temple [not the Temple building where only priests went, but the outer courts] every day. They ate together ·in their homes [or from home to home], sharing their food with joyful and ·sincere [or generous; or humble; or simple] hearts.


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They praised God and were ·liked by [looked upon favorably by] all the people. Every day the Lord added those who were being saved to the group of believers.


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Peter Heals a Crippled Man One day Peter and John went to the Temple at ·three o’clock [the ninth hour; time was reckoned from dawn, traditionally set at 6 AM], ·the time set each day for the afternoon prayer service [the hour of prayer].


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There, at the Temple gate called Beautiful Gate [unknown location, perhaps one of several gates between various courtyards], was a man who had been ·crippled [lame] ·all his life [from his mother’s womb]. Every day ·he was carried to [people would lay him at] this gate to beg for ·money [alms] from the people going into the Temple [the Temple complex; ].


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The man ·looked at [paid attention to] them, thinking they were going to give him ·some money [something].


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But Peter said, “·I don’t have any silver or gold, but ·I do have something else I can give you [what I do have, I give to you]. ·By the power [In the name] of Jesus Christ ·from Nazareth [or the Nazarene], stand up and walk []!”


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Then Peter took the man’s right hand and ·lifted [raised] him up. Immediately the man’s feet and ankles became strong.


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He ·jumped up [leaped], stood on his feet, and began to walk. He went into the Temple [courts; ] with them, walking and ·jumping [leaping] and praising God [].


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All the people recognized him as the ·crippled [lame] man who always sat by the Beautiful Gate [] begging for ·money [alms; help]. Now they saw this same man walking and praising God, and they were amazed. ·They wondered how this could happen [or …and stunned/astonished at what had happened].


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Peter Speaks to the People While the man was ·holding on [clinging] to Peter and John, all the people were ·amazed [astonished] and ran to them at Solomon’s ·Porch [Portico; Colonnade; columns marked the outside perimeter of the large outer court of the Temple].


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When Peter saw this, he ·said to [addressed] them, “·People of Israel [Men, Israelites], why are you ·surprised [amazed]? ·You are [Or why are you…?] ·looking [staring] at us as if it were our own power or ·goodness [piety; godliness] that made this man walk.


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The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers], ·gave glory to [has glorified/honored] Jesus, his ·servant [or child]. But you handed him over to be killed. Pilate decided to let him go free, but you ·told Pilate you did not want [disowned; rejected] Jesus.


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You ·did not want [disowned; rejected] the One who is holy and ·good [righteous] but asked Pilate to give you a murderer [Barabbas; ] instead.


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And so you killed the ·One who gives [Author/Source/Ruler of] life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses to this.


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It was faith in [the name of] Jesus that made this ·crippled [lame] man ·well [strong]. You can see this man, and you know him. He was made completely well because of ·trust [faith] in ·Jesus [the name of Jesus], ·and you all saw it happen [in front of you all]!


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“·Brothers and sisters [or Brothers; fellow Jews], I know you did those things to Jesus because neither you nor your leaders [rulers] understood what you were doing.


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God ·said [foretold; predicted] through [the mouth of all] the prophets that his ·Christ [Messiah] would suffer. And now God has ·made these things come true [fulfilled these things] in this way.


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So you must ·change your hearts and lives [repent]! ·Come back [Return; Turn back] to God, and he will ·forgive [wipe out; erase] your sins. Then the ·time [times; seasons] of ·rest [refreshment; comfort; the messianic age] will come from [the presence of] the Lord.


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But ·Jesus must stay in heaven [heaven must receive/welcome him] until the time comes when all things will be ·made right again [restored; made new]. God ·told about [announced] this time long ago when he spoke through his holy prophets.


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Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will ·give you [raise up for you] a prophet like me, ·who is one of your own people [from among your brothers]. You must ·listen to [hear; obey] everything he tells you.


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Anyone who does not listen to that prophet will ·die, cut off [be utterly destroyed] from God’s people [; ].’


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Samuel, and all the other prophets who spoke for God after Samuel, ·told [announced; foretold; predicted] about ·this time now [these days; there are no specific messianic prophecies from Samuel, but he did anoint David whose kingship anticipated the Messiah; ; ; ].


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You are ·descendants [children; sons] of the prophets. You have received the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] God made with your ·ancestors [fathers; patriarchs]. He said to your father Abraham, ‘Through your ·descendants [heirs; seed] all the ·nations [or families] on the earth will be blessed [; ].’


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God has raised up his ·servant [or child] Jesus and sent him to you first [the Jews were to receive the blessing first, and through them God would bless all nations] to bless you by turning each of you away from ·doing evil [your wicked ways].”


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Peter and John at the Council While Peter and John were speaking to the people, they were approached by priests, the captain of the soldiers that guarded the Temple, and Sadducees [Jewish religious party with most influence in the Jewish high court (Sanhedrin) and among the Temple leadership].


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They were ·upset [annoyed; disturbed] because the two apostles were teaching the people and were ·preaching [proclaiming] ·that people will rise from the dead through the power of Jesus [the resurrection of the dead in Jesus; Sadducees did not believe in the afterlife].


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They ·grabbed [seized; arrested] Peter and John and put them in ·jail [custody]. Since it was already ·night [evening], they kept them in jail until the next day.


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But many of those who had heard Peter and John preach believed the ·things they said [message; word]. ·There were now about five thousand in the group of believers [or The number of men grew to about five thousand; probably referring to adult males and so household units].


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The next day the rulers, the elders, and the ·teachers of the law [scribes] ·met [assembled] in Jerusalem.


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Annas the high priest, Caiaphas [Annas was the former high priest and father-in-law of Caiaphas, the official high priest; ], John, and Alexander [perhaps sons of Annas] were there, as well as ·everyone [or others] from the high priest’s family.


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They made Peter and John stand before them and then ·asked [questioned; interrogated] them, “By what power or ·authority [in/by what name] did you do this?”


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are you ·questioning [examining] us [today] about a ·good thing [good deed; act of kindness] that was done to a ·crippled [lame; sick] man? Are you asking us ·who made him well [or how he was made well/healed]?


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We want all of you and all the people [of Israel] to know that this man was made well ·by the power [in/by the name] of Jesus Christ ·from Nazareth [or the Nazarene]. You crucified him, but God raised him from the dead. This man was ·crippled [lame; sick], but he is now ·well [healthy] and able to stand here before you because of the ·power [name] of Jesus.


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Jesus is ‘the stone that you builders ·rejected [despised], which has become the cornerstone [; Jesus is the central stone that holds up the building].’


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·Jesus is the only One who can save people [Salvation is found/present in no one else]. ·No one else [No other name given to people] ·in the world [under heaven] is able to save us.”


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The leaders saw that Peter and John were ·not afraid to speak [bold; confident], and they ·understood [discovered; found out] that these men ·had no special training or education [or were common/ordinary and uneducated; no formal training from a rabbi in teaching Scripture]. So they were amazed. Then they realized that Peter and John had been with Jesus.


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Because they saw the healed man standing there beside the two apostles, they could say nothing against them.


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After the leaders ordered them to leave the ·meeting [or Sanhedrin; a council of the chief leaders of the Jewish people], they began to ·talk to [confer with] each other.


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They said, “What shall we do with these men? Everyone [who lives] in Jerusalem knows they have done a great ·miracle [sign], and we cannot say it is not true.


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But to keep it from spreading among the people, we must warn them not to talk to people anymore ·using that name [or about that name/person].”


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So they called Peter and John in again and ·told [commanded; ordered] them not to ·speak [preach] or to teach at all in the name of Jesus.


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But Peter and John answered them, “You ·decide [judge] what ·God would want [is right before God]. Should we ·obey [listen to] you or God?


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The leaders ·warned [threatened] the apostles again and let them go free. They could not find a way to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had ·been done [happened].


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The Believers Pray After Peter and John ·left the meeting of leaders [were released], they went to their own group and ·told them [reported] everything the ·leading [chief] priests and the elders had said to them.


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When the believers heard this, they ·prayed [raised their voices] to God together, “·Lord [or Sovereign; Master], you are the One who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything in them [; ; ; ].


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By the Holy Spirit, through our father David your ·servant [or child], you said: ‘Why are the ·nations [Gentiles] ·so angry [furious; raging]? Why are the people ·making useless plans [plotting in vain]?


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The kings of the earth ·prepare to fight [take their stand], and their ·leaders [rulers] ·make plans [or gather; assemble] together against the Lord and his ·Christ [Messiah; Anointed One; ; the psalm describes the unrest of subject nations at the coronation of Israel’s anointed king].’


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·These things really happened when [For truly; Indeed] Herod, Pontius Pilate, and ·some Jews [the people of Israel] and Gentiles all came together here in ·Jerusalem [this city] against your holy ·servant [child] Jesus, the One you ·made to be the Christ [anointed; ; Christ in Greek and Messiah in Hebrew mean “anointed one”].


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These people made your plan happen because of your ·power [hand] and your ·will [purpose]. [or They did whatever your hand and your purpose predestined/determined beforehand to be done.]


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And now, Lord, ·listen to [consider] their threats. Lord, help us, your ·servants [slaves], to speak your ·word [message] ·without fear [with all boldness/confidence].


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·Show us your power [Stretch out your hand] to heal. Give ·proofs [signs] and ·make miracles happen [wonders] by the ·power [name] of Jesus, your holy ·servant [or child].”


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After they had prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke God’s ·word [message] ·without fear [with boldness/confidence/courage].


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The Believers Share The group of believers were ·united in their hearts and spirit [one heart and mind/soul; ]. ·All those in the group acted as though their private property belonged to everyone in the group [No one said any of their possessions was their own]. In fact, ·they shared everything [or everything was held in common].


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With great power the apostles ·were telling people [gave testimony; witnessed] that the Lord Jesus was truly raised from the dead. And ·God blessed all the believers very much [great grace was on all of them].


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[For] There were no needy people among them []. [Because] From time to time those who owned fields or houses sold them, brought the money from the sale,


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and ·gave it to [laid it at the feet of] the apostles. Then the money was ·given [distributed] to anyone who needed it.


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One of the believers was named Joseph, a Levite [the Israelite tribe set apart for priestly service] born in Cyprus [an island to the west of the coast of Syria]. The apostles called him Barnabas (which means ·“one who encourages” [“son of encouragement”]).


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Joseph owned a field, sold it, brought the money, and ·gave it to [laid it at the feet of] the apostles.


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Ananias and Sapphira Die But a man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold ·some land [a piece of property].


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He ·kept back [pilfered; skimmed off] part of the ·money [proceeds; price] for himself; his wife knew about this and agreed to it. But he brought the rest of the money and ·gave it to [laid it at the feet of] the apostles.


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Peter said, “Ananias, why did you let Satan ·rule your thoughts [fill your heart] to lie to the Holy Spirit and to ·keep [pilfer; skim off] for yourself part of the ·money [proceeds] you received for the land?


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Before you sold the land, it belonged to you. And even after you sold it, you could have used the ·money [proceeds] any way you wanted. Why did you think of doing this? You lied to God, not to us!”


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When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. Some young men came in, wrapped up his body, carried it out, and buried it. And everyone who heard about this was filled with fear.


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Peter said to her, “Tell me, was the ·money [payment] you got for your field this much?” Sapphira answered, “Yes, that was the price.”


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Peter said to her, “Why did you and your husband ·agree [conspire] to test the Spirit of the Lord []? Look! The ·men [feet of those] who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”


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·At that moment [Instantly] Sapphira fell down by his feet and died. When the young men came in and ·saw [discovered; found] that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.


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The whole church and all the others who heard about these things were filled with ·fear [terror; awe].


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The Apostles Heal Many The apostles did many ·signs [miracles] and ·miracles [wonders] among the people. And they would all meet together on Solomon’s Porch [see ].


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None of the others dared to join them, ·but [or even though] all the people ·respected [praised; highly regarded] them.


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More and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to the ·group [crowd; multitude] of believers.


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[As a result] The people placed their sick on ·beds [cots] and mats in the streets, hoping that when Peter passed by at least his shadow might fall on [some of] them.


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Crowds came from all the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those who were ·bothered [tormented] by ·evil [unclean; demons were viewed as “unclean” or defiling spirit-beings] spirits, and all of them were healed.


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Leaders Try to Stop the Apostles The high priest and all his friends (a ·group [sect; religious party] called the Sadducees []) became very ·jealous [indignant; or zealous; perhaps referring to their religious zeal].


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But during the night, an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the ·jail [prison] and led the apostles outside. The angel said,


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“Go stand in the Temple [courts; ] and tell the people ·everything [or the full message; all the words] about this new life.”


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When the apostles heard this, they obeyed and went into the Temple [courts; ] early in the morning and ·continued [or began] teaching. When the high priest and his friends arrived, they called a meeting of the ·leaders [Sanhedrin; ] ·and [or that is,] ·all the important elders [the whole senate/council of the sons of Israel]. They sent some men to the ·jail [prison] to bring the apostles to them.


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But, upon arriving, the ·officers [temple police] could not find the apostles. So they went back and reported to the leaders.


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They said, “·The jail was [We found the jail] closed and locked, and the guards were standing at the doors. But when we opened the doors, ·the jail was empty [we found no one inside]!”


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Hearing this, the captain of the Temple guards and the ·leading [chief] priests were ·confused [puzzled; confounded] and wondered what ·was happening [or this might lead to].


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Then someone came and told them, “Listen [Look]! The men you put in ·jail [prison] are standing in the Temple [courts] teaching the people.”


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Then the captain and ·his men [the officers/attendants; the temple police] went out and brought the apostles back. But they did not use force, because they were afraid the people would stone them to death.


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They brought the apostles to the ·meeting [Sanhedrin; ] and made them stand before the leaders. The high priest questioned them,


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saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in that name [of Jesus]. But look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are ·trying [wishing; intending] to make us responsible for this man’s ·death [blood].”


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You ·killed [murdered] Jesus by hanging him on a ·cross [tree]. But God, the God of our ancestors, raised Jesus up from the dead!


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Jesus is the One whom God ·raised [exalted] to be on his right ·side [hand], as ·Leader [Prince; Ruler] and Savior. Through him, ·the people of Israel [Israel] could ·change their hearts and lives [repent] and have their sins forgiven.


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We ·saw all these things happen [testify to/are witnesses of these things]. The Holy Spirit, whom God has given to all who obey him, also ·proves [or testifies that] these things are true.”


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But a Pharisee [a member of a religious party that strictly observed OT laws, added traditions, and represented a minority on the Sanhedrin] named Gamaliel [Paul’s teacher; ] stood up in the ·meeting [Sanhedrin; ]. He was a teacher of the law, and all the people respected him. He ordered the ·apostles [men] to leave the meeting for a little while.


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Then he said, “·People of Israel [Men, Israelites], be careful what you are planning to do to these men.


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·Remember when [or Some time ago] Theudas ·appeared [rose up]? He ·said [claimed] he was ·a great man [somebody], and about four hundred men joined him. But he was killed, and all his followers were scattered; they ·were able to do nothing [failed; came to nothing].


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Later, a man named ·Judas came from Galilee [or Judas the Galilean appeared/arose] at the time of the ·registration [census; of people and possessions, for tax purposes; Judas led a tax revolt]. He also led a group of followers and ·was killed [perished], and all his followers were scattered.


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And so now I tell you: Stay away from these men, and leave them alone. If their ·plan [or activity; endeavor] comes from human ·authority [or origin], it will fail.


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But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. You might even ·be [find yourselves] fighting against God himself!” The leaders ·agreed with [were convinced by] what Gamaliel said.


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They called the apostles in, ·beat [flogged; whipped] them, and ·told [commanded] them not to speak in the name of Jesus again. Then they let them go free.


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The apostles left the ·meeting [presence of the Sanhedrin/council; ] ·full of joy [rejoicing] because they were ·given the honor [or considered worthy by God] of suffering disgrace for ·Jesus [the name].


text:
Every day in the Temple [courts] and in people’s homes they continued teaching the people and ·telling [proclaiming] the ·Good News [Gospel] —that Jesus is the ·Christ [Messiah].


text:
Seven Leaders Are Chosen The number of ·followers [disciples] was ·growing [multiplying]. But during ·this same time [those days], the ·Greek-speaking followers [Hellenists; Jewish Christians who spoke primarily Greek and had returned to Israel after living abroad] ·had an argument with [began grumbling/complaining against] the ·other followers [Hebrews; Aramaic speaking Jewish Christians born in Israel]. The Greek-speaking widows were ·not getting their share [being neglected/overlooked in the distribution] of the food that was given out every day.


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The ·twelve apostles [Twelve] called the whole group of ·followers [disciples] together and said, “It is not right for us to ·stop our work of teaching God’s word [leave/abandon the word of God] in order to serve tables.


text:
So, ·brothers and sisters [or brothers; uncertain whether women would have been included in that culture], choose seven of your own men who ·are good [have a good reputation], full of the Spirit and full of wisdom. We will ·put [appoint] them in charge of this ·work [responsibility; need].


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Then we [apostles] can ·continue [devote ourselves] to pray and to ·teach [the ministry/service of] the word of God.”


text:
The whole group ·liked [was pleased with] the idea, so they chose these seven men: Stephen (a man ·with great [full of] faith and full of the Holy Spirit), Philip [not the apostle of the same name], Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas (a man from Antioch [a major city in Syria] who ·had become a follower of the Jewish religion [was a prosylete; a Gentile convert to Judaism].


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Then they ·put [presented] these men before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands [a ritual of blessing and/or conferring of authority] on them.


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The word of God was continuing to spread. The ·group [number] of ·followers [disciples] in Jerusalem [quickly; or greatly] ·increased [multiplied], and a great number of the Jewish priests ·believed and obeyed [become obedient to the faith].


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Stephen Is Accused Stephen was ·richly blessed by God who gave him the power [full of grace and power] to do great ·miracles [wonders] and signs among the people.


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But some people ·were [rose up] against him. They belonged to the synagogue of Free Men [Jews who were freed slaves] (as it was called), which included people from Cyrene, Alexandria [both in North Africa], Cilicia, and Asia [both in Asia Minor, present-day Turkey]. They all ·came [rose up; came forward] and ·argued [debated; disputed] with Stephen.


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But ·the Spirit was helping him to speak with wisdom, and his words were so strong that they could not argue with him [they could not resist the wisdom and Spirit/spirit by which he spoke].


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So they ·secretly urged [or bribed] some men to say, “We heard Stephen ·speak [speaking blasphemous words] against Moses and against God.”


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They ·stirred up [roused; incited] the people, the elders, and the teachers of the law. They ·came [or confronted] and grabbed Stephen and brought him to ·a meeting of the leaders [the Sanhedrin; ].


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They brought in some ·people to tell lies about Stephen [false witnesses], saying, “This man is always speaking against this holy place [the Temple] and the law of Moses.


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We heard him say that Jesus ·from Nazareth [or the Nazarene] will destroy this place and that Jesus will change the customs Moses gave us [for a similar charge leveled against Jesus see ; ].”


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All the people [who sat] in the ·meeting [Sanhedrin; ] ·were watching Stephen closely [or stared intently at Stephen] ·and [or because they] saw that his face looked like the face of an angel.


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Stephen answered, “Brothers [Men, brothers] and fathers, listen to me. ·Our glorious God [The God of glory] appeared to Abraham, our ·ancestor [patriarch; father], in Mesopotamia before he lived in Haran [a city in Syria where Abraham resided before reaching the Promised Land; ].


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God said to Abraham, ‘Leave your country and your relatives, and go to the land I will show you [].’


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So Abraham left the ·country [land] of Chaldea [another name for southern Mesopotamia, the location of Ur] and went to live in Haran. After Abraham’s father [Terah] died, God sent him to this place where you now live.


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God did not give Abraham ·any of this land [an inheritance in it], not even a ·foot of it [a foot’s length]. But God promised that he would give this land to him [as a possession] and his ·descendants [seed; ], even before Abraham had a child.


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This is what God said to him: ‘Your ·descendants [seed] will be ·strangers [foreigners; resident aliens] in a ·land they don’t own [foreign land; land belonging to others; Egypt]. The people there will make them slaves and will ·mistreat [oppress] them for four hundred years.


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But I will ·punish [judge] the nation where they are slaves. Then ·your descendants [they] will leave that land and will worship me in this place [; ].’


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God made an ·agreement [covenant; a treaty-like relationship] with Abraham, the sign of which was circumcision []. And so when Abraham ·had his son [became the father of; begat] Isaac, Abraham circumcised him when he was eight days old. Isaac ·also circumcised his son Jacob [or became the father of Jacob], and Jacob ·did the same for his sons, [or became the father of] the twelve ·ancestors of our people [patriarchs; the twelve sons of Jacob who were the “fathers” of the twelve tribes of Israel].


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“·Jacob’s sons [The patriarchs] became jealous of Joseph and sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him


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and ·saved [rescued; delivered] him from all his ·troubles [afflictions]. God gave Joseph ·wisdom to gain the favor of [favor and wisdom before] Pharaoh, king of Egypt. The king made him governor of Egypt and put him in charge of ·all the people in his palace [his whole household].


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“Then all the land of Egypt and Canaan experienced a famine, and the people suffered very much. ·Jacob’s sons, our ancestors, [Our fathers] could not find anything to eat.


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But when Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt, he sent ·his sons [our fathers] there. This was their first trip to Egypt [].


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When they went there a second time [], Joseph ·told his brothers who he was [made himself known to his brothers], and ·the king [Pharaoh] learned about Joseph’s family.


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Then Joseph sent messengers to ·invite [summon; call] Jacob, his father, to come to Egypt along with all his relatives (seventy-five persons altogether).


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Later their bodies were moved to Shechem and put in a grave there. (It was the same grave Abraham had bought for a sum of ·money [silver] from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.) [Stephen combines two accounts, Abraham’s purchase of a field in Hebron () and Jacob’s purchase of a field in Shechem ().]


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“The promise God made to Abraham [] was soon to come true, and the number of people in Egypt ·grew large [increased/flourished and multiplied].


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Then ·a new [another] king, who ·did not know who Joseph was [or did not think Joseph was important], ·began to rule Egypt [arose; ].


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This king ·tricked [exploited; dealt treacherously with] our ·people [race] and was cruel to our ·ancestors [fathers], forcing them to ·leave [expose; abandon] their babies outside to die [such abandonment was a common ancient method of population control].


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At this time Moses was born, and he was ·very beautiful [beautiful before/to God; or of high status in God’s eyes]. For three months Moses was cared for in his father’s house.


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When ·they put Moses outside [he was abandoned/exposed; when Moses’ mother “exposed” Moses to the elements, she was actually hiding him; ], ·the king’s [Pharaoh’s] daughter adopted him and raised him as if he were her own son.


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·The Egyptians taught Moses everything they knew [So Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians], and he was a powerful man in ·what he said and did [his words and actions].


