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Friday, July 25th, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

Good News Translation

Luke 3:10

The people asked him, "What are we to do, then?"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Liberality;   Righteousness;   Scofield Reference Index - Repentance;   Thompson Chain Reference - Awakenings and Religious Reforms;   Awakenings, Religious;   Religious;   The Topic Concordance - Deeds;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Genealogy;   Mary;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - John the baptist;   Justice;   Repentance;   Work;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Baptize, Baptism;   John the Baptist;   Repentance;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Gospels;   Paul;   Holman Bible Dictionary - John;   Luke, Gospel of;   Ordinances;   Repentance;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - John the Baptist;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Asceticism (2);   Benedictus;   Common Life;   Confession (of Sin);   Eternal Punishment;   John the Baptist;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Herod, Family of;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - John the Baptist;   Luke, the Gospel of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Christianity in Its Relation to Judaism;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“What then should we do?” the crowds were asking him.
King James Version (1611)
And the people asked him, saying, What shall we doe then?
King James Version
And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?
English Standard Version
And the crowds asked him, "What then shall we do?"
New American Standard Bible
And the crowds were questioning him, saying, "Then what are we to do?"
New Century Version
The people asked John, "Then what should we do?"
Amplified Bible
The crowds asked him, "Then what are we to do?"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
And the crowds were questioning him, saying, "Then what shall we do?"
Legacy Standard Bible
And the crowds were questioning him, saying, "Then what should we do?"
Berean Standard Bible
The crowds asked him, "What then should we do?"
Contemporary English Version
The crowds asked John, "What should we do?"
Complete Jewish Bible
The crowds asked Yochanan, "So then, what should we do?"
Darby Translation
And the crowds asked him saying, What should we do then?
Easy-to-Read Version
The people asked John, "What should we do?"
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then the people asked him, saying, What shall we doe then?
George Lamsa Translation
And the people asked him saying, What then shall we do?
Lexham English Bible
And the crowds were asking him, saying, "What then should we do?"
Literal Translation
And the crowd asked him, saying, What then shall we do?
American Standard Version
And the multitudes asked him, saying, What then must we do?
Bible in Basic English
And the people put questions to him, saying, What have we to do?
Hebrew Names Version
The multitudes asked him, "What then must we do?"
International Standard Version
The crowds kept asking him, "What, then, should we do?"Acts 2:37;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
And the assemblies inquired of him, saying, What then shall we do ?
Murdock Translation
And the multitudes asked him, and said: What, then, shall we do?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the people asked hym, saying: What shall we do then?
English Revised Version
And the multitudes asked him, saying, What then must we do?
World English Bible
The multitudes asked him, "What then must we do?"
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And the multitude asked him, saying, What then shall we do? He answering saith to them,
Weymouth's New Testament
The crowds repeatedly asked him, "What then are we to do?"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the puple axide hym, and seiden, What thanne schulen we do?
Update Bible Version
And the multitudes asked him, saying, What then must we do?
Webster's Bible Translation
And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?
New English Translation
So the crowds were asking him, "What then should we do?"
New King James Version
So the people asked him, saying, "What shall we do then?"
New Living Translation
The crowds asked, "What should we do?"
New Life Bible
The people asked him, "Then what should we do?"
New Revised Standard
And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the multitude began to question him saying - What, then, shall we do?
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the people asked him, saying: What then shall we do?
Revised Standard Version
And the multitudes asked him, "What then shall we do?"
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And the people axed him sayinge: What shall we do then?
Young's Literal Translation
And the multitudes were questioning him, saying, `What, then, shall we do?'
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the people axed him, and sayde: What shal we do then?
Mace New Testament (1729)
Upon which the people asked him, what then shall we do?
THE MESSAGE
The crowd asked him, "Then what are we supposed to do?"
Simplified Cowboy Version
John was sure enough givin' 'em the what for and they shouted, "Then what should we do?"

Contextual Overview

1 It was the fifteenth year of the rule of Emperor Tiberius; Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip was ruler of the territory of Iturea and Trachonitis; Lysanias was ruler of Abilene, 2 and Annas and Caiaphas were High Priests. At that time the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. 3 So John went throughout the whole territory of the Jordan River, preaching, "Turn away from your sins and be baptized, and God will forgive your sins." 4 As it is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah: "Someone is shouting in the desert: ‘Get the road ready for the Lord; make a straight path for him to travel! 5 Every valley must be filled up, every hill and mountain leveled off. The winding roads must be made straight, and the rough paths made smooth. 6 The whole human race will see God's salvation!'" 7 Crowds of people came out to John to be baptized by him. "You snakes!" he said to them. "Who told you that you could escape from the punishment God is about to send? 8 Do those things that will show that you have turned from your sins. And don't start saying among yourselves that Abraham is your ancestor. I tell you that God can take these rocks and make descendants for Abraham! 9 The ax is ready to cut down the trees at the roots; every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown in the fire." 10 The people asked him, "What are we to do, then?"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

What: Luke 3:8, Acts 2:37, Acts 9:6, Acts 16:30

Reciprocal: Matthew 3:8 - forth 1 Corinthians 7:20 - abide Ephesians 4:28 - steal no more

Cross-References

Genesis 2:25
The man and the woman were both naked, but they were not embarrassed.
Genesis 3:7
As soon as they had eaten it, they were given understanding and realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and covered themselves.
Genesis 3:17
And he said to the man, "You listened to your wife and ate the fruit which I told you not to eat. Because of what you have done, the ground will be under a curse. You will have to work hard all your life to make it produce enough food for you.
Genesis 3:18
It will produce weeds and thorns, and you will have to eat wild plants.
Exodus 3:6
I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." So Moses covered his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
Exodus 32:25
Moses saw that Aaron had let the people get out of control and make fools of themselves in front of their enemies.
Job 23:15
I tremble with fear before him.
Psalms 119:120
Because of you I am afraid; I am filled with fear because of your judgments.
Isaiah 33:14
The sinful people of Zion are trembling with fright. They say, "God's judgment is like a fire that burns forever. Can any of us survive a fire like that?"
Isaiah 47:3
People will see you naked; they will see you humbled and shamed. I will take vengeance, and no one will stop me."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the people asked him,.... Not the same as in Luke 3:7 the Sadducees and Pharisees, for they seemed not to be at all affected with, and wrought upon, by the ministry of John; but rather were displeased with him, and turned their backs on him, and rejected him and his baptism; but the common people, that stood by; who hearing John speak of wrath to come, and of repentance, and fruits worthy of it, were filled with concern about these things, and inquire,

saying, what shall we do? either to escape the wrath and vengeance coming on the nation, and also eternal ruin and destruction; and Beza says, that in two of his copies, and one of them his most ancient one it is added, "to be saved", and so in two of Stephens's; which confirms the above sense, and makes their inquiry to be the same with the jailor's, Acts 16:30 or else their meaning is, what are the things we are to do, or the fruits we are to bring forth, the duties we are to perform, in order to testify the truth and genuineness of our repentance? which latter seems most agreeable.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

What shall we do, then? - John had told them to bring forth fruits appropriate to repentance, or to lead a life which showed that their repentance was genuine. They very properly, therefore, asked how it should be done, or what “would be” such a life.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Luke 3:10. What shall we do then? — The preaching of the Baptist had been accompanied with an uncommon effusion of that Spirit which convinces of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The people who heard him now earnestly begin to inquire what they must do to be saved? They are conscious that they are exposed to the judgments of the Lord, and they wish to escape from the coming wrath.


 
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