LUKE 12:42 Parallel Verse View

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

OET (OET-RV) The master answered, “So what would a faithful and wise slave be like, that the master might make into a manager over all his slaves, the one to give them their rations?

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, 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 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful, wise manager whom the master will appoint over his care to give them their portion of food in time?

UST Jesus replied, “I am saying it for everyone who is like a faithful and wise servant who is a manager in his master’s house. His master puts him in charge of his other servants, to make sure they get their food at the proper time.

BSB And the Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful [and] wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his [servants] to give [them] [their] portion at the proper time?

MSB And the Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful [and] wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his [servants] to give [them] [their] portion at the proper time?

BLB And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful, wise manager, whom the master will set over the care of his servants, to give them the measure of food in season?

AICNT {And}[fn] the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful; the wise; [the good;][fn] that the Lord will establish upon his service to give out food at the proper time?

12:42, And: Later manuscripts read “But.” BYZ TR

12:42, the good: Some manuscripts include. D(05) Latin(e) Syriac(sy^c)

OEB ‘Who, then,’ replied the Master, ‘is that trustworthy steward, the careful man, who will be placed by his master over his establishment, to give them their rations at the proper time?

WEBBE The Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his lord will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the right times?

WMBB (Same as above)

NET The Lord replied, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his household servants, to give them their allowance of food at the proper time?

LSV And the LORD said, “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the lord will set over his household, to give in season the wheat measure?

FBV The Lord replied, “Who then is the trustworthy and wise manager, the one person in the household that the master puts in charge to share out their food at the right time?

TCNT The Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time?

T4T The Lord replied, “I am saying it for you and for anyone else [MET, RHQ] who is like a faithful and wise manager in his master’s house. His master appoints him to supervise affairs in his house and to give all the other servants their food at the proper time. Then he leaves on a long trip.

LEB And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful wise manager whom the master will put in charge over his servants to give them[fn] their[fn] food allowance at the right time?

12:42 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation

12:42 *Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun

BBE And the Lord said, Who then is the wise and responsible servant whom his lord will put in control of his family, to give them their food at the right time?

Moff The Lord said, "Well, where is the trusty, thoughtful steward whom the lord and master will set over his establishment to give out supplies at the proper time?

Wymth "Who, then," replied the Lord, "is the faithful and intelligent steward whom his Master will put in charge of His household to serve out their rations at the proper times?

ASV And the Lord said, Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall set over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?

DRA And the Lord said: Who (thinkest thou) is the faithful and wise steward, whom his lord setteth over his family, to give them their measure of wheat in due season?

YLT And the Lord said, 'Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the lord shall set over his household, to give in season the wheat measure?

Drby And the Lord said, Who then is the faithful and prudent steward, whom his lord will set over his household, to give the measure of corn in season?

RV And the Lord said, Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall set over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?

SLT And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, which the Lord will set over his household, to give the allowance of wheat in due time?

Wbstr And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of provisions in due season?

KJB-1769 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?

KJB-1611 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithfull and wise steward, whom his Lord shall make ruler ouer his houshold, to giue them their portion of meate in due season?
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation)

Bshps And the Lorde saide: Who is a faythfull and wyse stewarde, whom his lorde shall make ruler ouer his housholde, to geue them their portion of meate in due season?
(And the Lord said: Who is a faithful and wise stewarde, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?)

Gnva And the Lord saide, Who is a faithfull steward and wise, whom the master shall make ruler ouer his householde, to giue them their portion of meate in season?
(And the Lord said, Who is a faithful steward and wise, whom the master shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in season? )

Cvdl The LORDE sayde: How greate a thinge is a faithfull and wyse stewarde, whom his lorde setteth ouer his houssholde, to geue the their dewtye in due season?
(The LORD said: How great a thing is a faithful and wise stewarde, whom his lord setteth over his household, to give the their dewtye in due season?)

TNT And the Lorde sayde: If there be any faith full servaut and wise whom his Lorde shall make ruler over his housholde to geve them their duetie of meate at due season:
(And the Lord said: If there be any faith full servant and wise whom his Lord shall make ruler over his household to give them their duty of meat at due season: )

Wycl And the Lord seide, Who, gessist thou, is a trewe dispendere, and a prudent, whom the lord hath ordeyned on his meyne, to yyue hem in tyme mesure of whete?
(And the Lord said, Who, gessist thou/you, is a true dispendere, and a prudent, whom the lord hath/has ordained on his meyne, to give hem in time measure of wheat?)

Luth Der HErr aber sprach: Wie ein groß Ding ist‘s um einen treuen und klugen Haushalter, welchen der Herr setzt über sein Gesinde, daß er ihnen zu rechter Zeit ihre Gebühr gebe!
(The LORD but spoke: How a large thing it_is around/by/for a loyal and clever household, which_(ones) the/of_the Lord set/putt above be servants, that he to_them to/for right time/period their/her Gebühr give!)

ClVg Dixit autem Dominus: Quis, putas, est fidelis dispensator, et prudens, quem constituit dominus supra familiam suam, ut det illis in tempore tritici mensuram?[fn]
(He/She_said however Master: Who, you_think, it_is faithful dispensator, and prudent, which established master above the_family his_own, as give to_them in/into/on at_the_time wheat measure? )

12.42 Dixit autem Dominus. Respondens ad interrogata Dominus, primum et secundum judicium cunctis affuturum, et singulos pro meritis vel remunerandos vel damnandos dicit. Deinde, quod maxime quæsierat, supponit scilicet gratiam virtutum quam mundo attulerat, a singulis quantum potest esse sectandam, quod est ibi: Ignem veni mittere in terram. Quis putas esse fidelis dispensator? Quasi dicat: Vobis, qui dispensatores estis instituti, hoc specialius convenit de custodia et præparatione, ut et vos et alios præparetis in adventum judicis, quia pauci sunt qui commissam sibi bene administrant dispensationem. Et prudens quem constituit Dominus super familiam suam, ut, etc. Quam rarus est Domino propter Dominum serviens, oves Christi non ad lucrum, sed amore Christi pascens, prudens in futuro, sibi providens quem constituit; id est, quam rarus qui sit vocatus a Deo tanquam Aaron, et non magis se ingesserit, et qui non magis se pascat quam oves!

12.42 He/She_said however Master. Respondens to asksa Master, first and after/second judgement to_all affuturum, and each_one for merits or remunerandos or damnandos he_says. Then/Next, that especially/most whichsierat, supposes namely grace virtues how to_the_world attulerat, from each quantum can to_be to_be_followedm, that it_is there: Ignem I_came to_send in/into/on the_earth/land. Who you_think to_be faithful dispensator? As_if let_him_say: To_you(pl), who/which dispensatores you_are instituti, this specialius agreed from/about custody and preparationne, as and you(pl) and others beforeparetis in/into/on arrival judgements, because a_few are who/which commissam to_himself well administrant dispensation. And prudent which established Master over the_family his_own, as, etc. How rarus it_is Master because the_Master servant, sheep of_Christ not/no to lucrum, but with_love of_Christ feeding, prudent in/into/on future, to_himself providens which established; that it_is, how rarus who/which be called from to_God as_if Aaron, and not/no more himself ingesserit, and who/which not/no more himself feed how sheep!

UGNT καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος, τίς ἄρα ἐστὶν ὁ πιστὸς οἰκονόμος ὁ φρόνιμος, ὃν καταστήσει ὁ Κύριος ἐπὶ τῆς θεραπείας αὐτοῦ, τοῦ διδόναι ἐν καιρῷ τὸ σιτομέτριον?
(kai eipen ho Kurios, tis ara estin ho pistos oikonomos ho fronimos, hon katastaʸsei ho Kurios epi taʸs therapeias autou, tou didonai en kairōi to sitometrion?)

SBL-GNT ⸂καὶ εἶπεν⸃ ὁ κύριος· Τίς ἄρα ἐστὶν ὁ πιστὸς οἰκονόμος, ⸀ὁ φρόνιμος, ὃν καταστήσει ὁ κύριος ἐπὶ τῆς θεραπείας αὐτοῦ τοῦ διδόναι ἐν καιρῷ ⸀τὸ σιτομέτριον;
(⸂kai eipen⸃ ho kurios; Tis ara estin ho pistos oikonomos, ⸀ho fronimos, hon katastaʸsei ho kurios epi taʸs therapeias autou tou didonai en kairōi ⸀to sitometrion;)

RP-GNT Εἶπεν δὲ ὁ κύριος, Τίς ἄρα ἐστὶν ὁ πιστὸς οἰκονόμος καὶ φρόνιμος, ὃν καταστήσει ὁ κύριος ἐπὶ τῆς θεραπείας αὐτοῦ, τοῦ διδόναι ἐν καιρῷ τὸ σιτομέτριον;
(Eipen de ho kurios, Tis ara estin ho pistos oikonomos kai fronimos, hon katastaʸsei ho kurios epi taʸs therapeias autou, tou didonai en kairōi to sitometrion;)

TC-GNT [fn]Εἶπε δὲ ὁ Κύριος, Τίς ἄρα ἐστὶν ὁ πιστὸς οἰκονόμος [fn]καὶ φρόνιμος, ὃν καταστήσει ὁ κύριος ἐπὶ τῆς θεραπείας αὐτοῦ, τοῦ διδόναι ἐν καιρῷ [fn]τὸ σιτομέτριον;
(Eipe de ho Kurios, Tis ara estin ho pistos oikonomos kai fronimos, hon katastaʸsei ho kurios epi taʸs therapeias autou, tou didonai en kairōi to sitometrion; )

12:42 ειπε δε ¦ και ειπεν CT

12:42 και ¦ ο CT

12:42 το ¦ — TH

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

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 12:35–48: Jesus’ servants should be watchful and faithful

In this section Jesus continued to teach his disciples. He told them to do their work faithfully and to be ready for the time he would return to earth. He used three illustrations that all emphasized how important it is to be prepared for his return. In 12:35–38 he described a man who had gone to a wedding feast. His servants needed to be ready to open the door for him at whatever time he returned. In 12:39 he described the owner of a house watching out for a thief who might come at an unexpected time. In 12:41–48, Jesus explained the difference between a faithful servant and an unfaithful servant. This encouraged his disciples to be faithful.

Some other headings for this section are:

Faithful and Unfaithful Servants (CEV)

Be Ready for the Lord’s Coming (NLT)

Watchfulness (NIV)

There is a parallel passage for 12:41–48 in Matthew 24:45–51.

12:42–48

In these verses Jesus told a parable to answer the question that Peter asked in 12:41. The parable is about a master and his servants. It has three parts:

If a servant does what his master tells him to do, his master will reward him. (42:41–44)
If a servant does not do what his master tells him to do, his master will punish him. (42:45–46)
A master will require much from a servant who knows what he should do. He will not require so much from one who does not know. (42:47–48)

In the parable Jesus made it clear that what he taught applied to all of his servants. This included the disciples. Translate the parts of the parable in a way that is natural in your language.

12:42a–c

This verse is one long question. In it, Jesus described something that often happened in that culture. A master often put a manager in charge of his other servants. Jesus used this situation as an example to answer Peter’s question in 12:41. In some languages it is natural to use a different form to translate such examples. Some other ways to do this in English are:

There was a slave who was wise and faithful. His master put him in charge of his other servants to give them their food at the right time.

A man had a servant who is wise and faithful. Then he gave him responsibility over the other servants to give them their food allowances at the proper times.

Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their portion at the proper time?: This is a rhetorical question. Jesus used it to introduce a new parable and also to urge his listeners to be faithful in obeying him. He was not asking which servant was wiser or more faithful than the others.

In other languages it may be more natural to use a different way to introduce the parable. See the examples in the previous note. Some ways to translate this question are:

As a rhetorical question. For example:
Who, then, is the faithful, skilled manager that the master will put in charge of giving the other servants their share of food at the right time? (GW)
As a rhetorical question and a statement. For example:
Who, then, is a faithful and wise servant? He is a servant that his master puts in charge to run the household and give the other servants their share of the food at the proper time.
As a statement or a command. For example:
I’m talking to any faithful, sensible servant to whom the master gives the responsibility of managing his household… (NLT96)
Be like a faithful and wise servant so that your master can trust you to take care of his household and give the other servants food at the proper time.