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“When Moses was about forty years old, ·he thought it would be good [it rose up in his heart] to visit his own ·people [relatives; brothers (and sisters)], the ·people [sons; children] of Israel.


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Moses saw an Egyptian ·mistreating [wronging] one of his people, so he defended the ·Israelite [oppressed man] and ·punished the Egyptian by killing him [avenged him by striking down the Egyptian; ].


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Moses ·thought [assumed] his own ·people [relatives; brothers (and sisters)] would understand that God was using him to save them, but they did not.


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The next day when Moses saw two men of Israel fighting, he tried to ·make peace between [reconcile] them. He said, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why are you ·hurting [wronging] each other?’


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The man who was ·hurting [wronging] ·the other [his neighbor] pushed Moses away and said, ‘Who made you our ruler and judge?


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When Moses heard him say this, he ·left Egypt [fled] and went to live in the land of Midian [a land without distinct borders centered in northwestern Arabia] where he was a ·stranger [foreigner; resident alien; ]. While Moses lived in Midian, he had two sons.


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“Forty years later an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush as he was in the ·desert [wilderness] near Mount Sinai [].


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When Moses saw this, he was amazed [at the sight/vision] and went near to look closer. Moses heard the Lord’s voice say,


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‘I am the God of your ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers], the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob [].’ Moses began to ·shake [tremble] with fear and ·was afraid [did not dare] to look.


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I have [surely; indeed] seen the ·troubles [wrongs; mistreatment; oppression] my people have suffered in Egypt. I have heard their ·cries [groans] and have come down to ·save [rescue; deliver] them. And now, Moses, I am sending you back to Egypt [, , ].’


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“This Moses was the same man the two men of Israel rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge [; compare the rejection of Jesus in ]?’ This same man God sent to be a ruler and ·savior [rescuer; liberator; redeemer], with the ·help [hand] of the angel that ·Moses saw [appeared to him] in the burning bush.


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·So Moses [This man] led the people out of Egypt. He worked ·miracles [wonders] and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea [the Hebrew OT calls it the Sea of Reeds; the Septuagint (the Greek OT) calls it the Red Sea; ; ], and then in the ·desert [wilderness] for forty years.


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This is the same Moses that said to the ·people [sons; children] of Israel, ‘God will ·give [raise up for] you a prophet like me, ·who is one of your own ·people [from among your brothers; ].’


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This is the Moses who was with the ·gathering of the Israelites [assembly; congregation] in the ·desert [wilderness]. He was with the angel that spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and he was with our ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers]. He received ·commands from God that give life [life-giving messages; or living oracles], and he gave those commands to us [].


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“But our ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers] did not want to obey Moses. They ·rejected him [pushed him away] and ·wanted to go [in their hearts turned] back to Egypt.


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They said to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will ·lead [go before] us. Moses led us out of Egypt, but we don’t know what has happened to him [].’


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So [in those days] the people made an idol that looked like a calf. Then they ·brought [or offered up] sacrifices to it and ·were proud of [celebrated; rejoiced about] what they had made with their own hands.


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But God turned ·against [or away from] them and did not try to stop them from worshiping the ·sun, moon, and stars [host of heaven]. This is what is written in the book of the prophets: God says, ‘·People [House] of Israel, you did not ·bring [offer up to] me sacrifices and offerings while you traveled in the ·desert [wilderness] for forty years.


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You have carried with you the tent to worship Molech [a pagan deity; ; ] and the idols of ·the star god [or the star of your god] Rephan [a pagan deity, perhaps associated with the planet Saturn] that you made to worship. So I will send you away [into exile] beyond Babylon [].’


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“The ·Holy Tent [Tent/Tabernacle of Testimony/Witness] where God spoke to our ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers] was with them in the ·desert [wilderness]. God told Moses how to make this ·Tent [Tabernacle], and he made it like the ·plan [pattern] God showed him [].


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Later, Joshua led our ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers] to ·capture [take possession of] the lands of the other nations. Our people went in, and God forced the other people out []. When our people went into this new land, they took with them this same ·Tent [Tabernacle] they had received from their ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers]. They kept it until the time of David,


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who ·pleased [found favor with] God and asked God to ·let him build a house [find a dwelling place] for him, the God of Jacob [].


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‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. ·So do you think you can build a house [What kind of house will you build] for me? says the Lord. ·Do I need a place to rest [Or what is my resting place]?


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Stephen continued speaking: “You ·stubborn [stiff-necked] people! You have ·not given your hearts to God, nor will you listen to him [uncircumcised hearts and ears]! You are always ·against [resisting] what the Holy Spirit is trying to tell you, just as your ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers] were.


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Was there ever a prophet your ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers] did not ·try to hurt [persecute]? They even killed ·the prophets [those] who ·predicted [foretold; announced beforehand] the coming of the ·One who is good [Righteous One; Jesus the Messiah]. And now you have ·turned against [betrayed] and ·killed [murdered] the ·One who is good [Righteous One].


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You received the law of Moses, which God gave you through his angels [; ], but you haven’t obeyed it.”


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Stephen Is Killed When the leaders heard this, they became furious [in their hearts]. They were so mad they were ·grinding [gnashing] their teeth at Stephen.


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But Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit. He looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at God’s right ·side [or hand; the place of highest honor beside a king].


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He said, “Look! I see heaven open and the Son of Man [a title for the Messiah; ] standing at God’s right ·side [or hand].” [Normally portrayed as “sitting” at God’s right side (), Jesus is standing either to give testimony to Stephen’s faithfulness, or to welcome him into God’s presence.]


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Then they shouted loudly and covered their ears and all ·ran [rushed together; or rushed with one intent] at Stephen.


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They ·took [dragged] him out of the city and began to ·throw stones at him to kill [stone] him [the customary way to execute a criminal]. And ·those who told lies against Stephen [or his accusers; those who provided testimony; the witnesses] left their coats ·with [at the feet of] a young man named Saul [later known as Paul].


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While they were ·throwing stones [stoning him], Stephen ·prayed [called out], “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”


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He fell on his knees and cried in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” After Stephen said this, he ·died [fell asleep; for believers death is temporary, like sleep].


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Saul ·agreed that the killing of Stephen was good [approved of his execution/death]. Troubles for the Believers On that day the church of Jerusalem began to be persecuted, and all the believers, except the apostles, were scattered throughout [the countryside/regions of] Judea and Samaria [the southern and central regions of Israel].


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And some ·religious [devout; pious; godly] ·people [or men] buried Stephen and ·cried loudly [or mourned deeply] for him.


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[But] Saul ·was also trying to destroy [or began harassing/mistreating/doing harm to] the church, going from house to house, dragging ·out [or off] men and women and putting them in ·jail [prison].


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Philip Preaches in Samaria Philip [one of the seven leaders chosen to serve; ; ] went to ·the city [or a city; or the main city] of Samaria [perhaps the city of Sebaste, known in ancient times as Samaria] and ·preached about [proclaimed] the ·Christ [Messiah].


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When the ·people [crowds] there heard Philip and saw the ·miracles [signs] he was doing, they all [with one accord/mind] listened carefully to what he said.


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Many of these people had ·evil [unclean; ] spirits in them, but Philip made the evil spirits ·leave [come out]. The spirits made a loud ·noise [cry] when they came out. Philip also healed many ·weak [paralyzed] and ·crippled [lame] people there.


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But there was a man named Simon in that city. ·Before Philip came there, [Previously] Simon had practiced ·magic [sorcery] and amazed all the people of Samaria. He ·bragged and called himself [said he was] a great man.


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All the people—·the least important and the most important [from the smallest to the greatest]—paid attention to Simon, saying, “This man has the power of God, called ‘·the Great Power [Great]’!”


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Simon had amazed them with his ·magic [sorcery] so long that the people ·became his followers [paid attention to him].


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But when Philip told them the ·Good News [Gospel] about the kingdom of God and the ·power [name] of Jesus Christ, men and women believed Philip and were baptized.


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Simon himself believed, and after he was baptized, he stayed very close to Philip. When he saw the ·miracles [signs] and the powerful things Philip did, Simon was amazed.


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When the apostles who were still in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria [] had ·accepted [received] the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.


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When Peter and John arrived, they prayed that the Samaritan believers might receive the Holy Spirit.


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These people had [only] been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, but the Holy Spirit had not yet ·come [fallen] upon any of them.


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Then, when ·the two apostles [they] began ·laying [placing] their hands on the people [a ritual of blessing and/or conferring of authority], they received the Holy Spirit.


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Simon saw that the Spirit was given to people when the apostles ·laid [placed] their hands on them. So he offered the apostles money,


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saying, “Give me also this power so that anyone on whom I ·lay [place] my hands will receive the Holy Spirit.”


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Peter said to him, “·You and your money should both be destroyed [May your silver perish with you], because you thought you could ·buy [get; obtain] God’s gift with money.


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You ·cannot [have no part or] share with us in this ·work [ministry; thing; word] since your heart is not right before God.


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·Change your heart! Turn away from [Repent of] this evil thing you have done, and pray to the Lord. Maybe he will forgive you for ·thinking this [the intent of your heart].


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[For] I see that you are full of ·bitter jealousy [the gall/bile of bitterness; a metaphor; gall is a bitter fluid; ] and ·ruled by sin [in bondage to wickedness/unrighteousness].”


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Simon answered, “Both of you pray for me to the Lord so the things you have said will not happen to me.”


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After ·Peter and John [they] ·told the people what they had seen Jesus do [testified; bore witness] and after they had spoken the ·message [word] of the Lord, they went back to Jerusalem. On the way, they went through many Samaritan ·towns [villages] and preached the ·Good News [Gospel] to the people.


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Philip Teaches an Ethiopian An angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get ·ready [up] and go ·south [or at about noon] to the road that leads down to Gaza from Jerusalem [a distance of about fifty miles]—the ·desert [wilderness] road.”


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So Philip got ·ready [up] and went. On the road he saw a man from Ethiopia [not present-day Ethiopia (Abyssinia), but Nubia in northern Sudan], a eunuch [or court official; royal servants were sometimes made eunuchs (castrated males), especially if they served in the presence of females]. He was an important officer in the service of ·Candace [or the Kandáke; a title, not a name, meaning “queen”], the queen of the Ethiopians; he was responsible for ·taking care of all her money [her entire treasury]. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship.


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Now, as he was on his way home, he was sitting in his chariot reading from the ·Book of Isaiah, the prophet [the prophet Isaiah].


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So when Philip ran toward the chariot, he heard the man reading from Isaiah the prophet [ancient peoples generally read aloud]. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”


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He answered, “How can I understand unless someone ·explains it to [guides; directs] me?” Then he ·invited [urged] Philip to climb in and sit with him.


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The portion of Scripture he was reading was this: “He was like a sheep being led to ·be killed [the slaughter]. He was quiet, as a lamb is quiet ·while its wool is being cut [before its shearer]; he never opened his mouth.


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He was shamed and was treated ·unfairly [unjustly]. ·He died without children to continue his family [Who can describe his generation?; having no descendants was a mark of shame and failure]. [For] His life on earth ·has ended [was taken away; ].”


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The ·officer [eunuch] said to Philip, “Please tell me, who is the prophet talking about—himself or someone else [the idea of a suffering messiah was not commonly understood in Judaism]?”


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Philip ·began to speak [opened his mouth], and starting with this same Scripture, he told the man the ·Good News [Gospel] about Jesus.


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While they were traveling down the road, they came to some water. The ·officer [eunuch] said, “Look, here is water. What is ·stopping [preventing] me from being baptized?”


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,Philip answered, “If you believe with all your heart, you can.” The officer said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”,


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Then the officer commanded the chariot to stop. Both Philip and the ·officer [eunuch] went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.


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When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord ·took [snatched; carried] Philip away; the officer ·never [or no longer] saw him again. And the ·officer [eunuch] continued on his way home, ·full of joy [rejoicing].


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But Philip ·appeared [or found himself; was found] in a city called Azotus [another name for Ashdod, just to the north of Gaza] and ·preached [proclaimed] the ·Good News [Gospel] in all the towns on the way from Azotus to Caesarea [a city further north up the coast].


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Saul Is Converted ·In Jerusalem [But; Meanwhile] Saul was still ·threatening [breathing threats against] the ·followers [disciples] of the Lord by saying he would kill them. So he went to the high priest [probably Caiaphas; ]


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and asked him to write letters to the synagogues in the city of Damascus [in Syria, 135 miles north of Jerusalem]. Then if Saul found any ·followers of Christ’s Way [or who belonged to the Way; a name for the Christian movement], men or women, he would ·arrest [take them prisoner; bind] them and bring them back to Jerusalem.


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So Saul headed toward Damascus. As he came near the city, a bright light from heaven suddenly flashed around him [in the OT lightning sometimes signaled the appearance of God; ].


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Saul said, “Who are you, ·Lord [or sir]?” The voice answered, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.


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The ·people [men] traveling with Saul stood there ·but said nothing [speechless; or unable to speak]. They heard the voice, but they saw no one.


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Saul got up from the ground and opened his eyes, but he could not see. So those with Saul took his hand and led him into Damascus.


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There was a ·follower of Jesus [disciple] in Damascus named Ananias []. The Lord spoke to Ananias in a vision, “Ananias!” Ananias answered, “Here I am, Lord.”


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The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to Straight Street [the main east-west street of the city]. Find the house of Judas [not either of Jesus’ disciples by that name; Judas was a common name], and ask for a man named Saul from the city of Tarsus [a town in Cilicia, a Roman province in southeastern Asia Minor (present-day Turkey)]. He is there now, praying.


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Saul has seen a vision in which a man named Ananias comes to him and ·lays [places] his hands on him. Then he is able to see again.”


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But Ananias answered, “Lord, many people have told me about this man and the ·terrible [evil; harmful] things he did to your ·holy people [saints] in Jerusalem.


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Now he has come here to Damascus, and the ·leading [chief] priests have given him the ·power [authority] to ·arrest [bind] everyone who ·worships you [calls on your name].”


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But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! ·I have chosen Saul for an important work [For he is my chosen instrument/vessel]. ·He must tell about me […to take/carry my name] to the ·Gentiles [nations], to kings, and to the people of Israel.


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So Ananias went to the house of Judas. He ·laid [placed] his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus sent me. He is the one ·you saw [who appeared to you] on the road on your way here. He sent me so that you can see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”


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Immediately, something that looked like ·fish scales [or flakes] fell from Saul’s eyes, and he was able to see again! Then Saul got up and was baptized.


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After he ate some food, his strength returned. Saul Preaches in Damascus Saul stayed with the ·followers of Jesus [disciples] in Damascus for ·a few [several; some] days.


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·Soon [Immediately; At once] he began to ·preach about [proclaim] Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “·Jesus [This one; He] is the Son of God.”


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All the people who heard him were amazed. They said, “·This is [Isn’t this…?] the man who was in Jerusalem ·trying to destroy [raising havoc for; attacking] those who ·trust in [or worship; call on] this name [the name of Jesus; the name represents the person]! He came here to ·arrest [bind] them and take them back to the ·leading [chief] priests.”


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But Saul grew more ·powerful [capable; effective]. His proofs that Jesus is the Christ were so strong that ·his own people [the Jews who lived] in Damascus ·could not argue with [were baffled/confounded by] him.


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They were watching the city gates day and night [in order to kill him], but Saul learned about their ·plan [plot].


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One night some ·followers [disciples] of Saul helped him leave the city by lowering him in a basket through an opening in the city wall [].


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Saul Preaches in Jerusalem When Saul went to Jerusalem [], he tried to ·join [associate with] the ·group of followers [disciples], but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he was really a ·follower [disciple].


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But Barnabas ·accepted [or took hold of] Saul and took him to the apostles. Barnabas explained to them that Saul had seen the Lord on the road and the Lord had spoken to Saul. Then he told them how ·boldly [fearlessly] Saul had preached in the name of Jesus in Damascus.


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And so Saul stayed with the ·followers [disciples], ·going everywhere [or going around openly with them; going in and going out] in Jerusalem, preaching ·boldly [fearlessly] in the name of the Lord.


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He would often talk and ·argue [debate] with the ·Jewish people who spoke Greek [Hellenists; Jews who spoke Greek and had returned to Israel after living abroad], but they were trying to kill him.


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When the ·followers [brothers] learned about this, they took Saul to Caesarea [city on the Mediterranean coast] and from there sent him to Tarsus [].


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[Then; or Therefore] The church everywhere in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria [areas that comprise ancient Israel] had a time of peace and ·became stronger [was built up/edified]. ·Respecting the Lord by the way they lived [Walking in the fear of the Lord], and being ·encouraged [comforted; exhorted] by the Holy Spirit, ·the group of believers [it] continued to grow.


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Peter Heals Aeneas As Peter was traveling through all the area, he ·visited [came down also to] ·God’s people [the saints] who lived in Lydda [OT Lod, 25 miles northwest of Jerusalem; ].


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There he ·met [found] a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had not been able to leave his ·bed [cot; mat] for the past eight years.


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Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus ·Christ [or the Messiah] heals you. Stand up and ·make your bed [roll up your mat; or prepare yourself a meal; the idiom “spread for yourself” probably refers to his bed, but could refer to food].” Aeneas stood up immediately.


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All the people living in Lydda and on ·the Plain of Sharon [Sharon; the coastal plain] saw him and turned to the Lord.


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Peter Heals Tabitha In the city of Joppa [on the Mediterranean coast, 35 miles northwest of Jerusalem; present-day Jaffa] there was a ·follower [disciple] named Tabitha (whose Greek name was Dorcas [both mean “gazelle”]). She was always doing good deeds and ·kind acts [acts of charity; giving alms].


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·While Peter was in Lydda [In those days], Tabitha became sick and died. Her body was washed [a custom of preparation for burial] and put in a room upstairs.


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Since Lydda is near Joppa and the ·followers [disciples] in Joppa heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two ·messengers [men] to Peter. They begged him, “Hurry, please come to us!”


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So Peter got ·ready [up] and went with them. When he arrived, they took him to the upstairs room where all the widows stood around Peter, crying. They showed him the ·shirts [tunics] and coats [clothing; garments; robes] ·Tabitha [Dorcas] had made when she was ·still alive [with them].


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Peter sent everyone out of the room and kneeled and prayed. Then he turned to the body and said, “Tabitha, stand up.” She opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up.


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He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then he called the believers and the widows into the room and showed them that Tabitha was alive.


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Peter stayed in Joppa for many days with a man named Simon who was a tanner [or Simon Byrseus; Byrseus means “tanner” (someone who works with animal skins), but could be a name or an occupation; the occupation was considered unclean by Jews since it involved the bodies of dead animals].


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Peter Teaches Cornelius At Caesarea [a coastal city, 25 miles south of Mount Carmel; a center of Roman government for Palestine] there was a man named Cornelius, ·an officer [a centurion; an officer in charge of about a hundred soldiers] in the Italian ·group of the Roman army [cohort; regiment; a cohort was about six hundred soldiers].


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Cornelius was a ·religious [pious; godly] man. He and all ·the other people who lived in his house [his household] ·worshiped the true God [feared God; “God-fearers” were Gentiles who worshiped the one true God of Israel]. He gave much of his money to ·the poor [or the Jewish people; the people] and prayed to God often.


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·One afternoon about three o’clock [About the ninth hour of the day], Cornelius clearly saw a vision. An angel of God came to him and said, “Cornelius!”


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Cornelius stared at the angel. He ·became afraid [was terrified] and said, “What do you want, ·Lord [or sir]?” The angel said, “·God has heard your prayers. He has seen that you give to the poor, and he remembers you [Your prayers and your alms have gone up to God as a memorial/memorial offering].


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He is staying [as a guest] with a man, ·also named Simon, who is a tanner [or named Simon Byrseus; ] and has a house beside the sea.”


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When the angel who spoke to Cornelius left, Cornelius called two of his ·servants [household slaves/servants] and a soldier, a ·religious [devout; pious; godly] man who ·worked for him [or was on his staff; or was loyal to him].


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About ·noon [the sixth hour] the next day as they ·came near Joppa [journeyed and drew near the city], Peter was going up to the roof [in ancient Israel flat roofs were used as living spaces and for storage] to pray.


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He was hungry and wanted to eat, but while the food was being prepared, he ·had a vision [or fell into a trance].


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He saw heaven opened and ·something [an object] coming down that looked like a big sheet being lowered to earth by its four corners.


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But Peter said, “·No [Absolutely not], Lord! I have never eaten food that is ·unholy [profane; common] or ·unclean [ritually defiled; the OT food laws differentiated Israelites from Gentiles; ; ].”


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But the voice said to him again, “God has made these things clean, so don’t call them ·‘unholy’ [‘profane’; ‘common’]!”


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While Peter was ·wondering [perplexed about] what this vision meant, [look; behold] the men Cornelius sent had found Simon’s house and were standing at the gate.


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While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “·Listen [Look; Behold], three men are looking for you.


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[So; But] Get up and go downstairs. Go with them without ·doubting [or hesitation], because I have sent them to you.”


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So Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are ·looking [searching] for. Why did you come here?”


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They said, “A holy angel spoke to Cornelius, ·an army officer [a centurion] and a ·good [righteous] man; he ·worships [fears] God. ·All the people [The whole Jewish nation] ·respect [speak well of; testify to] him. The angel told Cornelius to ask you to come to his house so that he can hear what you have to say.”


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So Peter ·asked [invited] the men to come in and ·spend the night [entertained them as guests; an unusual gesture, since Jews would not normally invite Gentiles into their homes]. The next day Peter got ·ready [up] and went with them, and some of the ·followers [Jewish believers; brothers] from Joppa joined him.


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On the following day they came to Caesarea []. Cornelius was ·waiting for [expecting] them and had called together his relatives and close friends.


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He said, “You people understand that it is against our law for Jewish people to associate with or visit anyone who is a ·foreigner [Gentile]. But God has shown me that I should not call any person unholy [profane; common] or unclean [defiled].


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That is why I did not ·argue [object] when I was asked to come here. Now, please tell me why you sent for me.”


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Cornelius said, “Four days ago [], I was praying in my house at this same time—·three o’clock in the afternoon [at the ninth hour]. Suddenly, there was a man standing before me wearing ·shining [dazzling] clothes.


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He said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and ·has seen that you give to the poor and remembers you [your alms have been remembered by/before God].


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So send some men to Joppa and ask Simon [who is called] Peter to come. Peter is staying [as a guest] in the house of a man, ·also named Simon, who is a tanner [or named Simon Byrseus; ] and has a house beside the sea [see ].’


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So I sent for you immediately, and it was ·very good [kind] of you to come. Now we are all here ·before [in the presence of; or available to] God to hear everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”


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Peter ·began to speak [opened his mouth]: “I ·really [truly] understand now that ·to God every person is the same [God does not show favoritism/partiality].


