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OET (OET-LV) Because_of this I_am_saying to_you_all, every sin and slander will_be_being_forgiven to_the people, but the slander of_the spirit ˓will˒_ not _be_being_forgiven.
OET (OET-RV) That’s why I’m telling you that people can be forgiven for all kinds of sin and slander, except that slandering God’s spirit won’t be forgiven.
In this section, Jesus healed a man whom demons had been controlling. The Pharisees said that he did it by the power of Satan. Doing something by the power of Satan is sorcery. Sorcery was punishable by death in the Jewish law. Jesus explained to them why it could not be true that he cast out demons by the power of Satan. He also warned them that they must not look at something he had done by the Holy Spirit’s power and say that Satan gave him the power to do it. This is blaspheming the Holy Spirit (12:31).
Here are some other possible headings for this section:
The Pharisees accuse Jesus of working with Satan
Jesus’ power is greater than Satan’s power
The power of Jesus comes from the Holy Spirit, not from Satan
There are parallel passages for this section in Mark 3:22–30 and Luke 11:14–23.
Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men,
So, I say to you that every sin and every evil talk against others can be forgiven,
For that reason I say to you, God can forgive people for every sin and slander/insult that they do.
Therefore: Verse 12:31 is the conclusion of the things that Jesus said in 12:25–30. The Greek introduces this conclusion with a phrase that the BSB translates as Therefore.
Here are some other ways to introduce this conclusion:
In conclusion
For this reason (GNT)
So (REB)
I tell you: The words I tell you emphasize the words that follow.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
Use a phrase before Jesus’ statement. For example:
I say to you
Include an emphatic word or phrase such as “certainly” within the following statement. For example:
every sin and blasphemy will certainly be forgiven people
every sin and blasphemy: The noun sin is a general term. The noun blasphemy refers to one particular type of sin. It means to “intentionally say something that greatly harms a person’s reputation.” It includes serious slander and insults. Some languages have idioms for blasphemy.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
every sin including insults
every sin and every slander (REB)
all abusive/evil talk and other sins
In some languages, it may be natural to translate one or both of these nouns as verbs. For example:
any sin and any evil thing they say (GNT)
if a person sins or slanders/insults another person
The word blasphemy sometimes refers to speaking evil of God. Here in 12:31a, it is probably more general. It does not refer to speaking evil of God. God will forgive blasphemy against other people. But blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (in 12:31b), God will not forgive.
will be forgiven men: The form of the Greek verb that the BSB translates as will be forgiven often refers to an event in the future. However, this part of the verse is not a promise that God will forgive every sin. Rather it means that it is possible that God will forgive every sin. In particular, he will forgive those who repent.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
any sinful thing you do or say can be forgiven (CEV)
it is possible for God to forgive any sin or insult
This clause is passive. Here are some other ways to translate it:
Use a passive clause. For example:
every sin and blasphemy that people do will/can be forgiven
Use an active clause. For example:
God can forgive people
but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
but people who speak evil against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
But God will not forgive those who slander/insult the Holy Spirit.
but: There is a contrast here. The contrast is between the type of blasphemy that will be forgiven (12:31a) and the type of blasphemy that will not be forgiven. The BSB indicates this contrast with the conjunction but.
