Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.
Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).
ULTNow Jesus, having found a young donkey, sat on it, just as it is written,
USTWhen Jesus came near to Jerusalem, he found a young donkey and sat on it in order to ride it into the city. By doing this, he fulfilled what some prophets had written in Scripture:
BSB § Finding a young donkey, Jesus sat on it, as it is written:
BLBNow Jesus, having found a young donkey, sat upon it, as it is written:
AICNTAnd Jesus, having found a young donkey, sat on it, as it is written,
OEBHaving found a young donkey, Jesus seated himself on it, in accordance with the passage of scripture –
WEBBEJesus, having found a young donkey, sat on it. As it is written,
WMBBYeshua, having found a young donkey, sat on it. As it is written,
NETJesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,
LSVand Jesus having found a young donkey sat on it, according as it is written,
FBVJesus found a young donkey and rode on it, as Scripture says:
TCNT § Finding a young donkey, Jesus sat on it, just as it is written,
T4TWhen Jesus came near to Jerusalem, he got a young donkey and sat on it as he rode into the city. By doing this, he fulfilled what had been written {what a prophet had written} in Scripture,
LEBSo Jesus found a young donkey and[fn] sat on it, just as it is written,
12:14*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“found”) has been translated as a finite verb
BBEAnd Jesus saw a young ass and took his seat on it; as the Writings say,
WymthAnd Jesus, having procured a young ass, sat upon it, just as the Scripture says,
ASVAnd Jesus, having found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written,
DRAAnd Jesus found a young ass, and sat upon it, as it is written:
YLTand Jesus having found a young ass did sit upon it, according as it is written,
DrbyAnd Jesus, having found a young ass, sat upon it; as it is written,
RVAnd Jesus, having found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written,
WbstrAnd Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written,
KJB-1769And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written,
KJB-1611And Iesus, when he had found a yong asse, sate thereon, as it is written, (Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)
BshpsAnd Iesus got a young Asse, and sate theron, as it is written: (And Yesus/Yeshua got a young Asse, and sat theron, as it is written:)
GnvaAnd Iesus found a yong asse, and sate thereon, as it is written, (And Yesus/Yeshua found a young ass, and sat thereon, as it is written, )
CvdlIesus gat a yonge Asse, and rode theron, As it is wrytte: (Yesus/Yeshua gat a young Asse, and rode theron, As it is written:)
TNTAnd Iesus got a yonge asse and sate theron accordinge to that which was writte: (And Yesus/Yeshua got a young ass and sat theron accordinge to that which was writte: )
WyclAnd Jhesus foond a yonge asse, and sat on hym, (And Yhesus found a young ass, and sat on him,)
LuthJEsus aber überkam ein Eselein und ritt darauf, wie denn geschrieben stehet: (Yesus but überkam a Eselein and ritt darauf, like because written stands:)
ClVgEt invenit Jesus asellum, et sedit super eum, sicut scriptum est: (And invenit Yesus asellum, and sedit over him, like scriptum it_is: )
UGNTεὑρὼν δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὀνάριον, ἐκάθισεν ἐπ’ αὐτό, καθώς ἐστιν γεγραμμένον, (heurōn de ho Yaʸsous onarion, ekathisen ep’ auto, kathōs estin gegrammenon,)
SBL-GNTεὑρὼν δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὀνάριον ἐκάθισεν ἐπʼ αὐτό, καθώς ἐστιν γεγραμμένον· (heurōn de ho Yaʸsous onarion ekathisen epʼ auto, kathōs estin gegrammenon;)
TC-GNT § Εὑρὼν δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὀνάριον, ἐκάθισεν ἐπ᾽ [fn]αὐτό, καθώς ἐστι γεγραμμένον, ( § Heurōn de ho Yaʸsous onarion, ekathisen ep auto, kathōs esti gegrammenon, )
12:14 By choosing a young donkey rather than a warhorse, Jesus calmed the frenzied crowd that was passionate for his kingship. He also fulfilled Old Testament predictions regarding the Messiah (see Zech 9:9) and showed that his kingship was not that of a warrior. His gift is life, not conquest.
In 12:14–16 John interrupts the story to give background information about how Jesus fulfilled an Old Testament prophecy about the Messiah riding on a donkey. Use the natural form in your language for expressing background information.
