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Acts Intro C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21 C22 C23 C24 C25 C26 C27 C28
Acts 4 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18 V19 V21 V22 V23 V24 V25 V26 V27 V28 V29 V30 V31 V32 V33 V34 V35 V36 V37
Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.
Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance=normal (All still tentative.)
OET (OET-RV) As for us, we’re not able to be silent about what we saw and heard.”
OET-LV For/Because we are_ not _being_able to_be_ not _speaking what we_saw and we_heard.
SR-GNT Οὐ δυνάμεθα γὰρ ἡμεῖς ἃ εἴδαμεν καὶ ἠκούσαμεν μὴ λαλεῖν.” ‡
(Ou dunametha gar haʸmeis ha eidamen kai aʸkousamen maʸ lalein.”)
Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, red:negative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).
ULT For we are not able not to speak what we have seen and heard.”
UST But as for us, we cannot obey you. We will not stop telling people about what we saw Jesus do and what we heard him teach.”
BSB For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
BLB For we are not able to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard."
AICNT For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”
OEB for we cannot help speaking of what we have seen and heard.’
WEBBE for we can’t help telling the things which we saw and heard.”
WMBB (Same as above)
NET for it is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard.”
LSV for we cannot but speak what we saw and heard.”
FBV We can't help talking about what we've seen and heard!”
TCNT For we cannot help but speak about what we have seen and heard.”
T4T But as for us, we cannot obey you. We will not stop telling people about the things that we (exc) have seen Jesus do and what we have heard him teach.”
LEB For we are not able to refrain from speaking about the things that we have seen and heard.”
BBE For it is not possible for us to keep from saying what we have seen and have knowledge of.
Moff No Moff ACTs book available
Wymth As for us, what we have seen and heard we cannot help speaking about."
ASV for we cannot but speak the things which we saw and heard.
DRA For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
YLT for we cannot but speak what we did see and hear.'
Drby for as for us we cannot refrain from speaking of the things which we have seen and heard.
RV for we cannot but speak the things which we saw and heard.
Wbstr For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
KJB-1769 For we can not but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
(For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. )
KJB-1611 For wee cannot but speake the things which we haue seene and heard.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)
Bshps For we cannot but speake that, which we haue seene and hearde.
(For we cannot but speak that, which we have seen and heard.)
Gnva For we cannot but speake the things which we haue seene and heard.
(For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. )
Cvdl We can not chose, but speake that we haue sene & herde.
(We cannot chose, but speak that we have seen and heard.)
TNT For we cannot but speake that which we have sene and hearde.
(For we cannot but speak that which we have seen and heard. )
Wycl For we moten nedis speke tho thingis, that we han sayn and herd.
(For we moten nedis speak those things, that we have saw and herd.)
Luth Wir können‘s ja nicht lassen, daß wir nicht reden sollten, was wir gesehen und gehöret haben.
(We können‘s ja not lassen, that we/us not reden sollten, what/which we/us seen and gehöret have.)
ClVg Non enim possumus quæ vidimus et audivimus non loqui.[fn]
(Non because possumus which vidimus and audivimus not/no loqui. )
4.20 Non enim possumus. Id est, nolumus, vel in naturam versum est (ut angelis confirmatis) non peccare.
4.20 Non because possumus. That it_is, nolumus, or in naturam versum it_is (ut angelis confirmatis) not/no peccare.
UGNT οὐ δυνάμεθα γὰρ ἡμεῖς ἃ εἴδαμεν καὶ ἠκούσαμεν μὴ λαλεῖν.
(ou dunametha gar haʸmeis ha eidamen kai aʸkousamen maʸ lalein.)
SBL-GNT οὐ δυνάμεθα γὰρ ἡμεῖς ἃ εἴδαμεν καὶ ἠκούσαμεν μὴ λαλεῖν.
(ou dunametha gar haʸmeis ha eidamen kai aʸkousamen maʸ lalein.)
TC-GNT Οὐ δυνάμεθα γὰρ ἡμεῖς, ἃ [fn]εἴδομεν καὶ [fn]ἠκούσαμεν, μὴ λαλεῖν.
(Ou dunametha gar haʸmeis, ha eidomen kai aʸkousamen, maʸ lalein. )
Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).