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[But] In every ·country [nation] God accepts anyone who ·worships [fears] him and ·does what is right [practices righteousness].


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You know the ·message [word] that God has sent to the people of Israel ·is the Good News that peace [announcing/proclaiming the Gospel of peace that] has come through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Lord of all people [both Jews and Gentiles]!


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You know what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after John [the Baptist] preached to the people about baptism [].


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You know about Jesus from Nazareth, that God ·gave him [anointed him with] the Holy Spirit and power. You know how Jesus went everywhere doing good and healing those who were ·ruled [oppressed] by the devil, because God was with him.


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We ·saw [witnessed] what Jesus did in [the region/country of] Judea and in Jerusalem, but ·the Jews in Jerusalem [they] killed him by hanging him on a ·cross [tree].


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not by all the people, but only by the witnesses God had already chosen. And we are those witnesses who ate and drank with him after he was raised from the dead.


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He ·told [commanded] us to preach to the people and to ·tell them [testify; bear witness] that he is the one whom God ·chose [appointed; determined] to be the judge of the living and the dead.


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All the prophets ·say it is true [witnessed; testified] that all who believe in Jesus will be forgiven of their sins through Jesus’ name.”


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While Peter was still saying ·this [these words], the Holy Spirit ·came down [fell] on all those who ·were listening [heard the word/message].


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The ·Jewish [circumcised] believers who came with Peter were ·amazed [astonished] that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been ·given [poured out] even to the ·nations [Gentiles].


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[For] ·These believers [They] heard them speaking in different languages [tongues; either other languages or ecstatic utterance] and ·praising [magnifying] God. Then Peter said,


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“Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we did!”


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So Peter ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.


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Peter Returns to Jerusalem The apostles and the ·believers [brothers] in Judea heard that some Gentiles had accepted ·God’s teaching [the word of God] too.


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But when Peter ·came [went up] to Jerusalem, ·some people [the circumcised; Jewish Christians who believed that they should continue to obey certain Jewish regulations] ·argued with [criticized] him.


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So Peter ·started from the beginning [or began speaking] and explained ·the whole story [it in order/step by step] to them.


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He said, “I was in the city of Joppa [], and as I was praying, I had a vision while in a trance []. I saw ·something [an object] that looked like a big sheet being lowered from heaven by its four corners. It came very close to me.


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I looked [intently] inside it and saw ·animals [four-footed creatures], wild beasts, reptiles, and birds [of the sky/air].


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But I said, ‘·No [Absolutely not], Lord! I have never eaten anything that is unholy [profane; common] or ·unclean [ritually defiled; ].’


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But the voice from heaven spoke again, ‘God has made these things clean, so don’t call them ·unholy [profane; common].’


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Right then [look; behold] three men who were sent to me from Caesarea came to the house where I was staying [].


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The Spirit told me to go with them without ·doubting [or hesitation]. These six ·believers [brothers] here also ·went with [accompanied] me, and we entered the house of ·Cornelius [the man].


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He told us about the angel he saw standing in his house. The angel said to him, ‘Send some men to Joppa and ·invite [summon; send for] Simon [who is also called] Peter to come.


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When I began ·my speech [to speak], the Holy Spirit ·came [fell] on them just as he came on us at the beginning.


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Then I remembered the words of the Lord. He said, ‘John baptized ·with [or in] water, but you will be baptized ·with [or in; or by] the Holy Spirit [; ; ; ].’


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[Therefore] Since God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I ·stop [prevent; hinder] the work of God?”


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When ·the believers [they] heard this, they ·stopped arguing [ceased their objections; remained silent]. They ·praised [glorified] God and said, “So God ·is allowing [has given] even ·other nations [the Gentiles] ·to turn to him and live [repentance (leading) to life].”


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The Good News Comes to Antioch Many of the believers were scattered when they were persecuted after Stephen was killed. Some of them went as far as Phoenicia [northwest of Israel on the coast], Cyprus [an island to the west of the coast of Syria], and Antioch [an important city in Syria] telling the message to others, but only to Jews.


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Some of these believers were people from Cyprus and Cyrene [a city in North Africa]. When they came to Antioch, they spoke also to ·Greeks [or Hellenists (see textual note); in and the word refers to Greek-speaking Jews; here it refers to Greek-speaking Gentiles], telling them the ·Good News [Gospel] about the Lord Jesus.


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·The Lord was helping the believers [The hand of the Lord was with them], and a large group of people believed and turned to the Lord.


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Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and full of faith. When he reached Antioch and saw ·how God had blessed the people [the grace of God], he ·was glad [rejoiced]. He ·encouraged [exhorted; urged] all the believers in Antioch always to ·obey [or remain true to] the Lord with ·all their hearts [resolved/resolute hearts], and many people ·became followers of [were added to] the Lord.


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and when he found Saul, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year Saul and Barnabas met with the church and taught many people there. In Antioch the ·followers [disciples] were called Christians for the first time [highlighting that they were followers of Christ, and perhaps that they were no longer viewed as merely a sect within Judaism].


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One of them, named Agabus [], stood up and spoke ·with the help of [by the power of; through] the Holy Spirit. He said, “A severe famine is coming to the whole ·world [or inhabited world; probably meaning the Roman empire].” (This happened when Claudius [Roman emperor from ad 41–54] ruled.)


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The ·followers [disciples] all decided to ·help [send relief to; send (something) as a ministry for] the ·believers [brothers] who lived in Judea, as much as each one could.


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They ·gathered the money [did this] and ·gave it to Barnabas and Saul, who brought it to the elders in Judea [sent it to the elders through the hand of Barnabas and Saul].


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Herod Agrippa Hurts the Church During that same time King Herod [Agrippa I, who lived 10 bc–ad 44; he was the grandson of Herod the Great ()] ·began to mistreat [laid hands on to harm/do evil to] some who belonged to the church.


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Herod saw that ·some of the people liked this [this pleased the Jews/Jewish leaders], so he decided to arrest Peter, too. (This happened during the time of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.)


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After Herod ·arrested [seized] Peter, he put him in ·jail [prison] and handed him over to be guarded by ·sixteen [four squads of four] soldiers. Herod planned to bring Peter ·before the people for trial [to the people; an idiom for a public trial] after the Passover Feast.


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Peter Released by an Angel The night before Herod was to bring him ·to trial [out; either for trial or for execution], Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains. Other soldiers were guarding the door of the jail.


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Suddenly, an angel of the Lord stood there, and a light shined in the cell. The angel ·struck [tapped; poked] Peter on the side and woke him up. “Hurry! Get up!” the angel said. And the chains fell off Peter’s ·hands [wrists].


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Then the angel told him, “·Get dressed [or Put on your belt] and put on your sandals.” And Peter did. Then the angel said, “·Put on your coat [Wrap your coat/cloak around you] and follow me.”


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So Peter followed him out, but he did not know if what the angel was doing was real; he thought he might be seeing a vision.


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They went past the first and second guards and came to the iron gate that ·separated them from [led to] the city. The gate opened by itself for them, and they went through it. When they had walked down one street, the angel suddenly left him.


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Then Peter ·realized what had happened [came to himself]. He thought, “Now I know that the Lord really sent his angel to me. He rescued me ·from [from the hands of] Herod and from all the things the [Jewish] people thought would happen.”


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When he ·considered [realized] this, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John [who was also called] Mark [; ; ; ; ; ; ]. Many people were gathered there, praying.


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Peter knocked on the ·outside door [or courtyard gate], and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer it.


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When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so happy she forgot to open the ·door [gate]. Instead, she ran inside and told the group, “Peter is at the ·door [gate]!”


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They said to her, “You are ·crazy [insane; mad]!” But she kept on ·saying [insisting] it was true, so they said, “It must be Peter’s angel.”


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[But; Meanwhile] Peter continued to knock, and when they opened the door, they saw him and were ·amazed [astonished].


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Peter ·made a sign [motioned] with his hand to tell them to be quiet. He ·explained [recounted] how the Lord led him out of the ·jail [prison], and he said, “Tell James [not the son of Zebedee (who had been executed, ), but the half-brother of Jesus, who would become the senior leader in the Jerusalem church; ; ] and the other ·believers [brothers] what happened.” Then he left to go to another place.


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The next ·day [or morning] ·the soldiers were very upset [there was no small commotion among the soldiers; soldiers who allowed a prisoner to escape would suffer the prisoner’s punishment] and wondered what had happened to Peter.


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Herod ·looked [searched] everywhere for him but could not find him. So he questioned the guards and ordered that they be ·killed [led away; presumably to be executed]. The Death of Herod Agrippa Later Herod ·moved [or took a trip] from Judea and went to the city of Caesarea, where he stayed.


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Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon [major cities on the Phoenician coast north of Israel], but the people of those cities all ·came in a group [or agreed together to come] to him. After convincing Blastus, the ·king’s personal servant [chamberlain; one in charge of his bedroom], to ·be on their side [or support their position], they asked Herod for peace, because their country got its food from his country.


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On ·a chosen [an appointed] day Herod put on his royal robes, sat on his ·throne [judgment seat; rostrum; platform], and made a speech to the people.


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Because Herod did not give the glory to God, an angel of the Lord immediately ·caused him to become sick [struck him down], and he was ·eaten [or infected] by worms [perhaps intestinal roundworms] and died.


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After Barnabas and Saul finished their ·task in Jerusalem [mission], they returned to Antioch, taking John [also called] Mark with them.


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Barnabas and Saul Are Chosen In the church at Antioch there were these prophets and teachers: Barnabas [], Simeon (also called Niger [meaning “Black”; ]), Lucius (from the city of Cyrene [a city in North Africa]), Manaen (who ·had grown up with Herod [or was a close friend of Herod; or was a member of Herod’s court], the ·ruler [tetrarch; a Roman political title; see ]), and Saul.


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They were all ·worshiping [or serving] the Lord and fasting [giving up eating for spiritual purposes]. During this time the Holy Spirit said to them, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul to do ·a special [the] work for which I have ·chosen [called] them.”


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So after they fasted and prayed, they laid their hands on [a ritual of blessing and/or conferring of authority] Barnabas and Saul and sent them out.


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Barnabas and Saul in Cyprus Barnabas and Saul, sent out by the Holy Spirit, went to the city of Seleucia [a Syrian city 15 miles from Antioch]. From there they sailed to the island of Cyprus [an island off the coast of Syria, and Barnabas’ homeland; ].


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When they came to Salamis [the main city of Cyprus], they preached the ·Good News [Gospel; word] of God in the synagogues [of the Jews]. John Mark was ·with them to help [their assistant].


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They went across the whole island to Paphos [the capital city of Cyprus, on the southwest coast] where they met a ·magician [sorcerer] named Bar-Jesus [meaning “son of Jesus/Joshua”]. He was a Jewish false prophet


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who ·always stayed close to [was with; perhaps an assistant or advisor] Sergius Paulus, the ·governor [proconsul] and a ·smart [intelligent; discerning] man. He asked Barnabas and Saul to come to him, because he wanted to hear the ·message [word] of God.


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But Elymas, the magician (that is what his name means), was against them [Elymas probably comes either from an Arabic word meaning “wise man” or an Aramaic word meaning “interpreter of dreams”—hence a “magician”]. He tried to ·stop [turn away] the ·governor [proconsul] from ·believing in Jesus [the faith].


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But Saul, who was also called Paul [Saul was his Jewish name; Paul his Roman name (both probably given at birth)], was filled with the Holy Spirit. He looked ·straight [intently] at Elymas


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and said, “You son of the devil! You are an enemy of ·everything that is right [all righteousness]! You are full of ·lies [deceit] and ·evil tricks [fraud; evil schemes], ·always trying to change the Lord’s truths into lies [will you never stop making crooked/perverting the straight paths of the Lord?].


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Now [look; behold] the [hand of the] Lord will touch you, and you will be blind. For a time you will not be able to see anything—not even the light from the sun.” Then ·everything became dark for [mist and darkness fell upon] Elymas, and he walked around, trying to find someone to lead him by the hand.


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When the ·governor [proconsul] saw this, he believed because he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.


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Paul and Barnabas Leave Cyprus Paul and ·those with him [his companions] sailed from Paphos [] and came to Perga, in Pamphylia [a Roman province in southern Turkey; Perga was a major city]. There John Mark left them to return to Jerusalem [].


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They continued their trip from Perga and went to Antioch, a city in Pisidia [a Roman province in southcentral Turkey; this Antioch should not be confused with Antioch in Syria ()]. On the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.


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After the law of Moses and the writings of the prophets were read [part of the traditional synagogue service], the leaders of the synagogue sent a message to Paul and Barnabas: “Brothers, if you have any ·message that will encourage the people [word of encouragement/exhortation; they are invited to give the homily, or sermon], please speak.”


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Paul stood up, ·raised [or motioned with] his hand, and said, “·You Israelites [Men, Israelites] and you who ·worship [fear] God [Gentiles who worshiped the God of Israel; ], please listen!


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The God of the Israelites chose our ·ancestors [fathers; Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; ]. He made the people great during the time they lived [as foreigners/aliens] in Egypt, and he brought them out of that country with ·great power [a raised/uplifted arm].


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God destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan and gave the land to his people [as an inheritance].


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All this happened in about four hundred fifty years [a round number of the time Israel was in Egypt, wandering in the wilderness, and conquering the land]. “After this, God gave them judges [] until the time of Samuel the prophet [; ].


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Then the people asked for a king, so God gave them Saul son of Kish. Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin and was king for forty years [].


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After God ·took him away [removed/deposed him], God ·made David [raised up David as] their king []. God ·said [witnessed; testified] about him: ‘I have found in David son of Jesse ·the kind of man I want [a man whose heart is like mine; a man after my own heart; ; ]. He will ·do [or accomplish] all ·I want him to do [my will].’


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So God has brought Jesus, one of David’s ·descendants [seed], to Israel to be its Savior, as he promised [; ].


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Before Jesus came, John [the Baptist] preached to all the people of Israel about a baptism of ·changed hearts and lives [repentance; ; ; ].


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When he was finishing his ·work [race; course; mission], he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I am not ·the Christ [the Messiah; he; the anointed king from David’s line]. He is coming later, and I am not worthy to untie his sandals [a gesture of subservience fit for a slave].’


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“·Brothers, [Men, brothers] ·sons [or descendants] of the family of Abraham, and others who ·worship [fear; ] God, listen! The ·news [word; message] about this salvation has been sent to us.


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Those who live in Jerusalem and their leaders ·did not realize that Jesus was the Savior [were ignorant of this; or did not recognize him]. They did not understand the ·words that the prophets wrote [voices of the prophets], which are read every Sabbath day. But they ·made them come true [fulfilled them] when they ·said Jesus was guilty [condemned him].


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They could not find any real ·reason [cause; basis] for Jesus to be put to death, but they asked Pilate to have him ·killed [executed].


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When they had done to him all that ·the Scriptures had said [was written about him], they took him down from the ·cross [tree; ; ; ; ] and laid him in a tomb.


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After this, for many days, ·those who had gone with Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem saw him [or he appeared to those…Jerusalem]. They are now his witnesses to the people.


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We tell you the ·Good News [Gospel] about the promise God made to our ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers; ; ].


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·God has made this promise come true [He has fulfilled this promise] for us, their ·children [descendants], by raising Jesus from the dead. We read about this also in the second psalm: ‘You are my Son. Today I have ·become your Father [fathered you; begotten you; ].’


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God raised Jesus from the dead, and he will never go back to ·the grave and become dust [corruption; decay]. So God said: ‘I will give you the holy and ·sure blessings [faithful things] that I promised to David [].’


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But in another place God says: ‘You will not let your Holy One ·experience [see] ·decay [corruption; ].’


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[For; Now] David ·did God’s will [served God’s purpose] during his ·lifetime [generation]. Then he ·died [slept; a euphemism for death] and was ·buried [placed] beside his ·ancestors [fathers], and his body ·experienced [saw] ·decay [corruption] in the grave.


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[Therefore] ·Brothers [Men, brothers], ·understand what we are telling you [know this]: ·You can have forgiveness of your sins [Forgiveness of sins is announced to you] through ·Jesus [this man].


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The law of Moses could not ·free you from your sins [justify you; make you righteous]. But through Jesus everyone who believes is ·free from all sins [justified; made/declared righteous].


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‘·Listen [Look; Behold], you ·people who doubt [scoffers; mockers]! ·You can wonder [Be amazed], and then ·die [perish; vanish]. I ·will do something [am working a work] in your ·lifetime [days] that you won’t believe even when you are told about it []!’”


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While ·Paul and Barnabas [they] were leaving the synagogue, the people ·asked [urged; encouraged] them to tell them more about these things on the next Sabbath.


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When the meeting was over, many of the Jews and devout ·converts to Judaism [proselytes] followed Paul and Barnabas from that place. Paul and Barnabas were persuading them to continue trusting in God’s grace.


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Seeing the crowd, the Jewish people became very jealous and said ·insulting [blasphemous] things and ·argued against [contradicted] what Paul said.


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But Paul and Barnabas spoke very ·boldly [fearlessly; courageously], saying, “·We must [It was necessary for us to] speak the ·message [word] of God to you first. But [since] you ·refuse to listen [or reject it]. You are judging yourselves not worthy of having eternal life! So we will now ·go [turn] to the ·people of other nations [Gentiles].


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[For] This is what the Lord ·told us to do [commanded us], saying: ‘I have ·made [appointed] you a light for the ·nations [Gentiles]; ·you will show people all over the world the way to be saved [to bring salvation to the ends of the earth; ; ; ].’”


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When the Gentiles heard Paul say this, they ·were happy [rejoiced] and ·gave honor to [praised] the ·message [word] of the Lord. And the people who were ·chosen [destined; appointed] to have life forever ·believed the message [believed].


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But the Jewish people ·stirred up [incited] some of the ·important religious women [devout/God-fearing women of high social status] and the ·leaders [or prominent men] of the city. They ·started trouble [stirred up persecution] against Paul and Barnabas and forced them out of their ·area [region].


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So Paul and Barnabas shook the dust off their feet [a sign of rejection and protest] and went to Iconium [a city in the interior of south central Asia Minor, present-day Turkey].


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Paul and Barnabas in Iconium In Iconium [], ·Paul and Barnabas [they] went as usual to the Jewish synagogue [they typically appealed to their fellow Jews first]. They spoke ·so well [in such a way] that a great many Jews and Greeks believed.


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But the Jews who did not believe ·excited [stirred up] the Gentiles and ·turned them [poisoned their minds; harmed/did evil to their souls] against the ·believers [brothers (and sisters)].


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[So; Therefore] ·Paul and Barnabas [They] stayed in Iconium a long time and spoke ·bravely [or boldly] for the Lord. He ·showed [testified; confirmed] that their ·message [word] about his grace was true by giving them the power to work [miraculous] signs and ·miracles [wonders].


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But [the people/population of] the city was divided. Some of the people agreed with the Jews, and others ·believed [were with] the apostles.


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Some Gentiles, some Jews, and some of their rulers ·wanted [intended; plotted] to mistreat Paul and Barnabas and to stone them to death.


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When ·Paul and Barnabas [they] learned about this, they ·ran away [fled; escaped] to Lystra [eighteen miles south of Iconium] and Derbe [sixty miles southeast from Lystra], cities in Lycaonia [the administrative district], and to the areas around those cities.


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Paul in Lystra and Derbe In Lystra [] there sat a man who had been ·born crippled [lame from the womb of his mother]; he had never walked.


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As this man was listening to Paul speak, Paul looked straight at him and saw that he ·believed [had faith that] God could heal him.


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So he ·cried out [said with a loud voice], “Stand up on your feet!” The man jumped up and began walking around.


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When the crowds saw what Paul did, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have ·become like humans [or taken on human form] and have come down to us!”


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Then the people began to call Barnabas “Zeus” [main god of the Greek pantheon] and Paul “Hermes,” [the Greek god who delivered messages] because he was the main speaker.


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The priest in the temple of Zeus, which was ·near [or beside; at the entrance of] the city, brought some ·bulls [or oxen] and ·flowers [garlands; wreaths] to the ·gates [temple gates; or city gates; but it is doubtful that Lystra had city walls at this time]. He and the people wanted to offer a sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas.


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But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard about it, they tore their clothes [indicating outrage or sorrow]. They ran in among the people, shouting,


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“·Friends [Men], why are you doing these things? We are only human beings ·like [of the same nature as] you. We are bringing you the ·Good News [Gospel] and are telling you to turn away from these worthless things and turn to the living God. He is the One who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything in them [; ].


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Yet he ·proved he is real [has not left himself without a witness] by ·showing kindness [doing good], by giving you rain from heaven and crops at the right ·times [seasons], by ·giving you [satisfying/filling you with] food and filling your hearts with joy [].”


text:
Then some Jews [those who had opposed them earlier; ; , ] came from Antioch and Iconium and persuaded the people to turn against Paul. So they threw stones at him [; stoning was the main Jewish method of execution] and dragged him out of town, thinking they had killed him.


text:
But the ·followers [disciples] ·gathered around him [or surrounded him; either to protect from further attack or to check on his condition], and he got up and went back into the town [perhaps a miracle; certainly evidence of Paul’s perseverance]. The next day he and Barnabas left and went to the city of Derbe [].


text:
The Return to Antioch in Syria ·Paul and Barnabas [They] ·told the Good News [preached the Gospel] in Derbe, and many became ·followers [disciples]. ·Paul and Barnabas [They] returned to Lystra [], Iconium, and Antioch,


text:
·making the followers of Jesus stronger [strengthening the souls/lives of the disciples] and ·helping them stay [encouraging/exhorting them to remain/persevere] in the faith. They said, “We must ·suffer many things [endure/pass through many trials/persecutions] to enter God’s kingdom.”


text:
They ·chose [appointed; or elected] elders [; ] for each church, ·by [after; with] praying and fasting [giving up eating for spiritual purposes]. These elders had ·trusted [believed in] the Lord, so Paul and Barnabas ·put them in [committed them to] the Lord’s care.


text:
When they had ·preached the message [spoken the word] in Perga [], they went down to Attalia [eight miles southwest of Perga].


text:
And from there they sailed away to Antioch [in Syria about 400 miles away] where ·the believers had put them into God’s care [they had been delivered over to God’s grace] to do the work that they had now ·finished [completed; fulfilled].


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When they arrived in Antioch, ·Paul and Barnabas [they] gathered the church together. They ·told [reported/recounted to] the church all about what God had done with them and how God had ·made it possible for the Gentiles to believe [opened a door of faith to the Gentiles].


text:
The Meeting in Jerusalem Then some people came to Antioch from Judea and began teaching the Gentile believers [brothers (and sisters)]: “You cannot be saved if you are not circumcised ·as Moses taught us [according to the custom of Moses; compare ].”


text:
Paul and Barnabas ·were against this teaching and argued [had no small argument and debate] with them about it. So the church ·decided to send [commissioned; appointed] Paul, Barnabas, and some others to Jerusalem where they could talk more about this disagreement with the apostles and elders.


text:
The church ·helped them leave [sent them] on the trip, and they went through the countries of Phoenicia and Samaria, telling all about ·how the other nations had turned to God [the conversion of the Gentiles]. This made all the ·believers [brothers (and sisters)] very ·happy [joyful].


