2:3a

They saw tongues like flames of fire: This clause indicates that they did not see real fire, but saw something that looked like tongues like flames of fire. The tongue-like things looked like fire. It probably implies a single flame. In some languages it is more natural to describe the tongue-like fire things differently. For example:

They saw things that seemed to be flames of fire
-or-
They saw things that looked like flames from a lamp

2:3b indicates that the believers first saw them in a cluster or group. In some languages it is more natural to indicate that here. For example:

They saw ⌊a group of⌋ things that seemed to be tongues of fire

2:3b

that separated and came to rest on each of them: The cluster of the tongues of fire split apart and each one went in a different direction. They went and rested on each believer. Some languages will need to say where on the body that the flames rested. If that is true in your language, the most likely place is the head. For example:

these separated and came to rest on the head of each of them (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
which separated off and settled above the head of each one of them (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

came to rest: This phrase indicates that the tongue-like fire things stopped moving over each believer. Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

settled (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
stood over (New Century Version)

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