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Thursday, September 18th, 2025
the Week of Proper 19 / Ordinary 24
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Read the Bible

New Living Translation

Luke 3:10

The crowds asked, "What should we do?"

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?
Good News Translation
The people asked him, "What are we to do, then?"
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 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 now the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, the Roman emperor. Pontius Pilate was governor over Judea; Herod Antipas was ruler over Galilee; his brother Philip was ruler over Iturea and Traconitis; Lysanias was ruler over Abilene. 2 Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. At this time a message from God came to John son of Zechariah, who was living in the wilderness. 3 Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. 4 Isaiah had spoken of John when he said, "He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord 's coming! Clear the road for him! 5 The valleys will be filled, and the mountains and hills made level. The curves will be straightened, and the rough places made smooth. 6 And then all people will see the salvation sent from God.'" 7 When the crowds came to John for baptism, he said, "You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? 8 Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don't just say to each other, ‘We're safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.' That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. 9 Even now the ax of God's judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire." 10 The crowds asked, "What should we do?"

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
Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.
Genesis 3:7
At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.
Genesis 3:17
And to the man he said, "Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.
Genesis 3:18
It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains.
Exodus 3:6
I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.
Exodus 32:25
Moses saw that Aaron had let the people get completely out of control, much to the amusement of their enemies.
Job 23:15
No wonder I am so terrified in his presence. When I think of it, terror grips me.
Psalms 119:120
I tremble in fear of you; I stand in awe of your regulations.
Isaiah 33:14
The sinners in Jerusalem shake with fear. Terror seizes the godless. "Who can live with this devouring fire?" they cry. "Who can survive this all-consuming fire?"
Isaiah 47:3
You will be naked and burdened with shame. I will take vengeance against you without pity."

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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