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When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the apostles, the elders, and the church. They told about everything God had done with them.


text:
But some of the believers who belonged to the Pharisee ·group [sect; party; faction] ·came forward [stood up] and said, “·The Gentile believers [They] must be circumcised. They must be ·told to obey [ordered to keep] the law of Moses.”


text:
After a long debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “[Men,] Brothers, you know that in the early days God chose me from among you to preach the ·Good News [Gospel] to the ·nations [Gentiles]. They heard the ·Good News [Gospel] from ·me [my mouth], and they believed.


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God, who knows the ·thoughts of everyone [heart], ·accepted [showed his approval of; testified for] them. He showed this to us by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us.


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To God, those people are not different from us. When they believed, he made their hearts ·pure [clean].


text:
So now why are you testing God by putting a ·heavy load around [yoke on] the necks of the ·Gentile believers [disciples]? It is a ·load [yoke] that neither we nor our ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers] were ·able [strong enough] to ·carry [bear].


text:
Then the whole ·group [assembly] became quiet. They listened to Paul and Barnabas tell about all the [miraculous] signs and ·miracles [wonders] that God did through them among the Gentiles.


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·Simon [Peter; ] has told us how God ·showed his love for [cared for; intervened with; visited] the Gentiles []. For the first time he is ·accepting [taking; selecting] from among them a people ·to be his own [for his name].


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‘After these things I will return. And I will rebuild the tent of David, which has fallen [either the Davidic dynasty of kings (the “house of David”), or the nation Israel generally]. But I will rebuild its ruins, and I will ·set it up [restore it].


text:
Then ·those people who are left alive [the remnant; the rest of the people] may ·ask the Lord for help [seek the Lord], and the ·other nations [Gentiles] ·that belong to me [who are called by my name], says the Lord, who will make it happen.


text:
And these things have been known ·for a long time [from long ago; ; a reference to God’s promise that he would restore the “remnant” of Israel and save the Gentiles].’


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“So I ·think [conclude; judge] we should not ·bother [trouble; cause trouble for] the Gentiles who are turning to God.


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Instead, we should write a letter to them telling them these things: Stay away from food ·that has been offered to idols (which makes it unclean) [polluted by idols], ·any kind of sexual sin [or prohibited marriages; the Greek word could mean any sexual sin, or marriages viewed as incestuous by OT law], eating animals that have been strangled [leaving the blood inside, which the OT law prohibited; ], and blood [consuming blood was forbidden in the OT law; ].


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They should do these things, because for a long time in every city ·the law of Moses has been taught [Moses has been preached/proclaimed; referring to the Torah (the Law)]. And it is still read in the synagogue every Sabbath day.” [These guidelines were to keep from offending pious Jews in the community and so promote unity in the Church.]


text:
Letter to Gentile Believers The apostles, the elders, and the whole church decided to send some of their men with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch. They chose Judas [called] Barsabbas [] and Silas [; ], who were ·respected by [or leaders among] the ·believers [brothers (and sisters)].


text:
·They sent the following letter with them [Writing by their hand; an idiom for composing and sending a letter]: From the apostles and elders, your brothers. To all the Gentile ·believers [brothers (and sisters)] in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings!


text:
We have heard that some of our group have come to you and said things that trouble and ·upset you [unsettle your minds/souls]. But we did not ·tell [instruct; authorize; order] them to do this.


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We have ·all [unanimously; with one accord] agreed to choose some ·messengers [men] and send them to you with our ·dear friends [beloved] Barnabas and Paul—


text:
people who have ·given [dedicated; or risked] their lives ·to serve [for the name of] our Lord Jesus Christ.


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It has pleased the Holy Spirit that you should not have a heavy ·load [burden] to carry, and we agree. You need to do only these things:


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Stay away from any food that has been ·offered [sacrificed] to idols, eating any animals that have been strangled, and blood, and any kind of sexual sin [see ]. If you stay away from these things, you will do well. ·Good-bye [Best wishes; May you fare well].


text:
So they ·left Jerusalem [were sent off/dismissed] and went to Antioch where they gathered the ·church [congregation; assembly] and ·gave them [delivered] the letter.


text:
Judas and Silas, who were ·also [themselves] prophets, said many things to encourage the ·believers [brothers (and sisters)] and make them stronger.


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After some time ·Judas and Silas [they] were sent off in peace by the ·believers [brothers (and sisters)], and they went back to those who had sent them,,


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But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch and, along with many others, preached the ·Good News [Gospel] and taught the people the ·message [word] of the Lord.


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Paul and Barnabas Separate After some ·time [days], Paul said to Barnabas, “·We should [Let’s] go back to visit the ·believers [brothers (and sisters)] in all those ·towns [or cities] where we preached the ·message [word] of the Lord [] and see how they are doing.”


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But Paul ·did not think it was a good idea to [or insisted that they should not] take him, since Mark had ·left [deserted] them at Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work [].


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Paul and Barnabas had such a ·serious argument [sharp disagreement] about this that they ·separated and went different ways [parted company; separated from one another]. Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus [an island off the coast of Syria, and the homeland of Barnabas; ; ],


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but Paul chose Silas [; ; ; ; ] and left. The ·believers [brothers (and sisters)] in Antioch ·put [commended; entrusted] Paul ·into the Lord’s care [to the grace of the Lord],


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Timothy Goes with Paul Paul came to Derbe and Lystra [], where a ·follower [disciple] named Timothy lived. Timothy’s mother was Jewish [her name was Eunice (; )] and a believer, but his father was a Greek.


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The ·believers [brothers (and sisters)] in Lystra and Iconium [] ·respected Timothy and ·said good things about [spoke well of; testified about] him.


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Paul wanted Timothy to travel with him, but all the people living in that area knew that Timothy’s father was Greek. So Paul circumcised Timothy ·to please his mother’s people [because of the Jews in those places].


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·Paul and those with him [They] traveled from town to town and ·gave [delivered; passed on] the ·decisions [decrees] made by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.


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Paul Is Called to Macedonia ·Paul and those with him [They] went through the areas of Phrygia [a region in north central Asia Minor; ] and Galatia [either the Roman province of Galatia or the old kingdom of Galatia in its north] since the Holy Spirit ·did not let them [prohibited them to; either through circumstances or divine revelation] ·preach the Good News [speak the word] in Asia [a Roman province, in present-day Turkey].


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When they came ·near [or opposite] the country of Mysia [the northwest section of Asia Minor, present-day Turkey], they tried to go into Bithynia [northern Asia Minor further east than Mysia], but the Spirit of Jesus did not let them.


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That night Paul saw in a vision a man from Macedonia [an area across the Aegean Sea in mainland Greece]. The man stood and ·begged [urged; encouraged], “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”


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After Paul had seen the vision, we [the switch to first person plural (“we”) indicates that the author, Luke, joined them (see also ; )] immediately ·prepared [made plans; attempted] to leave for Macedonia, ·understanding [or convinced] that God had called us to ·tell the Good News [preach the Gospel] to those people.


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Lydia Becomes a Christian We ·left [embarked/put out to sea from] Troas and sailed straight to the island of Samothrace [a mountainous island in the north Aegean]. The next day we sailed to Neapolis [city in Macedonia, the first city Paul visited on the continent of Europe].


text:
Then we went by land to Philippi, a Roman colony [a town begun by Romans with Roman laws, customs, and privileges] and ·the leading city in that part [or one of the leading cities in that district; or a city in the first district] of Macedonia. We stayed there for several days.


text:
On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate to the river where we ·thought [expected] we would find a special place for prayer [Philippi evidently had no synagogue because of its small Jewish population]. Some women had gathered there, so we sat down and talked with them.


text:
One of the listeners was a woman named Lydia from the city of Thyatira [in western Asia Minor] ·whose job was selling [who was a dealer/merchant in] purple cloth [the most expensive type of material]. She was a worshiper of God [a God-fearing Gentile; ], and the Lord opened her ·mind [heart] to pay attention to what Paul was saying.


text:
She and ·all the people in her house [her household] were baptized. Then she ·invited us to her home [urged us], saying, “If you ·think I am truly [have judged me to be] ·a believer in [or faithful to] the Lord, then come stay in my house.” And she ·persuaded us [urged us strongly] to stay with her.


text:
Paul and Silas in Jail Once, while we were going to the place for prayer, a ·servant [slave] girl met us. She had a ·special spirit [spirit/demon of divination/prediction; Python spirit; Python was the serpent god that guarded the Delphic oracle; the term came to be used of the ability to predict the future] in her, and she earned a lot of money for her owners by telling fortunes.


text:
This girl followed Paul and us, shouting, “These men are ·servants [slaves] of the Most High God. They are telling you ·how you can be saved [the way/path of salvation].”


text:
She kept this up for many days. This ·bothered [annoyed; exasperated] Paul, so he turned and said to the spirit, “By the ·power [name] of Jesus Christ, I command you to come out of her!” ·Immediately, [That very hour] the spirit came out.


text:
When the owners of the ·servant [slave] girl saw that their ·source for making money [hope of profit] was gone, they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the ·city rulers [leaders; authorities] in the marketplace.


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They brought Paul and Silas to the ·Roman rulers [magistrates] and said, “These men are Jews and are ·making trouble in [disturbing] our city.


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They are ·teaching things [advocating customs] that are not ·right [permitted; lawful] for us as Romans to [adopt/accept or to] do.”


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The crowd joined the attack against them. The ·Roman officers [magistrates] ·tore [stripped off] the clothes of Paul and Silas and ·had [ordered] them beaten with rods [].


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After ·being severely beaten [many blows were laid on them], ·Paul and Silas [they] were thrown into ·jail [prison], and the jailer was ordered to guard them ·carefully [securely].


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When he heard this order, he put them far inside the ·jail [prison] and ·pinned [secured; fastened] their feet ·down between large blocks of wood [in stocks; in wood].


text:
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing ·songs [hymns; praise songs] to God as the other prisoners listened.


text:
Suddenly, there was a ·strong [great; violent] earthquake that shook the foundation of the ·jail [prison]. Then all the doors of the ·jail [prison] broke open, and all the prisoners were freed from their chains.


text:
The jailer woke up and saw that the ·jail [prison] doors were open. Thinking that the prisoners had already escaped, he got his sword and was about to kill himself [being responsible, he would suffer punishment and shame for their escape].


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The jailer ·told someone to bring a light [asked for lights]. Then he ·ran [rushed] inside and, shaking with fear, fell down before Paul and Silas.


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They said to him, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved—you and ·all the people in your house [your household].”


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So ·Paul and Silas [they] told the ·message [word] of the Lord to the jailer and all the people in his ·house [household].


text:
At that hour of the night the jailer took Paul and Silas and washed their wounds. Then he and all his ·people [or family; household] were baptized immediately.


text:
After this the jailer took Paul and Silas home and gave them food. He and his ·family [household] ·were very happy [rejoiced; celebrated] because they now believed in God.


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The next morning, the ·Roman officers [magistrates] sent the police to tell the jailer, “Let these men go free.”


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The jailer ·said [reported these words] to Paul, “The ·officers [magistrates] have sent an order to let you go free. You can leave now. Go in peace.”


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But Paul said to ·the police [them], “They beat us in public ·without a trial [uncondemned], even though we are Roman citizens [Roman law stated that citizens could not be beaten without a trial]. And they threw us in ·jail [prison]. Now they want to ·make us go away [get rid of us; throw us out] ·quietly [in secret]. No! Let them come themselves and bring us out.”


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The police ·told [reported to] the ·Roman officers [magistrates] what Paul said. When ·the officers [they] heard that ·Paul and Silas [they] were Roman citizens, they were afraid.


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So they came and ·told Paul and Silas they were sorry [apologized to them; appeased them] and took them out of ·jail [prison] and asked them to leave the city.


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So when they came out of the ·jail [prison], they went to Lydia’s house where they saw some of the ·believers [brothers (and sisters)] and encouraged them. Then they left.


text:
Paul and Silas in Thessalonica ·Paul and Silas [They] traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica [a city on the Via Egnatia, the major road on the northern Aegean coast] where there was a synagogue.


text:
Paul went into the synagogue as he ·always [customarily] did [speaking to the Jews first], and on each Sabbath day for three weeks, he ·talked [discussed; or argued; reasoned] with ·his fellow Jews [them] about the Scriptures.


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He explained and proved that the ·Christ [Messiah; Christ in Greek and Messiah in Hebrew mean “anointed one”] must ·die [suffer] and then rise from the dead []. He said, “This Jesus I am ·telling you about [proclaiming to you] is the ·Christ [Messiah].”


text:
Some of them were ·convinced [persuaded] and joined Paul and Silas, along with many of the Greeks who ·worshiped God [were devout; sometimes called “God-fearers,” these were Gentiles who worshiped the one true God of Israel; ; ] and ·many [not a few] of the important women [].


text:
But ·some others [the Jews] became jealous. So they got some evil men ·from the marketplace [or loitering in the streets; from the marketplace rabble], formed a mob, and ·started a riot [put the city in an uproar]. They ran to Jason’s house, looking for ·Paul and Silas [them], wanting to bring them out to the ·people [assembly; crowd].


text:
But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other ·believers [brothers] to the ·leaders of the city [city authorities; politarchs]. The people were yelling, “These people have ·made trouble [agitated; stirred up rebellion] everywhere in the world, and now they have come here too!


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Jason ·is keeping [has welcomed/received/harbored] them in his house. All of them ·do things against [defy; oppose] the ·laws [decrees] of Caesar, saying there is another king, called Jesus.”


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When the ·people [crowd] and the ·leaders of the city [city authorities; politarchs] heard these things, they ·became very upset [were disturbed].


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They made Jason and the others ·put up a sum of money [pay bail; post a bond]. Then they let ·the believers [them] go free.


text:
Paul and Silas Go to Berea That same night the ·believers [brothers] sent Paul and Silas to ·Berea [a Macedonian city to the south] where [upon arriving] they went to the synagogue [of the Jews].


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These people were more ·willing to listen [open-minded; fair-minded; noble in character] than the people in Thessalonica. The Bereans ·were eager to hear what Paul and Silas said [eagerly received the word/message] and ·studied [examined] the Scriptures every day to find out if these things were true [to confirm Paul’s teaching was in line with Scripture].


text:
So, many of them believed, as well as ·many [not a few] ·important [prominent; socially high-standing] Greek women and men [].


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But the Jews [who had opposed Paul earlier] in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God in Berea, too. So they came there, ·upsetting [stirring up] the ·people [crowd] and ·making trouble [causing a disturbance].


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The ·believers [brothers (and sisters)] ·quickly [immediately] sent Paul away to the ·coast [sea], but Silas and Timothy stayed ·in Berea [behind; there].


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The people ·leading [escorting; accompanying] Paul went with him to Athens [the leading city in Greece]. Then they carried ·a message [instructions; an order] from Paul back to Silas and Timothy for them to ·come to [rejoin] him as soon as they could.


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Paul Preaches in Athens While Paul was waiting for ·Silas and Timothy [them] in Athens, ·he [his spirit] was ·troubled [very distressed] because he saw that the city was full of idols.


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In the synagogue, he ·talked [or argued; reasoned] with the Jews and the ·Greeks who worshiped God [God-fearing Gentiles; pious/devout ones; see ]. He also ·talked [or argued; reasoned] every day with ·people [those who happened to be present] in the ·marketplace [or public square].


text:
Some of the Epicurean [who believed the goal of life was pleasure and did not believe the soul survived death] and Stoic philosophers [who believed life should be lived with indifference to pleasure and pain, and did not believe the soul was immortal] ·argued [conversed; debated] with him, saying, “What is this ·babbler [or charlatan; or ignorant show-off; word-scatterer] trying to say?” Others said, “He seems to be telling us about ·some other gods [foreign gods; strange deities],” because Paul was ·telling them [preaching the Good News/Gospel] about Jesus and ·his rising from the dead [the resurrection].


text:
They got Paul and took him to ·a meeting of the Areopagus [or the Hill of Ares; or Mars Hill; Ares (Greek name) or Mars (Roman name) was the god of thunder and war; the council of Areopagus was the oldest and most prestigious court for intellectual and moral matters], where they said, “Please explain to us this new idea you have been teaching.


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[For; Because] The things you are saying ·are new [or sound strange] to us, and we want to know what ·this teaching means [these things mean].”


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(All the people of Athens and ·those from other countries [foreigners] who lived there spent all their time talking about and listening to the newest ideas.)


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Then Paul stood ·before the meeting [in the midst] of the Areopagus and said, “·People of Athens [Men, Athenians], I can see you are very religious in ·all things [every way].


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[For; Because] As I was going through your city, I ·saw [observed closely] the objects you worship. I found an altar that had these words written on it: to ·a god who is not known [an unknown god]. ·You worship a god that you don’t know, and this is the God I am telling you about [What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you]!


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The God who made the whole world and everything in it [; ] is the Lord of the ·sky and the land [or heaven and earth]. He does not live in ·temples [shrines] built by human hands.


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This God is the One who gives life, breath, and everything else to ·people [all; everyone; ; ]. He ·does not need any help from them [is not served by human hands]; he has everything he needs.


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·God began by making one person, and from him came all the different people [From one, God made every nation of people] ·who live everywhere in the world [or in order to inhabit the whole earth]. God ·decided exactly [determined; or allotted] ·when [or their appointed time in history; or the seasons of their year] and ·where they must live [or the boundaries of their lands].


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God wanted them to ·look for [seek] him and perhaps ·search all around for [grope for; reach out to; feel their way towards] him and find him, though he is not far from any of us:


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‘[For] ·By his power [or In him] we live and move and ·exist [have our being; a quotation from the Cretan philosopher Epimenides, from about 600 bc].’ [As] Some of your own poets have said: ‘For we are his ·children [offspring; a quotation from Aratus, a Stoic philosopher from Cilicia, who lived about 315–240 bc].’


text:
Since we are God’s ·children [offspring], you must not think that ·God [the deity; or the divine nature] is like ·something [an image/likeness] ·that people imagine or make [made by human skill and imagination] from gold, silver, or rock.


text:
·In the past, people did not understand God, and he ignored this [or God overlooked such times of ignorance]. But now, God ·tells [commands] all people in the world to ·change their hearts and lives [repent].


text:
[Because] God has ·set [fixed; established] a day that he will judge all the world with ·fairness [righteousness], by the man he ·chose [appointed] long ago. And God has ·proved [or given assurance of] this to everyone by raising that man from the dead!”


text:
When the people heard about ·Jesus being raised [the resurrection] from the dead, some of them ·laughed [mocked; scoffed]. But others said, “We will hear more about this from you ·later [again].”


text:
But some of the ·people [men] ·believed Paul [became believers] and joined him. Among those who believed was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, a woman named Damaris, and some others.


text:
Paul in Corinth ·Later [After this] Paul left Athens and went to Corinth [a city about thirty miles southwest of Athens].


text:
Here he ·met [found] a Jew named Aquila ·who had been born in [or whose family was from; a native of] the country of Pontus [a province just south of the Black Sea in northeast Asia Minor]. But Aquila and his wife, Priscilla, had recently moved to Corinth from Italy, because Claudius [Roman emperor from ad 41–54] commanded that all Jews must leave Rome [an edict issued in ad 49 because of rioting, perhaps between Jews and Jewish Christians]. Paul ·went to visit [or came in contact with; or approached] Aquila and Priscilla.


text:
[And] Because they were ·tentmakers [or leatherworkers], just as he was, he stayed with them and worked with them.


