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Acts 28:21-31
New English Translation

21 They replied,[a] “We have received no letters from Judea about you, nor have any of the brothers come from there[b] and reported or said anything bad about you. 22 But we would like to hear from you what you think, for regarding this sect we know[c] that people[d] everywhere speak against[e] it.”

23 They set[f] a day to meet with him,[g] and they came to him where he was staying[h] in even greater numbers.[i] From morning until evening he explained things[j] to them,[k] testifying[l] about the kingdom of God[m] and trying to convince[n] them about Jesus from both the law of Moses and the prophets. 24 Some were convinced[o] by what he said,[p] but others refused[q] to believe. 25 So they began to leave,[r] unable to agree among themselves, after Paul made one last statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly to your ancestors[s] through the prophet Isaiah 26 when he said,

‘Go to this people and say,
“You will keep on hearing,[t] but will never understand,
and you will keep on looking,[u] but will never perceive.
27 For the heart of this people has become dull,[v]
and their ears are hard of hearing,[w]
and they have closed their eyes,
so that they would not see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn,[x] and I would heal them.”’[y]

28 “Therefore be advised[z] that this salvation from God[aa] has been sent to the Gentiles;[ab] they[ac] will listen!”[ad]

30 Paul[ae] lived[af] there two whole years in his own rented quarters[ag] and welcomed[ah] all who came to him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God[ai] and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ[aj] with complete boldness[ak] and without restriction.[al]

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 28:21 tn Grk “they said to him.”
  2. Acts 28:21 tn Or “arrived”; Grk “come” (“from there” is implied). Grk “coming.” The participle παραγενόμενος (paragenomenos) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  3. Acts 28:22 tn Grk “regarding this sect it is known to us.” The passive construction “it is known to us” has been converted to an active one to simplify the translation.
  4. Acts 28:22 tn Grk “that everywhere it is spoken against.” To simplify the translation the passive construction “it is spoken against” has been converted to an active one with the subject “people” supplied.
  5. Acts 28:22 tn On the term translated “speak against,” see BDAG 89 s.v. ἀντιλέγω 1.
  6. Acts 28:23 tn Grk “Having set.” The participle ταξάμενοι (taxamenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  7. Acts 28:23 tn Grk “Having set a day with him”; the words “to meet” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
  8. Acts 28:23 tn Or “came to him in his rented quarters.”
  9. Acts 28:23 tn BDAG 848 s.v. πολύς 1.b.β.ב states, “(even) more πλείονες in even greater numbers Ac 28:23.”
  10. Acts 28:23 tn The word “things” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
  11. Acts 28:23 tn Grk “to whom he explained.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been replaced by the pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun at this point in the translation.
  12. Acts 28:23 tn BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 1 has “to make a solemn declaration about the truth of someth. testify of, bear witness to (orig. under oath)…God’s kingdom 28:23.”
  13. Acts 28:23 sn Testifying about the kingdom of God. The topic is important. Paul’s preaching was about the rule of God and his promise in Jesus. Paul’s text was the Jewish scriptures. This is yet another summary of the message like that in 18:28. The nature of the kingdom of God in the NT and in Jesus’ teaching (along with Paul’s teaching here) has long been debated by interpreters and scholars, with discussion primarily centering around the nature of the kingdom (earthly, heavenly, or both) and the kingdom’s arrival (present, future, or both). An additional major issue concerns the relationship between the kingdom of God and the person and work of Jesus himself. See also Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21; Acts 1:3.
  14. Acts 28:23 tn Or “persuade.”
  15. Acts 28:24 tn Or “persuaded.”
  16. Acts 28:24 tn Grk “by the things spoken.”
  17. Acts 28:24 sn Some were convinced…but others refused to believe. Once again the gospel caused division among Jews, as in earlier chapters of Acts (13:46; 18:6).
  18. Acts 28:25 tn The imperfect verb ἀπελύοντο (apeluonto) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.
  19. Acts 28:25 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
  20. Acts 28:26 tn Grk “you will hear with hearing” (an idiom).
  21. Acts 28:26 tn Or “seeing”; Grk “you will look by looking” (an idiom).
  22. Acts 28:27 tn Or “insensitive.”sn The heart of this people has become dull. The charge from Isaiah is like Stephen’s against the Jews of Jerusalem (Acts 7:51-53). They were a hard-hearted and disobedient people.
  23. Acts 28:27 tn Grk “they hear heavily with their ears” (an idiom for slow comprehension).
  24. Acts 28:27 sn Note how the failure to respond to the message of the gospel is seen as a failure to turn.
  25. Acts 28:27 sn A quotation from Isa 6:9-10.
  26. Acts 28:28 tn Grk “Therefore let it be known to you.”
  27. Acts 28:28 tn Or “of God.”
  28. Acts 28:28 sn The term Gentiles is in emphatic position in the Greek text of this clause. Once again there is the pattern: Jewish rejection of the gospel leads to an emphasis on Gentile inclusion (Acts 13:44-47).
  29. Acts 28:28 tn Grk “they also.”
  30. Acts 28:28 tc Some later mss include 28:29: “When he had said these things, the Jews departed, having a great dispute among themselves.” Verse 29 is lacking in P74vid א A B E Ψ 048 33 81 1175 1739 2464 and a number of versions. They are included (with a few minor variations) in M it and some versions. This verse is almost certainly not a part of the original text of Acts, as it lacks the best credentials. The present translation follows NA28 in omitting the verse number, a procedure also followed by a number of other modern translations.
  31. Acts 28:30 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  32. Acts 28:30 tn Or “stayed.”
  33. Acts 28:30 tn Or perhaps, “two whole years at his own expense.” BDAG 654 s.v. μίσθωμα states, “the customary act. mng. ‘contract price, rent’…is not found in our lit. (Ac) and the pass. what is rented, a rented house is a mng. not found outside it (even Ammonius Gramm. [100 ad] p. 93 Valck. knows nothing of it. Hence the transl. at his own expense [NRSV] merits attention) ἐν ἰδίῳ μισθώματι in his own rented lodgings Ac 28:30 (for the idea cf. Jos., Ant. 18, 235).”
  34. Acts 28:30 tn Or “and received.”
  35. Acts 28:31 sn See the note on the kingdom of God in v. 23.
  36. Acts 28:31 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
  37. Acts 28:31 tn Or “openness.”
  38. Acts 28:31 sn Proclaiming…with complete boldness and without restriction. Once again Paul’s imprisonment is on benevolent terms. The word of God is proclaimed triumphantly and boldly in Rome. Acts ends with this note: Despite all the attempts to stop it, the message goes forth.
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Psalm 83-84
New English Translation

