Behold (Good News Translation, Phillips, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “Listen”) here functions as an attention-getter, and a number of translations render the text effectively without a specific word to represent it (Moffatt, An American Translation, Barclay, New International Version). On the other hand, it is represented in Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, and New American Bible as “Now.” For stylistic reasons Good News Translation introduces “he told them” following “Listen.”

And the Son of man will be delivered to: for Son of man see comment at 8.20. This expression may need to be translated as an impersonal construction: “where some people will hand the Son of Man over to.” The verb delivered was first used in 4.12 (see comment there and at 17.22); it is the verb commonly used of the handing over of Jesus to his enemies, including the betrayal by Judas.

Chief priests and scribes first appear together in 2.4 (see comments there). Good News Translation prefers to use “teachers of the Law” in place of scribes.

Condemn is used elsewhere in Matthew only in 12.41, 42; 27.3. Here it is used of a legal decision. There will be some languages where condemn him to death will be expressed by two verbs, as in “They will declare that he is guilty and must be killed.” Many translators will make this last statement a new sentence, as Good News Translation has.

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 .