1
Ἀνὴρ δέ ⸀τις ἐν Καισαρείᾳ ὀνόματι Κορνήλιος, ἑκατοντάρχης ἐκ σπείρης τῆς καλουμένης Ἰταλικῆς,
Now a certain man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a commander of a hundred of the cohort called Italian,
first here Caesarea Καισάρεια Kaisareia
Why this rendering
Acts.10.1 Observation
Syntactic observation
ἑκατοντάρχης — the Lukan form of centurion (the -ης form of Luke 7:2, 23:47). This edition kept the Matthew-Luke ἑκατοντάρχης / ἑκατόνταρχος as commander of a hundred and the Latin loan κεντυρίων, which only Mark uses, as centurion — and that split holds in Acts (which never uses κεντυρίων). σπεῖρα, cohort, is the word of John 18:3, 12 and Mark 15:16; the Italian cohort is a name. V.2 φοβούμενος τὸν θεόν, fearing God, is the idiom for a Gentile attached to the synagogue — repeated at v.22 and 13:16, 26; the base text coins no separate word for such a person. His hour of prayer (v.3, the ninth) is the hour of Peter and John at 3:1.
Rendering options · 1
Adopted “commander of a hundred” — the fixed Lukan rendering; centurion only for Mark's κεντυρίων
Basis Where the base text divides words, this edition divides renderings. Every commander in Acts (10:1, 22; 21:32; 22:25-26; 23:17, 23; 24:23; 27:1, 6, 11, 31, 43) is this form.
2
εὐσεβὴς καὶ φοβούμενος τὸν θεὸν σὺν παντὶ τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ, ⸀ποιῶν ἐλεημοσύνας πολλὰς τῷ λαῷ καὶ δεόμενος τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ παντός,
devout and fearing God with all his house, giving many alms to the people and begging God continually,
3
εἶδεν ἐν ὁράματι φανερῶς ὡσεὶ ⸀περὶ ὥραν ἐνάτην τῆς ἡμέρας ἄγγελον τοῦ θεοῦ εἰσελθόντα πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ εἰπόντα αὐτῷ· Κορνήλιε.
saw plainly in a vision, about the ninth hour of the day, an angel of God coming in to him and saying to him, “Cornelius.”
4
ὁ δὲ ἀτενίσας αὐτῷ καὶ ἔμφοβος γενόμενος εἶπεν· Τί ἐστιν, κύριε; εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ· Αἱ προσευχαί σου καὶ αἱ ἐλεημοσύναι σου ἀνέβησαν εἰς μνημόσυνον ⸀ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ θεοῦ·
And gazing fixedly at him and becoming afraid, he said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have gone up as a memorial before God.
5
καὶ νῦν πέμψον ⸂ἄνδρας εἰς Ἰόππην⸃ καὶ μετάπεμψαι Σίμωνά ⸂τινα ὃς ἐπικαλεῖται Πέτρος⸃·
And now send men to Joppa and send for a certain Simon who is called Peter;
first here Simon Σίμων Simōn
first here Peter Πέτρος Petros
6
οὗτος ξενίζεται παρά τινι Σίμωνι βυρσεῖ, ᾧ ἐστιν οἰκία παρὰ θάλασσαν.
he is lodging with a certain Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.”
7
ὡς δὲ ἀπῆλθεν ὁ ἄγγελος ὁ λαλῶν ⸀αὐτῷ, φωνήσας δύο τῶν ⸀οἰκετῶν καὶ στρατιώτην εὐσεβῆ τῶν προσκαρτερούντων αὐτῷ
And when the angel who spoke to him had gone, he called two of his household slaves and a devout soldier from among those who attended him,
8
καὶ ἐξηγησάμενος ⸂ἅπαντα αὐτοῖς⸃ ἀπέστειλεν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν Ἰόππην.
and having expounded everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
9
Τῇ δὲ ἐπαύριον ὁδοιπορούντων ἐκείνων καὶ τῇ πόλει ἐγγιζόντων ἀνέβη Πέτρος ἐπὶ τὸ δῶμα προσεύξασθαι περὶ ὥραν ἕκτην.
On the next day, as they were journeying and drawing near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour.