You should translate this in a way that is natural in your language to introduce this parable.

12:42a

And the Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager,

The Lord replied with another parable/illustration, “Who is like a servant who is trustworthy/dependable and wise?
The Lord Jesus answered him like this: “A sensible and trustworthy servant is a person/man whom
In reply, the Lord told another parable/illustration. He said, “I am talking about a prudent/wise servant whom his master can depend on.

And the Lord answered: The Greek word that the BSB translated as answered is the common word that is usually translated “said.” The BSB has used answered because this is good style in English. You should use the word that is most natural in your language.

faithful: The Greek word that the BSB translates as faithful refers here to a person who is trustworthy. His master can rely on him to do what he should do. See believe, Meaning 4, in the Glossary.

wise: The Greek word that the BSB translates as wise refers here to a person who is prudent and sensible.

manager: The Greek word that the BSB translates as manager refers to someone who managed his master’s household and property. In this context the manager was also a servant. The manager’s primary responsibility was to take care of his master’s other servants.

General Comment on 12:42a

Another way to translate the phrase “faithful and wise manager” is:

wise and trusted servant (NCV)

12:42b

whom the master puts in charge of his servants

He is the kind of person whom his master made leader of the other servants
the master can confidently appoint to have responsibility for the other servants.
He is a person whom the master caused to be in charge of the other servants.

whom the master puts in charge of his servants: In this context the master refers to a rich man or ruler who had several servants. He chose one of the servants to be their leader. It is clear from the context that the master did this because he was preparing to go away on a trip. In some languages it may be necessary to make this explicit:

whom the master, because he was about to leave for a while, put in charge of his other servants

In some languages it may be helpful to start a new sentence here:

He is the one whom his master puts in charge of his other servants

his servants: The word servants also occurs in 12:37a.

12:42c

to give them their portion at the proper time?

so that he would give them their food rations at the right/fixed times.
He told him to give the other servants their share of food at the regular times.
When the master traveled, he ordered this man to distribute/provide food to the other servants at the proper times.

to give them their portion at the proper time: This verse part explains the duty or responsibility of the leading servant. Their master wanted this servant to ensure that the other servants received their regular share of food.

their portion: The phrase their portion refers to the set amount of food that servants were supposed to receive. It can also be translated as:

their food allowance (NIV)

their rations (REB)

at the proper time: In rich Roman families, the servants received a measured portion of food daily, sometimes weekly, sometimes monthly. Most versions use a general expression here. For example:

at the right time (NCV)

In some languages it may be natural to leave this phrase implied. For example:

feeding them (NLT)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

ὁ Κύριος

the Lord

Here, Luke refers to Jesus by the respectful title the Lord. Alternate translation: [the Lord Jesus]

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

τίς ἄρα ἐστὶν ὁ πιστὸς οἰκονόμος ὁ φρόνιμος

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος Τίς ἄρα ἐστίν ὁ πιστός οἰκονόμος ὁ φρόνιμος ὅν καταστήσει ὁ Κύριος ἐπί τῆς θεραπείας αὐτοῦ τοῦ διδόναι ἐν καιρῷ σιτομέτριον)

Jesus uses a question to answer Peter’s question indirectly. He means that he expected that those who recognized that they should be like faithful managers would understand that the parable had been about them. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate his words as a statement. Alternate translation: [I said it for everyone who would recognize that they should be like a faithful, wise manager]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / parables

τίς ἄρα ἐστὶν ὁ πιστὸς οἰκονόμος ὁ φρόνιμος

In the course of using a question to answer Peter’s question indirectly, Jesus provides a further illustration. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly. Alternate translation: [Jesus gave Peter this further illustration to answer his question. “I said it for everyone who would recognize that they should be like a faithful, wise manager]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

ὃν καταστήσει ὁ Κύριος ἐπὶ τῆς θεραπείας αὐτοῦ

Jesus refers to the other servants as the master’s care by association with the way they care for him. Alternate translation: [will put in charge of his other servants]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit