Luke 19:31

Easy-to-Read Version

If anyone asks you why you are taking the donkey, you should say, ‘The Master needs it.'"

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say this: ‘The Lord needs it.’”

King James Version (1611)
And if any man aske you, Why do ye loose him? Thus shall ye say vnto him, Because the Lord hath neede of him.

King James Version
And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him.

English Standard Version
If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?' you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.'"

New American Standard Bible
"And if anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' you shall say this: 'The Lord has need of it.'"

New Century Version
If anyone asks you why you are untying it, say that the Master needs it."

Amplified Bible
"If anybody asks you, 'Why are you untying the colt?' you will say, 'The Lord needs it.'"

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' you shall say, 'The Lord has need of it.'"

Legacy Standard Bible
And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?' you shall say this: ‘Because the Lord has need of it.'"

Berean Standard Bible
If anyone asks, 'Why you are untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.'"

Contemporary English Version
If anyone asks why you are doing that, just say, ‘The Lord needs it.'"

Complete Jewish Bible
If anyone asks why you are untying it, tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.'"

Darby Translation
And if any one ask you, Why do ye loose [it]? thus shall ye say to him, Because the Lord has need of it.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And if any man aske you, why ye loose him, thus shall ye say vnto him, Because the Lord hath neede of him.

George Lamsa Translation
And if any man should ask you, Why do you untie it? tell him this: Our lord needs it.

Good News Translation
If someone asks you why you are untying it, tell him that the Master needs it."

Lexham English Bible
And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?' you will say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.'"

Literal Translation
And if anyone asks, Why do you untie it ? you shall say to them, The Lord has need of it.

American Standard Version
And if any one ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say, The Lord hath need of him.

Bible in Basic English
And if anyone says to you, Why are you taking him? say, The Lord has need of him.

Hebrew Names Version
If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' say to him: 'The Lord needs it.'"

International Standard Version
If anyone asks you why you are untying it, say this: 'The Lord needs it.'"

Etheridge Translation
And if any man demand why you loose him, thus say: It is requested by our Lord.

Murdock Translation
And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? say to him: Our Lord needeth him.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And yf any man aske you, why do ye loose hym, thus shall ye say vnto hym: because the Lorde hath neede of hym.

English Revised Version
And if any one ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say, The Lord hath need of him.

World English Bible
If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' say to him: 'The Lord needs it.'"

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him, thus shall ye say to him, The Lord hath need of him.

Weymouth's New Testament
And if any one asks you, `Why are you untying the colt?' simply say, `The Master needs it.'"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And if ony man axe you, whi ye vntien, thus ye schulen seie to hym, For the Lord desirith his werk.

Update Bible Version
And if any one asks you, Why do you loose him? thus you shall say, The Lord has need of him.

Webster's Bible Translation
And if any man shall ask you, Why do ye loose [him]? thus shall ye say to him, Because the Lord hath need of him.

New English Translation
If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?' just say, ‘The Lord needs it.'"

New King James Version
And if anyone asks you, "Why are you loosing it?' thus you shall say to him, "Because the Lord has need of it."'

New Living Translation
If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?' just say, ‘The Lord needs it.'"

New Life Bible
If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you letting it loose?' say to him, ‘Because the Lord needs it.'"

New Revised Standard
If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?' just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.'"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, if any one question you - Wherefore are ye loosing him? thus, shall ye say - His Lord, hath, need.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And if any man shall ask you: Why do you loose him? You shall say thus unto him: Because the Lord hath need of his service.

Revised Standard Version
If any one asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' you shall say this, 'The Lord has need of it.'"

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And if eny man axe you why that ye loowse him: thus saye vnto him ye lorde hath nede of him.

Young's Literal Translation
and if any one doth question you, Wherefore do ye loose [it]? thus ye shall say to him -- The Lord hath need of it.'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And yf eny ma axe you wherfore ye lowse it, saye thus vnto him. The LORDE hath nede therof.

Mace New Testament (1729)
if any one should ask you, why you untie it, let this be your answer, because the Lord has occasion for it.

Simplified Cowboy Version
And if anyone asks what you are doing, say, 'The Top Hand needs it.'"

Contextual Overview

²⁸ After Jesus said these things, he continued traveling toward Jerusalem. ²⁹ He came near Bethphage and Bethany, towns near the hill called the Mount of Olives. He sent out two of his followers. ³⁰ He said, "Go into the town you can see there. When you enter the town, you will find a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it, and bring it here to me. ³¹ If anyone asks you why you are taking the donkey, you should say, ‘The Master needs it.'" ³² The two followers went into town. They found the donkey exactly like Jesus told them. ³³ They untied it, but its owners came out. They said to the followers, "Why are you untying our donkey?" ³⁴ The followers answered, "The Master needs it." ³⁵ So the followers brought the donkey to Jesus. They put their coats on its back. Then they put Jesus on the donkey. ³⁶ He rode along the road toward Jerusalem. The followers spread their coats on the road before him. ³⁷ Jesus was coming close to Jerusalem. He was already near the bottom of the Mount of Olives. The whole group of followers was happy. They were very excited and praised God. They thanked God for all the powerful things they had seen.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the Lord: Psalms 24:1, Psalms 50:10-12, Matthew 21:2, Matthew 21:3, Mark 11:3-6, Acts 10:36

Reciprocal: Mark 11:2 - General Luke 22:11 - The Master John 4:1 - the Lord

Cross-References

Genesis 4:1
Adam had sexual relations with his wife Eve. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Cain. Eve said, "With the Lord 's help, I have made a man!"

Genesis 16:2
Sarai told Abram, "The Lord has not allowed me to have children, so sleep with my slave. Maybe she can have a son, and I will accept him as my own." Abram did what Sarai said.

Genesis 16:4
Abram slept with Hagar, and she became pregnant. When Hagar realized this, she became very proud and began to feel that she was better than Sarai her owner.

Genesis 19:8
Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man before. I will give my daughters to you. You can do anything you want with them. But please don't do anything to these men. They have come to my house, and I must protect them."

Genesis 19:9
The men surrounding the house answered, "Get out of our way!" They said to themselves, "This man Lot came to our city as a visitor. Now he wants to tell us how we should live!" Then the men said to Lot, "We will do worse things to you than to them." So the men started moving closer and closer to Lot. They were about to break down the door.

Genesis 19:14
So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, the men who had married his other daughters. He said, "Hurry and leave this city! The Lord will soon destroy it!" But they thought he was joking.

Genesis 19:28
Abraham looked down into the valley toward the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. He saw clouds of smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace.

Genesis 19:30
Lot was afraid to stay in Zoar, so he and his two daughters went to live in the mountains in a cave.

Deuteronomy 25:5
"If two brothers live together, and one of them dies without a son, the wife of the dead man must not marry a stranger outside the family. Her husband's brother must take her as his wife and have sexual relations with her. He must do the duty of a husband's brother for her.

Isaiah 4:1
At that time seven women will grab one man and say, "Please marry us! We will supply our own food and make our own clothes. You won't have to do anything else if you let us wear your name and take away our shame."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And if any man ask you, why do ye loose [him]?.... As our Lord, being God omniscient, knew this question would be asked by the owners, and therefore prepares his disciples with an answer to it:

thus shall ye say unto him, because the Lord hath need of him. The Syriac and Persic versions read "our Lord", yours, and ours; probably the owners of the colt might be such as knew the Lord Jesus Christ, and by this way of speaking of him, knew, at once, who was meant, and so made no scruple of sending him, as Christ told them they would not, and so they found it; :- and

:-

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See the notes at Matthew 21:1-16.