10
ἐγένετο δὲ πρόσπεινος καὶ ἤθελεν γεύσασθαι· παρασκευαζόντων δὲ ⸀αὐτῶν ⸀ἐγένετο ἐπ’ αὐτὸν ἔκστασις,
And he became very hungry and wanted to eat; and while they were preparing, a trance came upon him,
11
καὶ θεωρεῖ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνεῳγμένον καὶ ⸀καταβαῖνον σκεῦός τι ὡς ὀθόνην μεγάλην τέσσαρσιν ⸀ἀρχαῖς καθιέμενον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς,
and he sees heaven opened and a certain vessel coming down, like a great sheet, let down by four corners upon the earth,
12
ἐν ᾧ ὑπῆρχεν πάντα τὰ τετράποδα ⸂καὶ ἑρπετὰ τῆς γῆς καὶ⸃ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ.
in which were all the four-footed animals and creeping things of the earth and birds of heaven.
13
καὶ ἐγένετο φωνὴ πρὸς αὐτόν· Ἀναστάς, Πέτρε, θῦσον καὶ φάγε.
And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter, slaughter and eat.”
14
ὁ δὲ Πέτρος εἶπεν· Μηδαμῶς, κύριε, ὅτι οὐδέποτε ἔφαγον πᾶν κοινὸν ⸀καὶ ἀκάθαρτον.
But Peter said, “By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything common and unclean.”
Why this rendering
Acts.10.14 Observation
Syntactic observation
κοινὸν καὶ ἀκάθαρτον — common and unclean. κοινός, common, is the root this edition fixed as make common (κοινόω) at Mark 7:15-23 — the ordinary as the opposite of the holy. V.15's command, what God has cleansed you must not make common (ἃ ὁ θεὸς ἐκαθάρισεν σὺ μὴ κοίνου), uses the verb of Mark 7:19's narrator's aside (thus declaring all foods clean — καθαρίζων): what Mark writes as a gloss, Acts writes as a voice from heaven. And at v.28 Peter himself moves the vision from food to people — that I should call no man common or unclean. Μηδαμῶς, κύριε (by no means, Lord) has the shape of Ezekiel's protest (4:14). Three times (ἐπὶ τρίς) — that Peter's threefold denial (Luke 22:34) returns as a threefold vision is a reading outside the text and is not written.
Rendering options · 1
Adopted “common and unclean” · “you must not make common”
Basis As fixed at Mark 7 (κοινός common, κοινόω make common). Unclean for both would merge the two words the base text keeps apart.
15
καὶ φωνὴ πάλιν ἐκ δευτέρου πρὸς αὐτόν· Ἃ ὁ θεὸς ἐκαθάρισεν σὺ μὴ κοίνου.
And the voice came again to him a second time: “What God has cleansed, you must not make common.”
16
τοῦτο δὲ ἐγένετο ἐπὶ τρίς, καὶ ⸀εὐθὺς ἀνελήμφθη τὸ σκεῦος εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν.
And this happened three times, and at once the vessel was taken up into heaven.
17
Ὡς δὲ ἐν ἑαυτῷ διηπόρει ὁ Πέτρος τί ἂν εἴη τὸ ὅραμα ὃ εἶδεν, ⸀ἰδοὺ οἱ ἄνδρες οἱ ἀπεσταλμένοι ⸀ὑπὸ τοῦ Κορνηλίου διερωτήσαντες τὴν οἰκίαν ⸀τοῦ Σίμωνος ἐπέστησαν ἐπὶ τὸν πυλῶνα,
Now while Peter was at a loss in himself as to what the vision he had seen might be, behold, the men sent by Cornelius, having asked for Simon’s house, stood at the gateway,
18
καὶ φωνήσαντες ⸀ἐπυνθάνοντο εἰ Σίμων ὁ ἐπικαλούμενος Πέτρος ἐνθάδε ξενίζεται.
and calling out they inquired whether Simon who is called Peter was lodging there.
19
τοῦ δὲ Πέτρου διενθυμουμένου περὶ τοῦ ὁράματος εἶπεν ⸂αὐτῷ τὸ πνεῦμα⸃· Ἰδοὺ ⸀ἄνδρες ⸀ζητοῦντές σε·
And as Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, men are seeking you;
20
ἀλλὰ ἀναστὰς κατάβηθι καὶ πορεύου σὺν αὐτοῖς μηδὲν διακρινόμενος, ⸀ὅτι ἐγὼ ἀπέσταλκα αὐτούς.
but rise, go down, and go with them without doubting anything, for I have sent them.”
