For it is not you who speak is usually translated literally, but a literal translation may be misleading, since it could imply that the disciples themselves were not actually speaking. That is, the implication could be that something magical was happening, which would do injustice to the text. But the meaning is that, though the disciples themselves will perform the physical act of speaking, the inspiration for their words will in reality come from God and not from themselves. Among the modern English translations, only Phillips is helpful in this regard: “For it will not be really you who are speaking….”

The Spirit of your Father is an extremely difficult phrase. This is the only place in the New Testament where it occurs, and in every translation consulted it is reproduced literally. If the noun Spirit is problematic in the receptor language, then the phrase may be rendered “your Father himself” or “your heavenly Father himself.” It is also common for translators to identify the Spirit of your Father as the Holy Spirit, as in “the Spirit of God your Father in heaven” or “the Holy Spirit sent by God your Father (in heaven).”

The entire verse may be translated as follows: “You will speak, but the words you speak will come from your Father in heaven. He will give you the words to say, and when you speak, it will be as though he were speaking through you.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .