Lectionary Calendar
Thursday, July 31st, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

Bible in Basic English

Luke 20:2

That the chief priests and the scribes and the rulers of the people came to him and said, Make clear to us by what authority you do these things and who gave you this authority.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Instruction;   Thompson Chain Reference - Divinity;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Heal, Health;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Consciousness;   Perplexity;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chief parables and miracles in the bible;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Authority in Religion;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
and said to him: “Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things? Who is it who gave you this authority?”
King James Version (1611)
And spake vnto him, saying, Tell vs, by what authoritie doest thou these things? or who is hee that gaue thee this authoritie?
King James Version
And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?
English Standard Version
and said to him, "Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority."
New American Standard Bible
and they declared, saying to Him, "Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?"
New Century Version
saying, "Tell us what authority you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?"
Amplified Bible
and said to Him, "Tell us by what kind of authority You are doing these things? Or who is the one who gave You this authority?"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
and they spoke, saying to Him, "Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?"
Legacy Standard Bible
and they spoke, saying to Him, "Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?"
Berean Standard Bible
"Tell us," they said, "by what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?"
Contemporary English Version
asked him, "What right do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?"
Complete Jewish Bible
and said, "Tell us, what s'mikhah do you have that authorizes you to do these things? Who gave you this s'mikhah?"
Darby Translation
and spoke to him saying, Tell us by what authority thou doest these things, or who is it who has given thee this authority?
Easy-to-Read Version
They said, "Tell us what authority you have to do these things. Who gave you this authority?"
Geneva Bible (1587)
And spake vnto him, saying, Tell vs by what authoritie thou doest these things, or who is hee that hath giuen thee this authoritie?
George Lamsa Translation
And they said to him, Tell us by what authority you do these things, and who gave you this authority?
Good News Translation
and said to him, "Tell us, what right do you have to do these things? Who gave you such right?"
Lexham English Bible
and said, saying to him, "Tell us, by what authority you are doing these things, or who is the one who gave you this authority?
Literal Translation
and spoke to Him, saying, Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who is it who gave to you this authority?
American Standard Version
and they spake, saying unto him, Tell us: By what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?
Hebrew Names Version
They asked him, "Tell us: by what authority do you do these things? Or who is giving you this authority?"
International Standard Version
and asked him, "Tell us: By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?"Acts 4:7; 7:27;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
and said to him, Tell us by what authority thou doest these, and who is he who gave thee this authority ?
Murdock Translation
and said to him: Tell us, by what authority thou doest these things? And who is it, that gave thee this authority?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And spake vnto him, saying: Tell vs by what aucthoritie doest thou these thynges? Eyther who is he that gaue thee this aucthoritie?
English Revised Version
and they spake, saying unto him, Tell us: By what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?
World English Bible
They asked him, "Tell us: by what authority do you do these things? Or who is giving you this authority?"
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And spake to him saying, Tell us, by what authority dost thou these things, and who is he that gave thee this authority?
Weymouth's New Testament
together with the Elders, and they asked Him, "Tell us, By what authority are you doing these things? And who is it that gave you this authority?"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and thei seiden to hym, Seie to vs, in what power thou doist these thingis, or who is he that yaf to thee this power?
Update Bible Version
and they spoke, saying to him, Tell us: By what authority do you do these things? or who is he that gave you this authority?
Webster's Bible Translation
And spoke to him, saying, Tell us, By what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?
New English Translation
and said to him, "Tell us: By what authority are you doing these things? Or who is it who gave you this authority?"
New King James Version
and spoke to Him, saying, "Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things? Or who is he who gave You this authority?"
New Living Translation
They demanded, "By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?"
New Life Bible
They said to Him, "Tell us, by what right and power are You doing these things? Who gave You the right and the power?"
New Revised Standard
and said to him, "Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things? Who is it who gave you this authority?"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and spake, saying, unto him - Tell us, by what authority, these things, thou art doing, and, who, is it, that gave thee this authority.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And spoke to him, saying: Tell us, by what authority dost thou these things? Or, who is he that hath given thee this authority?
Revised Standard Version
and said to him, "Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority."
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
and spake vnto him sayinge. Tell vs by what auctorite thou doest these thinges? Ether who is he yt gave ye this auctorite?
Young's Literal Translation
and spake unto him, saying, `Tell us by what authority thou dost these things? or who is he that gave to thee this authority?'
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and spake vnto him, and sayde: Tell vs, by what auctorite doest thou these thinges? Or who gaue the this auctorite?
Mace New Testament (1729)
and thus accosted him, tell us by what authority do you act thus? and whence do you derive that authority?
Simplified Cowboy Version
"Who said you could teach in here?"

