YHN 6:28 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). 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.

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

OET (OET-RV) Puzzled, they asked him, “What should we be doing if we want to work for God?”

Key: khaki:verbs, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor.
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 Then they said to him, “What should we do, so that we might work the works of God?”

UST Then the crowd asked Jesus, “What works should we do in order to please God?”

BLB Therefore they said to Him, "What must we do, that we may be doing the works of God?"

AICNT They said [therefore][fn] to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?”

6:28, therefore: Absent from A(02)

OEB ‘How,’ they asked, ‘are we to do the work that God wants us to do?’

LSB Therefore they said to Him, “What should we do, so that we may work the works of God?”

WEBBE They said therefore to him, “What must we do, that we may work the works of God?”

WMBB (Same as above)

NET So then they said to him, “What must we do to accomplish the deeds God requires?”

LSV Therefore they said to Him, “What may we do that we may work the works of God?”

FBV So they asked him, “What do we have to do in order to do what God wants?”

TCNT Then they said to him, “What must we do to do the works of God?”

T4T Then the people asked him, “What things should we do to please God?”

LEB So they said to him, “What shall we do that we can accomplish the works of God?”

BBE Then they said to him, How may we do the works of God?

Moff Then they asked him, "What must we do to perform the works of God?"

Wymth "What are we to do," they asked, "in order to carry out the things that God requires?"

ASV They said therefore unto him, What must we do, that we may work the works of God?

DRA They said therefore unto him: What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?

YLT They said therefore unto him, 'What may we do that we may work the works of God?'

Drby They said therefore to him, What should we do that we may work the works of [fn]God?

6.28 Elohim

RV They said therefore unto him, What must we do, that we may work the works of God?

SLT Then said they to him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

Wbstr Then said they to him, What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?

KJB-1769 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

KJB-1611 Then said they vnto him, What shall we doe, that we might worke the workes of God?
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps Then saide they vnto him: What shall we do, that we myght worke ye workes of God?
(Then said they unto him: What shall we do, that we might work ye/you_all works of God?)

Gnva Then sayde they vnto him, What shall we doe, that we might worke the workes of God?
(Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? )

Cvdl The sayde they vnto him: What shal we do, that we maye worke ye workes of God?
(The said they unto him: What shall we do, that we may work ye/you_all works of God?)

TNT Then sayd they vnto him: what shall we do that we myght worke the workes of God?
(Then said they unto him: what shall we do that we might work the works of God? )

Wycl Therfor thei seiden to hym, What schulen we do, that we worche the werkis of God?
(Therefore they said to him, What should we do, that we work the works of God?)

Luth Da sprachen sie zu ihm: Was sollen wir tun, daß wir Gottes Werke wirken?
(So said they/she/them to/for him: What should we/us do/put, that we/us God’s work works/acts?)

ClVg Dixerunt ergo ad eum: Quid faciemus ut operemur opera Dei?
(They_said therefore to him: What we_will_do as by_workmur works of_God? )

UGNT εἶπον οὖν πρὸς αὐτόν, τί ποιῶμεν, ἵνα ἐργαζώμεθα τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Θεοῦ?
(eipon oun pros auton, ti poiōmen, hina ergazōmetha ta erga tou Theou?)

SBL-GNT εἶπον οὖν πρὸς αὐτόν· Τί ποιῶμεν ἵνα ἐργαζώμεθα τὰ ἔργα τοῦ θεοῦ;
(eipon oun pros auton; Ti poiōmen hina ergazōmetha ta erga tou theou;)

RP-GNT Εἶπον οὖν πρὸς αὐτόν, Τί ποιῶμεν, ἵνα ἐργαζώμεθα τὰ ἔργα τοῦ θεοῦ;
(Eipon oun pros auton, Ti poiōmen, hina ergazōmetha ta erga tou theou;)

TC-GNT Εἶπον οὖν πρὸς αὐτόν, Τί [fn]ποιῶμεν, ἵνα ἐργαζώμεθα τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Θεοῦ;
(Eipon oun pros auton, Ti poiōmen, hina ergazōmetha ta erga tou Theou; )

6:28 ποιωμεν ¦ ποιουμεν ST

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

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 6:22–59: Jesus is the bread that gives life

In this section Jesus spoke in figurative language about how he himself is the source of eternal life. He called himself “the bread of life” and said that people must “eat” his flesh and “drink” his blood. These words caused a lot of argument.

Paragraph 6:28–31

In the previous paragraph Jesus claimed that God approved of him. Now the people who were listening asked Jesus what they could do to do the works of God. Jesus told them to believe in him. The people then asked what miraculous sign he would show them.

6:28

Then they inquired, “What must we do to perform the works of God?”

¶ So the people asked Jesus, “What does God want us^(excl) to do?”
¶ Then the people asked Jesus, “What deeds should we do so that God will accept us?”

Then: This new paragraph connects to the previous paragraph with a conjunction that indicates a result. It is often translated as “therefore.” The BSB translates it as Then. The question that follows was a response to what Jesus had just said.

Here are other ways to translate this word:

So (GNT)

Therefore (NASB)

they inquired: The quotation that follows is a question. So it may be natural to indicate that here. For example:

they asked him (GNT)

If you started a new paragraph here, it may be natural to make it explicit that they refers to the people. For example:

the people asked

What must we do to perform the works of God?: The Greek phrase that the BSB has translated literally as perform the works of God here refers to doing what pleases God.

Here are other ways to translate this question:

What can we do in order to do what God wants us to do? (GNT)

What are the things God wants us to do? (NCV)

We want to perform God’s works too. What should we do? (NLT)

What exactly does God want us to do? (CEV)

we: The pronoun we is exclusive in this context. It does not include Jesus. The speakers understood that God already approved of him (6:27d).

perform: The Greek word that the BSB translates as perform means “to work” or “to do.”

the works of God: This phrase refers to the deeds that God wants people to do (not to the deeds that God does). In some languages it may be necessary to translate this noun phrase using a verb phrase. For example:

what God wants us to do (GNT)

Parallel YHN 6:28

Section 6:22–59: Jesus is the bread that gives life

Paragraph 6:28–31

6:28