Acts 24:17

After several years ¹  I came to bring to my people gifts for the poor ²  and to present offerings, ³ 

"After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings.

"Now after several years I came to bring alms to my nation and to present offerings;

"After several years away, I returned to Jerusalem with money to aid my people and to offer sacrifices to God.

I've been out of the country for a number of years and now I'm back. While I was away, I took up a collection for the poor and brought that with me, along with offerings for the Temple.

Now after a number of years I came to give help and offerings to my nation:

Now after some years I came to bring alms to my nation and to offer sacrifices.

"Now after many years I came to bring alms and offerings to my nation,

After several years ¹  I came to bring to my people gifts for the poor ²  and to present offerings, ³ 

¹ tn BDAG 401 s.v. ἔτος has “δι᾿ ἐ. πλειόνων after several years 24:17.”

² tn Grk “to bring alms,” but the term “alms” is not in common use today, so the closest modern equivalent, “gifts for the poor,” is used instead.

³ tn Or “sacrifices.” BDAG 887 s.v. προσφορά 1 has “προσφοράς ποιεῖν have sacrifices made Ac 24:17,” but this may be overly specific. It is not clear from the immediate context whether the offering of sacrificial animals (so BDAG assumes) or offerings of some other sort (such as financial gifts) are in view. The combination with ἐλεημοσύνας (elehmosuna") in the preceding clause may suggest monetary offerings. Some have suggested this is an allusion to the payments made by Paul on behalf of the four other men mentioned in Acts 21:23-26, but the text here seems to suggest something Paul had planned to do before he came, while the decision to pay for the expenses of the men in 21:23ff. was made at the suggestion of the Jerusalem leadership after he arrived. In either case, Paul was portraying himself as a pious worshiper of his God.