Acts 23:29

I found he ¹  was accused with reference to controversial questions ²  about their law, but no charge against him deserved death or imprisonment. ³ 

I found that the accusation had to do with questions about their law, but there was no charge against him that deserved death or imprisonment.

and I found him to be accused over questions about their Law, but under no accusation deserving death or imprisonment.

I soon discovered it was something regarding their religious law––certainly nothing worthy of imprisonment or death.

It turned out to be a squabble turned vicious over some of their religious differences, but nothing remotely criminal.

Then it became clear to me that it was a question of their law, and that nothing was said against him which might be a reason for prison or death.

I found that he was accused concerning questions of their law, but was charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment.

I found out that he was accused concerning questions of their law, but had nothing charged against him deserving of death or chains.

I found he ¹  was accused with reference to controversial questions ²  about their law, but no charge against him deserved death or imprisonment. ³ 

¹ tn Grk “whom I found.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been changed to a personal pronoun (“he”) and a new sentence begun in the translation at this point.

² tn BDAG 428 s.v. ζήτημα states, “in our lit. only in Ac, w. the mng. it still has in Mod. Gk. (controversial) question, issue, argument…Ac 15:2; 26:3. ζ. περί τινος questions about someth.…18:15; 25:19. – In 23:29, since περί had already been used, the subj. of the discussion is added in the gen. ζ. τοῦ νόμου αὐτῶν.”

sn With reference to controversial questions. Note how the “neutral” Roman authorities saw the issue. This was a religious rather than a civil dispute. See Acts 18:15.

³ tn Grk “but having no charge worthy of death or imprisonment.” BDAG 273-74 s.v. ἔγκλημα 1 has “legal t.t.…ἔ. ἄξιον θανάτου ἢ δεσμῶν a charge deserving death or imprisonment 23:29.”

sn Despite the official assessment that no charge against him deserved death or imprisonment, there was no effort to release Paul.