Psalm 83[a]

A song, a psalm of Asaph.

83 O God, do not be silent.
Do not ignore us.[b] Do not be inactive, O God.
2 For look, your enemies are making a commotion;
those who hate you are hostile.[c]
3 They carefully plot[d] against your people,
and make plans to harm[e] the ones you cherish.[f]
4 They say, “Come on, let’s annihilate them so they are no longer a nation.[g]
Then the name of Israel will be remembered no more.”
5 Yes,[h] they devise a unified strategy;[i]
they form an alliance[j] against you.
6 It includes[k] the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
Moab and the Hagrites,[l]
7 Gebal,[m] Ammon, and Amalek,
Philistia and the inhabitants of Tyre.
8 Even Assyria has allied with them,
lending its strength to the descendants of Lot.[n] (Selah)
9 Do to them as you did to Midian[o]—
as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River.[p]
10 They were destroyed at Endor;[q]
their corpses were like manure[r] on the ground.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,[s]
and all their rulers like Zebah and Zalmunna,[t]
12 who said,[u] “Let’s take over[v] the pastures of God.”
13 O my God, make them like dead thistles,[w]
like dead weeds blown away by[x] the wind.
14 Like the fire that burns down the forest,
or the flames that consume the mountainsides,[y]
15 chase them with your gale winds,
and terrify[z] them with your windstorm.
16 Cover[aa] their faces with shame,
so they might seek[ab] you,[ac] O Lord.
17 May they be humiliated and continually terrified.[ad]
May they die in shame.[ae]
18 Then they will know[af] that you alone are the Lord,[ag]
the Most High[ah] over all the earth.

Psalm 84[ai]

For the music director, according to the gittith style;[aj] written by the Korahites, a psalm.

