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OET (OET-LV) Then the Yaʸsous/(Yəhōshūˊa) said to_the apprentices/followers of_him:
If anyone is_wanting to_come after me, let_him_renounce himself, and let_him_take_up the stake of_him, and let_him_be_following after_me.
OET (OET-RV) Then Yeshua told his apprentices, “If anyone wants to be my follower, they need to suppress their own desires and be ready to sacrifice and to suffer, and then follow me.
In the previous section, Peter declared that Jesus was the Christ (or Messiah). But Peter and the other disciples did not fully understand what it meant that Jesus was the Messiah. They probably had the same ideas as many other Jews at that time. They thought that the Messiah would be a fighting hero. He would defeat the enemies of Israel and establish a political kingdom.
In this section, Jesus began to try and teach them about the real work of Messiah. He did not come to lead armies and set up a kingdom like other countries. His work was to suffer and die and then be raised back to life again. He also told them that all those who want to follow him should prepare to suffer in the same way. He also promised that the true kingdom was coming very soon.
Here are some other possible headings for this section:
Jesus foretold/predicted his death and resurrection
Jesus Speaks about His Suffering and Death (CEV)
Jesus Says that He Must Die (NCV)
There are parallel passages for this section in Mark 8:31–9:1 and Luke 9:22–27.
In this paragraph Jesus spoke to all the disciples, including Peter. He is also speaking to all of us. He wanted to teach about how to understand things from God’s perspective. He also hinted how the lives of those who follow him will change.
Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me,
¶ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow me,
¶ Then Jesus told his followers/learners, “Those people who want to follow me and become my disciples/learners
If anyone: The Greek word that the BSB translates as If does not indicate uncertainty. So this phrase doesn’t say that Jesus did not know whether anyone wanted to follow him. Jesus used this word to refer to all those who want to follow him.
Here are some other ways to translate it without making it seem uncertain:
Anyone who
Those who (GW)
The people who
anyone: Jesus was speaking to the disciples who were with him, but he talked about people everywhere at any time. Translate this in a way to include any person.
come after Me: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as come after Me refers to becoming a disciple of Jesus. Being a disciple often meant following a teacher around from place to place and learning from him.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
to be my follower (NLT)
to follow me (NCV)
to be my disciple
he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me: The Greek phrases that the BSB translates as he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me are three indirect commands. A person who desires to be one of Jesus’ disciples must do three things:
He must deny himself
He must take up his cross
He must follow Jesus as a disciple.
Indicate in a natural way in your language that a person must do each of these actions in order to be a follower of Jesus.
he must deny himself
he must refuse to do what he wants to do,
must say “no” to their own selfish desires,
he must deny himself: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as deny himself means “refuse to do what he wants to do.” A disciple of Jesus must give up the right to do what he wants to do. He must do what his master wants him to do.
Here are some other ways to translate deny himself:
you must forget about yourself (CEV)
must say no to the things they want (GW)
he must let go of his own desires
he must not do what he wishes/wants to do but what I wish
In some languages, there will be an idiom or figure of speech for this. For example:
turn his back on himself
remove from his thinking the things he wants to do
and take up his cross
and carry his cross which means to suffer and die for me,
and they must be willing/ready to suffer and die,
take up his cross: The Greek verb that the BSB translates as take up means “carry.” For example:
carry your cross (GNT)
This same phrase occurs in 10:38a.
This phrase refers to the way that Roman soldiers made criminals suffer and die. They forced a condemned criminal to pick up a large wooden cross. He had to carry it to the place where he would be put to death. Carrying a heavy cross was painful. Then the soldiers nailed him on the cross to die.
In this context, Jesus used this phrase figuratively. He meant that anyone who wanted to become his disciple must be willing to suffer and die. Jesus was willing to suffer and carry his cross to the place where he died. So a believer must also be willing to suffer for Christ even if it means dying.
Here are some other ways to translate the phrase take up his cross:
Translate the figure of speech literally and add a footnote that explains the meaning. Here is a sample footnote:
In the time of Jesus, a person who was condemned to be nailed to a cross was forced to carry the cross. He carried it to the place where he would be nailed to it. So Jesus was saying that a person who wants to be his follower must be ready to suffer and die.
Translate the figure of speech and also explain the meaning in the text. For example:
he must be willing to carry his cross, meaning to suffer and die for me
Translate the meaning directly without using a figure of speech. For example:
They must be willing even to give up their lives (NCV)
must willing to suffer and even die for me If you follow this option, think about adding a footnote that gives Jesus’ literal words.
and follow Me.
and follow me and be my disciple.
and they must become my disciples/learners.
and follow Me: This phrase is a figurative expression that means “be my disciple.” It means the same thing as “come after Me” in 16:24a. Disciples usually followed their teacher wherever he went. By doing this, they learned from his example and his teaching.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
follow me and be my disciple
be my disciple
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-condition-hypothetical
εἴ τις θέλει
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Τότε ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ Εἰ τὶς θέλει ὀπίσω μού ἐλθεῖν ἀπαρνησάσθω ἑαυτόν καί ἀράτω τόν σταυρόν αὐτοῦ καί ἀκολουθείτω μοί)
Here Jesus uses the conditional form to refer to anyone who wants to come after him. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use whatever form naturally introduces anyone who wants to follow Jesus. Alternate translation: [Anyone who wants] or [When someone wants]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom
ὀπίσω μου ἐλθεῖν
after (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Τότε ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ Εἰ τὶς θέλει ὀπίσω μού ἐλθεῖν ἀπαρνησάσθω ἑαυτόν καί ἀράτω τόν σταυρόν αὐτοῦ καί ἀκολουθείτω μοί)
Here, the phrase come after me refers to traveling with Jesus and being his disciples. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable phrase or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [to be my disciples] or [to travel with me as my students]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / imperative3p
ἀπαρνησάσθω ἑαυτὸν, καὶ ἀράτω τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀκολουθείτω μοι
˱him˲_˓let˒_renounce (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Τότε ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ Εἰ τὶς θέλει ὀπίσω μού ἐλθεῖν ἀπαρνησάσθω ἑαυτόν καί ἀράτω τόν σταυρόν αὐτοῦ καί ἀκολουθείτω μοί)
If your language does not use the third-person imperative in this way, you could state this in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: [he should deny himself and take up his cross and follow me]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations
ἀπαρνησάσθω ἑαυτὸν & αὐτοῦ
˱him˲_˓let˒_renounce (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Τότε ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ Εἰ τὶς θέλει ὀπίσω μού ἐλθεῖν ἀπαρνησάσθω ἑαυτόν καί ἀράτω τόν σταυρόν αὐτοῦ καί ἀκολουθείτω μοί)
Although the terms him, himself, and his are masculine, Jesus is using the words in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use phrases that make this clear. Alternate translation: [let that person deny himself or herself … his or her]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom
ἀπαρνησάσθω ἑαυτὸν
˱him˲_˓let˒_renounce (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Τότε ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ Εἰ τὶς θέλει ὀπίσω μού ἐλθεῖν ἀπαρνησάσθω ἑαυτόν καί ἀράτω τόν σταυρόν αὐτοῦ καί ἀκολουθείτω μοί)
Here, the phrase deny himself refers to a person choosing not to do what they would naturally do. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable phrase or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [let him exercise self-control] or [choose not to do what he naturally desires]
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ἀράτω τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ
˱him˲_˓let˒_take_up (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Τότε ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ Εἰ τὶς θέλει ὀπίσω μού ἐλθεῖν ἀπαρνησάσθω ἑαυτόν καί ἀράτω τόν σταυρόν αὐτοῦ καί ἀκολουθείτω μοί)
Jesus assumes that the disciples will know that the Romans executed some criminals by nailing them to a wooden beam with crossbar that was set upright so that the criminals would slowly suffocate. Jesus also assumes that the disciples will know that the Romans made these criminals carry these wooden crosses through the streets to the place where they were going to be executed. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make some of this information more explicit. Alternate translation: [take up the wooden cross on which he will be executed]
Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
ἀράτω τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ
˱him˲_˓let˒_take_up (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Τότε ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ Εἰ τὶς θέλει ὀπίσω μού ἐλθεῖν ἀπαρνησάσθω ἑαυτόν καί ἀράτω τόν σταυρόν αὐτοῦ καί ἀκολουθείτω μοί)
Here Jesus speaks of taking up a cross in order to describe people who are ready and willing to suffer and even die because they follow Jesus. Because this figure of speech is connected to how Jesus himself died on a cross, if possible you should preserve the metaphor or express the idea in simile form. See how you translated the similar expression in [10:38](../10/38.md). Alternate translation: [be ready to suffer, which is like taking up his cross,] or [take up his cross, ready to suffer or die,]
16:24 give . . . take . . . follow: These three imperatives use different images to speak of the same radical commitment of confessing one’s sinfulness before God in humility, surrendering one’s personal ambition to God, and living according to his will (see also 5:20; 10:34-39; 18:1-5; 20:20-28).
• Take up your cross is a metaphor for devotion (see Luke 9:23) rather than a call to martyrdom, although martyrdom is an ever-present possibility for Jesus’ disciples (Matt 5:10-12; 10:21).
• In Matthew, follow is used both literally (9:19; 26:58) and metaphorically. Metaphorically, it indicates interest in a teacher (4:25; 8:1, 10; 12:15; 14:13; 19:2; 20:29; 21:9) or personal allegiance to Jesus involving a call, a commitment, and great ongoing costs (4:20, 22; 8:19, 22-23; 9:9; 10:38; 16:24; 19:21, 27).
OET (OET-LV) Then the Yaʸsous/(Yəhōshūˊa) said to_the apprentices/followers of_him:
If anyone is_wanting to_come after me, let_him_renounce himself, and let_him_take_up the stake of_him, and let_him_be_following after_me.
OET (OET-RV) Then Yeshua told his apprentices, “If anyone wants to be my follower, they need to suppress their own desires and be ready to sacrifice and to suffer, and then follow me.
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.