Paragraph 1:4–5

1:4a–d

And while they were gathered together, He commanded them: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift the Father promised, which you have heard Me discuss.”: The Greek has 1:4b–c as indirect speech. For example:

4aAnd while staying with them he charged them 4bnot to depart from Jerusalem, 4cbut to wait for the promise of the Father, 4dwhich, he said, “you heard from me, (Revised Standard Version)

However, it may be easier for your readers to begin the direct quote with 1:4b, as in the Berean Standard Bible.

1:4a

And: Some English versions add the phrase “On one occassion” here to make it clear that 1:4a–5b occurred during the 40 days (1:3d). However, the Berean Standard Bible does not do this. If it would be natural in your language to include this implied information, here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

On one occasion… (New International Version)
-or-
Once, (God’s Word)

while they were gathered together: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as gathered together is rarely used and its meaning is not clear. There are four main interpretations of this verb:

(1) It means was together with. Here is another way to translate this:

And when they came together (Good News Translation)

(Good News Translation, God’s Word, NET Bible, Revised English Bible, King James Version, New American Bible, Revised Edition)

(2) It means eat with. Here is another way to translate this:

Once when he was eating with them (New Century Version)

(New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New Century Version, New Living Translation (2004))

(3) It means stay with. Here is another way to translate this:

And while staying with them (Revised Standard Version)

(Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version)

(4) It means gather. For example:

Gathering them together (New American Standard Bible)

(Berean Standard Bible, New American Standard Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

1:4b

Do not leave Jerusalem: This command is further explained in 1:4c. Jesus wanted them to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came. For example:

Don’t leave Jerusalem yet. (Contemporary English Version)

1:4c–d

but wait for the gift the Father promised: The word gift refers to the Holy Spirit. God had already promised to send the Holy Spirit to the believers. It is like a gift, because there is nothing they can do to require God to give it. In some languages people would not think a literal translation would refer to the Holy Spirit. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Explain the meaning in your translation. For example:

wait for the gift my Father promised, ⌊namely the Holy Spirit⌋
-or-
wait for the gift ⌊of the Holy Spirit⌋ that my Father promised

• Explain the meaning in a footnote. Here is an example footnote:

The word “gift” refers to the Holy Spirit here.

the Father: This phrase refers to God here. In some languages people would think that a literal translation refers to someone else. If that is true in your language, you may want to explain in your translation. For example:

⌊God⌋ my Father

General Comment on 1:4b–d

In some languages it is more natural to have the positive command first, then the negative command. For example:

4cWait in Jerusalem for the gift my Father promised, 4dwhich you have heard me speak about. 4bDo not leave.

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