84 How lovely is the place where you live,[ak]
O Lord of Heaven’s Armies![al]
2 I desperately want to be[am]
in the courts of the Lord’s temple.[an]
My heart and my entire being[ao] shout for joy
to the living God.
3 Even the birds find a home there,
and the swallow[ap] builds a nest,
where she can protect her young[aq]
near your altars, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
my King and my God.
4 How blessed[ar] are those who live in your temple
and praise you continually. (Selah)
5 How blessed are those who[as] find their strength in you,
and long to travel the roads that lead to your temple.[at]
6 As they pass through the Baca Valley,[au]
he provides a spring for them.[av]
The rain[aw] even covers it with pools of water.[ax]
7 They are sustained as they travel along;[ay]
each one appears[az] before God in Zion.
8 O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies,[ba]
hear my prayer.
Listen, O God of Jacob. (Selah)
9 O God, take notice of our shield.[bb]
Show concern for your chosen king.[bc]
10 Certainly[bd] spending just one day in your temple courts is better
than spending a thousand elsewhere.[be]
I would rather stand at the entrance[bf] to the temple of my God
than live[bg] in the tents of the wicked.
11 For the Lord God is our sovereign protector.[bh]
The Lord bestows favor[bi] and honor;
he withholds no good thing from those who have integrity.[bj]
12 O Lord of Heaven’s Armies,[bk]
how blessed are those who trust in you.[bl]

