LUKE 11:9 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) So this is what I’m telling you: Keep submitting your requests and it’ll be given to you all, keep searching and you’ll all find what you’re looking for, keep knocking and the door will be opened for you all,

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, cyan:dative/indirect object.
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 I also say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

UST So I tell you: Keep asking God for the things you need, and he will give them to you. Keep seeking those things from God, and you will receive them. Ask God to make things possible for you, and he will act on your behalf.

BSB So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and [the door] will be opened to you.

BLB And I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you.

AICNT “I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

OEB ‘And so I say to you – Ask, and your prayer will be granted, search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.

CSB “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you.

NLT “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

NIV “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

CEV So I tell you to ask and you will receive, search and you will find, knock and the door will be opened for you.

ESV And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

NASB “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

LSB “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

WEBBE “I tell you, keep asking, and it will be given you. Keep seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking, and it will be opened to you.

WMBB (Same as above)

MSG “Here’s what I’m saying:
Ask and you’ll get;
Seek and you’ll find;
Knock and the door will open.

NET “So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.

LSV and I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you;

FBV I tell you: ask, and you shall receive; seek, and you shall find; knock, and the door shall be opened to you.

TCNT So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.

T4T So I tell you this: Keep asking God for what you need. If you do that, he will give it to you (pl). Confidently keep expecting God to give you the things that you need, and he will give them to you [MET]. It will be like looking for what you need and finding it. Keep on praying urgently to God. Then God will answer you. It will be like knocking on a door so that God will open the way for you to get what you pray for.

LEB And I tell you, ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened for you.

NRSV “So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.

NKJV “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

NAB “And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

BBE And I say to you, Make requests, and they will be answered; what you are searching for, you will get; when you give the sign, the door will be open to you.

Moff So I tell you,
⇔ ask and the gift will be yours,
⇔ seek and you will find,
⇔ knock and the door will open to you;

Wymth "So I say to you, `Ask, and what you ask for shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and the door shall be opened to you.'

ASV And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

DRA And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you.

YLT and I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you;

Drby And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.

RV And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
(And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye/you_all shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. )

SLT And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.

Wbstr And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and the door shall be opened to you.

KJB-1769 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
( And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye/you_all shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. )

KJB-1611 And I say vnto you, Aske, and it shalbe giuen you: seeke, and ye shal find: knocke, and it shalbe opened vnto you.
(And I say unto you, Aske, and it shall be given you: seek, and ye/you_all shall find: knock, and it shall be opened unto you.)

Bshps And I say vnto you, aske, and it shalbe geuen you, seke, and ye shall fynde, knocke, and it shalbe opened vnto you.
(And I say unto you, aske, and it shall be given you, seek, and ye/you_all shall fynde, knock, and it shall be opened unto you.)

Gnva And I say vnto you, Aske, and it shall be giuen you: seeke, and yee shall finde: knocke, and it shalbe opened vnto you.
(And I say unto you, Aske, and it shall be given you: seek, and ye/you_all shall finde: knock, and it shall be opened unto you. )

Cvdl And I saye vnto you also: Axe, and it shal be geuen you: Seke, and ye shal fynde: knocke, and it shalbe opened vnto you.
(And I say unto you also: Axe, and it shall be given you: Seke, and ye/you_all shall fynde: knock, and it shall be opened unto you.)

TNT And I saye vnto you: axe and it shalbe geven you. Seke and ye shall fynde. knocke and it shalbe opened vnto you.
(And I say unto you: axe and it shall be given you. Seek and ye/you_all shall find. knock and it shall be opened unto you. )

Wycl And Y seie to you, axe ye, and it schal be youun to you; seke ye, and ye schulen fynde; knocke ye, and it schal be openyd to you.
(And I say to you, axe ye/you_all, and it shall be given to you; seek ye/you_all, and ye/you_all should fynde; knock ye/you_all, and it shall be opened to you.)

Luth Und ich sage euch auch: Bittet, so wird euch gegeben; suchet, so werdet ihr finden; klopfet an, so wird euch aufgetan.
(And I said you also: Pleaset, so becomes you given; seeks, so become you(pl)/their/her find; klopfet an, so becomes you opened.)