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Every Sabbath day he ·talked [reasoned; argued] with the Jews and Greeks in the synagogue, trying ·to persuade them to believe in Jesus [to persuade them].


text:
Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia [the northern region of Greece] and joined Paul in Corinth. After this, Paul ·spent all his time telling people the Good News [devoted himself to (preaching) the word], ·showing [testifying to] the Jews that Jesus is the Christ [Messiah; ].


text:
But they ·would not accept Paul’s teaching [opposed/resisted him] and ·said some evil things [or reviled him; or blasphemed; ]. So he shook off the dust from his clothes [a sign of protest and that he was done with them, leaving them to God’s judgment; ] and said to them, “·If you are not saved, it will be your own fault [Your blood is on your heads]! ·I have done all I can do [or My conscience is clear; I am innocent/pure]! ·After this [From now on], I will go to ·other nations [the Gentiles].”


text:
Paul left ·the synagogue [there] and moved into the home of a man named Titius Justus, next to the synagogue. This man worshiped God [a Gentile “God-fearer,” who worshiped the true God of Israel; ; ; ].


text:
Crispus was the ·leader [official] of that synagogue, and he and all the people ·living in his house [of his household] believed in the Lord. Many others in Corinth also listened to Paul and believed and were baptized.


text:
During the night, the Lord told Paul in a vision [; ]: “Don’t be afraid. ·Continue talking to people [Speak out] and don’t be ·quiet [silent].


text:
[For] I am with you, and no one will [lay a hand on you to] ·hurt [or do evil to] you because many of my people are in this city [; ; ; ; ].”


text:
Paul Is Brought Before Gallio When Gallio was the ·governor [proconsul; from ad 51 to 52] of Achaia [a Roman province in present-day southern Greece], ·some people [the Jews] ·came together [made a united attack] against Paul and took him to the ·court [tribunal; judgment seat].


text:
They said, “This man is ·teaching [persuading] people to worship God in a way that is against our law.”


text:
Paul was about to ·say something [open his mouth], but Gallio spoke [to the Jews], saying, “I would [reasonably; justifiably] listen to you [O Jews,] if you were complaining about a crime or some ·wrong [evil wrongdoing; moral evil].


text:
But the things you are saying are only questions about words and names [the debate over whether Jesus is the Messiah]—arguments about your own law. ·So you must solve this problem [See to it] yourselves. I don’t want to be a judge of these things.”


text:
Then they [probably Greeks, using the opportunity to vent their dislike for the Jewish population; less likely, the Jews, angry at Sosthenes for losing the case] all grabbed Sosthenes [perhaps the person mentioned in ], the ·leader [official] of the synagogue, and beat him there before the ·court [tribunal; judgment seat]. But this ·did not bother [was of no concern to; was ignored by] Gallio.


text:
Paul Returns to Antioch Paul stayed with the ·believers [brothers (and sisters)] for many more days. Then he ·left [said farewell] and sailed for Syria, with Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchrea [a port city east of Corinth] Paul cut off his hair [a ritual sometimes performed when a promise was accomplished; perhaps this was a Nazirite vow; ], because he had made a ·promise to God [vow].


text:
Then they went to Ephesus [a major city across the Aegean Sea in western Asia Minor], where Paul left ·Priscilla and Aquila [them]. While Paul was there, he went into the synagogue and talked [or argued; reasoned] with the ·people [Jews].


text:
But as he ·left [said farewell], he said, “I will come back to you again if God ·wants me to [wills].” And so he sailed away from Ephesus.


text:
When Paul landed at Caesarea [a port city to the west of Jerusalem on the Mediterranean], he went [up] and gave greetings to the ·church in Jerusalem [the church; the Greek does not mention Jerusalem, but going “up” implies the church in Jerusalem; less likely, it could be the church in Caesarea]. After that, Paul went [down] to Antioch [in Syria; the church that sent Paul out].


text:
He stayed there for a while and then left and went through the regions of Galatia and Phrygia [regions in north central Asia Minor; ]. ·He traveled from town to town in these regions […traveling from place to place; …passing through sequentially], ·giving strength to [building up; encouraging; ] all the ·followers [disciples].


text:
Apollos in Ephesus and Corinth [Now; Meanwhile] A Jew named Apollos came to Ephesus. He was ·born in the city [a native] of Alexandria and was ·a good speaker [or a learned man] who ·knew the Scriptures well [was powerful/competent in the Scriptures].


text:
He had been taught about the ·way [or Way; ] of the Lord and was always ·very excited [enthusiastic; fervent in spirit] when he spoke and taught ·the truth [accurately the things] about Jesus. But the only baptism Apollos knew about was the baptism that John [the Baptist] taught [baptism of repentance before the ministry of Jesus began; ].


text:
Apollos began to speak ·very boldly [confidently; fearlessly] in the synagogue, and when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they ·took him to their home [or took him aside; received/took him] and ·helped him better understand [explained more accurately/precisely] the ·way [or Way; ] of God.


text:
Now Apollos wanted to ·go [cross over] to Achaia []. So the ·believers [brothers (and sisters)] ·helped [encouraged] him and wrote a letter to the ·followers [disciples] there, asking them to ·accept [welcome] him. ·When Apollos arrived, he was a great help to those who, by God’s grace, had believed in Jesus [or When Apollos arrived, by God’s grace he was a great help…].


text:
[For] He ·argued very strongly with [vigorously refuted] the Jews ·before all the people [in public (debate)], clearly ·proving [or showing] with the Scriptures that Jesus is the ·Christ [Messiah; ; ].


text:
Paul in Ephesus While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions [the mountainous northern route through the interior of Phrygia; ] to Ephesus [a major city in western Asia Minor; ]. There he found some ·followers [disciples]


text:
and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit ·when [or after] you believed?” They said, “We have never even heard ·of [or that there is] a Holy Spirit.”


text:
So he asked, “·What kind of baptism did you have [Into what were you baptized]?” They said, “·It was the baptism that John taught [Into John’s baptism].” [These followers of John the Baptist either (1) knew only of John’s ministry but had not heard that Jesus was the Messiah, or less likely, (2) believed in Jesus as Messiah, but had not been baptized in his name to receive the Holy Spirit.]


text:
Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of ·changed hearts and lives [repentance; in preparation for the Messiah]. He told people to believe in the one who would come after him, and that one is Jesus.”


text:
Then Paul ·laid [placed] his hands on them [a ritual of blessing and/or conferring of authority], and the Holy Spirit came upon them. They began speaking ·different languages [or in tongues; ecstatic utterance] and prophesying.


text:
Paul went into the synagogue and spoke out ·boldly [confidently; fearlessly] for three months. He ·talked [reasoned; argued] with the people and persuaded them ·to accept the things he said about [concerning] the kingdom of God.


text:
But some of them became ·stubborn [hardened]. They refused to believe and ·said evil things about [slandered; cursed] ·the Way of Jesus [the Way; another name for the Christian movement; ; ; ] before ·all the people [the crowd]. So Paul left them, and taking the ·followers [disciples] with him, he went to the ·school [lecture hall] of a man named Tyrannus. There Paul ·talked [discussed; reasoned; debated] with people every day


text:
for two years. Because of his work, ·everyone who lived in [the whole population of] the province of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.


text:
The Sons of Sceva God ·used Paul to do [through the hands of Paul did] some ·very special [extraordinary] miracles.


text:
Some people took ·handkerchiefs [face cloths] and ·clothes [work aprons; or hand towels] ·that Paul had used [that had touched Paul; from his skin] and put them on the sick. When they did this, ·the sick were healed [the diseases left them] and evil spirits ·left [came out of] them.


text:
But some ·people also were traveling around and making evil spirits go out of people [traveling/itinerant Jewish exorcists…]. They tried to ·use [invoke; name] the name of the Lord Jesus to force the evil spirits out. They would say, “By the same Jesus that Paul ·talks about [preaches; proclaims], I ·order [command; adjure] you to come out!”


text:
But one time ·an [the] evil spirit said to them, “I know Jesus, and I ·know about [recognize] Paul, but who are you?”


text:
Then the man who had the evil spirit ·jumped on [leaped on; attacked] them. Because he ·was so much stronger than all of them [violently overpowered them], they ran away from the house naked and ·hurt [wounded].


text:
All the people [who lived] in Ephesus—Jews and Greeks—learned about this and were filled with fear and ·gave great honor to [praised/magnified the name of] the Lord Jesus.


text:
Many of ·the believers [those who now believed] began to confess openly and ·tell all the evil things they had done [disclose their (evil/magical) practices].


text:
·Some [or A significant number] of them who had ·used magic [practiced sorcery/witchcraft] brought their magic ·books [or scrolls] and burned them before everyone. Those books were worth about fifty thousand silver coins [probably drachmas, each worth a day’s wages].


text:
·So in a powerful way [In this way; Thus] the word of the Lord kept spreading and ·growing [or grew strong; prevailed].


text:
After these things [had been fulfilled/accomplished], Paul decided [in his spirit; or in the Spirit] to go to Jerusalem, planning to go through Macedonia [northern Greece] and Achaia [southern Greece] and then on to Jerusalem. He said, “After I have been ·to Jerusalem [there], I must also ·visit [see] Rome.”


text:
Paul sent Timothy and Erastus, two of his ·helpers [assistants], ahead to Macedonia, but he himself stayed in [the province of] Asia for a while.


text:
Trouble in Ephesus And during [or about; at] that time, there was ·some serious trouble [no small disturbance] in Ephesus about ·the Way of Jesus [the Way; another name for the Christian movement; ; ; ].


text:
A man named Demetrius, who worked with silver, made little silver ·models that looked like the temple [shrines; probably reliefs depicting the goddess in her temple] of the goddess Artemis [Greek goddess of fertility, worshiped particularly in Ephesus]. ·Those who did this work [The artisans/craftsmen] made much money [had no little business].


text:
·Demetrius [He] had a meeting with them and ·some others [workers] who did ·the same kind of work [or similar trades]. He told them, “Men, you know that ·we make a lot of money [our wealth/livelihood comes] from this business.


text:
But ·look at [you have seen and heard] what this man Paul is doing. He has ·convinced [persuaded] and ·turned away [or led astray] many people, not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of [the province of] Asia! He says the gods made by human hands are not ·real [gods (at all); ; ; ].


text:
There is a danger that our business will ·lose its good name [be discredited], but there is also another danger: People will begin to think that the temple of the great goddess Artemis is not important, and the goddess herself, whom everyone in [the province of] Asia and the whole world worships, will ·lose [be deposed of/stripped of] her majesty [magnificence; greatness].


text:
When the others heard this, they became ·very angry [enraged; furious] and shouted, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”


text:
The whole city ·became confused [was filled with confusion; was in an uproar]. The people grabbed Gaius and Aristarchus [; ; ; ], who were from Macedonia and were traveling with Paul, and ·ran [rushed together] to the theater.


text:
Paul wanted to ·go in and talk to the crowd [appear before the assembly], but the ·followers [disciples] did not let him.


text:
Also, some ·leaders of Asia [provincial authorities; of the Asiarchs; a group of wealthy political leaders who had religious functions] who were friends of Paul sent him a message, ·begging [urging; encouraging] him not to ·go [venture; take the risk of going] into the theater.


text:
Some people were shouting one thing, and some were shouting another. The ·meeting [assembly] was completely confused; most of them did not know why they had come together.


text:
The Jews ·pushed forward [put in front] a man named Alexander, and some of them [either the crowd or the Jews] ·told him to explain [or gave him advice on what to say; or assumed he was responsible for the trouble]. Alexander ·waved [gestured with] his hand [for silence] so he could ·explain things to [or make a defense before] the ·people [crowd].


text:
But when they ·saw [recognized] that Alexander was a Jew [Jews opposed idol worship, so the crowd was suspicious of him], they all shouted ·the same thing [in unison; with one voice] for two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”


text:
Then the city clerk [the head of the assembly and the senior local official] quieted [calmed down] the crowd. He said, “·People of Ephesus [Men, Ephesians], ·everyone knows [who does not know…?] that Ephesus is the city that ·keeps [guards] the temple of the great goddess Artemis and her ·holy stone [or image; or statue] that fell from heaven [probably a meteorite that resembled the many-breasted image of Artemis].


text:
Since no one can say this is not true, you should ·be quiet [keep calm]. ·Stop and think before you do anything [Do nothing reckless/rash].


text:
You brought these men here, but they have not ·said anything evil against [blasphemed] our goddess or ·stolen anything from [or committed sacrilege against] her temple.


text:
If Demetrius and ·those who work [the artisans/craftmen] with him have a ·charge [complaint; grievance; word] against anyone, ·they should go to the courts and judges [the courts are open/in session and there are proconsuls] where they can ·argue with [or bring charges against] each other.


text:
If there is something else you want to talk about, it ·can [or must] be decided at the ·regular town meeting of the people [legal assembly; which met three times a month].


text:
I say this because [we are in danger that] some people might see this trouble today and ·say that we are [accuse us of; charge us with] rioting. We could not explain this, because there is no real reason for this ·meeting [or uproar; commotion].”


text:
Paul in Macedonia and Greece When the ·trouble stopped [uproar ended], Paul sent for the ·followers [disciples] to come to him. After he encouraged them and then told them good-bye, he left and went to Macedonia [northern Greece; ].


text:
He ·said many things to strengthen the followers [encouraged them with many words] in the different places on his way through Macedonia. Then he ·went to [arrived in] Greece [probably Achaia (southern Greece)],


text:
where he stayed for three months [probably in Corinth; at this time he wrote his letter to the Romans]. He was ready to sail for Syria, but some of the Jews were ·planning [plotting] something against him. So Paul decided to go back through Macedonia to Syria.


text:
The men who went with him were Sopater [] son of Pyrrhus, from the city of Berea []; Aristarchus [; ; ] and Secundus, from the city of Thessalonica []; Gaius [], from Derbe []; Timothy []; and Tychicus [; ; ] and Trophimus [; ], two men from Asia [all representatives of the Gentile churches delivering a financial gift to the church in Jerusalem].


text:
These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas [here begins the second “we” section in Acts, indicating that the author, Luke, has rejoined Paul (; ; )].


text:
We sailed from Philippi after the Feast of Unleavened Bread [another name for Passover; ]. Five days later we met them in Troas [], where we stayed for seven days.


text:
Eutychus Raised from the Dead at Troas On the first day of the week [Sunday; or perhaps Saturday night since the Jewish day began in the evening (Greeks reckoned from the morning)], we all met together to break bread [probably a reference to the Lord’s Supper; ], and Paul ·spoke to [or was having a discussion with] the group. Because he was planning to leave the next day, he kept on talking until midnight.


text:
We were all together in a room upstairs, and there were many lamps in the room [using up oxygen and causing drowsiness].


text:
A young man named Eutychus was sitting in the window. As Paul continued talking, Eutychus was falling into a deep sleep. Finally, he went sound asleep and fell to the ground from the third floor. When they picked him up, he was dead.


text:
Paul went down to Eutychus, ·knelt down [or threw himself on him; like Elisha; ], and ·put his arms around [embraced] him. He said, “Don’t ·worry [fear]. ·He is alive now [For his life/soul is in him].”


text:
Then Paul went upstairs again, broke bread, and ate. He spoke to them a long time, until ·it was early morning [dawn], and then he left.


text:
The Trip from Troas to Miletus We went on ahead of Paul and sailed for the city of Assos [on the east coast of the Aegean in the Gulf of Adramyttium], where we ·intended [planned] to take Paul on board. Paul ·planned [arranged] it this way because he wanted to go to Assos by land.


text:
When he met us there, we took him aboard and went to Mitylene [the main city on the island of Lesbos in the Aegean].


text:
We sailed from ·Mitylene [there] and the next day came to a place ·near [opposite; across from] Kios [an island five miles off the coast in the Aegean]. The following day we sailed to Samos [another island off the coast in the Aegean], and the next day we reached Miletus [a city on the western coast of Asia Minor].


text:
[For] Paul had already decided ·not to stop at [to sail past] Ephesus [], because he did not want to stay too long in [the province of] Asia [with so many friends in Ephesus (), a short stop would be impossible]. He was hurrying to be in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost [one of three great Jewish festivals, celebrated 50 days after Passover], if that were possible.


text:
The Elders from Ephesus Now from Miletus [] Paul sent to Ephesus [; ] and called for the elders [; ] of the church.


text:
When they came to him, he said, “You know about my life from the first day I came to Asia []. You know the way I lived all the time I was with you [].


text:
·Some Jewish opponents [The Jews] ·made plans [plotted] against me, which ·troubled me very much [severely tested/tried me]. But you know I always served the Lord ·unselfishly [with humility], and ·I often cried [in sorrowful times; with tears].


text:
You know I preached to you and did not hold back anything that would help you. You know that I taught you in public and ·in your homes [from house to house].


text:
I ·warned [witnessed/testified to] both Jews and Greeks to ·change their lives and turn to God [repent] and believe in our Lord Jesus.


text:
But now [indeed; behold] ·I must obey the Holy Spirit and [bound/compelled by the Spirit, I must] go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what will happen to me there.


text:
I know only that in every city the Holy Spirit ·tells [warns; testifies to] me that ·troubles and even jail [chains and persecutions/afflictions] wait for me.


text:
[But] I don’t ·care about my own life [consider my life worth anything]. ·The most important thing [or My only goal] is that I ·complete [finish] my ·mission [task; course; race; ; ], the ·work [ministry; service] that ·the Lord Jesus gave me [I received from the Lord Jesus]—to ·tell people [testify/witness to] the ·Good News [Gospel] about God’s grace.


text:
“And now [look; behold], I know that none of you among whom I was ·preaching [proclaiming] the ·kingdom of God [kingdom] will ever see ·me [my face] again.


text:
So today I ·tell [testify/witness to] you that ·if any of you should be lost, I am not responsible [I am innocent/clean of the blood of everyone; ],


text:
because I ·have told [have not held back from telling] you ·everything God wants you to know [or the whole purpose/plan/will of God].


text:
·Be careful for [Keep watch over] yourselves and for all the ·people [flock] the Holy Spirit has ·given to you to oversee [made you overseers/guardians; ]. You must be like shepherds to the church of God, which he ·bought [or obtained] with the ·death of his own Son [with the blood of his own (Son); or with his own blood].


text:
I know that after ·I leave [my departure; I am gone], ·some people will come like wild wolves [wild/savage wolves will come in among you] and ·try to destroy [will not spare] the flock.


text:
·Also, [or Even] some from your own group will rise up and ·twist the truth [speak perversions/distortions] and will ·lead away [lure; entice] ·followers [disciples] after them.


text:
So ·be careful [keep watch]! Always remember that for three years, day and night, I never stopped warning [admonishing; instructing] each of you, ·and I often cried over you [with tears].


text:
“Now I ·am putting you in the care of [commend/commit/entrust you to] God and the ·message [word] about his grace. It is able to ·give you strength [edify you; build you up], and it will give you the ·blessings God has [inheritance] ·for [or among] all ·his holy people [those who are sanctified; those set apart for himself].


text:
When I was with you, I never ·wanted [coveted] anyone’s ·money [silver or gold] or fine clothes [; ; ].


text:
You [yourselves] know I always worked [with my own hands] to take care of my own needs and the needs of those who were with me.


text:
I ·showed [provided an example to] you ·in all things [in everything I did] that you should work as I did and help the weak. I taught you to remember the words Jesus said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive [a saying of Jesus not recorded elsewhere in Scripture].’”


text:
And they all ·cried [wept loudly/a great deal] because Paul had said they would never see ·him [his face] again. They ·put their arms around him [embraced/hugged him] and kissed him. Then they ·went with [escorted; accompanied] him to the ship.


text:
Paul Goes to Jerusalem After we ·all said good-bye to [tore ourselves away from] them, we sailed ·straight [a straight course] to the island of Cos [between Ephesus and Rhodes]. The next day we reached Rhodes [an island off the southwest Coast of Asia Minor], and from there we went to Patara [a seaport on the southwest coast of Asia Minor].


text:
There we found a ship ·going [crossing over] to Phoenicia [a coastal region north of Israel; present-day Lebanon], so we went aboard and sailed away.


text:
We sailed near the island of Cyprus [], ·seeing [leaving] it to the ·north [left], but we sailed on to Syria. We ·stopped [landed] at Tyre [] because the ship needed to unload its cargo there.


text:
We ·found [sought out] some ·followers [disciples] in Tyre and stayed with them for seven days. Through the ·Holy Spirit [Spirit] they ·warned [or kept warning] Paul not to go to Jerusalem.


text:
When ·we finished our visit [our days there were finished], we left and continued our trip. All ·the followers [of them], even the women and children, came outside the city with us. After we all knelt on the beach and prayed,


text:
We ·continued [or finished] our trip from Tyre and arrived at Ptolemais [a town on the Mediterranean coast about half way between Tyre and Caesarea, also known as Acco], where we greeted the ·believers [brothers (and sisters)] and stayed with them for a day.


text:
The next day we left Ptolemais and went to the city of Caesarea []. There we went into the home of Philip the ·preacher [or evangelist], one of the ·seven helpers [Seven; ; ], and stayed with him.


text:
After we had been there for ·some time [many days], a prophet named Agabus [] ·arrived [came down] from Judea.


text:
He came to us and ·borrowed [took] Paul’s belt and used it to tie his own hands and feet. He said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘This is how the Jews in Jerusalem will ·tie up [or bind (in chains)] the man ·who wears this belt [whose belt this is]. Then they will ·give [deliver; hand over; betray] him to the Gentiles.’”


text:
When we all heard this, we and the people there ·begged [encouraged; urged; pleaded with] Paul not to go to Jerusalem.


text:
But he ·said [responded], “Why are you crying and ·making me so sad [breaking my heart]? I am not only ready to be ·tied up [or bound; imprisoned] in Jerusalem, I am ready to die for the [name of the] Lord Jesus!”


text:
We could not ·persuade him to stay away from Jerusalem [persuade/convince him]. So we ·stopped begging him [remained silent] and said, “·We pray that what the Lord wants will [Let the Lord’s will] be done.”


text:
After ·this [these days], we ·got ready [made preparations; packed our bags] and ·started on our way [went up] to Jerusalem.


text:
Some of the ·followers [disciples] from Caesarea went with us and took us to the home of Mnason, where we would stay. He was from Cyprus and was one of the ·first [or early; or original] ·followers [disciples].


text:
Paul Visits James [Arriving] In Jerusalem the ·believers [brothers (and sisters)] ·were glad to see us [welcomed us warmly].


text:
Paul greeted them and ·told [recounted for] them ·everything [or in detail what; or one by one the things] God had done among the ·other nations [Gentiles] through ·him [his ministry/service].


text:
When they heard this, they ·praised [gave glory to] God. Then they said to ·Paul [him], “Brother, you can see that many thousands of ·our people [the Jews] have become believers [, ; ]. And they ·think it is very important to obey [are passionate about; are zealots for] ·the law of Moses [the Law].


text:
They have ·heard [been informed] about your teaching, that you tell ·our people [the Jews] who live among the ·nations [Gentiles] to ·leave the law of Moses [forsake/abandon Moses]. They have heard that you tell them not to circumcise their children and not to ·obey [observe; walk in] our ·customs [or traditional way of life].


text:
So ·we will tell you what to do [do what we say]: Four of our men have made a ·promise to God [vow].


text:
Take these men with you and share in their ·cleansing ceremony [ritual purification]. Pay their expenses so they can shave their heads [a ritual that indicates the end of a Nazirite’s vows; ]. Then ·it will prove to everyone [everyone will know] that what they have heard about you is not true and that you ·follow [indeed keep/observe] the law of Moses in your own life.


text:
We have already sent a letter [with our judgment/decision] to the Gentile believers [the decision of the council of Jerusalem; ]. The letter said: ‘Do not eat food that has been offered to idols, or blood, or animals that have been strangled. Do not take part in sexual sin [].’”


text:
The next day Paul took the four men and shared in the ·cleansing ceremony [ritual purification] with them. Then he went to the Temple and announced the time when the days of the ·cleansing ceremony [ritual purification] would be finished and an ·offering [sacrifice] would be ·given [offered] for each of the men.


text:
When the seven days were almost over [the period of time for purification; ], some of ·his people [the Jews] from [the province of] Asia saw Paul at the Temple. They ·caused all the people to be upset [stirred up/incited the whole crowd] and grabbed Paul.


text:
They shouted, “·People of Israel [Men, Israelites], help us! This is the man who goes everywhere teaching against our people [Israel], against ·the law of Moses [the Law], and against this ·Temple [place]. Now he has brought some Greeks into the Temple and has ·made this holy place unclean [defiled this holy place]!”


text:
(They said this because they had seen Trophimus [; ], ·a man from Ephesus [the Ephesian], with Paul in ·Jerusalem [the city]. They ·thought [supposed; assumed] that Paul had brought him into the Temple [God-fearing Gentiles were only allowed in the outer courtyard, known as the “court of the Gentiles”].)


text:
·All the people in Jerusalem [The whole city] became ·upset [aroused]. Together they ·ran [or rushed together; came running], took Paul, and dragged him out of the Temple. The Temple doors were closed immediately.


text:
While they were trying to kill ·Paul [him], the ·commander of the Roman army in Jerusalem [tribune/commander of the regiment; a tribune (Greek: chiliarch) oversaw about a thousand soldiers] ·learned [received the report] that ·there was trouble in the whole city [all Jerusalem was in confusion/an uproar].


text:
Immediately he took some ·officers and soldiers [soldiers and centurions; centurions oversaw about a hundred soldiers] and ran to the place where the crowd was gathered. When the people saw ·them [the tribune and the soldiers], they stopped beating Paul.


text:
The ·commander [tribune] went to Paul and arrested him. He told his soldiers to ·bind [shackle] Paul with two chains. Then he ·asked [inquired about] who he was and what he had done wrong.


text:
Some in the crowd were yelling one thing, and some were yelling another. Because of all this ·confusion and shouting [uproar; noise; tumult], the commander could not learn ·what had happened [the truth/facts]. So he ordered the soldiers to take Paul to the ·army building [barracks; probably the Roman garrison known as the Antonia fortress, overlooking the temple from the north].


text:
When ·Paul [he] came to the steps [leading up to the Antonia fortress], the soldiers had to carry him because ·the people were ready to hurt him [of the violence of the mob/crowd].


text:
As ·the soldiers [they] were about to take Paul into the ·army building [barracks], he spoke to the ·commander [tribune], “May I say something to you?” ·The commander [He] said, “Do you speak Greek?


text:
·I thought you were [Are you not…?] the Egyptian who started ·some trouble against the government [a revolt; an insurrection] ·not long ago [or some time ago; according to the Jewish historian Josephus, the event occurred about three years prior to this] and led four thousand ·killers [terrorists; cut-throats; of the sicarii; Josephus identifies sicarii (“dagger-men”) as assassins who mingled with crowds and used daggers to murder Romans and their collaborators] out to the desert.”


text:
Paul said, “No, I am a Jew from Tarsus [] in the ·country [province] of Cilicia []. I am a citizen of that ·important [not insignificant] city. ·Please [I beg/urge you], let me speak to the people.”


text:
·The commander [He] gave permission, so Paul stood on the steps and ·waved [signaled/gestured with] ·his hand to quiet the people [his hand]. When there was silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language [probably Aramaic; the biblical writers do not distinguish between these related languages, calling both “Hebrew”].


text:
When they heard him ·speaking [addressing them in] the Hebrew [or Aramaic; ] language, they became ·very [even more] quiet. Paul said,


text:
“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus [] in the ·country [province] of Cilicia [], but I ·grew up [was brought up; or was educated] in this city [Jerusalem]. I was ·a student of [instructed at the feet of; idiom indicating the role of a disciple] Gamaliel [a famous teacher of the Pharisees; ], who ·carefully [or strictly] taught me everything about the law of our ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers]. I was ·very serious about serving [zealous/passionate for] God, just as are all of you here today.


text:
I persecuted the people who followed ·the Way of Jesus [this Way; another name for the Christian movement; ; ; ], ·and some of them were even killed [up to the point of death; ]. I ·arrested [bound] men and women and put them in jail.


text:
The high priest and the whole council of elders can ·tell you this is true [testify about me]. They gave me letters to the brothers [their fellow Jewish leaders] in Damascus. So I was going there to ·arrest [bind] these people and bring them back to Jerusalem to be punished.


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“About noon when I came near Damascus, a bright light from heaven suddenly ·flashed [shone] all around me.


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I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ ·The voice [He] said, ‘I am Jesus ·of Nazareth [or the Nazarene] whom you are persecuting.’


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Those who were with me did not ·understand [or hear; the word can mean either “hear” or “understand,” but suggests the latter] the voice [that was speaking to me], but they saw the light.


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I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ The Lord answered, ‘Get up and go to Damascus. There you will be told about all the things ·I have planned [or assigned; appointed] for you to do.’


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I could not see, because ·the bright light had made me blind [of the glory/brilliance of that light]. So ·my companions [those with me] led me [by the hand] into Damascus.


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“There a man named Ananias came to me. He was a ·religious [devout; God-fearing] man; ·he obeyed the law of Moses […according to the law], and all the Jews who lived there ·respected [spoke well of] him.


text:
He [came to me and] stood by me and said, ‘Brother Saul, ·see again [look up; an idiom for regaining sight]!’ ·Immediately [At that hour] I ·was able to see [looked up at] him.


text:
He said, ‘The God of our ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers] ·chose [appointed] you long ago to know his ·plan [will; purpose], to see the Righteous One [Jesus], and to hear ·words [a divine message; a voice] from ·him [his mouth].


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Now, ·why wait any longer [what are you waiting for]? Get up, be baptized, and wash your sins away, ·trusting in him to save you [calling on his name].’


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“Later, when I returned to Jerusalem, I was praying in the Temple, and I ·saw a vision [or fell into a trance].


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I saw ·the Lord [him] saying to me, ‘Hurry! Leave Jerusalem ·now [or quickly]! The people here will not accept ·the truth [your testimony/witness] about me.’


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But I said, ‘Lord, they [themselves; very well] know that in every synagogue I put ·the believers [those who believe in you] in jail and beat them.


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They also know I was there when Stephen, your ·witness [or martyr], ·was killed [had his blood shed]. I [myself; indeed] stood there agreeing and ·holding [guarding; keeping] the coats of those who were killing him!’


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But the Lord said to me, ‘·Leave now [Go!]. I will send you far away to the ·other nations [Gentiles].’”


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·The crowd [They] listened to ·Paul [him] until he said ·this [this word]. Then they ·began shouting [raised their voice saying], “·Get rid of him [Kill him; Remove this one from the earth]! He doesn’t deserve to live!”


text:
They ·shouted [yelled; screamed], threw off their coats, and threw dust into the air [demonstrations of anger and disgust].


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Then the ·commander [tribune] ordered the soldiers to take ·Paul [him] into the ·army building [barracks] and ·beat him [question him by whipping/flogging]. ·He wanted […in order] to make Paul tell why the people were shouting against him like this [flogging was commonly used to gain information].


text:
But as the soldiers were ·tying him up [or stretching him out (on the posts)], preparing to ·beat [whip; flog] him, Paul said to an officer nearby, “Do you have the right to ·beat [whip; flog] a Roman citizen who ·has not been proven guilty [is uncondemned; this was against Roman law]?”


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When the ·officer [centurion; ] heard this, he went to the ·commander [tribune] and reported it. The officer said, “·Do you know what you are doing [or What are you about to do]? This man is a Roman citizen.”


text:
The ·commander [tribune] came to ·Paul [him] and said, “Tell me, are you really a Roman citizen?” He answered, “Yes.”


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The ·commander [tribune] ·said [responded], “I paid a lot of money to become a Roman citizen.” But Paul said, “I was born a citizen.”


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[Therefore] The men who were preparing to question Paul ·moved away from him [withdrew] immediately. The ·commander [tribune] was frightened because he had already ·tied [bound] ·Paul [him], and Paul was a Roman citizen.


text:
Paul Speaks to the Jewish Council The next day ·the commander [he] ·decided [desired] to learn [with certainty; the true reason] why the Jews were accusing ·Paul [him]. So he ordered the ·leading [chief] priests and the ·council [Sanhedrin; Jewish high court comprised of 70 Jewish leaders; ] to meet. ·The commander [He] ·took Paul’s chains off [released him]. Then he brought Paul out and stood him before their meeting.


text:
Paul looked [intently] at the ·council [Sanhedrin; ] and said, “[Men,] Brothers, I have ·lived my life [conducted myself; lived as a citizen] ·without guilt feelings [with a good/clear conscience] before God up to this day.”


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Ananias, the high priest [high priest from ad 47 to 58; not the man named in ], heard this and told the men who were standing near Paul to ·hit [strike] him on the mouth.


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Paul said to ·Ananias [him], “God ·will [or is about to] ·hit [strike] you, too! You ·are like a wall that has been painted white [whitewashed wall!; a wall with many flaws covered only by a coat of paint]. ·You sit [Do you sit…?] there and judge me, using the ·law of Moses [law], but you are telling them to hit me, and that is against the law.”


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The men standing near Paul said to him, “·You cannot insult [or How dare you insult; Are you insulting…?] God’s high priest like that!”


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Paul said, “Brothers, I did not know this man was the high priest [perhaps because of poor eyesight (; ), or because the high priest was not in his formal vestments, or Paul is speaking ironically]. It is written in the Scriptures, ‘You must not ·curse [speak evil of] a leader of your people [].’”


text:
Some of the men in the meeting were Sadducees [Jewish religious party with most influence in the Jewish high court (Sanhedrin) and among the Temple leadership; ], and others were Pharisees [religious party that strictly observed OT laws and added traditions; ]. ·Knowing [or Realizing] this, Paul ·shouted [called out] ·to them [in the council/Sanhedrin], “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, ·and my father was a Pharisee [or descended from Pharisees; a son of Pharisees]. I am on trial here because ·I believe that people will rise from the dead [of the hope and the resurrection].”


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When Paul said this, there was an argument between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the ·group [assembly] was divided.


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([For] The Sadducees ·do not believe that people will rise from the dead [say there is no resurrection] nor do they believe in angels or spirits. But the Pharisees believe in them all.)


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So there was a great ·uproar [commotion; outcry]. Some of the ·teachers of the law [scribes], who were Pharisees, stood up and ·argued [protested violently/vehemently], “We find ·nothing wrong [no fault; nothing evil] with this man. ·Maybe [What if…?] an angel or a spirit did speak to him.”


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The argument was ·beginning to turn into such a fight [becoming so great] that the ·commander [tribune] was afraid they would tear Paul to pieces. So he told the soldiers to go down and take Paul away and ·put him in [bring him to] the ·army building [barracks].


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The next night the Lord came and stood by Paul. He said, “Be brave [or Don’t be afraid; Rest assured]! [For just as] You have ·told [testified to] people in Jerusalem about me. You must ·do the same [testify to me] in Rome.”


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In the morning ·some of Paul’s Jewish opponents [the Jews] ·made a plan [entered a conspiracy] to kill Paul, and they took an oath not to eat or drink anything until they had killed him.


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They went to the ·leading [chief] priests and the elders and said, “We have ·taken [sworn] an oath not to ·eat or drink [taste anything] until we have killed Paul.


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So [now] this is what we want you [together with the Sanhedrin] to do: Send a message to the ·commander [tribune] to bring Paul out to you as though you want to ·ask him more questions [determine more accurately the facts of his case]. We will be waiting to kill him ·while he is on the way [before he arrives] here.”


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But ·Paul’s nephew [the son of Paul’s sister] heard about this ·plan [plot; ambush plan] and went to the ·army building [barracks] and told Paul.


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Then Paul called one of the ·officers [centurions] and said, “Take this young man to the ·commander [tribune]. [For] He has ·a message for him [something to report to him].”


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So ·the officer [he] brought ·Paul’s nephew [him] to the ·commander [tribune] and said, “The prisoner, Paul, [called me over and] asked me to bring this young man to you. He wants to tell you something.”


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The ·commander [tribune] took the young man’s hand and led him to a place where they could be alone. He asked, “What do you ·want to tell [have to report to] me?”


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·The young man [He] said, “The Jews have ·decided [conspired; agreed] to ask you to bring Paul down to ·their council meeting [the Sanhedrin] tomorrow. They want you to think they are going to ·ask him more questions [inquire more accurately concerning him].


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But don’t ·believe [be persuaded by] them! [Because] More than forty men are ·hiding and waiting to kill Paul [waiting in ambush for him]. They have all taken an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. Now they are [ready,] waiting for you to agree.”


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[Therefore] The ·commander [tribune] sent the young man away, ordering him, “Don’t tell anyone that you have ·told [revealed to] me ·about their plan [these things].”


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Paul Is Sent to Caesarea Then ·the commander [he] called two ·officers [centurions] and said, “Prepare two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred men with spears to leave for Caesarea at ·nine o’clock tonight [at the third hour of the night; night begins about 6 PM].


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Get ·some horses [mounts; animals] for Paul to ride so he can be taken to Governor Felix [held office from ad 52–59] safely.”


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Some of the Jews had ·taken [seized] this man and ·planned [were about] to kill him. But I learned that he is a Roman citizen, so I went with my soldiers and ·saved [rescued] him.


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I wanted to know ·why [the charge/reason] they were accusing him, so I brought him before their ·council meeting [Sanhedrin].


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I ·learned [found; discovered] that the accusation had to do with ·questions [debates; disputed matters] about their own law [the law of Moses], but no charge was worthy of death or ·jail [chains].


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When I was ·told [informed] that ·some of them were planning to kill Paul [there was a plot against the man], I sent him to you at once. I also ·told [ordered] ·them [his accusers] to tell you what they have against him.


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So the soldiers ·did what they were told [followed orders] and took Paul and brought him to the city of Antipatris [city 40 miles from Jerusalem and 25 miles from Caesarea] that night.


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The next day the horsemen ·went [were sent] with ·Paul to Caesarea [him], but the other soldiers went back to the ·army building in Jerusalem [barracks].


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When ·the horsemen [they] came to Caesarea and ·gave [delivered] the letter to the governor, they turned Paul over to him.


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The governor read the letter and asked Paul, “What ·area [province] are you from?” When he learned that Paul was from Cilicia [],


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he said, “I will hear your case when ·those who are against you [your accusers] come here, too.” Then the governor gave orders for Paul to be kept under guard in Herod’s ·palace [headquarters; Praetorium].


text:
Paul Is Accused Five days later Ananias, the high priest [], ·went to the city of Caesarea [came down] with some of the elders and a ·lawyer [orator; one who speaks in court] named Tertullus. They had come to make charges against Paul before the governor.


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Paul was called into the meeting, and Tertullus began to accuse him, saying, “Most Excellent Felix! Our people enjoy ·much [or a long period of] peace because of you, and many ·wrong things in our country are being made right [or improvements/reforms have been made] through your ·wise help [or foresight].


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We ·accept [acknowledge] these things always and in every place, ·and we are thankful for them [or …with much gratitude/thanksgiving].


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But not wanting to ·take any more of your time [detain you; or bore you], I ·beg [encourage; urge] you ·to be kind and [or because you are kind/patient to] listen to our few words.


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We have found this man to be a ·troublemaker [pest; plague], ·stirring up [or instigating riots among] ·his people [Jews] everywhere in the world. He is a ·leader [ringleader] of the Nazarene ·group [party; faction; sect].


text:
Also, he was trying to ·make the Temple unclean [defile/profane/desecrate the Temple], but we ·stopped [or grabbed; arrested] him. ,And we wanted to judge him by our own law.


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And Lysias commanded ·those who wanted to accuse Paul [his accusers] to come to you., By ·asking him questions [cross-examining him] yourself, you can ·decide [learn; come to know] ·if all these things are true [or the nature of our accusations].”


text:
When the governor ·made a sign [motioned; gestured] for ·Paul [him] to speak, Paul ·said [responded], “I know you have been a judge over this nation for ·a long time [many years]. So I ·am happy to [gladly; confidently] defend myself before you.


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You can ·learn [find out; verify] for yourself that I went to worship in Jerusalem ·only [no more than] twelve days ago.


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·Those who are accusing me [They] did not find me arguing with anyone in the Temple or stirring up the ·people [crowd] in the synagogues or in the city.


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But I will ·tell you this [admit/confess this to you]: I worship the God of our ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers] as a follower of ·the Way of Jesus [the Way; ], which they call a ·sect [faction; cult]. But I believe everything that is ·taught in [or in agreement with; according to] the law of Moses and that is written in the books of the Prophets.


text:
I have the same hope in God that they ·have [accept]—the hope that all people, ·good and bad [righteous and unrighteous], will surely be ·raised from the dead [resurrected; the righteous to salvation, the wicked for judgment; ; ].


text:
This is why I always try to ·do what I believe is right [have a clear conscience] before God and people.


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“After being away from Jerusalem for ·several [many] years, I went back to bring ·money [alms; gifts for the poor] to my ·people [nation; ; ; ; , ] and to ·offer sacrifices [present offerings].


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I was doing this when they found me in the Temple. I ·had finished the cleansing ceremony [or I was ritually pure; ] ·and had not made any trouble; no people were gathering around me [with neither crowd nor trouble].


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But there were some ·people [Jews] from Asia who should be here, standing before you. If ·I have really done anything wrong [they have anything against me], they are the ones who should accuse me.


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Or ·ask these people here [let these people themselves state] if they found any ·wrong [crime; unrighteousness] in me when I stood before the ·council in Jerusalem [Sanhedrin].


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But I did shout one thing when I stood before them: ‘·You are judging me [or I am on trial before you] today ·because I believe that people will rise from [or with respect to the issue of the resurrection of] the dead!’”


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Felix already ·understood much about [knew accurately the facts about] the ·Way of Jesus [Way; ]. He ·stopped the trial [adjourned the hearing] and said, “When ·commander [tribune] Lysias comes ·here [down], I will decide your case.”


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Felix ·told [ordered] the ·officer [centurion] to keep ·Paul [him] guarded but to give him some freedom and to let his ·friends [own people] ·bring what he needed [meet his needs; serve him].


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Paul Speaks to Felix and His Wife After some days Felix came with his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish, and asked for Paul to be brought to him. He listened to Paul talk about ·believing [faith] in Christ Jesus.


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But Felix became afraid when Paul spoke about ·living right [righteousness; justice], self-control, and the ·time when God will judge the world [coming judgment]. He said, “·Go away [or That’s enough for] now. When I have ·more time [another opportunity], I will call for you.”


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At the same time Felix hoped that ·Paul [he] would give him ·some money [or a bribe], so he often sent for Paul and talked with him.


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But after two years, Felix was ·replaced [succeeded] by Porcius Festus as governor [from ad 59–62]. But Felix had left Paul in prison to please the Jews.


text:
Paul Asks to See Caesar Three days after Festus ·became governor [arrived in the province], he went [up] from Caesarea to Jerusalem.


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There the ·leading [chief] priests and the important leaders [of the Jews] made charges against Paul before Festus.


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They ·asked [urged] Festus to do them a favor. They wanted him to send Paul back to Jerusalem, because they ·had a plan [planned an ambush] to kill him on the way.


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But Festus answered that Paul would be kept in Caesarea and that he himself was returning there soon.


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He said, “[Therefore,] Some of your ·leaders [authorities] should go with me. They can accuse the man there in Caesarea, if he has really done something wrong.”


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·Festus [He] stayed ·in Jerusalem [among them] another eight or ten days and then went ·back [down] to Caesarea. The next day he ·told the soldiers to bring Paul [ordered Paul to be brought] before him. Festus was seated on the ·judge’s seat [tribunal]


text:
when Paul came into the room. The ·people [Jews] who had come [down] from Jerusalem stood around him, making serious charges against him, which they could not prove.


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This is what Paul said to defend himself: “I have done ·nothing wrong [committed no offense/sin/crime] against the law [of the Jews], against the Temple, or against Caesar.”


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But Festus wanted to ·please [curry favor with; or do a favor for] the ·people [Jews]. So he asked Paul, “·Do you want [or Are you willing] to go [up] to Jerusalem for me to ·judge [try] you there on these charges?”


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Paul said, “I am standing at Caesar’s ·judgment seat [or court; tribunal] now, where I should be ·judged [tried]. I have done nothing wrong to ·them [the Jews]; you ·know this is true [clearly recognize this].


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If I have done something wrong and ·the law says I must die [worthy of death], I do not ask to be saved from death. But if these charges are ·not true [baseless], then no one can ·give me [hand me over; or make me a gift; Paul detects Festus’ desire to gain favor with the Jews] to them. I ·want Caesar to hear my case [appeal to Caesar/the emperor; the right of a Roman citizen for a capital offense]!”


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Festus talked about this with his ·advisers [council]. Then he said, “You have ·asked to see [appealed to] Caesar, so you will go to Caesar!”


text:
Paul Before King Agrippa A few days later King Agrippa [Agrippa II, the Jewish king who ruled parts of Palestine from ad 52 to 92] and Bernice [Agrippa’s sister and probably his lover] came to Caesarea to ·visit [or welcome; pay their respects to] Festus.


text:
They stayed there for ·some time [many days], and Festus told the king about Paul’s case. Festus said, “There is a man that Felix left in prison.


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When I went to Jerusalem, the ·leading [chief] priests and the elders there made charges against him, asking me to ·sentence him to death [sentence/condemn him].


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But I answered, ‘When a man is accused of a crime, ·Romans do not [it is not a custom for Romans to] hand him over until he has been allowed to face his accusers and defend himself against their charges.’


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So when these people came here ·to Caesarea for the trial [with me], I did not ·waste time [postpone/delay the case]. The next day I sat on the ·judge’s seat [tribunal] and commanded that the man be brought in.


text:
·They stood up and accused him [The accusers stood up (to speak)], but not of any ·serious crime [evil deeds] as I ·thought they would [expected].


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The things they ·said [disputed] were about their own ·religion [or superstition] and about a man named Jesus who died. But Paul ·said [claimed] that he is still alive.


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·Not knowing [At a loss] how to ·find out about [investigate] these questions, I asked Paul, ‘·Do you want [or Are you willing] to go to Jerusalem and be ·judged [tried] there [concerning these things]?’


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But he asked to be ·kept in Caesarea [held in custody]. He wants a decision from ·the emperor [or His Majesty; the Revered/August One; A title for Caesar, the ruler of the Roman world, first given to Caesar “Augustus”; here it refers to Nero]. So I ordered that he be held [in custody] until I could send him to Caesar.”


text:
Agrippa said to Festus, “I would also like to hear this man myself.” Festus said, “Tomorrow you will hear him.”


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[Therefore] The next day Agrippa and Bernice ·appeared [entered] with great ·show [pomp; fanfare]. They went into the ·judgment room [audience hall] with the ·army leaders [tribunes] and the important men of ·Caesarea [the city]. Then Festus ·ordered the soldiers [gave the order] to bring Paul in.


text:
Festus said, “King Agrippa and all who are ·gathered [or present] here with us, you see this man. ·All the people [The Jewish community; All the multitude of the Jews], here and in Jerusalem, have ·complained to [or petitioned] me about him, shouting that he should not live any longer.


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But I found ·no reason to order his [he had done nothing deserving] death. But since he ·asked to be judged by Caesar [appealed to the emperor], I decided to send him.


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But I have nothing definite to write the ·emperor [lord; sovereign] about him. So I have brought him before all of you—especially you, King Agrippa. ·I hope you can question him and give me […so that from this examination, I might have] something to write.


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[For] I think it is ·foolish [unreasonable] to send a prisoner to Caesar without telling what charges are against him.”


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Paul Defends Himself Agrippa said to Paul, “You may now speak for yourself.” Then Paul ·raised [stretched out] his hand and began to defend himself.


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He said, “King Agrippa, I am very ·blessed [or fortunate] to stand before you and will ·answer [defend myself against] all the charges the Jews make against me.


text:
·You know so much [You especially know; or I am especially blessed because you know] about all the customs and the ·things they argue about [controversies of the Jews], so ·please [I urge/beg you to] listen to me patiently.


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“All ·my people [the Jews] know about my ·whole life [manner of life from youth], how I lived from the beginning ·in my own country and later [or among my own people and] in Jerusalem.


