1
Ἤκουσαν δὲ οἱ ἀπόστολοι καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ οἱ ὄντες κατὰ τὴν Ἰουδαίαν ὅτι καὶ τὰ ἔθνη ἐδέξαντο τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ.
Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the nations too had welcomed the word of God.
first here Judea Ἰουδαία Ioudaia
2
⸂ὅτε δὲ⸃ ἀνέβη Πέτρος εἰς ⸀Ἰερουσαλήμ, διεκρίνοντο πρὸς αὐτὸν οἱ ἐκ περιτομῆς
And when Peter went up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision disputed with him,
first here Peter Πέτρος Petros
first here Jerusalem Ἰερουσαλήμ Ierousalēm
3
λέγοντες ὅτι ⸂Εἰσῆλθες πρὸς ἄνδρας ἀκροβυστίαν ἔχοντας καὶ συνέφαγες⸃ αὐτοῖς.
saying, “You went in to men having a foreskin and ate with them.”
Why this rendering
Acts.11.3 Observation
Syntactic observation
ἄνδρας ἀκροβυστίαν ἔχοντας — literally men having a foreskin. ἀκροβυστία, uncircumcision — foreskin — is first here in the New Testament and Paul uses it twenty times. This edition renders it having a foreskin and notes here that the base text's word names a body part — the accusation is that blunt. συνέφαγες, you ate with, is the verb of 10:41 (we who ate and drank with him — συνεσθίω, Luke 15:2, he eats with sinners): the charge thrown at Jesus (Luke 15:2) is thrown at Peter. V.4 καθεξῆς, in order, is the adverb of Luke 1:3 (accurately and in order) — with the word of the preface Peter tells his story, and the author writes chapter 10 once more in chapter 11. Repetition is emphasis.
Rendering options · 1
Adopted “men having a foreskin” — the bluntness of the word kept
Basis English can bear the base text's bluntness (having a foreskin) and does; the Korean cannot, and says uncircumcised, with the word's bluntness noted.
Lost in translation
That ἀκροβυστία names a body part — English keeps it, foreskin.
Survives in · this edition — 1 of the nine carry it (this language among them)
4
ἀρξάμενος ⸀δὲ Πέτρος ἐξετίθετο αὐτοῖς καθεξῆς λέγων·
But Peter, beginning, set it out to them in order, saying:
5
Ἐγὼ ἤμην ἐν πόλει Ἰόππῃ προσευχόμενος καὶ εἶδον ἐν ἐκστάσει ὅραμα, καταβαῖνον σκεῦός τι ὡς ὀθόνην μεγάλην τέσσαρσιν ἀρχαῖς καθιεμένην ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ἦλθεν ἄχρι ἐμοῦ·
“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, a certain vessel coming down like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners, and it came as far as me.
6
εἰς ἣν ἀτενίσας κατενόουν καὶ εἶδον τὰ τετράποδα τῆς γῆς καὶ τὰ θηρία καὶ τὰ ἑρπετὰ καὶ τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ·
Gazing fixedly into it I was looking, and I saw the four-footed animals of the earth and the wild beasts and the creeping things and the birds of heaven.
7
ἤκουσα δὲ ⸀καὶ φωνῆς λεγούσης μοι· Ἀναστάς, Πέτρε, θῦσον καὶ φάγε.
And I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter, slaughter and eat.’
8
εἶπον δέ· Μηδαμῶς, κύριε, ⸀ὅτι κοινὸν ἢ ἀκάθαρτον οὐδέποτε εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸ στόμα μου.
But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
9
ἀπεκρίθη δὲ ⸂φωνὴ ἐκ δευτέρου⸃ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· Ἃ ὁ θεὸς ἐκαθάρισεν σὺ μὴ κοίνου.
But a voice answered a second time from heaven, ‘What God has cleansed, you must not make common.’
10
τοῦτο δὲ ἐγένετο ἐπὶ τρίς, καὶ ⸂ἀνεσπάσθη πάλιν⸃ ἅπαντα εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν.
And this happened three times, and everything was drawn up again into heaven.
11
καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐξαυτῆς τρεῖς ἄνδρες ἐπέστησαν ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκίαν ἐν ᾗ ⸀ἦμεν, ἀπεσταλμένοι ἀπὸ Καισαρείας πρός με.
And behold, at once three men stood at the house in which we were, sent from Caesarea to me.
first here Caesarea Καισάρεια Kaisareia
12
εἶπεν δὲ ⸂τὸ πνεῦμά μοι⸃ συνελθεῖν αὐτοῖς μηδὲν ⸀διακρίναντα. ἦλθον δὲ σὺν ἐμοὶ καὶ οἱ ἓξ ἀδελφοὶ οὗτοι, καὶ εἰσήλθομεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ ἀνδρός.