ClVg Et ego dico vobis: Petite, et dabitur vobis; quærite, et invenietis; pulsate, et aperietur vobis.[fn]
(And I I_mean/say to_you(pl): Petite, and will_be_given to_you(pl); seek, and you_will_find; pulsate, and will_be_opened to_you(pl). )

11.9 Petite et dabitur vobis. Si amicus homo surgit, et dat non amicitia, sed tædio compulsus, quanto magis dat Deus qui sine tædio largissime donat quod petitur. Ne ergo animus ab erroris vanitate conversus spirituali inopia diutius tabescat, petamus epulas verbi, quæramus amicum qui det, pulsemus ostium ubi servantur abscondita. Magnam enim spem tribuit, qui promittendo non decipit. Omnis enim qui petit accipit. Opus est perseverantia, ut consequamur. Quod si petenti datur, et quærens invenit, et pulsanti aperitur, cui ergo non datur, et qui non invenit, et cui non aperitur, apparet quod non bene quæsierit, petierit et pulsaverit.

11.9 Petite and will_be_given to_you(pl). When/But_if a_friend human surgit, and gives not/no friendstia, but tædio compulsus, how_much more gives God who/which without tædio largissime donat that asksur. Don't therefore animus away error vanitate turned_around spiritual poverty longer/too_long tabescat, I_will_askus epulas words, let_us_seek friend who/which det, pulsemus door where servantur hidden. Magnam because hope gives, who/which by_promising not/no deceives. Everyone because who/which asks receives. Opus it_is perseverantia, as consequamur. That when/but_if petenti given, and seeking he_found, and pulsanti opens, to_whom therefore not/no given, and who/which not/no he_found, and to_whom not/no opens, appears that not/no well whichsierit, petierit and pulsaverit.

UGNT κἀγὼ ὑμῖν λέγω, αἰτεῖτε, καὶ δοθήσεται ὑμῖν; ζητεῖτε, καὶ εὑρήσετε; κρούετε, καὶ ἀνοιγήσεται ὑμῖν.
(kagō humin legō, aiteite, kai dothaʸsetai humin; zaʸteite, kai heuraʸsete; krouete, kai anoigaʸsetai humin.)

SBL-GNT Κἀγὼ ὑμῖν λέγω, αἰτεῖτε, καὶ δοθήσεται ὑμῖν· ζητεῖτε, καὶ εὑρήσετε· κρούετε, καὶ ἀνοιγήσεται ὑμῖν·
(Kagō humin legō, aiteite, kai dothaʸsetai humin; zaʸteite, kai heuraʸsete; krouete, kai anoigaʸsetai humin;)

RP-GNT Κἀγὼ ὑμῖν λέγω, αἰτεῖτε, καὶ δοθήσεται ὑμῖν· ζητεῖτε, καὶ εὑρήσετε· κρούετε, καὶ ἀνοιγήσεται ὑμῖν.
(Kagō humin legō, aiteite, kai dothaʸsetai humin; zaʸteite, kai heuraʸsete; krouete, kai anoigaʸsetai humin.)

TC-GNT Κἀγὼ ὑμῖν λέγω, αἰτεῖτε, καὶ δοθήσεται ὑμῖν· ζητεῖτε, καὶ εὑρήσετε· κρούετε, καὶ ἀνοιγήσεται ὑμῖν.
(Kagō humin legō, aiteite, kai dothaʸsetai humin; zaʸteite, kai heuraʸsete; krouete, kai anoigaʸsetai humin. )

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

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 11:1–13: Jesus taught his disciples about prayer

There are four paragraphs in this section. In each paragraph, Jesus taught his disciples something about prayer.

Some other headings for this section are:

Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer (NIV)

Jesus Teaches About Prayer (NCV)

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 6:9–13 and 7:7–11.

Paragraph 11:9–10

In this paragraph, Jesus told his disciples what he wanted them to conclude from his story in the previous paragraph. They should conclude: “We should ask God for the things we need, and he will give them to us.” Jesus restated this in three ways.

Luke 11:9–10 has almost the same words as Matthew 7:7–8, and they mean the same thing.

11:9a

So I tell you:

¶ “So I tell you:^(plur)
¶ “For this reason I say to you:^(plur)

So: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as So here introduces the application or conclusion of the story in the previous paragraph. Some ways to show this are:

That is why

Therefore

In other languages, no conjunction is necessary.

I tell you: The Greek phrase that the BSB here translates as I tell you is almost the same Greek phrase as “I tell you” in 11:8a. The only difference is that here Jesus emphasized the word I. Jesus often used this phrase in order to emphasize what he was about to say.

11:9b

Ask, and it will be given to you;

Request/Ask^(plur), and you will get/receive.
Ask God for what you^(plur) need. If you^(plur) do, he will give it to you^(plur).

Ask: In the New Testament, the Greek verb that the BSB translates as Ask frequently refers to prayer. Here, it also refers to asking God for something when praying. In some languages, it may be necessary to make this explicit.

It may also be necessary to say what we should ask for. The context of 11:1–13 implies that a disciple of Jesus should ask God for the things he needs. So if you need to supply this information you could say:

Ask God for whatever you need

Jesus was speaking to his disciples, so this verb is plural.

and it will be given to you: The Greek verb that the BSB translates as will be given is a passive verb. Some ways to translate this verb are:

As a passive verb. For example:
and you will be given what you ask for (NLT96)
As an active verb. If it is necessary to say who will give, the implied subject is God. For example:
and you^(plur) will receive what you ask for (NLT)
and God will give it to you

Translate this verb in a way that is most natural in your language.

11:9c

seek, and you will find;

Search/look^(plur) and you^(plur) will find.
Search^(plur) from God for the things that you^(plur) need, and you^(plur) will find/receive them.

This is the second way to say that when we ask God for the things we need, he will give them to us.

seek, and you will find: The verb seek means to “search” or “look” for something. This is a figure of speech. It compares “asking God for something” to “searching for it.” It also compares “God answering the prayer” to “the person finding/receiving” what he was searching for.

If the meaning of this figure of speech will not be clear in your language, you may need to supply some information. For example:

seek from God what you need, and you will get/obtain it

seek from God whatever you need, and he will provide it for you

11:9d

knock, and the door will be opened to you.

Knock^(plur) on the door, and it will be opened for you^(plur) to enter.
Knock/tap^(plur) on the door to ask God to help you, and God will open it so you^(plur) can enter and receive his help.
Call^(plur) out to God, and he will respond to you^(plur).

knock, and the door will be opened to you: This is also a figure of speech. It compares asking God for something to knocking on a door. The image of God opening the door means that he responds favorably to the person’s request. In some languages it may be necessary to make explicit where a person should knock, and who would open it. For example:

knock on the door, and God will open the door to let you enter

To knock is a cultural gesture. In the Jewish culture, someone arriving at someone else’s home would knock on the door to announce that he was there. But in some cultures, people do not knock on the door. They call or cough or announce in some other way that they have arrived. If the custom of knocking on a door is not understood in your area, you may:

Make explicit the meaning of the gesture. For example:
Knock on the door to ask for God’s help, and he will open the door so that you can enter and receive his help.
Use a gesture that has the right meaning in your area. For example:
Call out to God, and he will cause you to enter and help you.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / you

ὑμῖν λέγω & ὑμῖν & εὑρήσετε & ὑμῖν

˱to˲_you_all ˓am˒_saying & ˱to˲_you_all & ˱you_all˲_˓will_be˒_finding & ˱to˲_you_all

In the first instance in this verse, you is plural because Jesus is speaking to the disciples. In the next three instances, even though Jesus is describing what could be an individual situation of a person praying to God, you is also plural because Jesus is still speaking to the disciples as a group.

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

αἰτεῖτε & ζητεῖτε

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Κἀγώ ὑμῖν λέγω Αἰτεῖτε καί δοθήσεται ὑμῖν ζητεῖτε καί εὑρήσετε κρούετε καί ἀνοιγήσεται ὑμῖν)

It might be customary in your language to say what a person would be asking for and seeking, and from whom. Alternate translation: [keep asking God for what you need … keep seeking what you need from God]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

δοθήσεται ὑμῖν

˱it˲_˓will_be_being˒_given ˱to˲_you_all

If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this with an active form, and you could state who will do the action. Alternate translation: [God will give it to you] or [you will receive it]

Note 4 topic: translate-unknown

κρούετε

˓be˒_knocking

To knock at a door means to hit it a few times to let a person inside the house know you are standing outside. You could translate this expression with the way people in your culture show that they have arrived at a house, such as “call out” or “cough” or “clap.”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

κρούετε

˓be˒_knocking

Jesus is using the expression knock to mean getting someone’s attention. Alternate translation: [seek God’s attention in prayer] or [let God know you are depending on him]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

ἀνοιγήσεται ὑμῖν

˱it˲_˓will_be_being˒_opened_up ˱to˲_you_all

If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this with an active form, and you could state who will do the action. Alternate translation: [God will open the door for you] or [God will welcome you inside]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor