Luke 3:12

THE MESSAGE

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

Bible in Basic English
Then tax-farmers came to him for baptism and said to him, Master, what have we to 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?

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

¹In the fifteenth year of the rule of Caesar Tiberius—it was while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea; Herod, ruler of Galilee; his brother Philip, ruler of Iturea and Trachonitis; Lysanias, ruler of Abilene; during the Chief-Priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas—John, Zachariah's son, out in the desert at the time, received a message from God. He went all through the country around the Jordan River preaching a baptism of life-change leading to forgiveness of sins, as described in the words of Isaiah the prophet: Thunder in the desert! "Prepare God's arrival! Make the road smooth and straight! Every ditch will be filled in, Every bump smoothed out, The detours straightened out, All the ruts paved over. Everyone will be there to see The parade of God's salvation." ⁷When crowds of people came out for baptism because it was the popular thing to do, John exploded: "Brood of snakes! What do you think you're doing slithering down here to the river? Do you think a little water on your snakeskins is going to deflect God's judgment? It's your life that must change, not your skin. And don't think you can pull rank by claiming Abraham as ‘father.' Being a child of Abraham is neither here nor there—children of Abraham are a dime a dozen. God can make children from stones if he wants. What counts is your life. Is it green and blossoming? Because if it's deadwood, it goes on the fire." ¹⁰ The crowd asked him, "Then what are we supposed to do?" ¹¹ "If you have two coats, give one away," he said. "Do the same with your food." ¹² Tax men also came to be baptized and said, "Teacher, what should we do?" ¹³ He told them, "No more extortion—collect only what is required by law." ¹⁴ Soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?" He told them, "No shakedowns, no blackmail—and be content with your rations."

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
God said, "It's not good for the Man to be alone; I'll make him a helper, a companion." So God formed from the dirt of the ground all the animals of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the Man to see what he would name them. Whatever the Man called each living creature, that was its name. The Man named the cattle, named the birds of the air, named the wild animals; but he didn't find a suitable companion.

Genesis 3:13
"The serpent seduced me," she said, "and I ate."

Genesis 3:20
The Man, known as Adam, named his wife Eve because she was the mother of all the living.

Genesis 3:21
God made leather clothing for Adam and his wife and dressed them.

Proverbs 19:3
People ruin their lives by their own stupidity, so why does God always get blamed?

Proverbs 28:13
You can't whitewash your sins and get by with it; you find mercy by admitting and leaving them.

Luke 10:29
Looking for a loophole, he asked, "And just how would you define ‘neighbor'?"

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.