English Bible Translations

The history of Bible translation

The Bible in the early Middle Ages

For centuries the main version of the Bible used in the British Isles and throughout Europe, was the Vulgate, Saint Jerome's Latin translation from Greek and Hebrew, dating from about 400 C.E.

The Psalms and the Gospels, which were used regularly in the mass, were translated from Latin into many languages from the 5th century onwards. Between the 8th and 10th centuries free translations were made into Old English (the language used by the Anglo-Saxons). Some of these translations survive in later manuscripts.

As very few people could read, the Bible was probably best known to ordinary people through hearing sermons.

The Bible in the later Middle Ages

Many people would have known the Bible best through wall paintings and stained glass in churches and through the telling of the stories through drama. However, from the fourteenth century onwards interest in making the Bible text available to ordinary people in English grew. Richard Rolle, a hermit and writer of spiritual texts, translated the Psalms and produced other texts in English for those who could not read Latin. The production of these kinds of texts stimulated major developments in the English language, which had hitherto been inadequate to express much of the detail and subtlety of the Latin.

John Wyclif

John Wyclif was an Oxford scholar who disagreed with many practices of the Church and asserted that the Bible was the sole authority for Christians. It is doubtful that he translated more than a small proportion of the Bible, the rest being produced by his collaborators, but it has been known as the Wyclif Bible ever since. The translation itself was proscribed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and condemned by the Provincial Council of Oxford in 1408. Wyclif's followers, known as ‘Lollards', faced persecution. The Wyclif translation was however in use throughout the 15th century.

Early modern English translations

Tyndale's Bible

William Tyndale lived from c. 1492-1536. Although he had a great influence on the movement towards translation if the Bible into the languages spoken by ordinary people, it is clear that the wish for a vernacular Bible existed throughout catholic Europe long before he was born.

Tyndale's translation was published in 1526, in Worms in Germany, where he was then living. He had spent much time with Martin Luther, whose German version of the Bible had been published in 1522. He avoided Wyclif's work, apparently regarding it as old-fashioned; he wanted his translation to be expressed in the language of his day. English was developing at an extraordinary speed in this period, perhaps even faster than it is developing today.

More on Tyndale's sources: Tyndale was familiar with the Vulgate, Luther's translation and the parallel Greek and Latin New Testament translation by Erasmus (a Dutch scholar who worked for some years in both Oxford and Cambridge). Tyndale revised his English translation twice, in 1534 and 1536, working from the Greek.

Tyndale's version has stood the test of time in its sensitivity to the English language, and was clearly used to a considerable extent by the committee that produced the King James Bible. Tyndale's Bible was the first English translation to appear after the introduction of printing, which greatly increased the speed at which large numbers of copies could be produced.

Coverdale's Bible

Miles Coverdale (1488-1568) produced his translation in 1535, in Zurich:

In 1534 Henry VIII had broken with the Catholic Church, and an English version of the Bible was timely
The new Protestantism needed a Bible, but in 1537 Coverdale's first translation was superseded by a new version consisting of some of Tyndale's version and much of Coverdale's
A revision of this by Coverdale was published in 1539, and became known as the Great Bible because it was so large
There were six more revisions published within a year, each with a preface by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer; for this reason it has become known as the Cranmer Bible
Its real significance is that it was licensed by Henry VIII, who ruled that a copy of it should be placed in every church in the country.

Conflict

In 1553, the catholic queen of England, Mary, banned the reading of the Bible in churches. Ironically this was followed by an almost frenzied production of new translations.

The ‘Geneva Bible'

In 1557 William Whittingham translated the New Testament in Geneva, where he was living. Geneva was the centre of much lively reforming Protestantism at this time. In 1560 he was one of a small group who collaborated to produce the Geneva Bible, much handier in size than the Great Bible and very popular with the Puritans of the next 80 or 90 years, during which 140 editions were produced. It was introduced into Scotland in 1579 and adopted as the standard translation there.

Shakespeare makes many references to the Bible in his works, often to the Geneva Bible, although he also refers to the Rheims Bible, a Catholic translation published in 1582. The Geneva Bible was finally banned by Archbishop Laud in 1644.

The ‘Bishops' Bible'

In 1568 the Bishops' Bible appeared, a revision of the Great Bible by a committee of bishops led by Archbishop Parker, who was determined that the learned clergy of the Anglican Church should produce an authorised translation more sympathetic to the Catholic position than the Geneva Bible.

More on the Bishops' Bible: The existence of such a translation marked the establishment of an official Bible which could be the basis of a national church separate from Rome but avoiding what were seen as the extremes of the Geneva Bible. The rush to print the new translation showed that the Bible was to be the focus not just of a new church but also a rallying point for the national consciousness, particularly in relation to the threat from Spain, which was then the superpower of the world and a Catholic country.

Altogether by the beginning of the 17th century there were over 50 translations of the Bible into English; the need for a vernacular Bible was clearly heartfelt.

An authoritative state Bible

When James I came to the throne in 1603, he agreed to a request from churchmen to produce a new version of the Bible in English. The outcome was the great King James Bible of 1611.

More on translating the King James Bible: Six translating committees were set up, totalling about 50 men, based in Westminster, Oxford and Cambridge, each charged with producing translations of specific parts of the Old and New Testaments. They were told to base their work on the Bishops' Bible, referring to the Tyndale, Coverdale, the Great Bible and the Geneva Bible when they thought the wording of the Bishops' Bible was unsatisfactory.

The work was immediately prescribed for use in all Anglican churches and services, which is why it is also known as the Authorised Version.

The influence of the King James Bible

Its influence has been more profound on the linguistic habits of English-speakers than any other book; some examples appear below of words and phrases that are in common use today, even though those who use them may be completely unaware of their origin. Its sonorities and rhythms have helped to shape the language for nearly 400 years.

More on familiarity with the King James Bible: Owing to ongoing religious controversy laws existed which required people to attend church weekly. When in church people heard the language of the King James Bible and absorbed the religion it expressed. It was normal for people to know large parts of the Bible by heart. For centuries a copy of the Bible was to be found in virtually every house, read and consulted regularly. People could express their reactions to life in biblical language – specifically the language of the King James Bible - because it was so powerful and so familiar.

Only in the mid 20th century did more modern translations start to appear, of which there have been many since, reflecting the rapid changes in the use of English.

Biblical translation and language change

The history of biblical translation is so long that it contains a huge amount of evidence about how English had changed over the centuries. Any part of the Bible could be chosen as an example; here are three versions of the Lord's Prayer (also known as the ‘Our Father') from Matthew 6:9-13.

1. Wyclif's translation, 1382

The modern slashes printed here mark the division between the verses. The familiar ‘for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, now and for ever, Amen.' that ends the prayer today was not part of the original prayer. It became customary to add these words later.

Oure fadir that art in hevenes halowid be thi name / thi kingdom come to / be thi wille don in erthe as in hevene / geve to us this day oure breed ovir othir substaunce / and forgeve to us oure dettis, as we forgeven to our dettouris / and lede us not in to temptacioun: but delyver us fro yvel. Amen.

Notice how little punctuation there is. There was not much punctuation at all in the 14th century because as far as most people were concerned written language – like the Lord's Prayer – would have been read aloud in church with the verse divisions helping the reader find the sense and the rhythm. Punctuation developed slowly as a series of pointers to silent readers of a text, so that they could work rapidly through it, gaining the meaning without stumbling
‘fadir' (father) was printed with a ‘d', but would have been pronounced ‘father'. The letter that looks like a ‘d' here was a letter which survived from the Anglo-Saxon alphabet called ‘eth' (ð). It was pronounced like the modern ‘th', which is presumably why it was superseded
‘Halowid' means ‘hallowed' or ‘blessed' We still use the word when we talk about about Hallowe'en, that is, the eve of (or day before) the Christian feast of All Hallows (All Saints)
‘erthe' (earth) was printed in 1382 with another old letter originally from the the Anglo-Saxon alphabet (þ). It was called ‘thorn' and was also pronounced like the modern ‘th'
‘ovir' (over) means ‘above', and refers to holy communion – it means something like ‘our bread above (i.e. higher than) the substance of (earthly) bread', and is a clumsy translation of the Latin ‘supersubstantialem'.

Try reading this passage aloud, changing your pronunciation to follow the spelling as closely as you can, and use the slashes as commas or full stops. The meaning will probably become clearer as you do so, but some obscurities persist. Understanding the first line will be easier if you think that ‘thi kingdom come to' should either have the word ‘the' (i.e. ‘thee', or ‘you' in modern English), so that it reads ‘thi kingdom come to the', or ‘to' should be left out –‘thi kingdom come', which is the modern wording.

The English of Wyclif (technically called Middle English) had developed out of Anglo-Saxon and Norman French. It was still developing fast, and Wyclif had to use several words taken from French because English (or the Anglo-Saxon part of English) did not have them: ‘substaunce', ‘dettis', ‘dettoris', ‘temptacioun', and ‘deliver'.

2. The King James Bible, 1611

The King James Bible of 1611 prints the prayer like this (the numbers refer to the verse numbers):

9 Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

The language has come a long way since 1382, and can be read much more easily.

Today people say 'who art in Heaven' (rather than which).
The prayer still used words like ‘art', ‘thy' and ‘thine'. Although these are familiar (because many people learnt this prayer), the modern English verb form is to use the words is / your / yours.
Much of the rest of the passage reads and sounds like modern English.
‘Trespasses' is used instead of ‘debts', and ‘those who trespass against us' is used instead of ‘debtors'
The spelling is modern, and punctuation has developed a great deal.
‘Daily bread' now lacks the clumsy echo of the Latin original ‘breed ovir othir substaunce', and is understood to refer to spiritual needs without this being spelled out.
The last sentence has now been incorporated into the prayer.

