The clause but Paul appealed must be amplified in some languages to read “but Paul appealed to the Emperor” or “but Paul insisted that he be tried by the Emperor.”

In reality, of course, Paul did not directly ask to be kept under guard. However, by appealing to the Emperor, he indirectly placed himself under guard until his case could be tried in Rome.

The clause I gave orders for him to be kept under guard may be rendered as direct discourse: “I ordered the soldiers, Guard him.”

The Good News Translation has transformed the noun phrase “for the decision of the Emperor” into a verbal expression: let the Emperor decide his case.

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 .