And the Spirit told me to go with them without doubting anything. And these six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house.
13
ἀπήγγειλεν ⸀δὲ ἡμῖν πῶς εἶδεν τὸν ἄγγελον ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ σταθέντα καὶ ⸀εἰπόντα· Ἀπόστειλον εἰς ⸀Ἰόππην καὶ μετάπεμψαι Σίμωνα τὸν ἐπικαλούμενον Πέτρον,
And he reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and send for Simon who is called Peter,
first here Simon Σίμων Simōn
14
ὃς λαλήσει ῥήματα πρὸς σὲ ἐν οἷς σωθήσῃ σὺ καὶ πᾶς ὁ οἶκός σου.
who will speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your house.’
15
ἐν δὲ τῷ ἄρξασθαί με λαλεῖν ἐπέπεσεν τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς ὥσπερ καὶ ἐφ’ ἡμᾶς ἐν ἀρχῇ.
And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as upon us at the beginning.
16
ἐμνήσθην δὲ τοῦ ῥήματος ⸀τοῦ κυρίου ὡς ἔλεγεν· Ἰωάννης μὲν ἐβάπτισεν ὕδατι, ὑμεῖς δὲ βαπτισθήσεσθε ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ.
And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
first here John Ἰωάννης Iōannēs
17
εἰ οὖν τὴν ἴσην δωρεὰν ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ὁ θεὸς ὡς καὶ ἡμῖν πιστεύσασιν ἐπὶ τὸν κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν, ⸀ἐγὼ τίς ἤμην δυνατὸς κωλῦσαι τὸν θεόν;
If then God gave them the same gift as he gave to us who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I, able to prevent God?”
first here Jesus Ἰησοῦς Iēsous
first here Christ Χριστός Christos
18
ἀκούσαντες δὲ ταῦτα ἡσύχασαν καὶ ⸀ἐδόξασαν τὸν θεὸν λέγοντες· ⸀Ἄρα καὶ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὁ θεὸς τὴν μετάνοιαν ⸂εἰς ζωὴν ἔδωκεν⸃.
And hearing these things they fell silent and glorified God, saying, “So then, to the nations also God has given repentance unto life.”
Why this rendering
Acts.11.18 Observation
Syntactic observation
ἡσύχασαν, they fell silent, is the verb of Luke 14:4 (they kept silent — the lawyers with no answer in the sabbath dispute). Those who disputed (v.2 διεκρίνοντο) fall silent — διακρίνω comes with two faces in this chapter: v.2 dispute (middle, with a person), v.12 doubt (the sense of 10:20), and this edition divides them by place. τὴν μετάνοιαν εἰς ζωήν — repentance unto life: 5:31's repentance to Israel becomes here repentance to the nations also — same word, wider address. V.17 ἐγὼ τίς ἤμην δυνατὸς κωλῦσαι τὸν θεόν — who was I, able to prevent God: the κωλύω of 8:36 and 10:47 for a third time, now with God as its object.
Rendering options · 1
Adopted v.2 “disputed” · v.12 “without doubting” — διακρίνω divided by place
Basis One word means both to divide against a person (dispute) and to be divided within (doubt). The division is recorded.
19
Οἱ μὲν οὖν διασπαρέντες ἀπὸ τῆς θλίψεως τῆς γενομένης ἐπὶ Στεφάνῳ διῆλθον ἕως Φοινίκης καὶ Κύπρου καὶ Ἀντιοχείας μηδενὶ λαλοῦντες τὸν λόγον εἰ μὴ μόνον Ἰουδαίοις.
Now those who were scattered because of the affliction that arose over Stephen went through as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews only.
first here Jews Ἰουδαῖος Ioudaios
20
ἦσαν δέ τινες ἐξ αὐτῶν ἄνδρες Κύπριοι καὶ Κυρηναῖοι, οἵτινες ⸀ἐλθόντες εἰς Ἀντιόχειαν ἐλάλουν ⸀καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ⸀Ἑλληνιστάς, εὐαγγελιζόμενοι τὸν κύριον Ἰησοῦν.
But some of them were Cypriots and Cyrenians, who on coming to Antioch spoke also to the Greek-speaking people, bringing the good news of the Lord Jesus.
Why this rendering
Acts.11.20 Observation
Syntactic observation
πρὸς τοὺς Ἑλληνιστάς — the base text reads Ἑλληνιστής here too (marked ⸀ — many manuscripts read Ἕλληνας, Greeks). At 6:1 and 9:29 the word was Greek-speaking Jews; here it stands against v.19's to no one except Jews only, so the sentence stands only if these are not Jews. This edition keeps the word but drops Jews: Greek-speaking people — saying only what the base text's word (those who use the language) says. V.26 Χριστιανούς — Christians appears in the New Testament for the first time (here, 26:28, 1 Pet 4:16 — three places). A Latin suffix (-ianus) meaning Christ's people, a name given from outside — χρηματίσαι, were called, means the name was assigned. It is first assigned in Antioch, a Gentile city.
Rendering options · 2
Adopted “Greek-speaking people” — the word of 6:1 without Jews
Basis The contrast with v.19 sets them outside the Jews. The word is that of 6:1, so Greek-speaking is kept; the Jews that context supplied at 6:1, context here withdraws.
“Greeks”
Basis The variant reading (Ἕλληνας), smooth in sense.
Rejected Not the word the base text prints. This edition renders the base text; the divide is carried by the variant mark.
21
καὶ ἦν χεὶρ κυρίου μετ’ αὐτῶν, πολύς τε ἀριθμὸς ⸀ὁ πιστεύσας ἐπέστρεψεν ἐπὶ τὸν κύριον.
And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
22
ἠκούσθη δὲ ὁ λόγος εἰς τὰ ὦτα τῆς ἐκκλησίας τῆς ⸀οὔσης ἐν ⸀Ἰερουσαλὴμ περὶ αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐξαπέστειλαν ⸀Βαρναβᾶν ἕως Ἀντιοχείας·
And the word about them was heard in the ears of the assembly that was in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas as far as Antioch;
23
ὃς παραγενόμενος καὶ ἰδὼν τὴν χάριν ⸀τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐχάρη καὶ παρεκάλει πάντας τῇ προθέσει τῆς καρδίας ⸀προσμένειν τῷ κυρίῳ,
who, arriving and seeing the grace of God, rejoiced, and was exhorting them all to remain with the Lord with purpose of heart,
24
ὅτι ἦν ἀνὴρ ἀγαθὸς καὶ πλήρης πνεύματος ἁγίου καὶ πίστεως. καὶ προσετέθη ὄχλος ἱκανὸς τῷ κυρίῳ.
for he was a good man and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a considerable crowd was added to the Lord.
25
ἐξῆλθεν δὲ εἰς ⸀Ταρσὸν ἀναζητῆσαι Σαῦλον,
And he went out to Tarsus to seek out Saul,
26
καὶ εὑρὼν ⸀ἤγαγεν εἰς Ἀντιόχειαν. ἐγένετο δὲ ⸂αὐτοῖς καὶ⸃ ἐνιαυτὸν ὅλον συναχθῆναι ⸀ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ καὶ διδάξαι ὄχλον ἱκανόν, χρηματίσαι τε ⸀πρώτως ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ τοὺς μαθητὰς Χριστιανούς.
and having found him he brought him to Antioch. And it came to pass that for a whole year they gathered with the assembly and taught a considerable crowd, and that in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.
27
Ἐν ταύταις δὲ ταῖς ἡμέραις κατῆλθον ἀπὸ Ἱεροσολύμων προφῆται εἰς Ἀντιόχειαν·
Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.
28
ἀναστὰς δὲ εἷς ἐξ αὐτῶν ὀνόματι Ἅγαβος ἐσήμανεν διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος λιμὸν ⸀μεγάλην μέλλειν ἔσεσθαι ἐφ’ ὅλην τὴν οἰκουμένην· ⸀ἥτις ἐγένετο ἐπὶ ⸀Κλαυδίου.
And one of them named Agabus rose and signified through the Spirit that a great famine was about to come over the whole inhabited world; which happened under Claudius.
Why this rendering
Acts.11.28 Observation
Syntactic observation
ἐφ᾽ ὅλην τὴν οἰκουμένην — over the whole inhabited world. οἰκουμένη (the inhabited earth — the Roman world) is the word of Luke 2:1 (Augustus's census — all the inhabited world), which this edition fixed as inhabited world. The two places share a shape — Luke's Gospel names the world with an emperor's decree, Acts names a famine with an emperor's name (Claudius): Luke dates events by the emperors. λιμός, famine, is the word of Luke 4:25 (the famine of Elijah's days) and 15:14 (the prodigal's). εἰς διακονίαν, for service — relief: the daily service of 6:1 now becomes relief between cities. V.30 πρεσβυτέρους, elders — the first mention of church elders in Acts; the base text does not say when they were appointed.
Rendering options · 1
Adopted “the whole inhabited world” — as fixed at Luke 2:1
Basis Kept apart from κόσμος, world, and from γῆ, earth.
29
τῶν δὲ μαθητῶν καθὼς εὐπορεῖτό τις ὥρισαν ἕκαστος αὐτῶν εἰς διακονίαν πέμψαι τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ ἀδελφοῖς·
And the disciples, each as anyone was prospering, determined to send for service to the brothers dwelling in Judea;
30
ὃ καὶ ἐποίησαν ἀποστείλαντες πρὸς τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους διὰ χειρὸς Βαρναβᾶ καὶ Σαύλου.
which they also did, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.