Matthew 10:39

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Anyone who finds his life will lose it,

King James Version (1611)
He that findeth his life, shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake, shall find it.

King James Version
He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

English Standard Version
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

New American Standard Bible
"The one who has found his life will lose it, and the one who has lost his life on My account will find it.

New Century Version
Those who try to hold on to their lives will give up true life. Those who give up their lives for me will hold on to true life.

Amplified Bible
"Whoever finds his life [in this world] will [eventually] lose it [through death], and whoever loses his life [in this world] for My sake will find it [that is, life with Me for all eternity].

Geneva Bible (1587)
He that will finde his life, shall lose it: & he that loseth his life for my sake, shal finde it.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.

Legacy Standard Bible
He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.

Berean Standard Bible
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

Contemporary English Version
If you try to save your life, you will lose it. But if you give it up for me, you will surely find it.

Complete Jewish Bible
Whoever finds his own life will lose it, but the person who loses his life for my sake will find it.

Darby Translation
He that finds his life shall lose it, and he who has lost his life for my sake shall find it.

Easy-to-Read Version
Those who try to keep the life they have will lose it. But those who give up their life for me will find true life.

George Lamsa Translation
He who is concerned about his life shall lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake shall find it.

Good News Translation
Those who try to gain their own life will lose it; but those who lose their life for my sake will gain it.

Lexham English Bible
The one who finds his life will lose it, and the one who loses his life because of me will find it.

Literal Translation
The one finding his life shall lose it. And the one losing his life on account of Me shall find it.

American Standard Version
He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

Bible in Basic English
He who has the desire to keep his life will have it taken from him, and he who gives up his life because of me will have it given back to him.

Hebrew Names Version
He who finds his life will lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.

International Standard Version
The one who finds his life will lose it, and the one who loses his life because of me will find it."Matthew 16:25; Luke 17:33; John 12:25;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
Whosoever will find his life shall lose it, and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it.

Murdock Translation
He that preserveth his life, shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake, shall preserve it.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
He that findeth his life, shall lose it: and he that loseth his lyfe, for my sake, shall fynde it.

English Revised Version
He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

World English Bible
He who finds his life will lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
He that findeth his life, shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake, shall find it. He that entertaineth you, entertaineth me;

Weymouth's New Testament
To save your life is to lose it, and to lose your life for my sake is to save it.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
He that fyndith his lijf, shal lose it; and he that lesith his lijf for me, shal fynde it.

Update Bible Version
He that finds his life shall lose it; and he that loses his life for my sake shall find it.

Webster's Bible Translation
He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake, shall find it.

New English Translation
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life because of me will find it.

New King James Version
He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

New Living Translation
If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.

New Life Bible
He who wants to keep his life will have it taken away from him. He who loses his life because of Me will have it given back to him.

New Revised Standard
Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
He that hath found his life, shall lose it, - and, he that hath lost his life, for my sake, shall find it.

Douay-Rheims Bible
He that findeth his life, shall lose it: and he that shall lose his life for me, shall find it.

Revised Standard Version
He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
He that fyndeth hys lyfe shall lose it: and he that losith hys lyfe for my sake shall fynde it.

Young's Literal Translation
`He who found his life shall lose it, and he who lost his life for my sake shall find it.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Who so fyndeth his life, shal lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake, shal fynde it.

Mace New Testament (1729)
he that would preserve his life, shall lose it: and he that exposeth his life for my sake, shall save it.

Simplified Cowboy Version
Anyone who rides for themselves will lose their life, but whoever rides with me and shuns themselves for my sake will find life.

