As with the two preceding verses, so verses 20 and 21 are one long sentence in Greek. The Good News Translation, along with others (see New English Bible, Jerusalem Bible), takes the main verb in verse 20 to mean hold back, and so understands as its object anything that would be of help to you. If this is done, the rest of verse 20 may be taken either (1) as an explanation of what Paul did in order to be of help to them (so New English Bible, Jerusalem Bible), or (2) as a reference to time, as in the Good News Translation: as I preached and taught you in public and in your homes. Others understand the verb hold back in the sense of “be silent about (out of fear),” and take the remainder of the verse as an explanation of what resulted from Paul’s unwillingness to shrink back in fear: “I never shrank from telling you anything that was for your good, nor from teaching you in public or at your houses” (An American Translation*; see also Revised Standard Version).

Did not hold back anything is equivalent in some languages to “did not keep from telling you” or “did not just keep for myself.”

In some languages the verbs preached and taught may require a specific indication of the content of the preaching and teaching—for example, “I preached and taught you the message about the Lord Jesus.”

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 .