By translating literally, the King James Version (see also Phillips) misrepresents the meaning of the Greek text: “as they went on their way through the cities, they delivered them the decrees.” The meaning of this English would be that they delivered to the cities the decisions which had been reached by the apostles and elders. However, in Greek the word “cities” is feminine gender while “to them” is masculine. For this reason the Good News Translation has made the meaning explicit: as they went through the towns they delivered to the believers. In many languages one cannot deliver … rules. One can, however, say “they told the believers what the apostles and elders in Jerusalem had decided should be done.” It may even be necessary to characterize the rules as “how believers should behave.”

They delivered … the rules … and told them to obey these rules translates “they delivered to them to obey the rules.” The meaning of this Greek clause is precisely as the Good News Translation has rendered it, and the same type of translation has been followed by several others (see New English Bible, Jerusalem Bible, Barclay).

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .