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Saturday, August 23rd, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Read the Bible

New Century Version

Matthew 3:8

Do the things that show you really have changed your hearts and lives.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Baptism;   Hypocrisy;   Judaism;   Minister, Christian;   Pharisees;   Repentance;   Reproof;   Sadducees;   Works;   Scofield Reference Index - Repentance;   Thompson Chain Reference - Fruit Test;   Fruit, Spiritual;   Fruitfulness;   Fruitfulness-Unfruitfulness;   Results Demanded;   Test, Fruit;   The Topic Concordance - Baptism;   Bearing Fruit;   John the Baptist;   Repentance;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Baptism;   Fruits;   Repentance;   Works, Good;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Baptism;   John the baptist;   Prophecy, prophet;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Baptize, Baptism;   Fruit;   Messiah;   Motives;   Nahum, Theology of;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Holy Ghost;   Hutchinsonians;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Fruit;   John the Baptist;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ezra, Book of;   Fruit;   Gospel;   Luke, Gospel of;   Matthew, the Gospel of;   Ordinances;   Trinity;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - John the Baptist;   Jordan;   Mss;   Repentance;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Asceticism (2);   Doctrines;   Elect, Election ;   John the Baptist;   Logia;   Old Testament (Ii. Christ as Student and Interpreter of).;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Baptism;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Kingdom of christ of heaven;   Kingdom of god;   Kingdom of heaven;   Levi;   Obsolete or obscure words in the english av bible;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Fruit;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - John, the Baptize;   Jesus of Nazareth;   Kingdom or Church of Christ, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Matthew, the Gospel of;   Meet;   Repentance;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Baptism;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Christianity in Its Relation to Judaism;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance.
King James Version (1611)
Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance.
King James Version
Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
English Standard Version
Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.
New American Standard Bible
"Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance;
Amplified Bible
"So produce fruit that is consistent with repentance [demonstrating new behavior that proves a change of heart, and a conscious decision to turn away from sin];
Geneva Bible (1587)
Bring foorth therefore fruite worthy amendement of life.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance;
Legacy Standard Bible
Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance;
Berean Standard Bible
Produce fruit worthy of repentance.
Contemporary English Version
Do something to show that you have really given up your sins.
Complete Jewish Bible
If you have really turned from your sins to God, produce fruit that will prove it!
Darby Translation
Produce therefore fruit worthy of repentance.
Easy-to-Read Version
Change your hearts! And show by the way you live that you have changed.
George Lamsa Translation
Bring forth therefore fruits which are worthy of repentance;
Good News Translation
Do those things that will show that you have turned from your sins.
Lexham English Bible
Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance!
Literal Translation
Therefore, bring forth fruits worthy of repentance.
American Standard Version
Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of repentance:
Bible in Basic English
Let your change of heart be seen in your works:
Hebrew Names Version
Therefore bring forth fruit worthy of repentance!
International Standard Version
Produce fruit that is consistent with repentance!
Etheridge Translation
Work, therefore, fruits which are suitable to repentance.
Murdock Translation
Bring forth the fruits therefore, that accord with repentance.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Bryng foorth therefore fruites meete for repentaunce.
English Revised Version
Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of repentance:
World English Bible
Therefore bring forth fruit worthy of repentance!
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of repentance:
Weymouth's New Testament
Therefore let your lives prove your change of heart;
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor do ye worthi fruyte of penaunce,
Update Bible Version
Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of repentance:
Webster's Bible Translation
Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
New English Translation
Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance,
New King James Version
Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,
New Living Translation
Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.
New Life Bible
Do something to show me that your hearts are changed.
New Revised Standard
Bear fruit worthy of repentance.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Bring forth, therefore, fruit worthy of repentance;
Douay-Rheims Bible
Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of penance.
Revised Standard Version
Bear fruit that befits repentance,
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Brynge forth therfore the frutes belongynge to repentauce.
Young's Literal Translation
bear, therefore, fruits worthy of the reformation,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Bewarre, brynge forth due frutes of pennaunce.
Mace New Testament (1729)
Let your actions then show your repentance:
Simplified Cowboy Version
You gotta change the way you live your life if you want what God is offerin' folks here!