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They have known me for a long time. If they ·want [are willing] to, they can ·tell [testify to] you that I ·was a good [lived as a] Pharisee. ·And the Pharisees obey the laws of my tradition more carefully than any other group […the strictest sect/party of our religion].


text:
Now I ·am [stand here] on trial because I hope for the promise that God made to our ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers; either the hope of the Messiah or the resurrection from the dead].


text:
This is the promise that the twelve tribes of our people hope to receive as they ·serve [or worship] God day and night. My king, ·they [the Jews] have accused me because ·I hope for this same promise [of this hope]!


text:
Why do any of you people think it is ·impossible [unbelievable] for God to raise people from the dead?


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“I, too, thought ·I ought [it was necessary] to do many things against [the name of] Jesus ·from Nazareth [or the Nazarene].


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And that is what I did in Jerusalem. The ·leading [chief] priests gave me the ·power [authority] to put many of ·God’s people [God’s holy people; the saints] in ·jail [prison], and when they were ·being killed [or condemned to die], I ·agreed it was a good thing [cast my vote against them].


text:
In every synagogue, I often punished them and tried to make them ·speak against [blaspheme; curse] Jesus. I was so ·angry [enraged] against them I even went to ·other [or foreign] cities to ·find them and punish [pursue; or persecute] them.


text:
“One time the ·leading [chief] priests gave me ·permission [commission] and the ·power [authority] to go to Damascus.


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On the ·way [road] there, at noon, [O king,] I saw a light from heaven. It was brighter than the sun and ·flashed [shone] all around me and those who were traveling with me.


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We all fell to the ground. Then I heard a voice speaking to me in the Hebrew language [probably Aramaic, the common language of the people in that area; ], saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? ·You are only hurting yourself by fighting me [It is hard for you to kick against the goads; ; a goad was a sharp instrument to herd cattle].’


text:
·Stand up [Get up and stand on your feet]! This is why I have come [appeared] to you today: I have ·chosen [appointed] you to be my servant and my witness—you will tell people the things that you have seen and the things that I will show you.


text:
I will ·keep you safe [rescue you] from your own people and also from the ·Gentiles [nations]. I am sending you to them


text:
to open their eyes so that they may turn away from darkness to the light, away from the ·power [or authority] of Satan and to God. ·Then [or …so that] their sins can be forgiven, and they can have a place with those people who have been ·made holy [sanctified] by ·believing [faith] in me.’


text:
“[So; Therefore] King Agrippa, after I had this vision from heaven, I ·obeyed [was not disobedient to] it.


text:
[Indeed; or On the contrary] I began telling people that they should ·change their hearts and lives and turn to God [repent] and do ·things [works] ·to show they really had changed [worthy of repentance]. I told this first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem, and ·in every part [all throughout the countryside] of Judea, and also to ·people everywhere [the Gentiles; the nations].


text:
But God has helped me [from that day until now; until this day], and so I stand here today, ·telling [testifying/witnessing to] all people, small and great, what I have seen. But I am saying only what the prophets and Moses [meaning the whole OT] said would happen—


text:
that the ·Christ [Messiah; the promised king and Savior] would ·die [suffer; ; ], and as the first to rise from the dead, he would ·bring [proclaim] light to his own people [the Jews] and to ·the Gentiles [the nations; people everywhere].”


text:
Paul Tries to Persuade Agrippa While Paul was saying these things to defend himself, Festus said loudly, “Paul, you are ·out of your mind [insane]! Too much ·study [learning] has driven you ·crazy [insane; mad]!”


text:
Paul said, “Most excellent Festus, I am not crazy. My words are true and ·sensible [sober; rational].


text:
[For] ·King Agrippa [The king] knows about these things, and I can speak ·freely [boldly] to him. [For] I ·know [am convinced/persuaded] ·he has heard about all of these things [none of these things were hidden from him], because they did not happen off in a corner.


text:
King Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian in such a short time? [or In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian!]”


text:
Paul said, “Whether it is a short or a long time, I pray to God that not only you but every person listening to me today ·would be saved and be [might become] like me—except for these chains I have.”


text:
Then ·King Agrippa [the king], ·Governor Festus [the governor], Bernice, and all the people sitting with them stood up


text:
and left the room. Talking to each other, they said, “This man has done nothing ·that deserves [worthy of] death or ·imprisonment [chains].”


text:
And Agrippa said to Festus, “We could let this man go free, ·but he has [if he had not] ·asked Caesar to hear his case [appealed to Caesar].”


text:
Paul Sails for Rome It was decided that we would sail for Italy. An ·officer [centurion] named Julius, who served in the ·emperor’s army [Imperial/Augustan regiment; a military unit directly under Caesar], ·guarded [took charge of] Paul and some other prisoners.


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We got on a ship that was from the city of Adramyttium [a seaport on the northwest coast of Asia Minor] and was about to sail to different ports in Asia [a Roman province, in present-day Turkey]. Aristarchus [; ; ; ], a man from the city of Thessalonica [] in Macedonia [], went with us.


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The next day we ·came to [landed at] Sidon []. Julius was very ·good [kind; considerate] to Paul and gave him freedom to go visit his friends, who took care of his needs.


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We left Sidon and sailed ·close to [to the north of; under the lee/shelter of] the island of Cyprus [], because the wind was blowing against us.


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We ·went [sailed] across the sea by Cilicia [; ] and Pamphylia [] and landed at the city of Myra [a significant city on the Andracus River] in Lycia [a province in southeastern Asia Minor].


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There the ·officer [centurion] found a ship from Alexandria [a major city in Egypt] that was going to Italy, so he put us on it.


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We sailed slowly for many days. We had a hard time reaching Cnidus [a port on the southwest side of Asia Minor] because the wind was blowing against us, and we could not go any farther. So we sailed ·by the south side [under the shelter/lee] of the island of Crete [a large island off the southern coast of Asia Minor] near Salmone [a promontory on the eastern coast of Crete, present-day Cape Sidero].


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Sailing past it was hard. Then we came to a place called Fair Havens [a bay on the southern coast of Crete], near the ·city [town] of Lasea [a nearby Cretan city].


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We had lost much time, and it was now dangerous to sail, because it was already after ·the Day of Cleansing [the Fast; the Day of Atonement; Yom Kippur in Hebrew; ; either late September or early October]. So Paul ·warned [advised] them,


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“Men, I can see there will be ·a lot of trouble [disaster and heavy loss] on this trip. The ship, the cargo, and even our lives may be lost.”


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But the centurion was more persuaded by the ·captain [pilot] and the owner of the ship than by what Paul said.


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Since that harbor was not a ·good [suitable; safe] place for the ship to stay for the winter, ·most of the men [the majority] decided that the ship ·should leave [put to sea]. They hoped we could go to Phoenix and stay there for the winter. Phoenix, a ·city [or port; or harbor] on the island of Crete, had a harbor which faced southwest and northwest.


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The Storm When a ·good [moderate; gentle] wind began to blow from the south, the men on the ship thought they ·could reach their goal [or had achieved their objective; or had the opportunity they were waiting for]. So they pulled up the anchor, and we sailed very close to the island of Crete.


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But ·then [not long after this] a ·very strong [violent; hurricane-like] wind named the “northeaster” came from ·the island [it].


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The ship was caught in it and could not sail against it. So we stopped trying and ·let the wind carry us [were driven along].


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When we went ·below [under the lee/shelter of] a small island named Cauda [23 miles off the south coast of Crete], we were barely able to bring in the lifeboat.


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After the men took the lifeboat in, they tied ·ropes [or cables] ·around [or under] the ship to hold it together. The men were afraid that the ship would ·hit [run aground on] the sandbanks of Syrtis [off the coast of North Africa], so they lowered the ·sail [or sea anchor; gear] and let the wind carry the ship.


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·A day later [On the third day] with their own hands they threw out the ship’s ·equipment [rigging; tackle; gear].


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When we could not see the sun or the stars for many days, and ·the storm was very bad [no small storm raged], we lost all hope of being saved.


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After ·the men [many] had ·gone without food [or lost their appetite] for a long time, Paul stood up before them and said, “Men, you should have ·listened to me [obeyed me; taken my advice]. You should not have sailed from Crete. Then you would not have all this trouble and loss.


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But now I ·tell [urge; advise] you to ·cheer up [keep up your courage] because none of you will ·die [be lost]. Only the ship will be lost.


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The angel said, ‘Paul, do not be afraid. You must stand before Caesar. And God has ·promised you that he will save the lives of [graciously granted safety to] everyone sailing with you.’


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So men, have courage. [For] I trust in God that everything will happen as ·his angel told me [I have been told].


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On the fourteenth night we were still ·being carried [drifting; or being driven] around in the Adriatic Sea [the sea between Greece and Italy including the central Mediterranean]. About ·midnight [the middle of the night] the sailors thought we were close to land,


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so they ·lowered a rope with a weight on the end of it into the water [took a sounding]. They found that the water was one hundred twenty feet deep [twenty fathoms]. They went a little farther and ·lowered the rope again [took a sounding]. It was ninety feet [fifteen fathoms] deep.


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·The sailors [They] were afraid that we would ·hit the rocks [run aground], so they threw four anchors ·into the water [from the stern] and prayed for daylight to come.


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Some of the sailors wanted to leave the ship, and they lowered the lifeboat, pretending they were throwing more anchors from the ·front of the ship [bow].


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But Paul told the ·officer [centurion] and the other soldiers, “If these men do not stay in the ship, your lives cannot be saved.”


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Just before dawn Paul ·began persuading [begged; encouraged; urged] all the people to ·eat something [take food]. He said, “·For the past fourteen days [Today is the fourteenth day] you have been ·waiting and watching [in suspense] and ·not eating [going without food, taking nothing].


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Now I ·beg [urge; encourage] you to ·eat something [take food]. You need it to ·stay alive [survive]. None of you will lose even one hair off your heads.”


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After he said this, Paul took some bread and thanked God for it before all of them. He broke off a piece and began eating [reflecting language associated with the Lord’s Supper].


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When they had eaten all they wanted, they began making the ship lighter by throwing the ·grain [wheat] into the sea.


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The Ship Is Destroyed When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a beach and wanted to sail the ship ·to [up on] the beach if they could.


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So they ·cut the ropes to [cast off] the anchors and left ·the anchors [them] in the sea. At the same time, they untied the ropes that were holding the rudders. Then they raised the front sail into the wind and sailed toward the beach.


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But the ship hit a ·sandbank [reef; shoal; or cross-current; place of two seas]. The front of the ship stuck there and could not move, but the ·back of the ship [stern] began to break up from the big waves.


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The soldiers ·decided [made a decision] to kill the prisoners so none of them could swim away and escape.


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But ·Julius, the officer, [the centurion] wanted to ·let Paul live [save Paul] and ·did not allow the soldiers to kill the prisoners [stopped them from their plan]. Instead he ordered everyone who could swim to jump into the water first and swim to land.


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The rest were to follow using wooden boards or pieces of the ship. And this is how all the people made it safely to land.


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Paul on the Island of Malta When we ·were safe on land [reached safety], we learned that the island was called Malta [58 miles southwest of Sicily].


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The ·people who lived there [native people; barbarians; a term referring to non-Greek speakers] were very ·good [kind] to us. Because it was raining and very cold, they made a fire and welcomed all of us.


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Paul gathered a pile of ·sticks [brushwood] and was putting them on the fire when a ·poisonous snake [viper] came out because of the heat and ·bit [fastened itself to] him on the hand.


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The ·people living on the island [native people; ] saw the ·snake [creature; animal] hanging from Paul’s hand and said to each other, “This man must be a murderer! He ·did not die in [escaped from] the sea, but Justice [Dikē; pronounced di-káy); the goddess of justice] ·does not want [has not allowed] him to live.”


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But Paul shook the ·snake [creature; animal] off into the fire and ·was not hurt [suffered no harm].


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·The people [They] thought that Paul would swell up or fall down dead. They waited and watched him for a long time, but nothing ·bad [unusual] happened to him. So they changed their minds and said, “He is a god!”


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There ·were some fields [or was an estate] around there owned by Publius, ·an important man [or the chief official; governor] on the island. He ·welcomed [received] us into his home and ·was very good to us [provided generous hospitality; treated us as honored guests] for three days.


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Publius’ father was sick in bed with a fever and dysentery [a serious illness that includes cramping and severe diarrhea]. Paul went to him, prayed, and ·put [or laid] his hands on the man and healed him.


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After this, ·all the other [the rest of the] sick people on the island came to Paul, and he healed them, too.


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The people on the island gave us many honors. When we were ready to leave, they gave us the ·things [provisions] we needed. Paul Goes to Rome After three months we got on a ship from Alexandria [] that had stayed on the island during the winter. On the front of the ship was the sign of the ·twin gods [Castor and Pollux, the twin sons of Zeus; protectors of sailors].


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From there we ·sailed to [set sail and arrived at] Rhegium [a port city on the Italian mainland across from Sicily]. The next day a wind began to blow from the south, and ·a day later [on the second day] we came to Puteoli [a bit further north on the southwestern coast of Italy].


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We found some ·believers [brothers (and sisters)] there who ·asked [invited] us to stay with them for ·a week [seven days]. ·Finally [And so in this way], we came to Rome.


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The ·believers [brothers (and sisters)] in Rome heard that we were there and came out as far as the ·Market [Forum] of Appius [about 40 miles from Rome] and the Three Inns [eight miles toward Rome from the Market of Appius] to meet us. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and ·was encouraged [took courage].


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Paul in Rome When we arrived at Rome, Paul was allowed to live alone, with the soldier who guarded him.


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Three days later ·Paul [he] sent for the leaders of the ·Jewish community [Jews] there. When they came together, he said, “[Men,] Brothers, I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers]. But I was ·arrested [made a prisoner] in Jerusalem and given ·to [into the hands of] the Romans.


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After they ·asked me many questions [examined me; tried my case], they wanted to let me go free because they could find no reason why I should be ·killed [given the death penalty].


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But the Jews there ·argued against that [objected], so I had to ·ask to come to Rome to have my trial before [appeal to] Caesar. But I have no ·charge [accusation] to bring against my own ·people [nation].


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That is why I wanted to see you and talk with you. I am bound with this chain because ·I believe in [of] the hope of Israel.”


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They ·answered [said to] Paul, “We have received no letters from Judea about you. None of our Jewish brothers who have come from there brought news or told us anything bad about you.


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But we ·want to hear [consider it worth hearing] your ideas, because we know that people everywhere are speaking against this ·religious group [sect].”


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Paul and the people ·chose [arranged; appointed] a day for a meeting and on that day ·many more of the Jews [a great number] met with Paul at the place he was staying. He spoke to them ·all day long [from morning until evening]. Using the law of Moses and the prophets’ writings [the whole Old Testament], he explained [by testifying/bearing witness about] the kingdom of God, and he tried to persuade them to believe these things about Jesus.


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So they ·argued [disagreed with each other] and began leaving after Paul said one more thing to them: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ·ancestors [fathers] through Isaiah the prophet, saying,


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‘Go to this people and say: You will ·listen and listen [or certainly listen], but you will not understand. You will ·look and look [or certainly look], but you will not ·learn [perceive],


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because [the heart of] these people have become ·stubborn [dull]. They ·don’t hear with their ears [or hardly hear with their ears; are hard of hearing], and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise, they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears. They might really understand in their ·minds [hearts] and come back to me and ·be healed [I would heal them; ].’


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“[Therefore,] I want you to know that God has also sent his salvation to ·all nations [the Gentiles], and they will listen!”


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,·After [or When] ·Paul [he] said this, the Jews left. They were arguing very much with each other.,


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Paul stayed two full years ·in his own rented house [or at his own expense] and welcomed all people who came to visit him.


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He ·boldly [confidently] ·preached about [proclaimed] the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ, ·and no one stopped him [freely; without hindrance].


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From Paul, a ·servant [slave; bondservant] of Christ Jesus. ·God called me […called] to be an ·apostle [messenger] and ·chose me [set me apart; appointed me] to tell the ·Good News [Gospel].


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God promised this ·Good News [Gospel] ·long ago [beforehand; previously] through his prophets, as it is written in the Holy Scriptures.


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The Good News is about God’s Son. ·As a man [or With reference to his earthly life; According to the flesh], he was born ·from the family [a descendant; of the seed] of David [].


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But through the Spirit of holiness [a Jewish way of referring to the Holy Spirit] he was ·declared [or designated; appointed] to be God’s Son with great power by rising from the dead [though eternally the Son of God, Jesus was appointed such “with power” at his resurrection; see ; ]. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.


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Through ·Christ [whom], ·God gave me the special work of an apostle [we have received apostleship; “we” could be a formal way of saying “I,” or could refer to Paul and the other apostles], which was to lead ·people of all nations [the Gentiles] to ·believe and obey [or the obedience that comes from faith; or the obedience that is faith]. I do this work for ·him [his name].


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To all of you in Rome whom God loves and has called to be ·his holy people [saints]: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.


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A Prayer of Thanks First I want to say that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because people everywhere in the world are talking about your faith.


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God, whom I serve ·with my whole heart [in/with my spirit] ·by telling [or for the sake of; in] the ·Good News [Gospel] about his Son, ·knows [is my witness] that I ·always [continually; never cease to] mention you


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every time I pray. I pray that now at last ·if God wants it [by God’s will] I will ·be allowed to come [succeed in coming] to you.


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I ·want very much [long] to see you, to ·give [impart to; or share with] you some spiritual gift to make you strong.


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I mean that I want us to ·help each other [be mutually encouraged/comforted] ·with the faith we have [by each other’s faith]. ·Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you […both yours and mine].


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Brothers and sisters, I want you to know that I ·planned [intended] many times to come to you, but ·this has not been possible [have been hindered/ unsuccessful until now]. I wanted to come so that I could ·help you grow spiritually [harvest some fruit among you] as I have ·helped the other [among the rest of the] Gentiles.


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I have a ·duty [obligation; debt] to all people—Greeks and ·those who are not Greeks [or barbarians; this pairing could mean (1) ethnic Greeks and other Gentiles; (2) Greek speakers (people in the Roman empire) and non-Greek speakers (those outside the Roman empire); or (3) cultured people and uncultured people], the wise and the foolish [perhaps contrasting educated with uneducated, or philosophically sophisticated () with simple-minded].


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[For] I am not ashamed of the ·Good News [Gospel], because it is the power God uses to save everyone who believes—to save the Jews first, and then to save ·Gentiles [the Greeks; here meaning anyone who is not Jewish; contrast ].


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The ·Good News [Gospel] shows ·how God makes people right with himself [or God’s righteous character; the righteousness of/from God]—·that it begins and ends with faith [or that advances from one believing person to the next; or that begins with God’s faithfulness and results in people’s faith; from faith to faith]. As the Scripture says, “But ·those who are right with God will live by faith [or those made righteous through faith will live (eternally); ].”


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All People Have Sinned [For] God’s ·anger [wrath; retribution] is ·shown [being revealed] from heaven against all the ·evil [ungodly] and ·wrong [wicked; unrighteous] things people do. By their ·own evil lives [wickedness; unrighteousness] they ·hide [suppress] the truth.


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God ·shows [reveals] his ·anger [wrath; retribution] because ·some knowledge of [what can be known about] him has been made ·clear [plain; evident] to them. Yes, God has ·shown himself [revealed/disclosed it] to them.


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For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and ·all the things that make him God [his divine nature]—have been clearly ·seen [perceived], understood through what God has made. So people have no excuse.


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They knew God, but they did not give glory to God or thank him. Their thinking became ·useless [futile; pointless]. Their ·foolish [ignorant; uncomprehending] ·minds [hearts] were ·filled with darkness [darkened].


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They ·traded [exchanged] the glory of ·God who lives forever [the immortal/imperishable God] for the worship of ·idols [images] made to look like ·earthly [mortal; perishable] people, birds, animals, and reptiles.


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Because they did these things, God ·abandoned them to [allowed them to pursue; gave them over to] ·their sinful desires [the desires of their hearts], resulting in ·sexual impurity [uncleanness; impurity] and the dishonoring of their bodies with one another.


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They ·traded [exchanged] the truth of God for ·a lie [or the lie; see ] and worshiped and served ·the creation [or the creature; or created things] instead of the Creator, who ·should be praised [or is blessed] forever. Amen.


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Because people did those things, God ·abandoned them to [allowed them to pursue; gave them over to] ·shameful [dishonorable; degrading] ·lusts [passions]. [Their] Women ·stopped having natural sex and started having sex with other women [exchanged natural (heterosexual) relations for unnatural ones].


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In the same way, men ·stopped having [abandoned] natural ·sex [relations with women] and ·began wanting [were inflamed in their lust for] each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and in ·their bodies [themselves] they received the ·punishment [recompense; due penalty] for ·those wrongs [their error].


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[And since/just as] People did not ·think it was important [consider it worthwhile; see fit] to ·have a true knowledge of [or acknowledge] God. So God ·abandoned them to [allowed them to pursue; gave them over to] ·their own worthless thinking [a depraved/corrupted mind] to do things they should not do.


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They are filled with every kind of ·sin [unrighteousness; injustice], ·evil [wickedness], ·selfishness [greed], and ·hatred [evil; malice; depravity]. They are full of ·jealousy [envy], murder, ·fighting [strife; quarreling], ·lying [deceit; treachery], and ·thinking the worst about each other [spite; maliciousness]. They are gossips


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and ·say evil things about each other [slanderers; backstabbers]. They hate God. They are ·rude [insolent; haughty] and ·conceited [proud; arrogant] and ·brag about themselves [boastful]. They invent ways of doing evil. They do not ·obey [respect] their parents.


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They are ·foolish [senseless; undiscerning], they ·do not keep their promises [or are covenant-breakers], and they show no ·kindness [love; affection] or ·mercy [pity] to others.


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They know God’s ·law says [righteous decree; just requirement] that those who live like this should die. But they themselves not only continue to do these evil things, they ·applaud [approve of; encourage] others who do them.


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You People Also Are Sinful [Therefore] If you think you can judge others, [O man,] you are ·wrong [without excuse]. [For] When you judge them, you are really judging yourself guilty, because you [who are judging] do the same things they do.


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God judges those who do ·wrong [such] things, and we know that his judging is ·right [just; justified; based on truth].


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You judge those who do ·wrong [such things], but you do ·wrong [the same things] yourselves. Do you think [O man,] you will be able to escape the judgment of God?


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You [Do you…?] ·think nothing of [despise; have contempt for; disregard] his kindness, ·tolerance [forbearance] and patience. Perhaps you do not understand that God is kind to you so you will ·change your hearts and lives [repent].


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But because you are stubborn and ·refuse to change [have an unrepentant heart], you are ·making your own punishment even greater [storing up wrath for yourself] on the day ·he shows his anger [of (God’s) wrath]. ·On that day everyone will see […and the day of the revelation of] God’s ·right [righteous; just] judgments.


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Some people, by ·always continuing [persevering] to do good, ·live for [seek after; aim for] ·God’s glory [glory], for honor, and for ·life that has no end [immortality]. God will give them ·life forever [eternal life].


