Luke 3:12

Bible in Basic English

Then tax-farmers came to him for baptism and said to him, Master, what have we to do?

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?”

King James Version (1611)
Then came also Publicanes to be baptized, and said vnto him, Master, what shall we doe?

King James Version
Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do?

English Standard Version
Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?"

New American Standard Bible
Now even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they said to him, "Teacher, what are we to do?"

New Century Version
Even tax collectors came to John to be baptized. They said to him, "Teacher, what should we do?"

Amplified Bible
Even some tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked, "Teacher, what are we to do?"

New American Standard Bible (1995)
And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?"

Legacy Standard Bible
And tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, "Teacher, what should we do?"

Berean Standard Bible
Even tax collectors came to be baptized. "Teacher," they asked, "what should we do?"

Contemporary English Version
When tax collectors came to be baptized, they asked John, "Teacher, what should we do?"

Complete Jewish Bible
Tax-collectors also came to be immersed; and they asked him, "Rabbi, what should we do?"

Darby Translation
And tax-gatherers came also to be baptised, and they said to him, Teacher, what should we do?

Easy-to-Read Version
Even the tax collectors came to John. They wanted to be baptized. They said to him, "Teacher, what should we do?"

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then came there Publicanes also to bee baptized, and saide vnto him, Master, what shall we doe?

George Lamsa Translation
And there came also publicans to be baptized, and they said to him, Teacher, what shall we do?

Good News Translation
Some tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what are we to do?"

Lexham English Bible
And tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, "Teacher, what should we do?"

Literal Translation
And tax collectors also came to be baptized. And they said to him, Teacher, what shall we do?

American Standard Version
And there came also publicans to be baptized, and they said unto him, Teacher, what must we do?

Hebrew Names Version
Tax collectors also came to be immersed, and they said to him, "Teacher, what must we do?"

International Standard Version
Even some tax collectors came to be baptized. They asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?"Matthew 21:32; Luke 7:29;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
The publicans [fn] also came to be baptized, and they said to him, Malphona, what shall we do?

Murdock Translation
And publicans also came to be baptized. And they said to him: Teacher, what shall we do?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then came publicanes also to be baptized, and saide vnto him: Maister, what shall we do?

English Revised Version
And there came also publicans to be baptized, and they said unto him, Master, what must we do?

World English Bible
Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, "Teacher, what must we do?"

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And publicans also came to be baptized, and said to him, Master, what shall we do?

Weymouth's New Testament
There came also a party of tax-gatherers to be baptized, and they asked him, "Rabbi, what are we to do?"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And pupplicans camen to be baptisid; and thei seiden to hym, Maister, what schulen we do?

Update Bible Version
And there came also publicans to be baptized, and they said to him, Teacher, what must we do?

Webster's Bible Translation
Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said to him, Master, what shall we do?

New English Translation
Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, "Teacher, what should we do?"

New King James Version
Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?"

New Living Translation
Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, "Teacher, what should we do?"

New Life Bible
Tax-gatherers came to be baptized also. They asked him, "Teacher, what are we to do?"

New Revised Standard
Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And there came, even tax-collectors, to be immersed; and they said unto him - Teacher! what, shall we, do?

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the publicans also came to be baptized and said to him: Master, what shall we do?

Revised Standard Version
Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?"

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Then came ther Publicans to be baptised and sayde vnto him: Master what shall we do?

Young's Literal Translation
And there came also tax-gatherers to be baptised, and they said unto him, `Teacher, what shall we do?'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The publicans came also, to be baptysed and sayde vnto him: Master, what shal we do?

Mace New Testament (1729)
the Publicans likewise came to be baptized, and said to him, master, how are we to act?

THE MESSAGE
Tax men also came to be baptized and said, "Teacher, what should we do?"

Simplified Cowboy Version
Even those sorry, double-crossing tax collectors came to be dunked by John. They had their tails between their legs and would ask him, "Boss, what are we supposed to do?"

Contextual Overview

¹ Now in the fifteenth year of the rule of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being ruler of Judaea, and Herod being king of Galilee, his brother Philip king of the country of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias king of Abilene, ² When Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of the Lord came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the waste land. ³ And he came into all the country round about Jordan, preaching baptism as a sign of forgiveness of sin for those whose hearts were changed. ⁴ As it says in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, The voice of one crying in the waste land, Make ready the way of the Lord, make his roads straight. ⁵ Every valley will be lifted up, and all the mountains and hills made low, and the twisted will be made straight, and the rough ways smooth; ⁶ And all flesh will see the salvation of God. ⁷ So he said to the people who went out to him for baptism: You offspring of snakes, at whose word are you going in flight from the wrath to come? ⁸ Make clear by your acts that your hearts have been changed; and do not say to yourselves, We have Abraham for our father: for I say to you that God is able from these stones to make children of Abraham. ⁹ And even now the axe is put to the root of the trees; and every tree which does not have good fruit will be cut down and put into the fire. ¹⁰ And the people put questions to him, saying, What have we to do?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Luke 7:29, Luke 15:1, Luke 15:2, Luke 18:13, Matthew 21:31, Matthew 21:32

Reciprocal: Isaiah 33:15 - despiseth

Cross-References

Genesis 2:18
And the Lord God said, It is not good for the man to be by himself: I will make one like himself as a help to him

Genesis 2:20
And the man gave names to all cattle and to the birds of the air and to every beast of the field; but Adam had no one like himself as a help.

Genesis 2:22
And the bone which the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman, and took her to the man.

Genesis 3:13
And the Lord God said to the woman, What have you done? And the woman said, I was tricked by the deceit of the snake and I took it.

Genesis 3:15
And there will be war between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed: by him will your head be crushed and by you his foot will be wounded.

Genesis 3:20
And the man gave his wife the name of Eve because she was the mother of all who have life.

Genesis 3:21
And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife coats of skins for their clothing.

Genesis 3:24
So he sent the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden he put winged ones and a flaming sword turning every way to keep the way to the tree of life.

Job 31:33
If I kept my evil doings covered, and my sin in the secret of my breast,

Proverbs 19:3
By his foolish behaviour a man's ways are turned upside down, and his heart is bitter against the Lord.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then came also publicans to be baptized,.... Being convinced under John's ministry of the evils of their past life, and desirous of being admitted to baptism, to which they understood repentance, and fruits meet for the same, were pre-requisite: these came nearer to John,

and said unto him, master, what shall we do? we have been very wicked persons, what shall we do to escape divine vengeance? or what are the particular duties we are to perform? or the fruits meet for repentance, we are to bring forth; that so we may be admitted to the ordinance of baptism, which requires, as previous to it, a true and hearty repentance? of these men,

:- :- :- :-

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The publicans - See the notes at Matthew 5:47. There is reason to think that the “publicans” or “tax-gatherers” were especially oppressive and hard in their dealings with the people; and that, as they had every opportunity of exacting more than they ought, so they often did it, and thus enriched themselves. The evidence of repentance in them would be to break off their sins in this respect, and to deal justly.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Luke 3:12. Then came also publicans — He next instructs the tax-gatherers in the proper discharge of their duty: though it was an office detested by the Jews at large, yet the Baptist does not condemn it. It is only the abuse of it that he speaks against. If taxes be necessary for the support of a state, there must be collectors of them; and the collector, if he properly discharge his duty, is not only a useful, but also a respectable officer. But it seems the Jewish tax-gatherers exacted much more from the people than government authorized them to do, Luke 3:13, and the surplus they pocketed. See the conduct of many of our surveyors and assessors. They are oppressors of the people, and enrich themselves by unjust surcharges. This, I am inclined to think, is too common an evil; and the executive government is often the people's scape-goat, to bear the crimes of its officers, crimes in which it has no concern. For an account of the publicans, Matthew 5:46; Matthew 5:46.