Contextual Overview

¹⁶ "Stay alert. This is hazardous work I'm assigning you. You're going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack, so don't call attention to yourselves. Be as cunning as a snake, inoffensive as a dove. ¹⁷"Don't be naive. Some people will impugn your motives, others will smear your reputation—just because you believe in me. Don't be upset when they haul you before the civil authorities. Without knowing it, they've done you—and me—a favor, given you a platform for preaching the kingdom news! And don't worry about what you'll say or how you'll say it. The right words will be there; the Spirit of your Father will supply the words. ²¹"When people realize it is the living God you are presenting and not some idol that makes them feel good, they are going to turn on you, even people in your own family. There is a great irony here: proclaiming so much love, experiencing so much hate! But don't quit. Don't cave in. It is all well worth it in the end. It is not success you are after in such times but survival. Be survivors! Before you've run out of options, the Son of Man will have arrived. ²⁴"A student doesn't get a better desk than her teacher. A laborer doesn't make more money than his boss. Be content—pleased, even—when you, my students, my harvest hands, get the same treatment I get. If they call me, the Master, ‘Dungface,' what can the workers expect? ²⁶"Don't be intimidated. Eventually everything is going to be out in the open, and everyone will know how things really are. So don't hesitate to go public now. ²⁸ "Don't be bluffed into silence by the threats of bullies. There's nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands. ²⁹"What's the price of a pet canary? Some loose change, right? And God cares what happens to it even more than you do. He pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don't be intimidated by all this bully talk. You're worth more than a million canaries. ³²"Stand up for me against world opinion and I'll stand up for you before my Father in heaven. If you turn tail and run, do you think I'll cover for you? ³⁴"Don't think I've come to make life cozy. I've come to cut—make a sharp knife-cut between son and father, daughter and mother, bride and mother-in-law—cut through these cozy domestic arrangements and free you for God. Well-meaning family members can be your worst enemies. If you prefer father or mother over me, you don't deserve me. If you prefer son or daughter over me, you don't deserve me. ³⁸"If you don't go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don't deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you'll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you'll find both yourself and me.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Matthew 16:25, Matthew 16:26, Mark 8:35, Mark 8:36, Luke 17:33, John 12:25, Philippians 1:20, Philippians 1:21, 2 Timothy 4:6-8, Revelation 2:10

Reciprocal: Jeremiah 26:21 - he was Daniel 3:18 - be it Matthew 5:11 - for Matthew 10:22 - for Luke 6:22 - for Luke 9:23 - If John 15:21 - all 1 Peter 3:14 - if

Gill's Notes on the Bible

He that findeth his life shall lose it,.... That man that seeks to preserve his life, and the temporal enjoyments of it, by a sinful compliance with his friends and the world, and by a denial of Christ, or non-confession of him; if he is not, by the providence of God, deprived of the good things of life, and dies a shameful death, both which are sometimes the case of such persons; yet he is sure to lose the happy and eternal life of his soul and body, in the world to come: so that the present finding of life, or the possession of it, on such sinful terms, will in the issue prove an infinite and irreparable loss unto him. On the other hand, Christ observes,

he that loseth his life for my sake, shall find it. That man that is willing to forego the present advantages of life, to suffer reproach and persecution, and lay down his life cheerfully for the sake of Christ and his Gospel, for the profession of his name, rather than drop, deny, conceal, or neglect any truth and ordinance of his, shall find his soul possessed of eternal life, as soon as separated from his body; and shall find his corporal life again, in the resurrection morn, to great advantage; and shall live with Christ in soul and body, in the utmost happiness, to all eternity.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He that findeth his life ... - The word “life” in this passage is used evidently in two senses. The meaning may be expressed thus: He that is anxious to save his “temporal” life, or his comfort and security here, shall lose “eternal” life, or shall fail of heaven. He that is willing to risk or lose his comfort and “life” here for my sake, shall find “life” everlasting, or shall be saved. The manner of speaking is similar to that where he said, “Let the dead bury their dead.” See notes at Matthew 8:22.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 39. He that findeth his life, c.] i.e. He who, for the sake of his temporal interest, abandons his spiritual concerns, shall lose his soul and he who, in order to avoid martyrdom, abjures the pure religion of Christ, shall lose his soul, and perhaps his life too. He that findeth his life shall lose it, was literally fulfilled in Archbishop Cranmer. He confessed Christ against the devil, and his eldest son, the pope. He was ordered to be burnt; to save his life he recanted, and was, notwithstanding, burnt. Whatever a man sacrifices to God is never lost, for he finds it again in God.

There is a fine piece on this subject in Juvenal, Sat. viii. l. 80, which deserves to be recorded here.

----------- ambiguae si quando citabere testis

Incertaeque rei, Phalaris liect imperet ut sis

Falsus, et admoto dictet perjuria tauro,

Summum crede nefas ANIMAM praeferre PUDORI

Et propter VITAM VIVENDI perdere causas.

---------- If ever call'd

To give thy witness in a doubtful case,

Though Phalaris himself should bid thee lie,

On pain of torture in his flaming bull,

Disdain to barter innocence for life;

To which life owes its lustre and its worth.

Wakefield.