/having/_found & ¬the Jesus /a/_little_donkey sat_down on it
John implies that Jesus will ride the donkey into Jerusalem. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: [Jesus, having found a young donkey, sat on it, riding it into the city]
This phrase introduces a combination of parts of various quotations from the Old Testament which occur in the next verse. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable phrase that indicates that John is quoting from an important text. Alternate translation: [just as the prophets wrote in the Old Testament] or [as it had been written in the scriptures]
If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: [as prophets wrote in the Scripture]
Much like the difficulties of discerning the Israelites’ journey to the Promised Land (see here), the task of reconciling the four Gospel accounts of Jesus’ final journey to Jerusalem into one coherent itinerary has proven very challenging for Bible scholars. As with many other events during Jesus’ ministry, the accounts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke (often referred to as the Synoptic Gospels) present a noticeably similar account of Jesus’ final travels, while John’s Gospel presents an itinerary that is markedly different from the others. In general, the Synoptic Gospels present Jesus as making a single journey to Jerusalem, beginning in Capernaum (Luke 9:51), passing through Perea (Matthew 19:1-2; Mark 10:1) and Jericho (Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-19:10), and ending at Bethany and Bethphage, where he enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44). John, on the other hand, mentions several trips to Jerusalem by Jesus (John 2:13-17; 5:1-15; 7:1-13; 10:22-23), followed by a trip to Perea across the Jordan River (John 10:40-42), a return to Bethany where he raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11), a withdrawal to the village of Ephraim for a few months (John 11:54), and a return trip to Bethany, where he then enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey (John 12:1-19). The differences between the Synoptics’ and John’s accounts are noteworthy, but they are not irreconcilable. The Synoptics, after noting that Jesus began his trip at Capernaum, likely condensed their accounts (as occurs elsewhere in the Gospels) to omit Jesus’ initial arrival in Jerusalem and appearance at the Festival of Dedication, thus picking up with Jesus in Perea (stage 2 of John’s itinerary). Then all the Gospels recount Jesus’ trip (back) to Bethany and Jerusalem, passing through Jericho along the way. Likewise, the Synoptics must have simply omitted the few months Jesus spent in Ephraim to escape the Jewish leaders (stage 4 of John’s itinerary) and rejoined John’s account where Jesus is preparing to enter Jerusalem on a donkey.
Jerusalem during the New Testament
By the time of the New Testament, the ancient city of Jerusalem had been transformed from the relatively small fortress of David’s day (2 Samuel 5:6-10; 1 Chronicles 11:4-9) into a major city with a Temple that rivaled the greatest temples in the Roman world. Just prior to Jesus’ birth, Herod the Great completely renovated and expanded the Temple of the Lord, and he also built a lavish palace for himself, various pools (where Jesus occasionally performed healings), public buildings, and military citadels, including the Antonia Fortress, which overlooked the Temple. Wealthy residents, including the high priest, occupied extravagant houses in the Upper City, while the poorer residents were relegated to less desirable areas like the Lower City. The Essene Quarter was so named because many of its residents belonged to the Essenes, a strict religious sect that was known for its careful attention to the law of Moses. Across the Kidron Valley lay the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus often met with his disciples (Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-53; John 18:1-14). Further east was the Mount of Olives, where Jesus began his triumphal entry one week before his crucifixion (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-40; John 12:12-19), taught his disciples about the last days (Matthew 24-25; Mark 13), and eventually ascended to heaven after his resurrection (Luke 24:50-53; Acts 1:1-11).
Bethany and Bethphage
Matthew 21:1-17; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-48; John 12:1-19; see also Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9
At the start of Passover one week before he was crucified, Jesus and his disciples traveled to Jerusalem, approaching the city from the east. When they arrived at the village of Bethphage, Jesus mounted a donkey and rode down the Mount of Olives as a humble king entering his capital city. Along the way, many people laid branches and cloaks in his path to welcome him. After Jesus entered the city, he immediately went up to the Temple and drove out the moneychangers and merchants there, and he healed the blind and the lame. Then he traveled nearly two miles outside the city to the village of Bethany to spend the night, which appears to have been where he typically lodged each night while visiting Jerusalem during the crowded Passover festival. Bethany is also where Jesus’ close friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived. One evening while Jesus was there at a large dinner party given in his honor, Martha served the food, and Mary poured expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair.
