22:5a

the high priest and the whole Council can testify about me: The Greek words are literally “the high priest testifies to me and all the council of elders.” About twenty-four years earlier the high priest and council gave Paul written permission to persecute Christians. Since then the Romans named someone else high priest. But the high priest of this time may have been on the council at that time. Certainly many of the council from twenty-four years ago were still on the council. So in that way they could testify to what Paul said here. Other ways to translate this clause are:

the high priest is my witness and so are all the council of elders
-or-
the high priest and all the council of elders know of these deeds of mine and can speak of them

the high priest and the whole Council: The high priest was the leader of the Council (it is also called “the Sanhedrin” in Scripture). To make this clear, you might want to say:

the high priest and all the ⌊other⌋ members of the Council
-or-
the high priest and all the ⌊rest⌋ of the Council

high priest: This phrase refers to the priest who was the leader of all the Jewish priests. Other ways to translate this word are:

the leader of the priests
-or-
the priest who was the leader of all ⌊Jewish⌋ priests

See how you translated this phrase in 4:6 or 9:1.

priest: A Jewish priest was a religious leader who:

(a) sacrificed animals and other things to God for the people,

(b) did other rituals for the people,

(c) led the people in worshiping God,

(d) taught the people about God.

Some ways to translate priest are:

• Use a descriptive term that focuses on the function of a priest. For example:

sacrificer
-or-
man/person who offers sacrifices to God
-or-
one who represents people to God

• Use a local word for priest. This option may be acceptable if the duties of a local priest are similar to those of a Jewish priest. You may need to indicate that the word refers to a Jewish priest. For example:

Jewish ⌊people’s⌋ priest

If possible, you should choose a term that can be used in both Old Testament and New Testament contexts. Notice that in the book of 1 Peter believers are called priests because they serve God with their whole lives and Christ is called our high priest.

the whole Council: This phrase refers to the council of elders that ruled all the Jewish people and made decisions. In Scripture is it sometimes referred to as “the Sanhedrin.” Other ways to translate this phrase are:

the whole council of elders (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
the whole council of older Jewish leaders (New Century Version)
-or-
the whole Sanhedrin

See how you translated the word Council in Luke 22:66 (“council of the elders”) or “Sanhedrin” in Matthew 26:59, Mark 14:55, or Acts 5:27.

22:5b

I even obtained letters from them: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as obtained usually means “take” or “receive.” The leaders in Jerusalem gave these letters to Paul. For example:

I received from them letters (Good News Translation)
-or-
they gave letters to me

The context probably implies that Paul asked for these letters.

letters: These letters officially permitted and authorized Paul to persecute the Christians in Damascus. In some languages a different word than letters is used for such official documents. For example:

writs
-or-
decrees
-or-
written orders

In some languages a literal translation would not indicate the correct meaning. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Explain these letters in your translation. For example:

letters ⌊giving permission⌋ ⌊to persecute Christians⌋
-or-
letters ⌊of authority⌋
-or-
letters ⌊which authorized me to arrest followers of The Way⌋

• Translate literally and explain it in a footnote. An example footnote is:

These letters officially permitted and authorized Paul to persecute the Christians in Damascus.

See how you translated this word in 9:2.

from them: The word them refers to the high priest and Council of elders (22:5a). Here, it refers to the man who was high priest and the men who were on the Council twenty-four years earlier.

their brothers: Here the Greek phrase is literally “the brothers.” It refers to Jews whom the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem would consider leaders of the Jewish community in Damascus. It does not refer to fellow Christians here. For example:

the Jewish brothers (New Century Version)
-or-
fellow Jews (Good News Translation)
-or-
the Jewish community (God’s Word)

22:5c

I was on my way to…bring: In 22:6 Paul continued the story about his journey to Damascus. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

I set off to bring (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
I…started off…in order to bring (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
I was on my way to make arrests there (Revised English Bible)
-or-
I was going there to arrest (New Century Version)

bring: The purpose of Paul going to Damascus was to bring people who believed in Jesus to Jerusalem so that the Jewish leaders could punish them. But Paul began believing in Jesus on the way there, so he no longer tried to capture believers. Your translation should not indicate or imply that he captured believers and brought them to Jerusalem. For example:

intending to arrest any followers of the way I could find there (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

to apprehend: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as apprehend is literally “having been tied.” Here it would imply tied with ropes or chains. It can also mean “arrest (people) and make (them) prisoners.” Both meanings are appropriate here. Paul planned to arrest the Christians in Damascus and fasten ropes or chains to their wrists so that he could take them to Jerusalem. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

in chains (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
to arrest these people and bring them back (New Century Version)
-or-
handcuffed

See how you translated this phrase in 9:2, where the Berean Standard Bible translates it as “as prisoners.”

these people: This phrase refers to Christians. In some languages who this phrase refers to will be unclear to readers even reading 22:4–5 together. If that is true in your language, you may want to explain it here. For example:

the Christians (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
any followers of the way (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
any people who believed in Jesus

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