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 83:1 sn Psalm 83. The psalmist asks God to deliver Israel from the attacks of foreign nations. Recalling how God defeated Israel’s enemies in the days of Deborah and Gideon, he prays that the hostile nations would be humiliated.
  2. Psalm 83:1 tn Heb “do not be deaf.”
  3. Psalm 83:2 tn Heb “lift up [their] head[s].” The phrase “lift up [the] head” here means “to threaten; to be hostile,” as in Judg 8:28.
  4. Psalm 83:3 tn Heb “they make crafty a plot.”
  5. Psalm 83:3 tn Heb “and consult together against.”
  6. Psalm 83:3 tn The passive participle of the Hebrew verb צָפַן (tsafan, “to hide”) is used here in the sense of “treasured; cherished.”
  7. Psalm 83:4 tn Heb “we will cause them to disappear from [being] a nation.”
  8. Psalm 83:5 tn Or “for.”
  9. Psalm 83:5 tn Heb “they consult [with] a heart together.”
  10. Psalm 83:5 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
  11. Psalm 83:6 tn The words “it includes” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  12. Psalm 83:6 sn The Hagrites are also mentioned in 1 Chr 5:10, 19-20.
  13. Psalm 83:7 sn Some identify Gebal with the Phoenician coastal city of Byblos (see Ezek 27:9, where the name is spelled differently), though others locate this site south of the Dead Sea (see BDB 148 s.v. גְּבַל; HALOT 174 s.v. גְּבַל).
  14. Psalm 83:8 tn Heb “they are an arm for the sons of Lot.” The “arm” is here a symbol of military might.sn The descendants of Lot were the Moabites and Ammonites.
  15. Psalm 83:9 tn Heb “do to them like Midian.”
  16. Psalm 83:9 sn The psalmist alludes here to Gideon’s victory over the Midianites (see Judg 7-8) and to Barak’s victory over Jabin’s army, which was led by his general Sisera (Judg 4-5).
  17. Psalm 83:10 sn Endor is not mentioned in the accounts of Gideon’s or Barak’s victories, but both battles took place in the general vicinity of the town. (See Y. Aharoni and M. Avi-Yonah, The Macmillan Bible Atlas, 46, 54.) Because Sisera and Jabin are mentioned in v. 9b, many understand them to be the subject of the verbs in v. 10, though they relate v. 10 to Gideon’s victory, which is referred to in v. 9a, 11. (See, for example, Y. Aharoni, The Land of the Bible, 263.)
  18. Psalm 83:10 tn Heb “they were manure.” In addition to this passage, corpses are compared to manure in 2 Kgs 9:37; Jer 8:2; 9:21; 16:4; 25:33.
  19. Psalm 83:11 sn Oreb and Zeeb were the generals of the Midianite army that was defeated by Gideon. The Ephraimites captured and executed both of them and sent their heads to Gideon (Judg 7:24-25).
  20. Psalm 83:11 sn Zebah and Zalmunna were the Midianite kings. Gideon captured them and executed them (Judg 8:1-21).
  21. Psalm 83:12 tn The translation assumes that “Zebah and Zalmunna” are the antecedents of the relative pronoun (“who [said]”). Another option is to take “their nobles…all their rulers” as the antecedent and to translate, “those who say.”
  22. Psalm 83:12 tn Heb “let’s take possession for ourselves.”
  23. Psalm 83:13 tn Or “tumbleweed.” The Hebrew noun גַּלְגַּל (galgal) refers to a “wheel” or, metaphorically, to a whirling wind (see Ps 77:18). If taken in the latter sense here, one could understand the term as a metonymical reference to dust blown by a whirlwind (cf. NRSV “like whirling dust”). However, HALOT 190 s.v. II גַּלְגַּל understands the noun as a homonym referring to a “dead thistle” here and in Isa 17:13. The parallel line, which refers to קַשׁ (qash, “chaff”), favors this interpretation.
  24. Psalm 83:13 tn Heb “before.”
  25. Psalm 83:14 sn The imagery of fire and flames suggests unrelenting, destructive judgment.
  26. Psalm 83:15 tn The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 15 express the psalmist’s wish or prayer.
  27. Psalm 83:16 tn Heb “fill.”
  28. Psalm 83:16 tn After the preceding imperative, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose or result (“then they will seek”).
  29. Psalm 83:16 tn Heb “your name,” which stands here for God’s person.
  30. Psalm 83:17 tn Heb “and may they be terrified to perpetuity.” The Hebrew expression עֲדֵי־עַד (ʿade ʿad, “to perpetuity”) can mean “forevermore” (see Pss 92:7; 132:12, 14), but here it may be used hyperbolically, for the psalmist asks that the experience of judgment might lead the nations to recognize (v. 18) and even to seek (v. 16) God.
  31. Psalm 83:17 tn Heb “may they be ashamed and perish.” The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist concludes his prayer with an imprecation, calling severe judgment down on his enemies. The strong language of the imprecation seems to run contrary to the positive outcome of divine judgment envisioned in v. 16b. Perhaps the language of v. 17 is overstated for effect. Another option is that v. 16b expresses an ideal, while the strong imprecation of vv. 17-18 anticipates reality. It would be nice if the defeated nations actually pursued a relationship with God, but if judgment does not bring them to that point, the psalmist asks that they be annihilated so that they might at least be forced to acknowledge God’s power.
  32. Psalm 83:18 tn After the preceding jussives (v. 17), the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose (“so that they may know”) or result.
  33. Psalm 83:18 tn Heb “that you, your name [is] the Lord, you alone.”
  34. Psalm 83:18 sn The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן ʿelyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.
  35. Psalm 84:1 sn Psalm 84. The psalmist expresses his desire to be in God’s presence in the Jerusalem temple, for the Lord is the protector of his people.
  36. Psalm 84:1 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term הַגִּתִּית (haggittit) is uncertain; it probably refers to a musical style or instrument.