More on the language of prayer: Some people argue that religious language, while needing to be clear in meaning, should be ‘heightened', out of respect for God and for the process of prayer, and that contemporary language is not necessarily always right for worship. When the King James Bible came out in 1611 its language was not up-to-date but echoed earlier usage. Parts of it came from the Geneva Bible (1557-60) from Coverdale's work (1535-41) and even from Wyclif's translation (1382).

3. The Good News Bible, 1976

The Good News Bible, a 20th century version, translates the prayer as follows:

Our Father in Heaven:
May your holy name be honoured:
may your kingdom come;
may your will be done on earth as it is heaven.
Give us today the food we need*.
Forgive us the wrongs we have done, as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us.
Do not bring us to hard testing, but keep us from the Evil One**.

* variation: ‘for today' / ‘for tomorrow'

** Some manuscripts add

For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever. Amen

The language and the punctuation are now clearly modern
The opening is printed rather as if it were the opening of a letter (as if it read ‘Dear Father in Heaven'), followed by a colon to show that what follows is addressed to God
‘Hallowed (blessed) be thy name' has become ‘May your holy name be honoured'. The word ‘holy' has the same force as ‘hallowed', but is supported by ‘honoured'
‘May' has the sense of a wish - ‘please allow (or grant) that'
‘The food we need' still seems to mean (or include in its meaning) spiritual food, but ‘daily' has now become ‘for today' or ‘for tomorrow', presumably to be added according to the time or circumstances in which the prayer is read
‘Trespasses' has been modernised to ‘wrongs', as the meaning of trespass has now narrowed to the context of ‘illegal entry onto private property'
‘Lead us not into temptation' has become ‘Do not bring us to hard testing', which brings the word order up to date. If we wanted to keep ‘lead' today we might think that ‘Do not lead us into temptation …' would be more suitable than ‘Lead us not …', but ‘Do not lead us to hard testing' seems wrong. ‘Do not lead us …' is an older usage, and ‘hard testing' is a modern expression – though it could be argued that ‘temptation' is at least as clear as ‘hard testing'
‘Deliver us from evil' has become ‘keep us from the Evil One', where ‘keep' has the sense of ‘save' and evil is personified as Satan
The optional addition of the last sentence copies the 1611 version in ‘For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever', with ‘yours' replacing ‘thine'. ‘For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory …' would be equally clear.

Context

This version of the Lord's Prayer comes from an edition of the Bible that assumes readers coming to it for the first time will want something immediately approachable. The weighty vocabulary and the ritual tone and rhythms of earlier versions, deriving perhaps from public reading in church, are now omitted. Instead there is language seen as more suited to private reading or to reading in the company of others when quiet, conversational tones are appropriate. It therefore reflects not only the language changes that have occurred since 1611 but people's expectations of Bible reading.

Questions of translation

The possible variations mentioned above show that translation of the Bible raises a number of questions:

Where does biblical translation start – with the Aramaic, the Hebrew, the Greek, the Latin, or with a combination of these?
How far should translation take account of earlier English versions?
Is the translation to be suited to English speakers from round the world, with all their differences in expression and meaning?
How far is translation affected by a particular interpretation of Christianity?

Clearly we have not seen the last English version of the Bible.

The influence of the King James Bible on English Literature

The Bible has had two main influences on English language and literature: direct quotation and a habit of thought.

Direct quotations

Many phrases from the Bible are still heard in ordinary conversation today, even though those who use the phrases may not always realise where they come from. Here are some examples:

from Exodus: 'To spy out the land'; 'Be sure your sin will find you out'

from Luke: 'He that is not with me is against me'

from Judges: 'The people arose as one man'

from John: 'The truth shall make you free'

from 1 Samuel: 'A man after his own heart'; 'I have played the fool'

from the Acts of the Apostles: 'Full of good works'

from Job: I am escaped by the skin of my teeth

from 1 Thessalonians: 'A labour of love'

from Matthew: 'The signs of the times'

from 1 Timothy: 'The love of money is the root of all evil'

See the Common sayings from the Bible repository for lots more.

Ways of thinking

Some quotations from the Bible express particular ways of looking at the world:

‘And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.' Matthew 19:24
Matthew is here reporting the answer of Christ to a rich young man who asked what he had to do to enter the kingdom of heaven. The young man could not bring himself to sell all that he possessed and to give the proceeds to the poor – that is, he was more concerned with his worldly possessions than with his prospects for eternal life. These days the expression is often used simply to refer to something very difficult.

‘Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours …And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him …And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their; and said father and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son's coat or no.' Genesis 37:3; Genesis 37:23; Genesis 37:32
Joseph was a younger son much loved by his father and given more privileges than his older brothers. The coat was a sign of this. The jealous brothers stole the coat, sold Joseph into slavery, stained the coat with blood and brought it to their father to make him think Joseph was dead. The story is told in the musical Joseph and His Techni-coloured Dreamcoat, a title and a story now familiar to everyone.
Ironically, the ‘coat of many colours' may be a mistranslation (it now seems more likely that the coat had long sleeves, a sign of favour or higher rank) but the phrase has become embedded in the language suggesting the power possessed by the language of the King James Bible to shape people's imaginations.

‘Eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again.' Leviticus 24:20
These are the stern words of God to Moses, repeated later in Deuteronomy 19:21. They establish a law governing relationships between people, and are often quoted as a simple prescription for justice. In the New Testament Christ preaches a new justice of forgiveness and love.

‘Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly in him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.' Ecclesiastes 10:1
These days ‘a fly in the ointment', referring to a drawback or disadvantage in some plan, is almost like a proverb.

‘But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.' Matthew 18:6 (also Mark 9:42; Luke 17:2)
Here Christ speaks of the need for humans to become like little children in their innocence and faith. To damage anyone's faith is a sin earning this grim penalty. Nowadays the phrase is often used to refer to a handicap suffered by someone.

‘The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.' Ecclesiastes 1:9
The speaker points out that human ideas about the world and about themselves do not compare with eternity and the world of God. It is used now to express a humorous recognition that even within worldly life things repeat themselves and what seems to us a new thing is not in fact new. The expression is now slightly modernised: ‘There is nothing new under the sun.'

‘And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats.'And he shall set the sheep on his right hand but the goats on his left.' Matthew 25:32-33
Matthew is writing about the second coming of Christ at the end of the world, when people are to be judged. The division is between those destined for heaven and those sent to hell, but today the expression refers to any division to be made between groups.

See the Common sayings from the Bible repository for further examples.

Biblical references in English literature

The references above suggest that much biblical quotation goes unrecognised. Biblical reference on a larger scale – at the level of whole incidents or ideas within the Bible – runs through much of Western literature. It would be hard to recognise English literature if all works that rest in some way on the Bible were to be removed. A few examples might make this clear. The story of Lot's wife (turned into a pillar of salt) appears in several of Blake's poems, in James Joyce's work and in D. H. Lawrence's poem ‘She Looks Back'. It is not hard to see the connection between the hunt for the white whale in Melville's Moby Dick and the story of Jonah and the whale in the Old Testament or the story of Eden and the Fall in Beckett's Waiting For Godot. The story of Cain can be seen in Arthur and Mordred in the Arthurian stories; it appears in Coleridge's The Wanderings of Cain (and also in a slightly different way in The Ancient Mariner), and also in Blake's The Ghost of Abel. Cain's eternal guilt for murdering his brother can be seen again in Conrad's Lord Jim.

These writers referred to biblical stories because of the power these stories had to move people. Not only were the stories well known, but they could be varied for effect for particular purposes because the writers knew they could rely on the knowledge of their readers to recognise the variations.

More on individual Saxon translations: The famous Lindisfarne Gospels, produced in the 7th century and now in the British Library, have an Old English gloss added above the text by a monk called Aldred around the year 1000. Other early Vulgate manuscripts, e.g. the Vespasian Psalter of the early 9th century and the Rushworth Gospels in the 10th century, also had glosses added. These early manuscripts were glorious works of art, produced and kept in monasteries (later museums and libraries) as artistic treasures.

The Benedictine monk Aelfric (c.955-1020) translated The Pentateuch and most of the historical books of the Old Testament, and other Benedictines produced The West Saxon Gospels (i.e. the Gospels in the West Saxon dialect). Aelfric also translated The Heptateuch (the five books of Moses with the books of Joshua and Judges) from the Old Testament. While a full translation of the Bible from Latin was not produced, there were many devotional books and books of sermons produced in Old English.

English Standard Version
King James Version

¹Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. ²Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ³But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. ⁵And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ⁶But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. ⁷And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. ⁸Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. ⁹Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. ¹⁰Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹Give us this day our daily bread, ¹²and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. ¹⁴For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, ¹⁵but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. ¹⁶And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ¹⁷But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. ¹⁹Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, ²⁰but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ²²The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, ²³but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! ²⁴No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. ²⁵Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? ²⁸And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹Therefore do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear? ³²For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. ³⁴Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

¹Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. ²Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. ³But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: ⁴That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. ⁵And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. ⁶But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. ⁷But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. ⁸Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. ⁹After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. ¹⁰Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. ¹¹Give us this day our daily bread. ¹²And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. ¹³And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. ¹⁴For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: ¹⁵But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. ¹⁶Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. ¹⁷But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; ¹⁸That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. ¹⁹Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: ²⁰But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: ²¹For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. ²²The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. ²³But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! ²⁴No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. ²⁵Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? ²⁶Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? ²⁷Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? ²⁸And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: ²⁹And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? ³¹Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? ³²(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. ³³But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. ³⁴Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