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But other people are ·selfish [self-seeking], ·refusing to follow [disobeying; or disbelieving] truth and instead ·following [obeying; or believing] evil. God will give them his ·punishment [wrath] and anger.


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·He will give [or There will be] ·trouble [affliction; tribulation] and ·suffering [distress] to everyone who does evil—to the Jews first and also to ·those who are not Jews [the Greek; here meaning all Gentiles; see , , ].


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But ·he will give [or there will be] glory, honor, and peace to everyone who does good—to the Jews first and also to ·those who are not Jews [the Greek; ].


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·People [or For all those] who do not have the law [Gentiles without the written law of Moses] and who are sinners will ·be lost [perish], although they do not have the law. And, in the same way, those who have the law [Jews who have the law of Moses] and are sinners will be judged by the law.


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Hearing the law does not make people ·right with [righteous/justified before] God. It is those who obey the law who will be ·right with [justified/declared righteous before] him.


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(·Those who are not Jews [Gentiles] do not have the law, but when they ·freely [by nature; instinctively] do what the law commands, they ·are the law for themselves [or reveal their awareness of God’s law]. This is true even though they do not have the law [the written law of Moses].


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They show that ·in their hearts they know what is right and wrong, just as the law commands [the requirements of the law are written on their hearts]. And they show this by their consciences [bearing witness]. Sometimes their thoughts ·tell them they did wrong [accuse them], and sometimes their thoughts ·tell them they did right [defend them].)


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·All these things [or This] will happen on the day when, according to ·my Gospel [the Good News I preach], God, through Christ Jesus, will judge people’s secret thoughts.


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The Jews and the Law What about you? You call yourself a Jew. You ·trust in [rely on] the ·law of Moses [law] and ·brag that you are close to God [boast in God].


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You know ·what he wants you to do [his will] and ·what is important [can discern/test what is best/superior], because you have ·learned [been instructed in] the law.


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You ·think [are convinced/confident that] you are a guide for the blind and a light for those who are in darkness.


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You think you ·can show foolish people what is right [are an instructor to the foolish] and ·teach [a teacher for] ·those who know nothing [the immature/ignorant; or children/infants]. You have the law; so you think you ·know everything and have all truth [have the embodiment/formulation of knowledge and truth].


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You teach others, so why don’t you teach yourself? You ·tell [preach to] others not to steal, but do you steal?


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You say that others must not commit adultery, but do you commit adultery? You ·hate [abhor; detest] idols, but do you steal from temples [perhaps (1) profiting by selling stolen idols to Gentiles; or (2) withholding what is due to God and so “robbing” his temple]?


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You ·brag [boast] about ·having God’s law [the law], but do you ·bring shame to [dishonor] God by breaking his law?


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It is just as the Scriptures say: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you [; ].”


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If you follow the law, your circumcision [a key distinctive of Jewish identity; ] has ·meaning [value; benefit]. But if you ·break [transgress; disobey] the law, it is as if you were never circumcised.


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If those who are not circumcised ·do [keep; obey] ·what the law says [or the law’s righteous requirements], it is as if they were circumcised.


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Those who are not circumcised in their bodies, but still ·obey [fulfill; carry out] the law, will ·pass judgment on [condemn] you who, though having the written law and circumcision, ·break [transgress; disobey] the law.


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They can do this because a person is not a true Jew if he is only a Jew ·in his physical body [by (physical) appearance]; true circumcision is not ·only on the outside of the body [the appearance of the flesh].


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A person is a Jew only if he is a Jew ·inside [inwardly]; true circumcision is done in the heart by the Spirit, not by the written law. Such a person gets praise from God rather than from people.


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So what advantage does a Jew have? [Or] Is there ·anything special [any benefit/advantage] about being circumcised?


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Yes, there are great benefits in ·every way [or all different ways]. ·The most important thing is this [First]: God ·trusted [entrusted] the Jews with his ·teachings [revelation; oracles].


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·If [What if] some Jews were not faithful to him, will their unfaithfulness ·stop God from doing what he promised [nullify God’s faithfulness]?


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·No [Absolutely not; May it never be]! ·God will continue to be true even when every person is false [Let God be true and every person a liar]. As the Scriptures say: “So you will be ·shown to be right [justified] ·when you speak [in your words], and you will ·win your case in court [prevail when you are judged; or prevail when you judge (sin); ].”


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But if ·what we do wrong [our unrighteousness] ·shows more clearly [highlights] ·that God is right [God’s righteousness], ·how can we say [what shall we say?] that God is ·wrong [unrighteous; unjust] to ·punish [inflict wrath on] us? (I am talking ·as people might talk [or in limited human terms].)


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·No [Absolutely not; May it never be; ]! If God could not punish us, ·he could not [how could he…?] judge the world.


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A person might say, “When I lie, it really ·gives him [increases his] glory, because my lie shows God’s truth. So why am I ·judged [condemned as] a sinner?”


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It would be the same to say, “We should do evil so that good will come.” Some people ·find fault with [slander] us and say we teach this, but ·they are wrong and deserve the punishment they will receive [their condemnation is just].


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All People Are Guilty ·So [What then?] ·are we Jews [or are we Christians; are we] ·better than others [or making excuses for ourselves]? ·No [Not at all]! We have already ·said [charged; made the accusation] that Jews and Gentiles alike are all ·guilty of [or under the power of; under] sin.


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As the Scriptures say: “There is no one who ·always does what is right [is righteous], not even one.


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All have turned away. Together, everyone has become ·useless [worthless]. There is no one who ·does anything good [or shows kindness]; there is not even one [].”


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“Their throats are like open graves [either their words are like rotting corpses, or their speech is murderous]; they use their tongues ·for telling lies [to deceive; ].” “·Their words are like snake poison [Asp/Viper venom is on their lips; ].”


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We know that ·the law’s commands [what the law says] are for those who ·have [are under/subject to; are in] the law. This ·stops all excuses [silences every mouth] and brings the whole world under God’s judgment,


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because no one can be ·made right [justfied; declared righteous] with God [] ·by following [through the works of] the law. [For] The law only ·shows us our [brings awareness of] sin.


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How God Makes People Right But now ·God’s way to make people right with him [the righteousness of God] ·without [apart from] the law has been ·shown to us [revealed; made known], a way ·told to us [testified to; attested] by the law and the prophets.


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·God makes people right with himself [This righteousness comes] through ·their faith in [or the faithfulness of] Jesus Christ. This is true for all who believe in Christ, because ·all people are the same [there is no distinction/difference; between Jews and Gentiles]:


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[For; Because] Everyone has sinned and ·fallen short [or is not worthy] of God’s ·glorious standard [or glorious presence; glory],


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and all need to be ·made right with God [justfied; declared righteous] as a free gift by his grace, ·by being set free from sin [through the redemption that is] ·through [or in] Jesus Christ.


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God ·sent [or appointed; or presented] him ·to die in our place to take away our sins [as a sacrifice of atonement; or as the mercy seat; as a propitiation; the Greek term could mean the place where sacrificial blood was dripped (the mercy seat) or the sacrifice itself; it implies an atoning sacrifice that turns away divine wrath]. We receive forgiveness through faith in ·the blood of Jesus’ death [his blood]. This showed ·that God always does what is right and fair [his righteousness], as in the past when he was patient and ·did not punish people for their sins [passed over/delayed punishment for previously committed sins].


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And God gave Jesus to show ·today [or at this present time (of salvation)] ·that he does what is right [his righteousness/justice]. God did this so he could ·judge rightly [or be shown to be just/righteous] and so he could ·make right [declare righteous; justify] any person ·who has faith in Jesus [or on the basis of Jesus’ faithfulness; see ]. [Christ’s sacrificial death shows that God is both just (sin is justly punished) and merciful (God saves undeserving sinners).]


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·So do we have a reason to brag about ourselves? No! [Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded.] ·And why not [By what law/principle]? It is the ·way [law; principle] of faith that stops all ·bragging [boasting], not the ·way [law; principle] of ·trying to obey the law [works].


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For we ·conclude [maintain; assert] a person is ·made right with God [justified; declared righteous] through faith, not through ·obeying [the works of] the law.


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Of course he is, because ·there is only one God [or God is one; ]. He will ·make Jews right with him [justify/make righteous the circumcised] by their faith, and he will also ·make Gentiles right with him [justify/declare righteous the uncircumcised] through their faith.


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So do we ·destroy [nullify; annul] the law by ·following the way of faith [faith]? ·No [Absolutely not; May it never be; ]! ·Faith causes us to be what the law truly wants [We uphold/establish/support the law; living by faith captures the true spirit and purpose of the law; the law pointed out sin and the need for grace, thereby pointing to Christ].


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The Example of Abraham So what can we say that Abraham, ·the father of our people [our forefather according to the flesh; ], ·learned about faith [discovered in this regard; has found]?


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If Abraham was ·made right [justified; declared righteous] by ·the things he did [the works of the law], he had a reason to ·brag [boast]. ·But this is not God’s view [or …but he could not boast before God],


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because the Scripture says, “Abraham believed God, and ·God accepted Abraham’s faith, and that faith made him right with God [it was credited/counted to him for righteousness; ].”


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When people work, their ·pay [wage] is not ·given [credited; counted] as ·a gift [grace], but as something ·earned [due to them].


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·But people cannot do any work that will make them right with God. So they must trust in him [But for the one who does not work, but trusts in God], who ·makes even evil people right in his sight [justifies/makes righteous the ungodly]. Then God ·accepts their faith, and that makes them right with him [credits/counts their faith for righteousness].


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David said the same thing. He said that people are ·truly blessed [happy; spiritually fulfilled] when God, ·without paying attention to their deeds [apart from works], ·makes people right with himself [credits/counts righteousness to them].


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“·Blessed [Happy; Spiritually fulfilled] are they whose ·sins [lawless deeds] are forgiven, whose ·wrongs [sins] are ·pardoned [covered; blotted out].


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·Blessed [Happy; Spiritually fulfilled] is the person whom the Lord does not ·consider guilty [count sin against; ].”


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Is this ·blessing [happiness; spiritual fulfillment] only for those who are circumcised or also for those who are not circumcised? We have already said that ·God accepted Abraham’s faith and that faith made him right with God [faith was credited/counted to Abraham for righteousness; ].


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So how did this happen? Did God accept Abraham before or after he was circumcised? It was not after, but before his circumcision.


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Abraham ·was circumcised [received the sign of circumcision; ] ·to show that he was right with God [as a seal/guarantee of the righteousness he had] through faith before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the father of all those who believe but are not circumcised, so that ·they too may be accepted as being right with God [righteousness may be credited/counted to them also].


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And Abraham is also the father of those who have been circumcised and who ·live following [walk in the footsteps of] the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.


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God Keeps His Promise [For] The promise Abraham and his ·descendants [seed] received that they would inherit the ·whole world [world] ·did not come through [was not based on his obedience to] the law, but through ·being right with God by his faith [the righteousness that comes by faith].


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[For] If people ·could receive what God promised [are heirs] by following the law, then faith is worthless. And ·God’s promise to Abraham [the promise] is ·worthless [nullified; canceled],


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because the law can only bring God’s ·anger [wrath]. But if there is no law, there is ·nothing to disobey [no transgression/violation; the law points out sin (), but it cannot save from sin].


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So people receive God’s promise by having faith. This happens so the promise can be ·a free gift [by grace]. Then all of Abraham’s ·children [descendants; offspring; seed] can ·have [be guaranteed; be certain to have] that promise. It is not only for those who live under the law of Moses but for anyone who lives with faith like that of Abraham, who is the father of us all.


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As it is written in the Scriptures: “I ·am making [have made] you a father of many nations [].” This is true ·before [in the presence of] God, the God Abraham believed, the God who gives life to the dead and who ·creates something out of nothing [calls things that did not exist into existence].


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·Though there was no hope that Abraham would have children [or When all seemed hopeless; Against hope…], Abraham believed God and continued hoping, and so he became the father of many nations []. As God told him, “·Your descendants also will be too many to count [So shall your seed/offspring be; ].”


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Abraham was almost a hundred years old, ·much past the age for having children [his own body (as good as) dead], and ·Sarah could not have children [Sarah’s womb was dead]. Abraham ·thought about all [considered; or acknowledged] this, but his faith in God did not become weak.


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He never ·doubted or stopped believing [or wavered through unbelief] that God would keep his promise. He grew stronger in his faith and gave ·praise [glory] to God.


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So, “·God accepted Abraham’s faith, and that faith made him right with God [it was credited/counted to him for righteousness; ].”


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Those words (“·God accepted Abraham’s faith [it was credited/counted to him]”) were written not only for Abraham


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but also for us. ·God will accept us also […to whom it will be credited/counted] because we believe in the One who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.


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Jesus was ·given to die [handed/delivered over; ] ·for [because of] our ·sins [violations; transgressions], and he was raised from the dead ·to make us right with God [for our justification; or to confirm our justification].


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Right with God [Therefore,] Since we have been ·made right with God [declared righteous; justified] by our faith, we have peace with God. This happened through our Lord Jesus Christ,


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·who through our faith has brought us into that blessing of [through whom we have access by faith to] God’s grace ·that we now enjoy [in which we stand/live]. And we ·are happy [rejoice; boast] because of the hope we have ·of sharing [or of experiencing; of] God’s glory.


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[Not only this, but] We also ·have joy [rejoice; boast] ·with our troubles [through suffering/trials/persecution], because we know that ·these troubles [suffering; trials; persecution] produce ·patience [endurance].


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And ·patience [endurance] produces [tested and proven] character, and [tested and proven] character produces hope.


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And this hope will never ·disappoint us [let us down; or put us to shame; dishonor us; honor and shame were among the most important values in first century culture], because God has ·poured out his love to fill our hearts [or flooded our hearts with his love]. He gave us his love through the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to us.


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[For] When we were ·unable to help ourselves [still helpless/weak], at the ·right [or appointed] time, Christ died for ·us sinners [the ungodly/wicked].


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·Very few people will [or Rarely/Scarcely will anyone] die for a ·righteous [just; pious] person. Although perhaps for a ·good [truly good; noble] person someone might possibly die [the “righteous” person may be someone who is outwardly religious, while the “good” person is genuinely generous and loving].


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But God ·shows [demonstrates; proves] his ·great [own] love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners.


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And since we have now been ·made right with God [declared righteous; justified] by ·the blood of Christ’s death [his blood], ·we will surely also [how much more shall we…!] be saved through Christ from ·God’s anger [final punishment; the wrath].


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[For if] While we were God’s enemies, ·he made us his friends [we were reconciled to God] through the death of his Son. ·Surely [How much more…?], ·now that we are his friends [having been reconciled], he will save us through his Son’s life.


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And not only that, but now we ·are also very happy [also rejoice/boast] in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we ·are now God’s friends again [have now received reconciliation].


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Adam and Christ Compared [Therefore, just as] Sin came into the world ·because of what one man did [through one man], and with sin came death. ·This is why […and so; or and in this way] ·everyone must die [death spread/passed to all people]—because everyone sinned.


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Sin was in the world before ·the law of Moses [the law], but sin is not ·counted against us as breaking a command [charged to one’s account; recorded as sin] when there is no law [].


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But from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, ·everyone had to die [death reigned/ruled], even those who had not sinned ·by breaking a command, as Adam had [in the likeness of Adam’s disobedience/transgression]. Adam was ·like [a type/pattern/prefigurement of] the One who was coming in the future.


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But ·God’s free gift [the gift] is not like Adam’s ·sin [violation; transgression]. [For if] Many people died because of the ·sin [violation; transgression] of that one man. ·But the grace from God was much greater, since many people received God’s gift of life […how much more did God’s grace and gift abound/multiply to the many] by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ [the death of the “one” saved the “many”; see ; ].


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But the gift of God is different from ·Adam’s [the one man’s] sin. After Adam sinned once, ·he was judged guilty [his judgment brought condemnation]. [But] God’s free gift came after many ·sins [violations; transgressions], and it ·makes people right with God [brought justification].


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[For if] One man’s ·sin [violation; transgression] caused death to ·rule over all people [reign; rule] because of that one man. How much more, then, will those people who ·accept [receive] ·God’s full grace [the abundance of grace] and the great gift of ·being made right with him [righteousness] ·have true life and rule [or rule in the future life; reign/rule in life] through the one man, Jesus Christ. [Just as death “ruled” in Adam, so believers “rule” over death through Christ.]


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So as one ·sin of Adam [violation; trangression] brought ·the punishment of death [condemnation] to all people, so too one ·good act that Christ did [righteous act/deed] ·makes all people right with God, bringing them true life [brings justification of life to all people].


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[For just as…] One man disobeyed God, and many became sinners. ·In the same way, […so also] one man obeyed God, and many will be made ·right [righteous].


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The law came ·to make sin worse [or to reveal the true extent of sin; to increase the violation/transgression]. But when sin ·grew worse [increased; multiplied], God’s grace ·increased [multiplied/abounded all the more].


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·Sin once used death to rule us [Just as sin reigned in death…], ·but God gave people more of his grace so that grace could rule […so grace will reign] ·by making people right with him [through justification/righteousness]. And this brings ·life forever [eternal life] through Jesus Christ our Lord.


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Dead to Sin but Alive in Christ ·So [What then shall we say?] ·do you think we should [shall we] continue sinning so that ·God will give us even more grace [grace may increase/abound]?


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·No [Absolutely not; May it never be; ]! We died to ·our old sinful lives [sin], so how can we continue living ·with [or in] sin?


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·Did you forget [or Don’t you know] that all of us who ·became part of Christ Jesus when we were baptized [were baptized into Christ Jesus] ·shared his death in that baptism [or participated in his death through that baptism; were baptized into his death].


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[Therefore] When we were baptized, we were buried with Christ ·and shared his [and participated in his; into] death. So, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the ·wonderful power [glorious power; glory] of the Father, we also can live a new life.


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Christ died, and we have been ·joined with [united with; grafted into] him ·by dying too [or by participating in his death; in the likeness of his death]. So we will also be ·joined with [united with; grafted into] him by rising from the dead as he did.


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We know that our old ·life [self; person] died with Christ on the cross so that our ·sinful selves [or body controlled by sin; body of sin] would have no power over us and we would not be slaves to sin.


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Christ was raised from the dead, and we know that he cannot die again. Death has no ·power [mastery; dominion] over him now.


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·Yes [For; Because], when Christ died, he died ·to defeat the power of sin [to take away sin; or with reference to sin] ·one time—enough for all time [once for all; ]. [But] He now has a new life, and his new life is ·with [or for the glory of; or with reference to] God.


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In the same way, you should ·see [count; consider] yourselves as being dead to ·the power of sin [sin] and alive ·with [to; with reference to] God ·through [or in; in union with] Christ Jesus.


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So, do not let sin ·control your life [reign; rule over you] ·here on earth [in your mortal body] so that you ·do what your sinful self wants to do [obey/submit to its (evil/sinful) desires].


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Do not offer ·the parts of your body [or any part of yourself; your parts/members] to serve sin, as ·things to be used in doing [instruments/weapons of] ·evil [unrighteousness; injustice]. Instead, offer yourselves to God as people who have died and now live. Offer ·the parts of your body [or every part of yourself; your parts/members] to God ·to be used in doing good [as instruments/weapons of righteousness/justice].


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[For] Sin will not ·be your master [exercise dominion/power over you], because you are not under law but under God’s grace.


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Be Slaves of Righteousness ·So what should we do [What then; ]? Should we sin because we are under grace and not under law? ·No [Absolutely not; May it never be; ]!


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·Surely you know [Don’t you know…?] that when you submit yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, ·the person you obey is your master [you are slaves to the one you obey]. [Either] You can ·follow [be slaves to] sin, which brings ·spiritual death [death], or you can ·obey God [(be slaves) to obedience], which ·makes you right with him [leads to righteousness].


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In the past ·sin controlled you [you were slaves to sin]. But thank God, you ·fully obeyed [obeyed from the heart] the ·things [accepted/orthodox teaching; example/pattern of teaching] ·that you were taught [or that have claimed your allegiance; to which you were delivered/entrusted].


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I use ·this example [or an analogy from everyday life; or an inadequate human illustration (like slavery)] because ·this is hard for you to understand [of the limitations/weakness of your human nature/flesh]. In the past you offered ·the parts of your body [or yourselves; your parts/members] to be slaves to ·sin [impurity; defilement] and ·evil [lawlessness; wickedness]; ·you lived only for evil [or …leading to even more lawlessness/wickedness]. In the same way now you must offer ·yourselves [your parts/members] to be slaves of ·goodness [righteousness]. ·Then you will live only for God […leading to holiness/sanctification].


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[For] When you were slaves to sin, ·goodness did not control you [you were free (from obligation) to righteousness].


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And what ·was the result of [benefit/fruit did you reap from] doing those things that now make you ashamed? [For] ·Those things only bring [The end/result of those things is] death.


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But now you are free from sin and have become slaves of God. This ·brings you [reaps the benefit/fruit of] ·a life that is only for God [holiness; sanctification], and ·this gives you life forever [the end/result is eternal life].


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[For; Because] The ·payment [wages] for sin is death. But God gives us the free gift of ·life forever [eternal life] in Christ Jesus our Lord.


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An Example from Marriage Brothers and sisters, all of you understand the ·law of Moses [law]. So surely you know that the law ·rules [has authority] over people only while they are alive.


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For example, a ·woman must stay married [married woman is bound by law] to her husband as long as he is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from the law of marriage.


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But if she ·marries [or lives with] another man while her husband is still alive, ·the law says she is guilty of adultery [she will be called/labeled an adulteress]. But if her husband dies, she is free from the ·law of marriage [law]. Then if she marries another man, she is not ·guilty of adultery [an adulteress].


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In the same way, my brothers and sisters, ·your old selves died, and you became free from the law [you died to the law] through the body of Christ. This happened so that you might belong to someone else—the One who was raised from the dead—and so that we might ·be used in service to [bear fruit for] God.


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[For] When we were ·ruled by [controlled by; living in; in] ·our sinful selves [our sinful nature; the flesh], sinful ·desires [passions] stirred up by the law were at work ·in our bodies [or within us; in our members/parts], so the things we did ·were bringing us [produced fruit leading to] death.


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But now we have been freed from the law, since we have died to that which ·held us like prisoners [controlled us; held us]. So now we serve God in a new way ·with [by means of; in the power of] the Spirit, and not in the old way ·with written rules [or of the written law; of the letter].


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Our Fight Against Sin ·You might think I am saying that sin and the law are the same thing [What, then, shall we say? Is the law sin?]. ·That is not true [Absolutely not!; May it never be!; ]. But the law was the only way I could learn what sin meant. I would never have known what it means to ·want to take something belonging to someone else [selfishly desire; covet] if the law had not said, “You must not ·want to take your neighbor’s things [selfishly desire; covet; ; ].”


