LUKE 18:3 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=none 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.
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 there was a widow in that city, and she was coming to him, saying, ‘Vindicate me against my opponent.’

UST There was a widow in that city who kept coming to that judge, saying, ‘Please get justice for me against the man who is opposing me in court.’

BLB And there was a widow in that city, and she was coming to him, saying, 'Avenge me of my adversary.'

AICNT And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’

OEB In the same town there was a widow who went to him again and again, and said “Grant me justice against my opponent.”

WEBBE A widow was in that city, and she often came to him, saying, ‘Defend me from my adversary!’

WMBB (Same as above)

NET There was also a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’

LSV and a widow was in that city, and she was coming to him, saying, Do me justice on my opponent,

FBV “In the same town lived a widow who time and again went to the judge, saying, ‘Give me justice in the case against my enemy!’

TCNT There was also a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’

T4T There was a widow in that city who kept coming to him, saying, ‘Please decide what is just in the dispute between me and the man who is opposing me in court!’

LEB And there was a widow in that town, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary!’

BBE And there was a widow in that town, and she kept on coming to him and saying, Give me my right against the man who has done me wrong.

Moff And in that town there was a widow who used to go and appeal to him for "Justice against my opponent!"

Wymth And in the same town was a widow who repeatedly came and entreated him, saying, "`Give me justice and stop my oppressor.'

ASV and there was a widow in that city; and she came oft unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

DRA And there was a certain widow in that city, and she came to him, saying: Avenge me of my adversary.

YLT and a widow was in that city, and she was coming unto him, saying, Do me justice on my opponent,

Drby and there was a widow in that city, and she came to him, saying, Avenge me of mine adverse party.

RV and there was a widow in that city; and she came oft unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
(and there was a widow in that city; and she came often unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. )

SLT And a widow was in that city; and she came to him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

Wbstr And there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, Avenge me of my adversary.

KJB-1769 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

KJB-1611 And there was a widowe in that citie, and she came vnto him, saying, Auenge me of mine aduersarie:
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps And there was a certayne widdowe in the same citie, and she came vnto him, saying: Auenge me of mine aduersarie.
(And there was a certain widow in the same city, and she came unto him, saying: Avenge me of mine adversary.)

Gnva And there was a widowe in that citie, which came vnto him, saying, Doe mee iustice against mine aduersarie.
(And there was a widow in that city, which came unto him, saying, Do me justice against mine adversary. )

Cvdl And in the same cite there was a wedowe, which came vnto him, and sayde: delyuer me fro myne aduersary.
(And in the same cite there was a widow, which came unto him, and said: deliver me from mine adversary.)

TNT And ther was a certayne wedowe in the same cite which came vnto him sayinge: avenge me of myne adversary.
(And there was a certain wedowe in the same cite which came unto him saying: avenge me of mine adversary. )

Wycl And a widowe was in that citee, and sche cam to hym, and seide, Venge me of myn aduersarie;
(And a widow was in that city, and she came to him, and said, Venge me of mine adversary;)

Luth Es war aber eine Witwe in derselbigen Stadt, die kam zu ihm und sprach: Rette mich von meinem Widersacher!
(It what/which but a/one widow in the_same city, the came to/for him and spoke: Rette me from my adversary!)

ClVg Vidua autem quædam erat in civitate illa, et veniebat ad eum, dicens: Vindica me de adversario meo.[fn]
(Widow however some was in/into/on city that, and he_was_coming to him, saying: Vindica me from/about adversario mine. )

18.3 Vidua autem. Hæc vidua potest habere similitudinem Ecclesiæ, quæ desolata videtur donec veniat Dominus, qui tamen in secreto etiam nunc curam ejus gerit. Vindica me. Cum justi pro persecutoribus orare moneantur, tamen de malis salva justitia hanc vindictam expetunt: ut pereant omnes mali, vel conversi ad justitiam, vel amissa per supplicium potestate quam nunc contra bonos quandiu hoc ipsum bonis expedit vel temporaliter aliquid possunt. Quem finem cum justi venire desiderant, quamvis pro inimicis orent, tamen non absurde vindictam desiderare dicuntur.

18.3 Widow however. This a_widow can to_have similarity Assemblies/Churches, which desolate it_seems until let_him_come Master, who/which nevertheless in/into/on secretly also now care his wears. Vindica me. Since just for persecutoribus to_pray moneantur, nevertheless from/about bad_things save justice this vengeance/revenge they_seek: as let_them_perish everyone evil, or converted to justice, or amissa through supplicium power how now on_the_contrary goods as_long_as this him good it's_convenient or temporaliter something they_can. Which the_end when/with just to_come they_desire, although/however for enemies pray, nevertheless not/no absurde vengeance/revenge desiderare are_said.

UGNT χήρα δὲ ἦν ἐν τῇ πόλει ἐκείνῃ, καὶ ἤρχετο πρὸς αὐτὸν λέγουσα, ἐκδίκησόν με ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀντιδίκου μου.
(ⱪaʸra de aʸn en taʸ polei ekeinaʸ, kai aʸrⱪeto pros auton legousa, ekdikaʸson me apo tou antidikou mou.)

SBL-GNT χήρα δὲ ἦν ἐν τῇ πόλει ἐκείνῃ καὶ ἤρχετο πρὸς αὐτὸν λέγουσα· Ἐκδίκησόν με ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀντιδίκου μου.
(ⱪaʸra de aʸn en taʸ polei ekeinaʸ kai aʸrⱪeto pros auton legousa; Ekdikaʸson me apo tou antidikou mou.)

RP-GNT χήρα δὲ ἦν ἐν τῇ πόλει ἐκείνῃ, καὶ ἤρχετο πρὸς αὐτόν, λέγουσα, Ἐκδίκησόν με ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀντιδίκου μου.
(ⱪaʸra de aʸn en taʸ polei ekeinaʸ, kai aʸrⱪeto pros auton, legousa, Ekdikaʸson me apo tou antidikou mou.)

TC-GNT χήρα δὲ ἦν ἐν τῇ πόλει ἐκείνῃ, καὶ ἤρχετο πρὸς αὐτόν, λέγουσα, Ἐκδίκησόν με ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀντιδίκου μου.
(ⱪaʸra de aʸn en taʸ polei ekeinaʸ, kai aʸrⱪeto pros auton, legousa, Ekdikaʸson me apo tou antidikou mou. )

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

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 18:1–8: Jesus told a story to teach his disciples to pray persistently

At the end of chapter 17, Jesus told his disciples about the coming of the Son of Man. In this section, he concluded this teaching by telling them a parable about praying persistently.Bock (p. 1444) says: “The parable of the nagging widow and the consenting judge is linked to the previous eschatological discourse by the reference in Luke 18:8 to the Son of Man’s return. Its plea that believers ask God for justice looks back to the vindication of the saints described in 17:22–37.” He used the parable to teach them that they should continue to trust God and pray to him. They should not become discouraged when they suffer unjustly, because Jesus will return, and God will give them justice.

Justice is an important theme in this parable. Phrases about justice occur four times. Each phrase uses a form of the same Greek word, so you will probably want to translate the phrases in a similar way:

Grant me justice (18:3)

see that she gets justice (18:5)

will not God bring about justice (18:7)

he will see that they get justice (18:8)

It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it. Some examples of headings for this section are:

The Parable of the Persistent Widow (NIV)

Jesus told a parable about a widow coming repeatedly to an unjust judge

The parable of the unjust judge

God Will Answer His People (NCV)

Luke is the only gospel that has this story. It is similar in some ways to the parable in 11:5–10.

18:3a

And there was a widow in that town

A widow lived in the same town.
A woman whose husband had died also lived in that town.

And there was a widow in that town: The clause And there was a widow in that town introduces the other main character in the story. Other ways to introduce her are:

In that same town there was also a widow

And a certain widow also lived in that town

Introduce her in a natural way in your language.

widow: A widow is a woman whose husband has died. In that culture, when a woman’s husband died, she often had no one to provide for her financially. She also usually had no one to defend her or make sure that people treated her justly. Another way to translate widow here is:

a woman whose husband had died

in that town: The phrase in that town means “in the town where the judge lived.” In some languages it may be possible to translate this as:

in the same town as the judge

General Comment on 18:2a–3a

In some languages it may be more natural to not mention the town where the judge lived until 18:3a. For example:

^2aThere once was a judge ^2bwho neither feared God nor respected people. ^3aA widow lived in the same town as he did…

18:3b

who kept appealing to him,

She often went to the judge and said,
She frequently came to the man/elder who settled disputes and begged him, saying,
She had a legal problem/case with another person, and she came often to the judge to beg him

18:3c

‘Give me justice against my adversary.’

‘Make^(sing) a just decision in the dispute between me and my opponent.’
‘Please do^(sing) what is right for me, and make my enemy treat me fairly.’
to help her get justice from the person who was trying to cheat/harm her.

18:3b–c

who kept appealing to him: The phrase that the BSB translates as who kept appealing to him is literally “and she was coming to him saying.” It implies that the widow came many times to present her request to the judge. There was probably a certain place where the judge heard such requests. In some languages there may be a special term to refer to bringing a formal request to a judge. Other ways to translate this are:

She often came before him to present her request/petition

She often came to him to plead with him

A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying (NLT)

appealing: The Greek uses the word “saying” to introduce what the widow said to the judge. Versions such as the GNT translates this word literally. Several versions join this word with the phrase “kept coming to him.” For example:

a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying (ESV)

Here is another way to translate this:

with the plea (NIV)

The BSB combines the meaning of “coming” and “saying” into the term appealing.

Give me justice against my adversary: This request indicates that the widow wanted the judge to make her enemy treat her fairly. It was common in that culture for people to cheat widows and take their money or property. Some other ways to translate the request are:

Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy (NLT)

Make my opponent do what is right toward me

Please help me so that my enemy does not treat me unfairly/wrongly

This widow probably spoke respectfully, in a way that was proper for a poor person to present a request to an important official. Introduce and translate her words in a way that is natural in your language for such a request. For example:

begging him, “Please grant me justice…”

saying, “Honorable Judge, I beg you to grant me justice…”

In some languages it may be necessary to introduce the adversary before presenting the request. For example:

An enemy is treating me unfairly. Please help me.

against my adversary: An adversary is an enemy or opponent. In this context it refers to a specific enemy. That enemy was the person who was against her in the dispute that she wanted the judge to settle.

General Comment on 18:3a–c

In this verse the widow’s request is a direct quote. In some languages it may be more natural to translate it as indirect speech:

…and in the same city there was a widow who kept coming before him to demand justice against her opponent. (REB)

A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, appealing for justice against someone who had harmed her. (NLT96)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: writing-participants

χήρα δὲ ἦν ἐν τῇ πόλει ἐκείνῃ

˓a˒_widow (Some words not found in SR-GNT: χήρα Δέ ἦν ἐν τῇ πόλει ἐκείνῃ καί ἤρχετο πρός αὐτόν λέγουσα Ἐκδίκησον μέ ἀπό τοῦ ἀντιδίκου μού)

Jesus uses this phrase to introduce the other main character into the story. Alternate translation: [There was also a woman who lived in that city whose husband had died]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

χήρα

˓a˒_widow

A widow is a woman whose husband has died and who has not remarried. Jesus assumes that his disciples will know that in this culture, she would have had no one to protect her from anyone who was trying to take advantage of her. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: [a woman whose husband had died, and so she had no one to protect her]

ἤρχετο πρὸς αὐτὸν

˱she˲_˓was˒_coming (Some words not found in SR-GNT: χήρα Δέ ἦν ἐν τῇ πόλει ἐκείνῃ καί ἤρχετο πρός αὐτόν λέγουσα Ἐκδίκησον μέ ἀπό τοῦ ἀντιδίκου μού)

Here the Greek verb indicates repeated or continual action. Alternate translation: [she kept coming to the judge]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / quotesinquotes

λέγουσα, ἐκδίκησόν με ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀντιδίκου μου

saying (Some words not found in SR-GNT: χήρα Δέ ἦν ἐν τῇ πόλει ἐκείνῃ καί ἤρχετο πρός αὐτόν λέγουσα Ἐκδίκησον μέ ἀπό τοῦ ἀντιδίκου μού)

If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this so that there is not a quotation within a quotation. Alternate translation: [and asking him to make a fair ruling in her case against her opponent]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / imperative

ἐκδίκησόν με ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀντιδίκου μου

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: χήρα Δέ ἦν ἐν τῇ πόλει ἐκείνῃ καί ἤρχετο πρός αὐτόν λέγουσα Ἐκδίκησον μέ ἀπό τοῦ ἀντιδίκου μού)

This is an imperative, but since the woman is not in a position to make a demand, it should be translated as a polite request rather than as a command. It may be helpful to add an expression such as “please” to make this clear. Alternate translation: [Please give me a fair ruling in my case against my opponent]

Note 5 topic: translate-unknown

τοῦ ἀντιδίκου μου

the opponent (Some words not found in SR-GNT: χήρα Δέ ἦν ἐν τῇ πόλει ἐκείνῃ καί ἤρχετο πρός αὐτόν λέγουσα Ἐκδίκησον μέ ἀπό τοῦ ἀντιδίκου μού)

The term opponent refers specifically to the opposing party in a lawsuit. It is not clear whether the widow is suing the man to protect her interests, or the man is suing the widow to try to take things from her unfairly. If your language has a specific term for a legal adversary, you could use it here.