Contextual Overview

1 And it came about on one of those days, when he was teaching the people in the Temple and preaching the good news, 2 That the chief priests and the scribes and the rulers of the people came to him and said, Make clear to us by what authority you do these things and who gave you this authority. 3 And in answer he said to them, I will put a question to you, and do you give me an answer: 4 The baptism of John, was it from heaven or of men? 5 And they said among themselves, If we say, From heaven; he will say, Why did you not have faith in him? 6 But if we say, Of men; we will be stoned by the people, for they are certain that John was a prophet. 7 And they made answer that they had no idea where it came from. 8 And Jesus said, And I will not make clear to you by what authority I do these things.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Tell: Luke 19:35-40, Luke 19:45, Luke 19:46, Matthew 21:23-27, Mark 11:28-33

who: Exodus 2:14, John 2:18, John 5:22-27, Acts 4:7-10, Acts 7:27, Acts 7:35-39, Acts 7:51

Reciprocal: Jeremiah 32:3 - Wherefore Matthew 21:10 - Who Mark 14:49 - was

Cross-References

Genesis 12:15
And Pharaoh's great men, having seen her, said words in praise of her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into Pharaoh's house.
Genesis 20:11
And Abraham said, Because it seemed to me that there was no fear of God in this place, and that they might put me to death because of my wife.
Genesis 20:12
And, in fact, she is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife:
Genesis 20:13
And when God sent me wandering from my father's house, I said to her, Let this be the sign of your love for me; wherever we go, say of me, He is my brother.
Genesis 26:1
Then came a time of great need in the land, like that which had been before in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, at Gerar.
Genesis 26:7
And when he was questioned by the men of the place about his wife, he said, She is my sister; fearing to say, She is my wife; for, he said, the men of the place may put me to death on account of Rebekah; because she is very beautiful.
Genesis 26:16
And Abimelech said to Isaac, Go away from us, for you are stronger than we are.
2 Chronicles 19:2
And Jehu, the son of Hanani the seer, went to King Jehoshaphat and said to him, Is it right for you to go to the help of evil-doers, loving the haters of the Lord? because of this, the wrath of the Lord has come on you.
2 Chronicles 20:37
Then the word of Eliezer the prophet, the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah, came against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because you have let yourself be joined with Ahaziah, the Lord has sent destruction on your works. And the ships were broken and were not able to go to Tarshish.
2 Chronicles 32:31
However, in the business of the representatives sent by the rulers of Babylon to get news of the wonder which had taken place in the land, God gave up guiding him, testing him to see what was in his heart.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And spoke unto him, saying, tell us by what authority doest thou these things?.... The Arabic and Ethiopic versions read, "this thing"; as if the sanhedrim only referred to his preaching the Gospel, which is mentioned in the preceding verse, and was what he was about when they came to him: but the Persic version reads, "all these things"; not only preaching, but working miracles; and particularly driving the buyers and sellers out of the temple, which especially affected them, they losing their rents thereby:

or who is he that gave thee this authority? God or man?

:-.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See this passage explained in the notes at Matthew 21:23-27.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Luke 20:2. By what authority, &c.] See Clarke's notes on Matthew 21:23-27.


 
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