16:38a–b

the officers relayed this message to the magistrates: It is implied that the officers went back to the magistrates. In some language it is more natural to include the implied information. For example:

the officers ⌊returned⌋ to the magistrates and reported this to them

16:38c

who were alarmed: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as alarmed means “be afraid.” The magistrates were afraid because they knew that they would be punished if Paul and Silas reported to higher authorities that the magistrates had treated them unjustly. In some languages the reason for their fear will not be clear. If that is true in your language, you may want to explain it in a footnote. An example footnote is:

Roman law required severe punishment for judges who beat Roman citizens without a trial. These judges could have been permanently removed from the work of judge, publicly shamed, or even killed.

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