LUKE 18:5 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.)

Key: khaki:verbs, orange:accusative/object, 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 yet because this widow causes me trouble, I will vindicate her, so that she will not beat me up by coming to the end.’ ”

UST But this widow keeps bothering me! So I will judge her case and make sure she is treated fairly. I am concerned that if I do not do that, she will exhaust me by continually coming to me!’ ”

BSB yet because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice. Otherwise, she will wear me out with her perpetual requests.’ ”

BLB yet because this widow causes me trouble, I will avenge her, so that in the end she does not exhaust me, coming to me.'"

AICNT indeed, because this widow causes [me][fn] trouble, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out in the end by her constant coming.’ ”

18:5, me: Absent from W(032).

OEB yet, as this widow is so troublesome, I will grant her justice, to stop her from plaguing me with her endless visits.” ’

WEBBE yet because this widow bothers me, I will defend her, or else she will wear me out by her continual coming.’ ”

WMBB (Same as above)

NET yet because this widow keeps on bothering me, I will give her justice, or in the end she will wear me out by her unending pleas.’ ”

LSV yet because this widow gives me trouble, I will do her justice, lest, continuously coming, she may bruise me.”

FBV this widow is so annoying I'll make sure she receives justice. Then she won't wear me out by her coming to see me so often.’

TCNT yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not wear me out by continually coming to me.’ ”

T4T but this widow keeps bothering me! So I will make sure that she is treated justly. If I do not do that, she will exhaust me by continually coming to me!’ ”

LEB yet because this widow is causing trouble for me, I will grant her justice, so that she does not wear me down in the end by her[fn] coming back!’ ”

18:5 *Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“coming back”) which is understood as means

BBE Because this widow is a trouble to me, I will give her her right; for if not, I will be completely tired out by her frequent coming.

Moff still, as this widow is bothering me, I will see justice done to her — not to have her for ever coming and pestering me."

Wymth yet because she annoys me I will give her justice, to prevent her from constantly coming to pester me.'"

ASV yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest she wear me out by her continual coming.

DRA Yet because this widow is troublesome to me, I will avenge her, lest continually coming she weary me.

YLT yet because this widow doth give me trouble, I will do her justice, lest, perpetually coming, she may plague me.'

Drby at any rate because this widow annoys me I will avenge her, that she may not by perpetually coming completely harass me.

RV yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest she wear me out by her continual coming.

SLT Yet because this widow produces fatigue to me, I will avenge her, lest in the end, coming, she give me a blow under the eyes.

Wbstr Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

KJB-1769 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

KJB-1611 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will auenge her, lest by her continuall comming, she wearie me.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps Yet because this widdowe much troubleth me, I wyll auenge her: leste she come at the last, & make me weery.
(Yet because this widow much troubleth me, I will avenge her: lest she come at the last, and make me weery.)

Gnva Yet because this widowe troubleth mee, I will doe her right, lest at the last shee come and make me wearie.
(Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will do her right, lest at the last she come and make me wearie. )

Cvdl yet seynge this weddowe is so importune vpon me, I wil delyuer her, lest she come at the last, and rayle vpon me.
(yet seeing this weddowe is so importune upon me, I will deliver her, lest she come at the last, and rail upon me.)

TNT yet because this wedowe troubleth me I will avenge her lest at the laste she come and hagge on me.
(yet because this wedowe troubleth me I will avenge her lest at the last she come and hagge on me. )

Wycl netheles for this widewe is heuy to me, Y schal venge hir; lest at the laste sche comynge condempne me.
(nevertheless for this widow is heavy to me, I shall venge hir; lest at the last she coming condemn me.)

Luth dieweil aber mir diese Witwe so viel Mühe macht, will ich sie retten, auf daß sie nicht zuletzt komme und übertäube mich.
(meanwhile but to_me this/these widow so many effort/trouble power, will I they/she/them correct/straightn, on/in/to that they/she/them not last/in_the_end come and abovetäube me.)

ClVg tamen quia molesta est mihi hæc vidua, vindicabo illam, ne in novissimo veniens sugillet me.
(nevertheless because molesta it_is to_me these_things a_widow, vindicabo her, not in/into/on the_last coming sugillet me. )

UGNT διά γε τὸ παρέχειν μοι κόπον τὴν χήραν ταύτην, ἐκδικήσω αὐτήν, ἵνα μὴ εἰς τέλος ἐρχομένη ὑπωπιάζῃ με.
(dia ge to pareⱪein moi kopon taʸn ⱪaʸran tautaʸn, ekdikaʸsō autaʸn, hina maʸ eis telos erⱪomenaʸ hupōpiazaʸ me.)

SBL-GNT διά γε τὸ παρέχειν μοι κόπον τὴν χήραν ταύτην ἐκδικήσω αὐτήν, ἵνα μὴ εἰς τέλος ἐρχομένη ὑπωπιάζῃ με.
(dia ge to pareⱪein moi kopon taʸn ⱪaʸran tautaʸn ekdikaʸsō autaʸn, hina maʸ eis telos erⱪomenaʸ hupōpiazaʸ me.)

RP-GNT διά γε τὸ παρέχειν μοι κόπον τὴν χήραν ταύτην, ἐκδικήσω αὐτήν, ἵνα μὴ εἰς τέλος ἐρχομένη ὑποπιάζῃ με.
(dia ge to pareⱪein moi kopon taʸn ⱪaʸran tautaʸn, ekdikaʸsō autaʸn, hina maʸ eis telos erⱪomenaʸ hupopiazaʸ me.)