the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven: The phrase the blasphemy against the Spirit refers to slandering the Holy Spirit. In this context, it refers to what the Pharisees did. They said that Jesus’ power to cast out evil spirits came from Satan. They did not accept that his power came from God or the Holy Spirit. This was slandering/insulting the Holy Spirit.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
those who slander/insult the Spirit will not be forgiven
God will not forgive people who talk evil like this against the Holy Spirit
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result
διὰ τοῦτο
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διά τοῦτο λέγω ὑμῖν πάσα ἁμαρτία καί βλασφημία ἀφεθήσεται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἡ δέ τοῦ Πνεύματος βλασφημία οὐκ ἀφεθήσεται)
The phrase For this reason introduces a conclusion based on what Jesus has said in [12:25–30](../12/25.md). If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a different word or phrase that introduces a conclusion. Alternate translation: [Because of all that] or [Therefore]
λέγω ὑμῖν, πᾶσα ἁμαρτία
˱I˲_˓am˒_saying ˱to˲_you_all (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διά τοῦτο λέγω ὑμῖν πάσα ἁμαρτία καί βλασφημία ἀφεθήσεται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἡ δέ τοῦ Πνεύματος βλασφημία οὐκ ἀφεθήσεται)
Jesus uses the clause I say to you to emphasize what he is about to tell his audience. Use a natural form in your language for emphasizing the truth and importance of a statement. Alternate translation: [I want you to know that every sin]
Note 2 topic: grammar-connect-exceptions
πᾶσα ἁμαρτία καὶ βλασφημία ἀφεθήσεται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις; ἡ δὲ τοῦ Πνεύματος, βλασφημία οὐκ ἀφεθήσεται
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διά τοῦτο λέγω ὑμῖν πάσα ἁμαρτία καί βλασφημία ἀφεθήσεται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἡ δέ τοῦ Πνεύματος βλασφημία οὐκ ἀφεθήσεται)
If, in your language, it would appear that Jesus was making a statement here and then contradicting it, you could reword this to avoid using an exception clause. Alternate translation: [the only sin or blasphemy that will not be forgiven men is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit] or [most sins and blasphemies will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy of the Spirit will not be forgiven]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive
πᾶσα ἁμαρτία καὶ βλασφημία ἀφεθήσεται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις; ἡ δὲ τοῦ Πνεύματος, βλασφημία οὐκ ἀφεθήσεται
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διά τοῦτο λέγω ὑμῖν πάσα ἁμαρτία καί βλασφημία ἀφεθήσεται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἡ δέ τοῦ Πνεύματος βλασφημία οὐκ ἀφεθήσεται)
If your language does not use these passive forms, you could express the ideas in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you need to say who does the actions, it is clear from the context that it is God. Alternate translation: [God will forgive men for every sin and blasphemy, but God will not forgive the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
πᾶσα ἁμαρτία καὶ βλασφημία ἀφεθήσεται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διά τοῦτο λέγω ὑμῖν πάσα ἁμαρτία καί βλασφημία ἀφεθήσεται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἡ δέ τοῦ Πνεύματος βλασφημία οὐκ ἀφεθήσεται)
Jesus is indicating that God forgives all kinds of sin and blasphemy, not that God will forgive every single sin or blasphemy. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make that idea more explicit. Alternate translation: [every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven men] or [all kinds of sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
πᾶσα ἁμαρτία καὶ βλασφημία
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διά τοῦτο λέγω ὑμῖν πάσα ἁμαρτία καί βλασφημία ἀφεθήσεται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἡ δέ τοῦ Πνεύματος βλασφημία οὐκ ἀφεθήσεται)
If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas of sin and blasphemy, you could express the same ideas in another way. Alternate translation: [all sinful and blasphemous things] or [whenever anyone sins or blasphemes, it]
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations
τοῖς ἀνθρώποις
˱to˲_the people
Although the term men is masculine, Jesus is using the word in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a phrase that makes this clear. Alternate translation: [men and women]
Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / possession
ἡ & τοῦ Πνεύματος, βλασφημία
the & ˱of˲_the Spirit slander
Here, Jesus is using the possessive form to describe blasphemy that is spoken against the Spirit. If this is not clear in your language, you could express the idea in another way. Alternate translation: [the blasphemy against the Spirit] or [the blasphemy spoken against the Spirit]
Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
ἡ & τοῦ Πνεύματος, βλασφημία
the & ˱of˲_the Spirit slander
If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of blasphemy, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [whenever anyone blasphemes against the Spirit, it]
12:31 In the face of the Pharisees’ accusations of Satanic influence, Jesus had just argued that he, the Messiah, cast out demons through the power of the Holy Spirit. In this context, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit can only mean attributing the ministry and exorcisms of Jesus to Satan’s power.
OET (OET-LV) Because_of this I_am_saying to_you_all, every sin and slander will_be_being_forgiven to_the people, but the slander of_the spirit ˓will˒_ not _be_being_forgiven.
OET (OET-RV) That’s why I’m telling you that people can be forgiven for all kinds of sin and slander, except that slandering God’s spirit won’t be forgiven.
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.