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Saturday, July 26th, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

George Lamsa Translation

Luke 20:5

And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we should say from heaven, he will say to us, Why then did you not believe him?

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Reasoning;  

Dictionaries:

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

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Bible, the;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
They discussed it among themselves: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’
King James Version (1611)
And they reasoned with themselues, saying, If wee shall say, From heauen, he will say, Why then beleeued yee him not?
King James Version
And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then believed ye him not?
English Standard Version
And they discussed it with one another, saying, "If we say, ‘From heaven,' he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?'
New American Standard Bible
They discussed among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why did you not believe him?'
New Century Version
They argued about this, saying, "If we answer, ‘John's baptism was from God,' Jesus will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?'
Amplified Bible
They discussed and debated it among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why did you not believe him?'
New American Standard Bible (1995)
They reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why did you not believe him?'
Legacy Standard Bible
And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, ‘From heaven,' He will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?'
Berean Standard Bible
They deliberated among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will ask, 'Why did you not believe him?'
Contemporary English Version
They talked this over and said to each other, "We can't say that God gave John this right. Jesus will ask us why we didn't believe John.
Complete Jewish Bible
They discussed it among themselves, saying, "If we say, ‘From Heaven,' he will say, ‘Then why didn't you believe him?'
Darby Translation
And they reasoned among themselves, saying, If we should say, Of heaven, he will say, Why have ye not believed him?
Easy-to-Read Version
The priests, the teachers of the law, and the Jewish leaders all talked about this. They said to each other, "If we answer, ‘John's baptism was from God,' then he will say, ‘Then why did you not believe John?'
Geneva Bible (1587)
And they reasoned within themselues, saying, If we shall say, From heauen, he will say, Why then beleeued ye him not?
Good News Translation
They started to argue among themselves, "What shall we say? If we say, ‘From God,' he will say, ‘Why, then, did you not believe John?'
Lexham English Bible
And they discussed this with one another, saying, "If we say ‘From heaven,' he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?'
Literal Translation
And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we say, From Heaven, He will say, Then why did you not believe him?
American Standard Version
And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why did ye not believe him?
Bible in Basic English
And they said among themselves, If we say, From heaven; he will say, Why did you not have faith in him?
Hebrew Names Version
They reasoned with themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Why didn't you believe him?'
International Standard Version
They discussed this among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Then why didn't you believe him?'
Etheridge Translation
But they reasoned within themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven, he saith to us, Why did you not believe him?
Murdock Translation
And they reasoned with themselves, and said: If we say, From heaven; he will say to us, And why did ye not believe him?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And they reasoned within the selues, saying, Yf we say from heauen, he wyll say, why then beleued ye hym not?
English Revised Version
And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why did ye not believe him?
World English Bible
They reasoned with themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Why didn't you believe him?'
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
saying, If we say from heaven, he will say, Why then did ye not believe him?
Weymouth's New Testament
So they debated the matter with one another. "If we say `Heavenly,'" they argued, "he will say, `Why did you not believe him?'
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thei thouyten with ynne hem silf, seiynge, For if we seien, Of heuene, he schal seie, Whi thanne bileuen ye not to hym?
Update Bible Version
And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why didn't you believe him?
Webster's Bible Translation
And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then believed ye him not?
New English Translation
So they discussed it with one another, saying, "If we say, ‘From heaven,' he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?'
New King James Version
And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then [fn] did you not believe him?'
New Living Translation
They talked it over among themselves. "If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn't believe John.
New Life Bible
They said to themselves, "If we say, ‘From heaven,' He will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?'
New Revised Standard
They discussed it with one another, saying, "If we say, ‘From heaven,' he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?'
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And they deliberated together by themselves, saying - If we say, Of heaven, he will say, Wherefore did ye not believe him?
Douay-Rheims Bible
But they thought within themselves, saying: If we shall say, From heaven: he will say: Why then did you not believe in him?
Revised Standard Version
And they discussed it with one another, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Why did you not believe him?'
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And they thought with in them selves sayinge: yf we shall saye from heave: he will saye: why then beleved ye him not?
Young's Literal Translation
And they reasoned with themselves, saying -- `If we may say, From heaven, he will say, Wherefore, then, did ye not believe him?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But they thought in them selues, and sayde: Yf we saye, from heauen, then shal he saye: Why dyd ye not the beleue him?
Mace New Testament (1729)
but they reason'd thus with themselves, if we should say, it was divine, he will reply, why then did not you believe him?
THE MESSAGE
They were on the spot, and knew it. They pulled back into a huddle and whispered, "If we say ‘heaven,' he'll ask us why we didn't believe him; if we say ‘humans,' the people will tear us limb from limb, convinced as they are that John was God's prophet." They agreed to concede that round to Jesus and said they didn't know.
Simplified Cowboy Version
They talked it over for a second. "If we say the Boss told him to, he'll ask us why we didn't believe John.

Contextual Overview

1 AND it came to pass on one of the days, while he was teaching the people and preaching in the temple, the high priests and the scribes with the elders rose up against him. 2 And they said to him, Tell us by what authority you do these things, and who gave you this authority? 3 Jesus answered and said to them, I will also ask you a word, and you tell me; 4 The baptism of John, was it from heaven or from men? 5 And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we should say from heaven, he will say to us, Why then did you not believe him? 6 And if we should say from men, all the people will stone us; for they regard John as a prophet. 7 So they said to him, We do not know whence it is. 8 Jesus said to them, Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Why: John 1:15-18, John 1:30, John 1:34, John 3:26, John 3:36, John 3:26, John 3:36, John 5:33-35, Acts 13:25

Reciprocal: Matthew 21:25 - Why Mark 8:16 - General Luke 14:18 - all Luke 20:14 - reasoned

Cross-References

Joshua 22:22
The LORD is the God of gods, the God of gods is the LORD, and he is our God, and he knows Israel and he knows us also; if we shall depart from him, or if we shall transgress against the worship of the LORD in doing this thing, then let him not save us this day.
1 Kings 9:4
And as for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and will keep my statutes and my judgments;
2 Kings 20:3
I beseech thee, O LORD, remember now how I walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
1 Chronicles 29:17
I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have sung all these praises; and now I have seen that thy people who are present here praise thee with a great joy, saying,
Job 33:9
I am blameless without transgressions, I am righteous; and there is no iniquity in me, and I am far removed from wickedness.
Psalms 7:8
The LORD shall judge the people; judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me.
Psalms 24:4
He who has clean hands and a pure heart; who has not sworn by his soul falsely, nor taken an oath deceitfully.
Psalms 25:21
The innocent and the upright have followed me because I have trusted in thee.
Psalms 26:6
I have washed my hands clean, and I have gone around thy altar, O LORD,
Psalms 73:13
As for me, I have cleansed my heart, and washed my hands in innocence.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they reasoned with themselves,.... Or "they thought with themselves", as the Syriac version; or "within themselves", as the Vulgate Latin, though they did not express it; or "one with another", as the Arabic version; they took counsel together, and debated the matter among themselves, and reasoned after this manner:

saying, if we shall say from heaven; which was what, in their own consciences, they believed to be true,

he will say, why then believed ye him not? in what he said concerning the Messiah; which if they had, as they should, there would have been no reason for such a question they had put;

:-.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

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


 
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