YHN 15:15 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object, red:negative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, for all the things I heard from my Father, I have made known to you.

UST I am not going to call you my servants any longer, because a servant does not understand what his master is doing. I now call you friends, because I have made you understand everything that my Father has told me.

BSB No longer do I call you servants, for a servant {does} not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you.

MSB No longer do I call you servants, for a servant {does} not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you.

BLB No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because all things that I heard from My Father, I have made known to you.

AICNT No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

OEB I no longer call you “servants,” because a servant does not know what their master is doing; but I have given you the name of “friends,” because I made known to you everything that I learned from my Father.

WEBBE No longer do I call you servants, for the servant doesn’t know what his lord does. But I have called you friends, for everything that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET I no longer call you slaves, because the slave does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because I have revealed to you everything I heard from my Father.

LSV I no longer call you servants, because the servant has not known what his lord does, and I have called you friends, because all things that I heard from My Father, I made known to you.

FBV I don't call you servants any longer, for servants are not taken into their master's confidence.[fn] I call you friends, for everything my Father told me I've explained to you.

15:15 Literally, “a servant doesn't know what his master is doing.”

TCNT No longer do I call you servants, because a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I heard from my Father.

T4T I will no longer call you my servants, because servants do not know why their masters want them to do things. Instead, I have said that you are my friends, because I, acting like a friend, have revealed to you everything that my Father told me.

LEB No longer do I call you slaves, because the slave does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything that I have heard from my Father I have revealed to you.

BBE No longer do I give you the name of servants; because a servant is without knowledge of what his master is doing: I give you the name of friends, because I have given you knowledge of all the things which my Father has said to me.

Moff I call you servants no longer, because a servant does not know what his master is doing: I call you friends, because I have imparted to you all that I have learned from my Father.

Wymth No longer do I call you servants, because a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because all that I have heard from the Father I have made known to you.

ASV No longer do I call you servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I heard from my Father I have made known unto you.

DRA I will not now call you servants: for the servant knoweth not what his lord doth. But I have called you friends: because all things whatsoever I have heard of my Father, I have made known to you.

YLT no more do I call you servants, because the servant hath not known what his lord doth, and you I have called friends, because all things that I heard from my Father, I did make known to you.

Drby I call you no longer bondmen, for the bondman does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things which I have heard of my Father I have made known to you.

RV No longer do I call you servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I heard from my Father I have made known unto you.
(No longer do I call you servants; for the servant knoweth/knows not what his lord doth/does: but I have called you friends; for all things that I heard from my Father I have made known unto you. )

SLT I no more call you servants; for the servant knows not what his lord does: and I have called you friends; for all which I heard of my Father I made known to you.

Wbstr Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard from my Father, I have made known to you.

KJB-1769 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
( Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth/knows not what his lord doth/does: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. )

KJB-1611 Henceforth I call you not seruants, for the seruant knoweth not what his lord doth, but I haue called you friends: for all things that I haue heard of my Father, I haue made knowen vnto you.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps Hencefoorth call I you not seruautes: for the seruaunt knoweth not what his Lorde doeth. But you haue I called frendes, for all thynges that I haue hearde of my father, haue I made knowen to you.
(Hencefoorth call I you not servants: for the servant knoweth/knows not what his Lord doth/does. But you have I called friends, for all things that I have heard of my father, have I made known to you.)

Gnva Henceforth call I you not seruants: for the seruant knoweth not what his master doeth: but I haue called you friends: for all things that I haue heard of my Father, haue I made knowen to you.
(Henceforth call I you not servants: for the servant knoweth/knows not what his master doth/does: but I have called you friends: for all things that I have heard of my Father, have I made known to you. )

Cvdl Hence forth call I you not seruauntes, for a seruaunt knoweth not what his lorde doeth. But I haue sayde that ye are frendes: For all that I haue herde of my father, haue I shewed vnto you.
(Hence forth call I you not servants, for a servant knoweth/knows not what his lord doth/does. But I have said that ye/you_all are friends: For all that I have heard of my father, have I showed unto you.)

TNT Hence forth call I you not servauntes: for the servaunt knoweth not what his Lorde doeth. But you have I called frendes: for all thinges that I have hearde of my father I have opened to you.
(Hence forth call I you not servants: for the servant knoweth/knows not what his Lord doth/does. But you have I called friends: for all things that I have heard of my father I have opened to you. )

Wycl Now Y schal not clepe you seruauntis, for the seruaunt woot not, what his lord schal do; but Y haue clepid you freendis, for alle thingis what euere Y herde of my fadir, Y haue maad knowun to you.
(Now I shall not call you servants, for the servant know not, what his lord shall do; but I have called you friendis, for all things what ever I heard of my father, I have made known to you.)

