Acts 20:35 Support the Weak
I show here an example of translator discretion, how various translations have supplied this subject or that for the verb in English, or in my case have chosen not to supply a subject. This is a common occurrence when translating the Greek New Testament into English. Mind you that there is no Greek textual variant here, so a differing source Greek text does not explain the differences among the English translations for this clause. The Greek verb is an INFINITIVE, preceded by δεῖ (indicates an OBLIGATION or NECESSITY), and there is NO SUBJECT.
The clause in Greek, and a formal equivalent translation:
ὅτι οὕτως κοπιῶντας δεῖ ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι τῶν ἀσθενούντων
how with such labor it is necessary to support the weak
Tyndale how that so laboring ye ought to receive the weak
Genev howe that so labouring, ye ought to support the weake
KJV how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak
ASV that so laboring ye ought to help the weak
NKJV by laboring like this, that you must support the weak
CEV how you should work to help everyone who is weak
NASB that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak
MEV how, working like this, you must help the weak
Phillips that by such hard work, we must help the weak
GNB that by working hard in this way we must help the weak
NIV that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak
TNIV that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak
ESV that by working hard in this way we must help the weak
NRSV that by such work we must support the weak
NABRE that by hard work of that sort we must help the weak
NET that by working in this way we must help the weak
GW that by working hard like this we should help the weak
RSV that by so toiling one must help the weak
HCSB that by laboring like this, it is necessary to help the weak
CSB that it is necessary to help the weak by laboring like this
DRP how with such labor it is necessary to support the weak
I originally rendered it, “how with such labor one must help the weak,” but I changed my mind for two reasons. (1), this obligation does not apply to you if you are one of those weak ones that need the support. So it is better not to supply any of the subjects “you,” “we,” or “one.” (2) I want to keep an English word that couples with the English infinitive, because the δεῖ applies to the next, following phrase as well, which also begins with an infinitive, “to remember.” It is necessary both to labor, and to remember.
NLT how you can help those in need by working hard
Finally, the New Living Translation is an outlier; here the NLT says “you CAN help those in need.” That is simply 180 degrees opposite of what the Greek says. The Greek says it is an obligation or a necessity. The NLT is this inaccurate extremely often. I have no tolerance for the NLT at all, and I believe it is my duty from God to urge you to throw away these following translations: The Message, the NLT, the NRSV, and the NAB.