4:1-22 Persecution was a common experience of God’s people throughout the Bible. God’s servants often faced hostility and opposition (Deut 30:7; 1 Kgs 18:13; Neh 4:1-3; Jer 37–38; Matt 23:34-37; Luke 11:49-51; 1 Thes 2:14-15). Jesus himself was persecuted (Luke 4:29; John 5:16), and he told his disciples to expect the same kind of treatment (Matt 10:23; 24:9; Mark 13:9; Luke 21:12; John 16:2), but he promised that the Holy Spirit would provide strength (Acts 1:8; Luke 12:11-12; 21:15). Acts records frequent times of persecution (Acts 4:3; 5:17-41; 7:54–8:3; 9:1-2; 11:19; 12:2; 13:50; 14:19; 16:19-24), but Acts also reiterates that the Holy Spirit empowers disciples to bear witness in such circumstances (2:44; 4:8-13; 6:10; 7:55). The boldness of Peter and John before the hostile high council exemplifies facing persecution with courage and power (4:20).
Persecution
Persecution is a common experience of God’s people. God’s servants have often faced hostility and opposition (e.g., Deut 30:7; 1 Kgs 18:13; Neh 4:1-3; Jer 37:11–38:28; Matt 23:34-37; Luke 11:49-51; 1 Thes 2:14-16). Jesus himself dealt with persecution (Luke 4:28-30; John 5:16). At the end of his earthly life, he endured mocking, beating, and a horrible death by crucifixion, and he told his disciples to expect the same kind of treatment (Matt 10:16-25; 24:9; Mark 13:9-13; Luke 21:12-17; John 16:2). He prepared his followers for such occasions, telling them that the Holy Spirit would give them the needed courage (Luke 12:11-12; 21:14-15; Acts 1:8).
The book of Acts documents the persecution of the earliest Christians, beginning with the hostility of the Jewish high council and the attacks of Saul of Tarsus on the early church prior to his encounter with Jesus near Damascus (Acts 8:1-3; 9:1-13, 21; 22:4; 26:9-11; see 1 Cor 15:9; Gal 1:13; Phil 3:6). Peter, John, Stephen, James, Paul, and Barnabas all suffered persecution (Acts 4:15-18; 5:17-18; 7:54-60; 12:1-4; 14:5-6). Jesus, in his parable of the farmer and the seed, noted the withering effects of persecution on those with shallow faith (Matt 13:20-21; Mark 4:16-17). Persecution purifies God’s people and gives them the opportunity to conform more closely to the character of Jesus. The apostles’ experiences in Acts bear out Paul’s general statement: “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim 3:12; see Mark 10:29-30).
Jesus told his disciples to expect to defend their faith in hostile settings (Matt 10:18-20; Luke 21:12-15), and the apostles and other leaders did so with courage and boldness (e.g., Acts 4:8-12, 31; 5:29-32; 6:8-10; 8:4-40; 9:27). Christians are called to defend their faith courageously and graciously, explaining their convictions to those who ask questions (Col 4:6; 2 Tim 2:24-25; 1 Pet 3:15).
Passages for Further Study
1 Kgs 18:2-15; 19:1-18; Neh 4:1-3; Jer 37:1–38:28; Matt 10:16-39; 13:20-21; 23:34-38; 24:9-14; Mark 10:29-31; 13:9-13; Luke 11:47-51; 12:11-12; 21:12-19; John 16:1-4; Acts 4:13-31; 5:17-42; 6:8–8:4; 9:1-31; 12:1-19; 14:1-7; 22:3-29; 23:12-31; 26:9-11; Gal 1:13; 1 Thes 2:14-16; 2 Tim 3:11-14; 1 Pet 3:13-18
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result
γὰρ
for
Peter and John are using the word For to introduce the reason why the council needs to judge whether it would be right for them to obey the council rather than God. Alternate translation: [The reason why you must judge whom we should obey is that]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / exclusive
ἡμεῖς & εἴδαμεν καὶ ἠκούσαμεν
we & ˱we˲_saw and ˱we˲_heard
Peter and John are using the word we to refer to themselves but not to their listeners, so use the exclusive form of the word in your translation if your language marks that distinction.
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / doublenegatives
οὐ δυνάμεθα & ἡμεῖς & μὴ λαλεῖν
not /are/_being_able & we & not /to_be/_speaking
You could state the meaning of this double negative positively. Alternate translation: [we must speak]