Kisah Para Rasul 6:11-15

6:11 Then they secretly instigated ¹  some men to say, “We have heard this man ²  speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 6:12 They incited the people, the ³  elders, and the experts in the law; ⁴  then they approached Stephen, ⁵  seized him, and brought him before the council. ⁶  6:13 They brought forward false witnesses who said, “This man does not stop saying things against this holy place ⁷  and the law. ⁸  6:14 For we have heard him saying that Jesus the Nazarene will destroy this place and change the customs ⁹  that Moses handed down to us.” 6:15 All ¹⁰  who were sitting in the council ¹¹  looked intently at Stephen ¹²  and saw his face was like the face of an angel. ¹³ 

Kisah Para Rasul 24:1-9

The Accusations Against Paul

24:1 After five days the high priest Ananias ¹⁴  came down with some elders and an attorney ¹⁵  named ¹⁶  Tertullus, and they ¹⁷  brought formal charges ¹⁸  against Paul to the governor. 24:2 When Paul ¹⁹  had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, ²⁰  saying, “We have experienced a lengthy time ²¹  of peace through your rule, ²²  and reforms ²³  are being made in this nation ²⁴  through your foresight. ²⁵  24:3 Most excellent Felix, ²⁶  we acknowledge this everywhere and in every way ²⁷  with all gratitude. ²⁸  24:4 But so that I may not delay ²⁹  you any further, I beg ³⁰  you to hear us briefly ³¹  with your customary graciousness. ³²  24:5 For we have found ³³  this man to be a troublemaker, ³⁴  one who stirs up riots ³⁵  among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader ³⁶  of the sect of the Nazarenes. ³⁷  24:6 He ³⁸  even tried to desecrate ³⁹  the temple, so we arrested ⁴⁰  him. 24:7 [[EMPTY]] ⁴¹  24:8 When you examine ⁴²  him yourself, you will be able to learn from him ⁴³  about all these things we are accusing him of doing.” ⁴⁴  24:9 The Jews also joined in the verbal attack, ⁴⁵  claiming ⁴⁶  that these things were true.

Kisah Para Rasul 24:13

24:13 nor can they prove ⁴⁷  to you the things ⁴⁸  they are accusing me of doing. ⁴⁹ 

[6:11]  ¹ tn Another translation would be “they suborned” (but this term is not in common usage). “Instigate (secretly), suborn” is given by BDAG 1036 s.v. ὑποβάλλω.

[6:11]  ² tn Grk “heard him”; but since this is direct discourse, it is more natural (and clearer) to specify the referent (Stephen) as “this man.”

[6:12]  ³ tn Grk “and the,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[6:12]  ⁴ tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 4:5.

[6:12]  ⁵ tn Grk “approaching, they seized him”; the referent (Stephen) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:12]  ⁶ tn Or “the Sanhedrin” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews). Stephen suffers just as Peter and John did.

[6:13]  ⁷ sn This holy place is a reference to the temple.

[6:13]  ⁸ sn The law refers to the law of Moses. It elaborates the nature of the blasphemy in v. 11. To speak against God’s law in Torah was to blaspheme God (Deut 28:15-19). On the Jewish view of false witnesses, see Exod 19:16-18; 20:16; m. Sanhedrin 3.6; 5.1-5. Stephen’s speech in Acts 7 may indicate why the temple was mentioned.

[6:14]  ⁹ tn Or “practices.”

[6:14]  sn Will destroy this place and change the customs. Stephen appears to view the temple as a less central place in light of Christ’s work, an important challenge to Jewish religion, since it was at this time a temple-centered state and religion. Unlike Acts 3-4, the issue here is more than Jesus and his resurrection. Now the impact of his resurrection and the temple’s centrality has also become an issue. The “falseness” of the charge may not be that the witnesses were lying, but that they falsely read the truth of Stephen’s remarks.

[6:15]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “And all.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[6:15]  ¹¹ tn Or “Sanhedrin” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[6:15]  ¹² tn Grk “at him”; the referent (Stephen) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:15]  ¹³ sn His face was like the face of an angel. This narrative description of Stephen’s face adds to the mood of the passage. He had the appearance of a supernatural, heavenly messenger.

[24:1]  ¹⁴ sn Ananias was in office from a.d. 47-59.

[24:1]  ¹⁵ tn The term refers to a professional advocate (BDAG 905 s.v. ῥήτωρ).

[24:1]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “an attorney, a certain Tertullus.”

[24:1]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “who” (plural). Because in English the relative pronoun “who” could be understood to refer only to the attorney Tertullus and not to the entire group, it has been replaced with the third person plural pronoun “they.” “And” has been supplied to provide the connection to the preceding clause.

[24:1]  ¹⁸ tn BDAG 326 s.v. ἐμφανίζω 3 has “ἐ. τινὶ κατά τινος bring formal charges against someone…Ac 24:1; 25:2.”

[24:2]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[24:2]  ²⁰ tn Or “began to bring charges, saying.”

[24:2]  ²¹ tn Grk “experienced much peace.”

[24:2]  ²² tn Grk “through you” (“rule” is implied).

[24:2]  ²³ tn This term is used only once in the NT (a hapax legomenon). It refers to improvements in internal administration (BDAG 251 s.v. διόρθωμα).

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

[24:2]  ²⁵ sn References to peaceful rule, reforms, and the governor’s foresight in the opening address by Tertullus represent an attempt to praise the governor and thus make him favorable to the case. Actual descriptions of his rule portray him as inept (Tacitus, Annals 12.54; Josephus, J. W. 2.13.2-7 [2.253-270]).

[24:3]  ²⁶ sn Most excellent Felix. See the note on Felix in 23:24.

[24:3]  ²⁷ tn Grk “in every way and everywhere.”

[24:3]  ²⁸ tn Or “with complete thankfulness.” BDAG 416 s.v. εὐχαριστία 1 has “μετὰ πάσης εὐ.…with all gratitude Ac 24:3.” L&N 31.26 has “‘we acknowledge this anywhere and everywhere with complete thankfulness’ Ac 24:3.”

[24:4]  ²⁹ tn Or “may not weary.” BDAG 274 s.v. ἐγκόπτω states, “ἵνα μὴ ἐπὶ πλεῖόν σε ἐγκόπτω Ac 24:4 is understood by Syr. and Armen. versions to mean in order not to weary you any further; cp. ἔγκοπος weary Diog. L. 4, 50; LXX; and ἔγκοπον ποιεῖν to weary Job 19:2; Is 43:23. But impose on is also prob.; detain NRSV.”

[24:4]  ³⁰ tn Or “request.”

[24:4]  ³¹ tn This term is another NT hapax legomenon (BDAG 976 s.v. συντόμως 2). Tertullus was asking for a brief hearing, and implying to the governor that he would speak briefly and to the point.

[24:4]  ³² tn BDAG 371 s.v. ἐπιείκεια has “τῇ σῇ ἐ. with your (customary) indulgence Ac 24:4.”

[24:5]  ³³ tn Grk “For having found.” The participle εὑρόντες (Jeurontes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[24:5]  ³⁴ tn L&N 22.6 has “(a figurative extension of meaning of λοιμός ‘plague,’ 23.158) one who causes all sorts of trouble – ‘troublemaker, pest.’ … ‘for we have found this man to be a troublemaker” Ac 24:5.”

[24:5]  ³⁵ tn Or “dissensions.” While BDAG 940 s.v. στάσις 3 translates this phrase “κινεῖν στάσεις (v.l. στάσιν) τισί create dissension among certain people Ac 24:5,” it is better on the basis of the actual results of Paul’s ministry to categorize this usage under section 2, “uprising, riot, revolt, rebellion” (cf. the use in Acts 19:40).

[24:5]  ³⁶ tn This term is yet another NT hapax legomenon (BDAG 894 s.v. πρωτοστάτης).

[24:5]  sn A ringleader. Tertullus’ basic argument was that Paul was a major disturber of the public peace. To ignore this the governor would be shunning his duty to preserve the peace and going against the pattern of his rule. In effect, Tertullus claimed that Paul was seditious (a claim the governor could not afford to ignore).

[24:5]  ³⁷ sn The sect of the Nazarenes is a designation for followers of Jesus the Nazarene, that is, Christians.

[24:6]  ³⁸ tn Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“who”) was replaced by the third person singular pronoun (“he”) and a new sentence begun here in the translation.

[24:6]  ³⁹ tn Or “profane” (BDAG 173 s.v. βεβηλόω). The term was also used of profaning the Sabbath.

[24:6]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “seized.” Grk “whom also we arrested.” Because of the awkwardness of a relative clause in English at this point, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced by the pronoun “him” as object of the verb.

[24:7]  ⁴¹ tc Some later mss include some material at the end of v. 6, all of 24:7, and some material at the beginning of v. 8: “and we wanted to judge him according to our law. 24:7 But Lysias the commanding officer came and took him out of our hands with a great deal of violence, 24:8 ordering those who accused him to come before you.” Acts 24:6b, 7, and 8a are lacking in Ì⁷⁴ א A B H L P 049 81 1175 1241 pm and a few versional witnesses. They are included (with a few minor variations) in E Ψ 33 323 614 945 1505 1739 pm and a few versional witnesses. This verse (and parts of verses) is most likely not a part of the original text of Acts, for not only is it lacking from the better witnesses, there is no easy explanation as to how such could be missing from them. The present translation follows NA²⁷ in omitting the verse number, a procedure also followed by a number of other modern translations.

[24:8]  ⁴² tn Or “question.”

[24:8]  ⁴³ tn Grk “From whom when you examine him yourself, you will be able to learn…” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced by the third person singular pronoun (“him”) and a new sentence begun at the beginning of v. 8 in the translation.

[24:8]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “about all these things of which we are accusing him.” This has been simplified to eliminate the relative pronoun (“of which”) in the translation.

[24:9]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “joined in the attack,” but the adjective “verbal” has been supplied to clarify that this was not another physical assault on Paul. The verb is another NT hapax legomenon (BDAG 969 s.v. συνεπιτίθημι).

[24:9]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “asserting” (BDAG 1050 s.v. φάσκω).

[24:13]  ⁴⁷ tn BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 1.f has “οὐδὲ παραστῆσαι δύνανταί σοι περὶ ὧν νυνὶ κατηγοροῦσίν μου nor can they prove to you the accusations they are now making against me Ac 24:13.”

[24:13]  sn Nor can they prove. This is a formal legal claim that Paul’s opponents lacked proof of any wrongdoing. They had no witness who could justify the arrest at the temple.

[24:13]  ⁴⁸ tn The words “the things” are not in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[24:13]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “nor can they prove to you [the things] about which they are now accusing me.” This has been simplified to eliminate the relative pronoun (“which”) in the translation.