English Standard Version
King James Version

¹Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. ²And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. ³And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause? ⁴He answered, Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, ⁵and said, Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh? ⁶So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate. ⁷They said to him, Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away? ⁸He said to them, Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. ⁹And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery. ¹⁰The disciples said to him, If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry. ¹¹But he said to them, Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. ¹²For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it. ¹³Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, ¹⁴but Jesus said, Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven. ¹⁵And he laid his hands on them and went away. ¹⁶And behold, a man came up to him, saying, Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life? ¹⁷And he said to him, Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments. ¹⁸He said to him, Which ones? And Jesus said, You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, ¹⁹Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ²⁰The young man said to him, All these I have kept. What do I still lack? ²¹Jesus said to him, If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me. ²²When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. ²³And Jesus said to his disciples, Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. ²⁵When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, Who then can be saved? ²⁶But Jesus looked at them and said, With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. ²⁷Then Peter said in reply, See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have? ²⁸Jesus said to them, Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. ³⁰But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

¹And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan; ²And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there. ³The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? ⁴And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, ⁵And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? ⁶Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. ⁷They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? ⁸He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. ⁹And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. ¹⁰His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. ¹¹But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. ¹²For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. ¹³Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. ¹⁵And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence. ¹⁶And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? ¹⁷And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. ¹⁸He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, ¹⁹Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. ²⁰The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? ²¹Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. ²²But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. ²³Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. ²⁵When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? ²⁶But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. ²⁷Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? ²⁸And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. ³⁰But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

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¹Jacob lived in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan. ²These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. ³Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors. ⁴But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him. ⁵Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. ⁶He said to them, Hear this dream that I have dreamed: ⁷Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf. ⁸His brothers said to him, Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us? So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. ⁹Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me. ¹⁰But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you? ¹¹And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind. ¹²Now his brothers went to pasture their father's flock near Shechem. ¹³And Israel said to Joseph, Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them. And he said to him, Here I am. ¹⁴So he said to him, Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word. So he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. ¹⁵And a man found him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, What are you seeking? ¹⁶I am seeking my brothers, he said. Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock. ¹⁷And the man said, They have gone away, for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan. ¹⁸They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. ¹⁹They said to one another, Here comes this dreamer. ²⁰Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams. ²¹But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, Let us not take his life. ²²And Reuben said to them, Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him - that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father. ²³So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. ²⁴And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it. ²⁵Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. ²⁶Then Judah said to his brothers, What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? ²⁷Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh. And his brothers listened to him. ²⁸Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt. ²⁹When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes ³⁰and returned to his brothers and said, The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go? ³¹Then they took Joseph's robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. ³²And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, This we have found; please identify whether it is your son's robe or not. ³³And he identified it and said, It is my son's robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces. ³⁴Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. ³⁵All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning. Thus his father wept for him. ³⁶Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.

¹And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. ²These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report. ³Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colors. ⁴And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. ⁵And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. ⁶And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: ⁷For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. ⁸And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. ⁹And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. ¹⁰And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? ¹¹And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying. ¹²And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem. ¹³And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I. ¹⁴And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. ¹⁵And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou? ¹⁶And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks. ¹⁷And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan. ¹⁸And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. ¹⁹And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. ²⁰Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams. ²¹And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him. ²²And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again. ²³And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colors that was on him; ²⁴And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it. ²⁵And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. ²⁶And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? ²⁷Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content. ²⁸Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt. ²⁹And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes. ³⁰And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go? ³¹And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood; ³²And they sent the coat of many colors, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son's coat or no. ³³And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces. ³⁴And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. ³⁵And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him. ³⁶And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard.

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King James Version

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King James Version

¹The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil from beaten olives for the lamp, that a light may be kept burning regularly. ³Outside the veil of the testimony, in the tent of meeting, Aaron shall arrange it from evening to morning before the Lord regularly. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. ⁴He shall arrange the lamps on the lampstand of pure gold before the Lord regularly. ⁵You shall take fine flour and bake twelve loaves from it; two tenths of an ephah shall be in each loaf. ⁶And you shall set them in two piles, six in a pile, on the table of pure gold before the Lord. ⁷And you shall put pure frankincense on each pile, that it may go with the bread as a memorial portion as a food offering to the Lord. ⁸Every Sabbath day Aaron shall arrange it before the Lord regularly; it is from the people of Israel as a covenant forever. ⁹And it shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place, since it is for him a most holy portion out of the Lord's food offerings, a perpetual due. ¹⁰Now an Israelite woman's son, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the people of Israel. And the Israelite woman's son and a man of Israel fought in the camp, ¹¹and the Israelite woman's son blasphemed the Name, and cursed. Then they brought him to Moses. His mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan. ¹²And they put him in custody, till the will of the Lord should be clear to them. ¹³Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁴Bring out of the camp the one who cursed, and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him. ¹⁵And speak to the people of Israel, saying, Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. ¹⁶Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death. ¹⁷Whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death. ¹⁸Whoever takes an animal's life shall make it good, life for life. ¹⁹If anyone injures his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him, ²⁰fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; whatever injury he has given a person shall be given to him. ²¹Whoever kills an animal shall make it good, and whoever kills a person shall be put to death. ²²You shall have the same rule for the sojourner and for the native, for I am the Lord your God. ²³So Moses spoke to the people of Israel, and they brought out of the camp the one who had cursed and stoned him with stones. Thus the people of Israel did as the Lord commanded Moses.

¹And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, ²Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually. ³Without the vail of the testimony, in the tabernacle of the congregation, shall Aaron order it from the evening unto the morning before the LORD continually: it shall be a statute for ever in your generations. ⁴He shall order the lamps upon the pure candlestick before the LORD continually. ⁵And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake. ⁶And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the LORD. ⁷And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD. ⁸Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. ⁹And it shall be Aaron's and his sons'; and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the LORD made by fire by a perpetual statute. ¹⁰And the son of an Israelitish woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel: and this son of the Israelitish woman and a man of Israel strove together in the camp; ¹¹And the Israelitish woman's son blasphemed the name of the Lord, and cursed. And they brought him unto Moses: (and his mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan:) ¹²And they put him in ward, that the mind of the LORD might be showed them. ¹³And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, ¹⁴Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp; and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him. ¹⁵And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin. ¹⁶And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the Lord, shall be put to death. ¹⁷And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death. ¹⁸And he that killeth a beast shall make it good; beast for beast. ¹⁹And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbor; as he hath done, so shall it be done to him; ²⁰Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again. ²¹And he that killeth a beast, he shall restore it: and he that killeth a man, he shall be put to death. ²²Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I am the LORD your God. ²³And Moses spake to the children of Israel, that they should bring forth him that had cursed out of the camp, and stone him with stones. And the children of Israel did as the LORD commanded Moses.

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¹When the Lord your God cuts off the nations whose land the Lord your God is giving you, and you dispossess them and dwell in their cities and in their houses, ²you shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess. ³You shall measure the distances and divide into three parts the area of the land that the Lord your God gives you as a possession, so that any manslayer can flee to them. ⁴This is the provision for the manslayer, who by fleeing there may save his life. If anyone kills his neighbor unintentionally without having hated him in the past - ⁵as when someone goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down a tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies - he may flee to one of these cities and live, ⁶lest the avenger of blood in hot anger pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him fatally, though the man did not deserve to die, since he had not hated his neighbor in the past. ⁷Therefore I command you, You shall set apart three cities. ⁸And if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land that he promised to give to your fathers - ⁹provided you are careful to keep all this commandment, which I command you today, by loving the Lord your God and by walking ever in his ways - then you shall add three other cities to these three, ¹⁰lest innocent blood be shed in your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, and so the guilt of bloodshed be upon you. ¹¹But if anyone hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and attacks him and strikes him fatally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities, ¹²then the elders of his city shall send and take him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood, so that he may die. ¹³Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, so that it may be well with you. ¹⁴You shall not move your neighbor's landmark, which the men of old have set, in the inheritance that you will hold in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess. ¹⁵A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established. ¹⁶If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, ¹⁷then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. ¹⁸The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, ¹⁹then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. ²⁰And the rest shall hear and fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you. ²¹Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

¹When the LORD thy God hath cut off the nations, whose land the LORD thy God giveth thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses; ²Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it. ³Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and divide the coasts of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither. ⁴And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoso killeth his neighbor ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past; ⁵As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbor to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbor, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live: ⁶Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past. ⁷Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee. ⁸And if the LORD thy God enlarge thy coast, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers; ⁹If thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day, to love the LORD thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three: ¹⁰That innocent blood be not shed in thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee. ¹¹But if any man hate his neighbor, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and fleeth into one of these cities: ¹²Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. ¹³Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee. ¹⁴Thou shalt not remove thy neighbor's landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it. ¹⁵One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established. ¹⁶If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong; ¹⁷Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days; ¹⁸And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother; ¹⁹Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you. ²⁰And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you. ²¹And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

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King James Version

¹Dead flies make the perfumer's ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. ²A wise man's heart inclines him to the right, but a fool's heart to the left. ³Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense, and he says to everyone that he is a fool. ⁴If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place, for calmness will lay great offenses to rest. ⁵There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were an error proceeding from the ruler: ⁶folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place. ⁷I have seen slaves on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves. ⁸He who digs a pit will fall into it, and a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall. ⁹He who quarries stones is hurt by them, and he who splits logs is endangered by them. ¹⁰If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed. ¹¹If the serpent bites before it is charmed, there is no advantage to the charmer. ¹²The words of a wise man's mouth win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him. ¹³The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his talk is evil madness. ¹⁴A fool multiplies words, though no man knows what is to be, and who can tell him what will be after him? ¹⁵The toil of a fool wearies him, for he does not know the way to the city. ¹⁶Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, and your princes feast in the morning! ¹⁷Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility, and your princes feast at the proper time, for strength, and not for drunkenness! ¹⁸Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks. ¹⁹Bread is made for laughter, and wine gladdens life, and money answers everything. ²⁰Even in your thoughts, do not curse the king, nor in your bedroom curse the rich, for a bird of the air will carry your voice, or some winged creature tell the matter.