  37. Psalm 84:1 tn Or “your dwelling place[s].” The plural form of the noun may indicate degree or quality; this is the Lord’s special dwelling place (see Pss 43:3; 46:4; 132:5, 7).
  38. Psalm 84:1 tn Traditionally, “Lord of hosts.” The title draws attention to God’s sovereign position (see Ps 69:6).
  39. Psalm 84:2 tn Heb “my soul longs, it even pines for.”
  40. Psalm 84:2 tn Heb “the courts of the Lord” (see Ps 65:4).
  41. Psalm 84:2 tn Heb “my flesh,” which stands for his whole person and being.
  42. Psalm 84:3 tn The word translated “swallow” occurs only here and in Prov 26:2.
  43. Psalm 84:3 tn Heb “even a bird finds a home, and a swallow a nest for herself, [in] which she places her young.”sn The psalmist here romanticizes the temple as a place of refuge and safety. As he thinks of the birds nesting near its roof, he envisions them finding protection in God’s presence.
  44. Psalm 84:4 tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see v. 12 and Pss 1:1; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
  45. Psalm 84:5 tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man.” Hebrew literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle stated here was certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender and age specific “man” with the plural “those.” The individual referred to in v. 5a is representative of followers of God, as the use of plural forms in vv. 5b-7 indicates.
  46. Psalm 84:5 tn Heb “roads [are] in their heart[s].” The roads are here those that lead to Zion (see v. 7).
  47. Psalm 84:6 tn The translation assumes that the Hebrew phrase עֵמֶק הַבָּכָא (ʿemeq habbakhaʾ) is the name of an otherwise unknown arid valley through which pilgrims to Jerusalem passed. The term בָּכָא (bakhaʾ) may be the name of a particular type of plant or shrub that grew in this valley. O. Borowski (Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 130) suggests it is the black mulberry. Some take the phrase as purely metaphorical and relate בָּכָא to the root בָּכָה (bakhah, “to weep”). In this case one might translate, “the valley of weeping” or “the valley of affliction.”
  48. Psalm 84:6 tc The MT reads “a spring they make it,” but this makes little sense. Many medieval Hebrew mss, as well as the LXX, understand God to be the subject and the valley to be the object, “he [God] makes it [the valley] [into] a spring.”
  49. Psalm 84:6 tn This rare word may refer to the early (or autumn) rains (see Joel 2:23).
  50. Psalm 84:6 tc The MT reads בְּרָכוֹת (berakhot, “blessings”) but the preceding reference to a “spring” favors an emendation to בְּרֵכוֹת (berekhot, “pools”).sn Pools of water. Because water is so necessary for life, it makes an apt symbol for divine favor and blessing. As the pilgrims traveled to Jerusalem, God provided for their physical needs and gave them a token of his favor and of the blessings awaiting them at the temple.
  51. Psalm 84:7 tn Heb “they go from strength to strength.” The phrase “from strength to strength” occurs only here in the OT. With a verb of motion, the expression “from [common noun] to [same common noun]” normally suggests movement from one point to another or through successive points (see Num 36:7; 1 Chr 16:20; 17:5; Ps 105:13; Jer 25:32). Ps 84:7 may be emphasizing that the pilgrims move successively from one “place of strength” to another as they travel toward Jerusalem. All along the way they find adequate provisions and renewed energy for the trip.
  52. Psalm 84:7 tn The psalmist returns to the singular (see v. 5a), which he uses in either a representative or distributive (“each one”) sense.
  53. Psalm 84:8 tn Heb “Lord, God, hosts.” One expects the construct form אֱלֹהֵי before צְבָאוֹת (tsevaʾot, “hosts”; see Ps 89:9) but יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים (yehvah ʾelohim) precedes צְבָאוֹת in Pss 59:5 and 80:4, 19 as well.
  54. Psalm 84:9 tn The phrase “our shield” refers metaphorically to the Davidic king, who, as God’s vice-regent, was the human protector of the people. Note the parallelism with “your anointed one” here and with “our king” in Ps 89:18.
  55. Psalm 84:9 tn Heb “look [on] the face of your anointed one.” The Hebrew phrase מְשִׁיחֶךָ (meshikhekha, “your anointed one”) refers here to the Davidic king (see Pss 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 28:8; 89:38, 51; 132:10, 17).
  56. Psalm 84:10 tn Or “for.”
  57. Psalm 84:10 tn Heb “better is a day in your courts than a thousand [spent elsewhere].”
  58. Psalm 84:10 tn Heb “I choose being at the entrance of the house of my God over living in the tents of the wicked.” The verb סָפַף (safaf) appears only here in the OT; it is derived from the noun סַף (saf, “threshold”). Traditionally some have interpreted this as a reference to being a doorkeeper at the temple, though some understand it to mean “lie as a beggar at the entrance to the temple” (see HALOT 765 s.v. ספף).
  59. Psalm 84:10 tn The verb דּוּר (dur, “to live”) occurs only here in the OT.
  60. Psalm 84:11 tn Heb “[is] a sun and a shield.” The epithet “sun,” though rarely used of Israel’s God in the OT, was a well-attested royal title in the ancient Near East. For several examples from Ugaritic texts, the Amarna letters, and Assyrian royal inscriptions, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 131, n. 2.
  61. Psalm 84:11 tn Or “grace.”
  62. Psalm 84:11 tn Heb “he does not withhold good to those walking in integrity.”
  63. Psalm 84:12 tn Traditionally “Lord of hosts.”
  64. Psalm 84:12 tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man [who] trusts in you.” Hebrew literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle stated here is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender and age specific “man” with the plural “those.” The individual referred to here is representative of all followers of God, as the use of the plural form in v. 12b indicates.
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