Luth Ich sage hinfort nicht, daß ihr Knechte seid; denn ein Knecht weiß nicht, was sein Herr tut. Euch aber habe ich gesagt, daß ihr Freunde seid; denn alles, was ich habe von meinem Vater gehöret, hab‘ ich euch kundgetan.
(I said henceforth not, that you(pl)/their/her servant(s) are; because/than a servant/farmhand white not, what/which be Lord does. You but have I said, that you(pl)/their/her friends are; because/than all/everything, what/which I have from my father belongs/pertains, have I you announced.)

ClVg Jam non dicam vos servos: quia servus nescit quid faciat dominus ejus. Vos autem dixi amicos: quia omnia quæcumque audivi a Patre meo, nota feci vobis.[fn]
(Now not/no I_will_say you(pl) server/keepers: because servant doesn't_know what let_him_do master his. You(pl) however I_said friends: because everything whatever I_heard from Father mine, note I_did to_you(pl). )

15.15 Jam non dicam. Commendata dilectione addit quod dignationis est, ut bonos servos (qui sciunt faciendo quæ præcipit) dicat amicos, et eis tollit nomen servi, qui est ex timore foras mittendo, qui nescit quid faciat Dominus. Quia cum aliquid facit, sic extollitur quasi ipse faciat, non dominus.

15.15 Now not/no I_will_say. Commendata with_love adds that worthytionis it_is, as goods server/keepers (qui sciunt doing which commands) let_him_say friends, and to_them takes_away name slaves, who/which it_is from with_fear outside sendndo, who/which doesn't_know what let_him_do Master. Because when/with something he_does, so extollitur as_if exactly_that/himself let_him_do, not/no master.

UGNT οὐκέτι λέγω ὑμᾶς δούλους, ὅτι ὁ δοῦλος οὐκ οἶδεν τί ποιεῖ αὐτοῦ ὁ κύριος. ὑμᾶς δὲ εἴρηκα φίλους, ὅτι πάντα ἃ ἤκουσα παρὰ τοῦ Πατρός μου, ἐγνώρισα ὑμῖν.
(ouketi legō humas doulous, hoti ho doulos ouk oiden ti poiei autou ho kurios. humas de eiraʸka filous, hoti panta ha aʸkousa para tou Patros mou, egnōrisa humin.)

SBL-GNT οὐκέτι ⸂λέγω ὑμᾶς⸃ δούλους, ὅτι ὁ δοῦλος οὐκ οἶδεν τί ποιεῖ αὐτοῦ ὁ κύριος· ὑμᾶς δὲ εἴρηκα φίλους, ὅτι πάντα ἃ ἤκουσα παρὰ τοῦ πατρός μου ἐγνώρισα ὑμῖν.
(ouketi ⸂legō humas⸃ doulous, hoti ho doulos ouk oiden ti poiei autou ho kurios; humas de eiraʸka filous, hoti panta ha aʸkousa para tou patros mou egnōrisa humin.)

RP-GNT Οὐκέτι ὑμᾶς λέγω δούλους, ὅτι ὁ δοῦλος οὐκ οἶδεν τί ποιεῖ αὐτοῦ ὁ κύριος· ὑμᾶς δὲ εἴρηκα φίλους, ὅτι πάντα ἃ ἤκουσα παρὰ τοῦ πατρός μου ἐγνώρισα ὑμῖν.
(Ouketi humas legō doulous, hoti ho doulos ouk oiden ti poiei autou ho kurios; humas de eiraʸka filous, hoti panta ha aʸkousa para tou patros mou egnōrisa humin.)

TC-GNT Οὐκέτι [fn]ὑμᾶς λέγω δούλους, ὅτι ὁ δοῦλος οὐκ οἶδε τί ποιεῖ αὐτοῦ ὁ κύριος· ὑμᾶς δὲ εἴρηκα φίλους, ὅτι πάντα ἃ ἤκουσα παρὰ τοῦ πατρός μου ἐγνώρισα ὑμῖν.
(Ouketi humas legō doulous, hoti ho doulos ouk oide ti poiei autou ho kurios; humas de eiraʸka filous, hoti panta ha aʸkousa para tou patros mou egnōrisa humin. )

15:15 υμας λεγω ¦ λεγω υμας CT

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 15:1–17 Jesus is the true vine

Jesus compared himself to a vine, his Father to a vine grower, and his followers to the vine’s branches. The Father would remove branches that did not produce fruit and prune (cut shorter) those branches that did. Jesus told his disciples to remain in him, the vine, and his love so that they could produce much fruit. Their prayers would also be answered. If they remained in his love, they would keep his commandments and Jesus and they would have joy.

Jesus’ commandment was that they should love one another as he had loved them. Then they would be his friends. Jesus already called them friends because he told them everything that the Father told him. They did not choose Jesus, but he chose them. He appointed them to produce fruit that would last so that the Father would give them whatever they asked for.

Here are some other possible section headings:

Jesus the true vine

The vine and the branches

Paragraph 15:9–17

Jesus told his disciples that he loved them very much. He encouraged them to love one another as much as the Father loved him and he loved them.

15:15a–d

This verse consists of a negative statement followed by the positive statement. Jesus said what he did not call his followers and then what he did call them. In some languages it is more natural to state the positive first and then the negative. See the General Comment following the note on 15:15d.

15:15a

No longer do I call you servants,

I do not refer to you^(plur) as ‘my servants’ any more
I do not speak to you^(plur) anymore as my servants,

No longer do I call you servants: Jesus indicated that his relationship to his disciples was now closer than a master-servant relationship. He did not act toward them or speak to them as if they were servants. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

I do not call you servants any longer (NRSV)

I shall no longer call you servants (NJB)

No longer: The Greek word that the BSB translated No longer may imply that until then God did not explain to his people what he was doing. His people obeyed him but did not understand the meaning of God’s work in the world. Now Jesus was explaining to them what God was doing.

call you: This phrase in this context means “refer to you as” or “think about you as.” For example:

speak to you as (CEV)

servants: The word that the BSB has translated as servants normally refers to a slave, a worker who is not free to leave his work. In some languages, though, it is more natural to use a term like “servant” or “worker.” See how you translated this word in 4:51. Here is another way to translate this word:

slaves

In some languages it may be natural to indicate whose servants these are. For example:

my servants (CEV)

15:15b

for a servant does not understand what his master is doing.

because you^(plur) know what I am doing and my purpose in doing it.
because you^(plur) know what I am doing, while a servant merely obeys.

for a servant does not understand what his master is doing: People expect a servant to obey his master even if he does not understand the reason for doing it. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

because a servant does not know the master’s business (NJB)

because a master does not tell his reasons to his slaves

for: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as for here introduces Jesus’ reason for no longer calling his disciples servants. A servant did not know what his master was doing but Jesus wanted to tell them what he was doing. So he could not call them servants anymore.

a servant: This phrase here refers to any servant or servants in general. So it may be natural to make that clearer like in the BSB. For example:

servants (GNT)

does not understand what his master is doing: Servants usually know what their master does in general, but they may not know the reason that he does it. So here is another way to translate this phrase:

the slave does not understand what his master is doing (NET)

his master: This phrase refers to the master of the servant or servants in the illustration. So it may be natural to make the connection to the servant or servants clearer. For example:

their master (GNT)

General Comment on 15:15a–b

In some languages it may be natural to place 15:15b before 15:5a:

^15bThe servant does not know what his master is doing, ^15aand so I do not call you servants any longer.

^15bServants don’t know what their master is doing, ^15aand so I don’t speak to you as my servants. (CEV)

15:15c

But I have called you friends,

No, I refer to you^(plur) as my friends
I speak to you as my friends, (CEV)

But I have called you friends: This clause indicates that Jesus called his disciples his friends. This means that he actually thought about them as his friends, those he loved. He talked to them the way a man talks to his friends. The relationship of friends is much closer than that of servants. That is because a person tells his friend not only what he is doing, but also why he is doing it. Use the same verb that you used in 15:15a. For example:

I speak to you as my friends (CEV)

But: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as But here introduces a contrast with the idea of speaking to his disciples as servants.

I have called you friends: The Greek text emphasizes the word you in this clause. Jesus did not just call his disciples friends to pretend to be nice and to love them. He spoke the truth, calling them what they really were. If a literal translation would not make this clear, it may be necessary to follow this example:

you are my friends (NLT)

now you are really my friends

friends: This word here refers to people who are loved for who they are, not just appreciated for what they do. In some languages it may be natural to use a personal pronoun. For example:

my friends (CEV)

15:15d

because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you.

because I have told you^(plur) all that I have learned from my Father.
for everything my Father God told me, I told you^(plur).

because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as because here introduces Jesus’ reason for saying that he called his disciples his friends. This was the evidence or proof that Jesus thought about the disciples as his friends. God told Jesus everything that he was doing and Jesus then told his disciples. Here is another way to translate this clause:

because I have told you everything that my Father told me

everything I have learned from My Father: The Greek text emphasizes the word everything in this clause. In this context, this clause refers to whatever God the Father told Jesus. In some languages it may be natural to translate this with My Father as the subject. For example:

everything that my Father has told me (CEV)

My Father: The phrase My Father refers to God, the Father of Jesus.

have made known: This verb means “told” or “explained.”

to you: The pronoun you is plural and refers to Jesus’ disciples.

General Comment on 15:15c–d

In some languages it may be natural to translate these clauses in chronological order, the order in which they happened. For example:

^15dMy Father has told me many things, and I have told them to you. ^15cThat is why I now call you my friends.

General Comment on 15:15 a-d

John 15:15 has a negative statement followed by the positive statement. In some languages it may be more natural to state the positive first and then the negative. For example:

I call you my friends, now, because I have told you everything that I have heard from the Father. I shall not call you servants any longer, because a servant does not know what his master is doing.

Parallel YHN 15:15