Contextual Overview

7 Many of the Pharisees and Sadducees came to the place where John was baptizing people. When John saw them, he said, "You are snakes! Who warned you to run away from God's coming punishment? 8 Do the things that show you really have changed your hearts and lives. 9 And don't think you can say to yourselves, ‘Abraham is our father.' I tell you that God could make children for Abraham from these rocks. 10 The ax is now ready to cut down the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 "I baptize you with water to show that your hearts and lives have changed. But there is one coming after me who is greater than I am, whose sandals I am not good enough to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 He will come ready to clean the grain, separating the good grain from the chaff. He will put the good part of the grain into his barn, but he will burn the chaff with a fire that cannot be put out."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

forth: Matthew 21:28-30, Matthew 21:32, Isaiah 1:16, Isaiah 1:17, Luke 3:8, Luke 3:10-14, Acts 26:20, Romans 2:4-7, 2 Corinthians 7:10, 2 Corinthians 7:11, 2 Peter 1:4-8

fruits: Galatians 5:22, Galatians 5:23, Ephesians 5:9, Philippians 1:11

meet: etc. or, answerable to amendment of life, Jeremiah 7:3-7, Jeremiah 26:13, Jeremiah 36:3

Reciprocal: Genesis 38:26 - And he knew 2 Chronicles 33:15 - he took Job 36:10 - commandeth Isaiah 5:7 - he looked Ezekiel 14:6 - Repent Ezekiel 18:30 - Repent Daniel 4:27 - break Jonah 3:2 - preach Jonah 3:8 - let Micah 2:7 - named Micah 6:8 - to do Haggai 1:8 - and build Zechariah 1:4 - Turn Matthew 7:13 - at Matthew 9:13 - but Matthew 12:33 - and his fruit good Matthew 13:23 - beareth Matthew 15:22 - a woman Matthew 16:1 - Sadducees Mark 6:12 - preached Acts 2:38 - Repent Acts 16:30 - brought Titus 2:12 - denying

Cross-References

Genesis 3:1
Now the snake was the most clever of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day the snake said to the woman, "Did God really say that you must not eat fruit from any tree in the garden?"
Genesis 3:2
The woman answered the snake, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden.
Genesis 3:3
But God told us, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden. You must not even touch it, or you will die.'"
Genesis 3:9
But the Lord God called to the man and said, "Where are you?"
Genesis 3:10
The man answered, "I heard you walking in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid."
Genesis 3:12
The man said, "You gave this woman to me and she gave me fruit from the tree, so I ate it."
Genesis 3:21
The Lord God made clothes from animal skins for the man and his wife and dressed them.
Genesis 3:22
Then the Lord God said, "Humans have become like one of us; they know good and evil. We must keep them from eating some of the fruit from the tree of life, or they will live forever."
Deuteronomy 4:33
No other people have ever heard God speak from a fire and have still lived. But you have.
Deuteronomy 5:25
But now, we will die! This great fire will burn us up, and we will die if we hear the Lord our God speak anymore.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Bring forth therefore fruits,.... That is, if you are truly penitent, if you have a proper sense of sin, and true repentance for it, do such works as are suitable to it, and will show the genuineness of it; for

fruits meet for repentance are the same as "works meet for repentance", Acts 26:20 and as a tree is known by its fruit, so repentance is known by good works; these are the fruits and effects of repentance, and which are proofs with men of the sincerity of it. Those which follow upon evangelical repentance are such as are mentioned in 2 Corinthians 7:11. Now let it be observed, that John insisted upon repentance, and a good conversation, attesting the truth of it as necessary prerequisites to the ordinance of baptism; and so Peter first urged repentance; and then proposed baptism, Acts 2:38 from whence one should think it may be rationally and strongly concluded, that none but truly repenting sinners, and such who have given proofs that they are so, are to be admitted to this ordinance.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Bring forth therefore fruits ... - That is, the proper fruits of reformation; the proper evidence that you are sincere. Do not bring your cunning and dissimulation to this work; do not carry your hypocrisy into your professed repentance, but evince your sincerity by forsaking sin, and thus give evidence that this coming to Jordan to be baptized is not an act of dissimulation. No discourse could have been more appropriate or more cutting.

Fruits - Conduct. See Matthew 7:16-19.

Meet for repentance - Fit for repentance; appropriate to it the proper expression of repentance.


 
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