21
καταβὰς δὲ Πέτρος πρὸς τοὺς ἄνδρας εἶπεν· Ἰδοὺ ἐγώ εἰμι ὃν ζητεῖτε· τίς ἡ αἰτία δι’ ἣν πάρεστε;
And Peter went down to the men and said, “Behold, I am the one you are seeking. What is the reason for which you are here?”
22
οἱ δὲ εἶπαν· Κορνήλιος ἑκατοντάρχης, ἀνὴρ δίκαιος καὶ φοβούμενος τὸν θεὸν μαρτυρούμενός τε ὑπὸ ὅλου τοῦ ἔθνους τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ἐχρηματίσθη ὑπὸ ἀγγέλου ἁγίου μεταπέμψασθαί σε εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀκοῦσαι ῥήματα παρὰ σοῦ.
And they said, “Cornelius, a commander of a hundred, a righteous man and one fearing God, well attested by the whole nation of the Jews, was instructed by a holy angel to send for you to his house and to hear words from you.”
first here Jews Ἰουδαῖος Ioudaios
23
εἰσκαλεσάμενος οὖν αὐτοὺς ἐξένισεν. Τῇ δὲ ἐπαύριον ⸀ἀναστὰς ἐξῆλθεν σὺν αὐτοῖς, καί τινες τῶν ἀδελφῶν τῶν ἀπὸ Ἰόππης συνῆλθον αὐτῷ.
So having called them in, he lodged them. And on the next day he rose and went out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went with him.
24
⸂τῇ δὲ⸃ ἐπαύριον ⸀εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὴν Καισάρειαν. ὁ δὲ Κορνήλιος ἦν προσδοκῶν αὐτοὺς συγκαλεσάμενος τοὺς συγγενεῖς αὐτοῦ καὶ τοὺς ἀναγκαίους φίλους.
And on the next day he entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was expecting them, having called together his relatives and close friends.
25
ὡς δὲ ἐγένετο τοῦ εἰσελθεῖν τὸν Πέτρον, συναντήσας αὐτῷ ὁ Κορνήλιος πεσὼν ἐπὶ τοὺς πόδας προσεκύνησεν.
And as Peter was about to enter, Cornelius met him and, falling at his feet, bowed down.
26
ὁ δὲ Πέτρος ⸂ἤγειρεν αὐτὸν⸃ λέγων· Ἀνάστηθι· καὶ ἐγὼ αὐτὸς ἄνθρωπός εἰμι.
But Peter raised him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself am also a man.”
27
καὶ συνομιλῶν αὐτῷ εἰσῆλθεν, καὶ εὑρίσκει συνεληλυθότας πολλούς,
And conversing with him he went in, and finds many gathered together,
28
ἔφη τε πρὸς αὐτούς· Ὑμεῖς ἐπίστασθε ὡς ἀθέμιτόν ἐστιν ἀνδρὶ Ἰουδαίῳ κολλᾶσθαι ἢ προσέρχεσθαι ἀλλοφύλῳ· κἀμοὶ ὁ θεὸς ἔδειξεν μηδένα κοινὸν ἢ ἀκάθαρτον λέγειν ἄνθρωπον·
and he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to be joined to or to approach one of another race; but God has shown me that I should call no man common or unclean.
29
διὸ καὶ ἀναντιρρήτως ἦλθον μεταπεμφθείς πυνθάνομαι οὖν τίνι λόγῳ μετεπέμψασθέ με.
Therefore I came without objection when sent for. I ask, then, for what reason you sent for me.”
30
Καὶ ὁ Κορνήλιος ἔφη· Ἀπὸ τετάρτης ἡμέρας μέχρι ταύτης τῆς ὥρας ⸀ἤμην τὴν ⸀ἐνάτην προσευχόμενος ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ μου, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἀνὴρ ἔστη ἐνώπιόν μου ἐν ἐσθῆτι λαμπρᾷ
And Cornelius said, “Four days ago until this hour I was praying the ninth-hour prayer in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in splendid clothing
31
καὶ φησί· Κορνήλιε, εἰσηκούσθη σου ἡ προσευχὴ καὶ αἱ ἐλεημοσύναι σου ἐμνήσθησαν ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ.
and says, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God.
32
πέμψον οὖν εἰς Ἰόππην καὶ μετακάλεσαι Σίμωνα ὃς ἐπικαλεῖται Πέτρος· οὗτος ξενίζεται ἐν οἰκίᾳ Σίμωνος βυρσέως παρὰ ⸀θάλασσαν.
Send therefore to Joppa and call for Simon who is called Peter; he is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’
33
ἐξαυτῆς οὖν ἔπεμψα πρὸς σέ, σύ τε καλῶς ἐποίησας παραγενόμενος. νῦν οὖν πάντες ἡμεῖς ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ πάρεσμεν ἀκοῦσαι πάντα τὰ προστεταγμένα σοι ὑπὸ τοῦ ⸀κυρίου.
So I sent to you at once, and you did well in coming. Now, then, we are all here before God to hear all that has been commanded you by the Lord.”
34
Ἀνοίξας δὲ Πέτρος τὸ στόμα εἶπεν· Ἐπ’ ἀληθείας καταλαμβάνομαι ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν προσωπολήμπτης ὁ θεός,
And Peter, opening his mouth, said: “In truth I grasp that God shows no partiality of face,
Why this rendering
Acts.10.34 Observation
Syntactic observation
οὐκ ἔστιν προσωπολήμπτης ὁ θεός — God shows no partiality of face. προσωπολήμπτης is unique in the New Testament, built on to receive the face (πρόσωπον + λαμβάνω — the Septuagint's rendering of Hebrew nāśā' pānîm; Luke 20:21, you do not receive the face of men). This edition fixed that phrase at Luke 20:21 with face kept, so face is kept here. V.35 δεκτός, acceptable, is the fixing of Luke 4:19, 24 — the word of the acceptable year of the Lord is the word with which the Gentile is accepted. V.36 εὐαγγελιζόμενος εἰρήνην, bringing the good news of peace, is the phrase of Isaiah 52:7. This one is Lord of all (οὗτός ἐστιν πάντων κύριος) breaks into the middle of the sentence — an insertion the base text leaves without dashes.
Rendering options · 1
Adopted “shows no partiality of face”
Basis Keeps the face inside the word, joining Luke 20:21. Shows no favouritism would keep the sense and drop the picture.
35
ἀλλ’ ἐν παντὶ ἔθνει ὁ φοβούμενος αὐτὸν καὶ ἐργαζόμενος δικαιοσύνην δεκτὸς αὐτῷ ἐστιν.
but in every nation the one who fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him.
36
τὸν λόγον ⸀ὃν ἀπέστειλεν τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ εὐαγγελιζόμενος εἰρήνην διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ· οὗτός ἐστιν πάντων κύριος.
The word which he sent to the sons of Israel, bringing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ — this one is Lord of all —
first here Israel Ἰσραήλ Israēl
first here Jesus Ἰησοῦς Iēsous
first here Christ Χριστός Christos
37
ὑμεῖς οἴδατε τὸ γενόμενον ῥῆμα καθ’ ὅλης τῆς Ἰουδαίας, ⸀ἀρξάμενος ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα ὃ ἐκήρυξεν Ἰωάννης,
you know the thing that happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism which John proclaimed:
first here Judea Ἰουδαία Ioudaia
first here Galileans Γαλιλαία Galilaia
first here John Ἰωάννης Iōannēs
38
Ἰησοῦν τὸν ἀπὸ Ναζαρέθ, ὡς ἔχρισεν αὐτὸν ὁ θεὸς πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ δυνάμει, ὃς διῆλθεν εὐεργετῶν καὶ ἰώμενος πάντας τοὺς καταδυναστευομένους ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἦν μετ’ αὐτοῦ·
Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the slanderer, because God was with him.
first here Nazareth Ναζαρέθ Nazareth
Why this rendering
Acts.10.38 Observation
Syntactic observation
ὡς ἔχρισεν αὐτὸν ὁ θεός — how God anointed him. χρίω, to anoint, is the verb of the Isaiah citation at Luke 4:18 (he anointed me) and the root of Χριστός, Christ, the anointed one. In one verse Ἰησοῦν … ἔχρισεν sets down in words that Jesus was anointed = Jesus is the Christ — English anoint and Christ (a transliteration) are strangers, and the join is lost. καταδυναστευομένους ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου — oppressed by the slanderer: διάβολος is the word this edition fixed as slanderer (Matt 4:1; Luke 4:2). εὐεργετῶν, doing good, is unique in the New Testament, cognate with the εὐεργέτης of Luke 22:25 (are called benefactors — a royal title): what kings called themselves, Jesus does. V.39 κρεμάσαντες ἐπὶ ξύλου, hanging him on a tree, is the phrase of 5:30.
Rendering options · 1
Adopted “oppressed by the slanderer”
Basis διάβολος = slanderer, as fixed — devil would decide the sense in advance.
Lost in translation
That χρίω, anoint, and Χριστός, Christ, share one root — English anointed and Christ do not connect.
this edition — none of the nine carries it (measured)
39
καὶ ⸀ἡμεῖς μάρτυρες πάντων ὧν ἐποίησεν ἔν τε τῇ χώρᾳ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ⸀καὶ Ἰερουσαλήμ· ὃν καὶ ἀνεῖλαν κρεμάσαντες ἐπὶ ξύλου.
And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem; whom they also did away with by hanging him on a tree.
first here Jerusalem Ἰερουσαλήμ Ierousalēm
40
τοῦτον ὁ θεὸς ἤγειρεν ⸀τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτὸν ἐμφανῆ γενέσθαι,
This one God raised on the third day and granted him to become manifest,
41
οὐ παντὶ τῷ λαῷ ἀλλὰ μάρτυσι τοῖς προκεχειροτονημένοις ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἡμῖν, οἵτινες συνεφάγομεν καὶ συνεπίομεν αὐτῷ μετὰ τὸ ἀναστῆναι αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν·
not to all the people but to witnesses chosen beforehand by God, to us, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
42
καὶ παρήγγειλεν ἡμῖν κηρύξαι τῷ λαῷ καὶ διαμαρτύρασθαι ὅτι ⸀οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ὡρισμένος ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ κριτὴς ζώντων καὶ νεκρῶν.
And he charged us to proclaim to the people and to testify solemnly that this one is the judge appointed by God of the living and the dead.
43
τούτῳ πάντες οἱ προφῆται μαρτυροῦσιν, ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν λαβεῖν διὰ τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ πάντα τὸν πιστεύοντα εἰς αὐτόν.
To him all the prophets bear witness, that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
44
Ἔτι λαλοῦντος τοῦ Πέτρου τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα ἐπέπεσε τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς ἀκούοντας τὸν λόγον.
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were hearing the word.
Why this rendering
Acts.10.44 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ἔτι λαλοῦντος τοῦ Πέτρου — while Peter was still speaking. The Spirit falls before the sermon ends — and the words of Pentecost in chapter 2 return: ἐπέπεσε τὸ πνεῦμα (fell upon — the verb of 8:16), ἐκκέχυται (poured out — 2:17, 33), λαλούντων γλώσσαις (speaking in languages — 2:4), ἐξέστησαν (beside themselves — 2:7, 12). The author writes the Gentiles' Pentecost in the words of the Jews' Pentecost. V.45 οἱ ἐκ περιτομῆς πιστοί, the believers of the circumcision, stands against τὰ ἔθνη, the nations — this edition fixed ἔθνος as nation (the base text has no separate word for Gentile). V.47 μήτι τὸ ὕδωρ δύναται κωλῦσαί τις — can anyone forbid water: the eunuch's question at 8:36 (τί κωλύει με, what prevents me) returns with the same verb.
Rendering options · 1
Adopted “poured out even upon the nations” — ἔθνος = nation, as fixed
Basis Gentiles is a word the base text lacks. It must be the same word as 2:5's every nation under heaven for chapter 10 to be heard answering chapter 2.
45
καὶ ἐξέστησαν οἱ ἐκ περιτομῆς πιστοὶ ⸀ὅσοι συνῆλθαν τῷ Πέτρῳ, ὅτι καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ἔθνη ἡ δωρεὰ τοῦ ⸂ἁγίου πνεύματος⸃ ἐκκέχυται·
And the believers of the circumcision who had come with Peter were beside themselves, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even upon the nations;
46
ἤκουον γὰρ αὐτῶν λαλούντων γλώσσαις καὶ μεγαλυνόντων τὸν θεόν. τότε ⸀ἀπεκρίθη Πέτρος·
for they heard them speaking in languages and magnifying God. Then Peter answered,
47
Μήτι τὸ ὕδωρ ⸂δύναται κωλῦσαί⸃ τις τοῦ μὴ βαπτισθῆναι τούτους οἵτινες τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἔλαβον ⸀ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς;
“Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?”
48
προσέταξεν ⸀δὲ αὐτοὺς ⸂ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ βαπτισθῆναι⸃. τότε ἠρώτησαν αὐτὸν ἐπιμεῖναι ἡμέρας τινάς.
And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on some days.