Acts 13:29-39

NLT: ²⁹"When they had fulfilled all the prophecies concerning his death, they took him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb. ³⁰But God raised him from the dead! ³¹And he appeared over a period of many days to those who had gone with him from Galilee to Jerusalem—these are his witnesses to the people of Israel. ³²"And now Barnabas and I are here to bring you this Good News. God’s promise to our ancestors has come true in our own time, ³³in that God raised Jesus. This is what the second psalm is talking about when it says concerning Jesus, ‘You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.’ ³⁴For God had promised to raise him from the dead, never again to die. This is stated in the Scripture that says, ‘I will give you the sacred blessings I promised to David.’ ³⁵Another psalm explains more fully, saying, ‘You will not allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.’ ³⁶Now this is not a reference to David, for after David had served his generation according to the will of God, he died and was buried, and his body decayed. ³⁷No, it was a reference to someone else—someone whom God raised and whose body did not decay. ³⁸"Brothers, listen! In this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. ³⁹Everyone who believes in him is freed from all guilt and declared right with God—something the Jewish law could never do.

NIV: ²⁹When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. ³⁰But God raised him from the dead, ³¹and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people. ³²"We tell you the good news: What God promised our fathers ³³he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: "‘You are my Son; today I have become your Father.' ³⁴The fact that God raised him from the dead, never to decay, is stated in these words: "‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’ ³⁵So it is stated elsewhere: "‘You will not let your Holy One see decay.’ ³⁶"For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed. ³⁷But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay. ³⁸"Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. ³⁹Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.

NASB: ²⁹"When they had carried out all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb. ³⁰"But God raised Him from the dead; ³¹and for many days He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now His witnesses to the people. ³²"And we preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers, ³³that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘You are My Son; today I have begotten You.’ ³⁴"As for the fact that He raised Him up from the dead, no longer to return to decay, He has spoken in this way: ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’ ³⁵"Therefore He also says in another Psalm, ‘You will not allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.’ ³⁶"For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay; ³⁷but He whom God raised did not undergo decay. ³⁸"Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, ³⁹and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.

KJV: ²⁹And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. ³⁰But God raised him from the dead: ³¹And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people. ³²And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, ³³God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. ³⁴And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. ³⁵Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. ³⁶For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: ³⁷But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption. ³⁸Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: ³⁹And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

Comment: This is one of the scriptures showing there were many eyewitnesses to Jesus' resurrection. We know this because there were many disciples accompanying Jesus on the trip from Galilee to Jerusalem where he was crucified. According to Luke 9:51 and 10:1, there were at least 72 disciples that accompanied Jesus on this trip. Also, in Acts 1:15 we see there were about 120 gathered together. Most of the 120 people were probably the same ones who came from Galilee with Jesus. In the passage at hand Luke records Paul and Barnabas saying the resurrected Jesus had appeared to these people over many days. We then see Paul agreeing with these witnesses even though their experience had occurred earlier than his. Apparently his independent experience with the resurrected Jesus had much in common with earlier witnesses one of them being Barnabas. Otherwise how could Paul and Barnabas agree on what to say? After establishing the credibility of the resurrection through eyewitness accounts, Paul goes on to argue from scripture the Messiah had to be raised from the dead. Also prophecy indicated the raised Messiah would not be in the grave long enough for the body to decay. Since Jesus was raised from the dead before his body decayed, it had to be he that was the Messiah. Further Paul shows the psalm he quotes has to be a prophecy since the body of David, the psalm writer, had not been resurrected and instead had decayed. So we can see that Jesus not only had eyewitnesses to his resurrection, but the prophetic scriptures indicated this was to occur.