Acts 2:14
King James Version (KJV)
But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
Translations
Acts 2:14 - Amplified Bible
But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: You Jews and all you residents of Jerusalem, let this be [explained] to you so that you will know {and} understand; listen closely to what I have to say.
Acts 2:14 - American Standard Version
But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spake forth unto them, saying, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and give ear unto my words.
Acts 2:14 - Bible in Basic English
But Peter, getting up, with the eleven, said in a loud voice, O men of Judaea, and all you who are living in Jerusalem, take note of this and give ear to my words.
Acts 2:14 - Darby Bible
But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and spoke forth to them, Men of Judaea, and all ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give heed to my words:
Acts 2:14 - English Standard Version
But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.
Acts 2:14 - King James Version
But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
Acts 2:14 - La Biblia de las Americas
Entonces Pedro, poniéndose en pie con los once, alzò la voz y les declarò: Varones judìos y todos los que vivìs en Jerusalén, sea esto de vuestro conocimiento y prestad atenciòn a mis palabras,
Acts 2:14 - The Message
That’s when Peter stood up and, backed by the other eleven, spoke out with bold urgency: "Fellow Jews, all of you who are visiting Jerusalem, listen carefully and get this story straight. These people aren’t drunk as some of you suspect. They haven’t had time to get drunk—it’s only nine o’clock in the morning. This is what the prophet Joel announced would happen:
"In the Last Days," God says,
"I will pour out my Spirit
on every kind of people:
Your sons will prophesy,
also your daughters;
Your young men will see visions,
your old men dream dreams.
When the time comes,
I’ll pour out my Spirit
On those who serve me, men and women both,
and they’ll prophesy.
I’ll set wonders in the sky above
and signs on the earth below,
Blood and fire and billowing smoke,
the sun turning black and the moon blood-red,
Before the Day of the Lord arrives,
the Day tremendous and marvelous;
And whoever calls out for help
to me, God, will be saved."
Acts 2:14 - New American Standard Bible
But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: "Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words.
Acts 2:14 - Nueva Biblia Latinoamericana de Hoy
Entonces Pedro, poniéndose en pie con los once apòstoles, alzò la voz y les declarò: "Hombres de Judea y todos los que viven en Jerusalén, sea esto de su conocimiento y presten atenciòn a mis palabras.
Acts 2:14 - World English Bible
But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spoke out to them, "You men of Judea, and all you who dwell at Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to my words.
Acts 2:14 - Young's Living Translation
and Peter having stood up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and declared to them, `Men, Jews! and all those dwelling in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and harken to my sayings,
Acts 2:14 - Additional Comments
Even though they all had different native languages, they all knew the same local language, most likely Aramaic.
Was Aramaic the language of Palestine in those times?
Palestine, given that it was always a crossroads for many peoples, was by necessity a multi-lingual land. It was a place where they spoke several languages at the same time. There were no less than two local languages spoken and understood by the majority of the people: Hebrew and Aramaic. Two international languages were also used: Greek and Latin. These however were spoken by a small group of persons found in State Administration and Education.
The Hebrew language, the same language used in writing the Books of the Old Testament, came into common usage in the Liturgy of the Sabbath of the Synagogue, even though there were few who understood it clearly.
Besides Hebrew, there was Aramaic, which had already been used for some centuries. This language was the familiar language which the people spoke in most of the villages and towns of Palestine.
Besides the local languages, there were two other, which were spoken in the towns where there were persons of learning, and administrators of the State. While in the villages such as Nazareth and Capharnaum, the dominant language, if not the only one, was Aramaic.
In Luke 4:16-30, we see that the Hebrew language was familiar to Jesus. In this passage, it says that Jesus read the Scroll of the Law (from the Prophet Isaiah) in the Synagogue. Certainly this Reading was done in Hebrew. The few words that Jesus added by way of comment were most probably spoken in Aramaic.
The New Testament, written in Greek, allows us a glimpse of genuine Palestinian "root" words. There were a number of proper names (persons or places) that easily go back to Aramaic origins.
Some words of Jesus turn out to be very interesting. For example: Effeta or Effata is faithfully written down by the Evangelists. Or, Talita Qum which means: Arise little child! Also Abba (Mark 14:36 and Gal. 4:6) which means Papa/Father. Recall the Aramaic phrase spoken by Jesus as He was dying on the Cross: Eloi Eloi lema sabactani. These Words, found in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, are interpreted for us as a Prayer of Jesus. They were in fact the beginning of Psalm 22, spoken by Jesus in Aramaic, and written down in Greek. It is possible that the Evangelists wished to preserve and hand down through their writings some words certainly spoken by Jesus, words which the Early Christians (since they spoke Aramaic) faithfully remembered.
There were local differences in the Aramaic language. These changes did not affect the mutual comprehension of the inhabitants of the different localities (realizing that the distance between these various localities was small and contact was frequent).
Jesus spoke the Aramaic dialect of Galilee, but His words were "Jerusalem-ized", so to speak, for the Early Church, and transmitted to us in the dialect of Jerusalem. It is well recorded that the difference between the Jerusalem and Galilee dialects was small and, all things considered, quite negligible.
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