¹Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour. ²A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left. ³Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool. ⁴If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences. ⁵There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler: ⁶Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place. ⁷I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth. ⁸He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him. ⁹Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby. ¹⁰If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct. ¹¹Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better. ¹²The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself. ¹³The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness. ¹⁴A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him? ¹⁵The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city. ¹⁶Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning! ¹⁷Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness! ¹⁸By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through. ¹⁹A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things. ²⁰Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.

English Standard Version
King James Version

¹At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? ²And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them ³and said, Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, ⁶but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. ⁷Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! ⁸And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. ⁹And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire. ¹⁰See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. ¹¹ ¹²What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? ¹³And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. ¹⁴So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. ¹⁵If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. ¹⁶But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. ¹⁷If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. ¹⁸Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. ¹⁹Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. ²⁰For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them. ²¹Then Peter came up and said to him, Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times? ²²Jesus said to him, I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. ²³Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. ²⁵And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. ²⁶So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything. ²⁷And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. ²⁸But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, Pay what you owe. ²⁹So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, Have patience with me, and I will pay you. ³⁰He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. ³¹When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. ³²Then his master summoned him and said to him, You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. ³³And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you? ³⁴And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. ³⁵So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.

¹At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? ²And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, ³And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. ⁶But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. ⁷Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! ⁸Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. ⁹And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. ¹⁰Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. ¹¹For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. ¹²How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? ¹³And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. ¹⁴Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. ¹⁵Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. ¹⁶But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. ¹⁷And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. ¹⁸Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. ¹⁹Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. ²⁰For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. ²¹Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? ²²Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. ²³Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. ²⁴And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. ²⁵But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. ²⁶The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. ²⁷Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. ²⁸But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. ²⁹And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. ³⁰And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. ³¹So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. ³²Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: ³³Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? ³⁴And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. ³⁵So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

English Standard Version
King James Version

¹And he said to them, Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power. ²And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, ³and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. ⁴And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. ⁵And Peter said to Jesus, Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah. ⁶For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. ⁷And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, This is my beloved Son; listen to him. ⁸And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. ⁹And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. ¹⁰So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. ¹¹And they asked him, Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come? ¹²And he said to them, Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? ¹³But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him. ¹⁴And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. ¹⁵And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. ¹⁶And he asked them, What are you arguing about with them? ¹⁷And someone from the crowd answered him, Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. ¹⁸And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able. ¹⁹And he answered them, O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me. ²⁰And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. ²¹And Jesus asked his father, How long has this been happening to him? And he said, From childhood. ²²And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us. ²³And Jesus said to him, If you can! All things are possible for one who believes. ²⁴Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, I believe; help my unbelief! ²⁵And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again. ²⁶And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, He is dead. ²⁷But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. ²⁸And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could we not cast it out? ²⁹And he said to them, This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer. ³⁰They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, ³¹for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise. ³²But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him. ³³And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, What were you discussing on the way? ³⁴But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. ³⁵And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all. ³⁶And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, ³⁷Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me. ³⁸John said to him, Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us. ³⁹But Jesus said, Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. ⁴⁰For the one who is not against us is for us. ⁴¹For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward. ⁴²Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. ⁴³And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. ⁴⁴ ⁴⁵And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. ⁴⁶ ⁴⁷And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ⁴⁸where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. ⁴⁹For everyone will be salted with fire. ⁵⁰Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.

¹And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power. ²And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. ³And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. ⁴And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. ⁵And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. ⁶For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid. ⁷And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. ⁸And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves. ⁹And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. ¹⁰And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean. ¹¹And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? ¹²And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought. ¹³But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him. ¹⁴And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them. ¹⁵And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him. ¹⁶And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them? ¹⁷And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; ¹⁸And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. ¹⁹He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. ²⁰And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. ²¹And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. ²²And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. ²³Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. ²⁴And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. ²⁵When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. ²⁶And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. ²⁷But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose. ²⁸And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? ²⁹And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting. ³⁰And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee; and he would not that any man should know it. ³¹For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day. ³²But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him. ³³And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? ³⁴But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. ³⁵And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. ³⁶And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, ³⁷Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me. ³⁸And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. ³⁹But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. ⁴⁰For he that is not against us is on our part. ⁴¹For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. ⁴²And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. ⁴³And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: ⁴⁴Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. ⁴⁵And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: ⁴⁶Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. ⁴⁷And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: ⁴⁸Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. ⁴⁹For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. ⁵⁰Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.

English Standard Version
King James Version

¹And he said to his disciples, Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! ²It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. ³Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, ⁴and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, I repent, you must forgive him. ⁵The apostles said to the Lord, Increase our faith! ⁶And the Lord said, If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, Be uprooted and planted in the sea, and it would obey you. ⁷Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, Come at once and recline at table? ⁸Will he not rather say to him, Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink? ⁹Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? ¹⁰So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty. ¹¹On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. ¹²And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance ¹³and lifted up their voices, saying, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. ¹⁴When he saw them he said to them, Go and show yourselves to the priests. And as they went they were cleansed. ¹⁵Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; ¹⁶and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. ¹⁷Then Jesus answered, Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? ¹⁸Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner? ¹⁹And he said to him, Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well. ²⁰Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, ²¹nor will they say, Look, here it is! or There! for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you. ²²And he said to the disciples, The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. ²³And they will say to you, Look, there! or Look, here! Do not go out or follow them. ²⁴For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. ²⁵But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. ²⁶Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. ²⁷They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. ²⁸Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot - they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, ²⁹but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all - ³⁰so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. ³¹On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. ³²Remember Lot's wife. ³³Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. ³⁴I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. ³⁵There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left. ³⁶ ³⁷And they said to him, Where, Lord? He said to them, Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

¹Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! ²It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. ³Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. ⁴And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him. ⁵And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. ⁶And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you. ⁷But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? ⁸And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? ⁹Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. ¹⁰So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. ¹¹And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. ¹²And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: ¹³And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. ¹⁴And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. ¹⁵And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, ¹⁶And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. ¹⁷And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? ¹⁸There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. ¹⁹And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. ²⁰And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: ²¹Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. ²²And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. ²³And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them. ²⁴For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. ²⁵But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation. ²⁶And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. ²⁷They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. ²⁸Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; ²⁹But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. ³⁰Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. ³¹In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. ³²Remember Lot's wife. ³³Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. ³⁴I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. ³⁵Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. ³⁶Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. ³⁷And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.

English Standard Version
King James Version

¹The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. ²Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. ³What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? ⁴A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. ⁵The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises. ⁶The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns. ⁷All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again. ⁸All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. ⁹What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. ¹⁰Is there a thing of which it is said, See, this is new? It has been already in the ages before us. ¹¹There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after. ¹²I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. ¹³And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. ¹⁴I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. ¹⁵What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted. ¹⁶I said in my heart, I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. ¹⁷And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind. ¹⁸For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

¹The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. ²Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. ³What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? ⁴One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever. ⁵The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose. ⁶The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits. ⁷All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again. ⁸All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. ⁹The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. ¹⁰Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us. ¹¹There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after. ¹²I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. ¹³And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. ¹⁴I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. ¹⁵That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered. ¹⁶I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. ¹⁷And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. ¹⁸For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

English Standard Version
King James Version

¹Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. ²Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. ³For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, ⁴but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. ⁵As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. ⁶But at midnight there was a cry, Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him. ⁷Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. ⁸And the foolish said to the wise, Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out. ⁹But the wise answered, saying, Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves. ¹⁰And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. ¹¹Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, Lord, lord, open to us. ¹²But he answered, Truly, I say to you, I do not know you. ¹³Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. ¹⁴For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. ¹⁵To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. ¹⁶He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. ¹⁷So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. ¹⁸But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. ¹⁹Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. ²⁰And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more. ²¹His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master. ²²And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more. ²³His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master. ²⁴He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, ²⁵so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours. ²⁶But his master answered him, You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? ²⁷Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. ²⁸So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. ²⁹For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. ³⁰And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ³¹When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. ³²Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. ³⁴Then the King will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. ³⁷Then the righteous will answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? ³⁸And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? ³⁹And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you? ⁴⁰And the King will answer them, Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me. ⁴¹Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴²For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me. ⁴⁴Then they also will answer, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you? ⁴⁵Then he will answer them, saying, Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me. ⁴⁶And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

¹Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. ²And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. ³They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: ⁴But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. ⁵While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. ⁶And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. ⁷Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. ⁸And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. ⁹But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. ¹⁰And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. ¹¹Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. ¹²But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. ¹³Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. ¹⁴For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. ¹⁵And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. ¹⁶Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. ¹⁷And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. ¹⁸But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. ¹⁹After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. ²⁰And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. ²¹His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. ²²He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. ²³His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. ²⁴Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: ²⁵And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. ²⁶His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: ²⁷Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. ²⁸Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. ²⁹For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. ³⁰And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ³¹When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: ³²And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: ³³And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. ³⁴Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ³⁵For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: ³⁶Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. ³⁷Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? ³⁸When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? ³⁹Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? ⁴⁰And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. ⁴¹Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: ⁴²For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: ⁴³I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. ⁴⁴Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? ⁴⁵Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. ⁴⁶And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

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