TC-GNT διά γε τὸ παρέχειν μοι κόπον τὴν χήραν ταύτην, ἐκδικήσω αὐτήν, ἵνα μὴ εἰς τέλος ἐρχομένη [fn]ὑποπιάζῃ με.
(dia ge to pareⱪein moi kopon taʸn ⱪaʸran tautaʸn, ekdikaʸsō autaʸn, hina maʸ eis telos erⱪomenaʸ hupopiazaʸ me. )

18:5 υποπιαζη ¦ υπωπιαζη CT PCK TR

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words 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.

Paragraph 18:4–5

This paragraph tells how the judge responded to the widow. Here is the order of events:

^4aAs the widow kept coming to the judge, the judge kept refusing to help her.

^4bThe judge thought,

^4c“I do not fear God or respect other people,

^5abut this widow is bothering me.

^5cIf I do not help her, she will continue to come with her requests until she wears me out.”

^5bSo the judge decided, “I will help her get justice.”

Decide how to express the connections between these events in a clear and natural way in your language.

18:5a

yet because this widow keeps pestering me,

yet because this widow continues to annoy/pester me,
However, this widow persists in troubling/disturbing me.
but this widow is a nuisance to me,

18:5a–b

yet because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as yet introduces the clause I will give her justice in 18:5b. This clause expresses the judge’s decision. It contrasts with his attitude in 18:4c: “I neither fear God nor respect men.” In spite of that attitude, the judge would see that the widow got justice. He would do that because the widow was pestering him.

In some languages it may be more natural to place the contrast in 18:5b before the reason clause in 18:5a. See the General Comment on 18:4c–5c at the end of 18:5c for an example.

because this widow keeps pestering me: This clause gives the reason that the judge decided to help the widow. She was pestering him by coming so many times, so he decided to help her (18:5b). In some languages it may be helpful to make explicit in what way the widow was pestering the judge:

because this widow keeps pestering me with her frequent pleas

this widow bothers me by frequently asking me to help her, so…

keeps pestering me: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as keeps pestering me is more literally “causes me trouble/labor.” Some other ways to translate this are:

disturbs me

causes me a lot of trouble

is a great nuisance/annoyance to me

In some languages there may be an idiom to express this. For example:

is driving me crazy (NLT)

18:5b

I will give her justice.

I will make a just decision for her.
I must do what is right for her
so I will make her enemy treat her fairly.

I will give her justice: The Greek clause that the BSB translates as I will give her justice is the result of 18:5a. This clause uses the same verb that was used in the widow’s request for justice in 18:3. Here in 18:5b the clause probably implies that the judge would make the widow’s enemy treat her fairly. However, the verb itself has a more general meaning. Some other ways to translate this are:

I will see that she gets justice (NIV)

I will do what is right/just for her

In some languages there is an idiom to express this. For example:

I will uphold her rights

I will see that she gets her rights

Translate in a way that will show similarity between what the judge will do and what God will do for his people in 18:7.

18:5c

Then she will stop wearing me out with her perpetual requests.’”

Otherwise, she will continue to come to me until she exhausts me.’”
so that she will stop annoying/pestering me by coming to me so often.’”
Then she will not come to plead with me anymore, and I will have peace/relief.’”

Then she will stop wearing me out with her perpetual requests: The phrase she will stop wearing me out introduces the purpose that the judge had for helping the widow. He wanted to cause her to stop coming to him so that she would not eventually wear him out. Some other ways to translate this clause are:

Otherwise, she will continue to bother me until I am worn out. (NCV)

If I do not give her justice, she will keep coming until she wears me out.

…so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming. (ESV)

stop wearing me out with her perpetual requests: The phrase with her perpetual requests expresses the way that the widow would eventually wear out the judge. She would keep coming to him with her requests. As a result, she would wear him out. See the examples in the preceding note.

The Greek includes the phrase “in the end.” It refers here to the end or result of a long process. After the widow had come to the judge many times, the judge would be worn out. Some versions, such as the NET, translate this phrase literally. Another way to translate it is:

eventually (NIV)

The BSB and several other English versions do not translate this phrase. Decide whether you need to represent it explicitly for its meaning to be clear in your translation.

wearing me out: The Greek verb that the BSB translates as wearing…out occurs only here and in 1 Corinthians 9:27 in the New Testament. It has several possible meanings in this context:In discussing the meaning of this word, BDAG, p. 1043, specifically mentions this text in 2 of the 3 senses. It says:“To blacken an eye…strike in the face….of a woman, who is driven to desperation and who the judge in the story thinks might in the end express herself physically…. ‘so that she might not finally come and blacken my eye’ Luke 18:5. Hyperbole is stock-in-trade of popular storytelling.”Of the other sense, it says, “To bring someone to submission by constant annoyance, wear down, figurative extension of 1…. In this interpretation hupōpiazō in Luke 18:5 has its meaning determined by eis telos. But in such case the denouement lacks punch, for the judge has already been worn down and wants nothing added to the kopos that he has already endured. A more appropriate rendering for a figurative sense would be browbeat; a figurative expression (common throughout Asia), blacken my face=slander, besmirch underlies hupōpiazō here.”

It refers figuratively to the result of bothering a person in order to cause him to do a particular action. For example:
until she wears me out (GW) (BSB, NIV, GNT, RSV, CEV, REB, GW, NASB, NET, NLT, NCV, KJV, ESV)
It refers literally to slapping a person’s face or hitting him under the eye, causing the skin to become black/dark.The NASB note suggests that a more literal meaning for this Greek word would be “hit me under the eye.” Here is another way to translate this:
she will come and slap me in the face (NJB) (NIV11, NJB)
It refers figuratively to shaming a person.Hultgren (p. 255) says, “The verb is accompanied by the adverbial modifier eis telos. This can mean ‘in the end, finally’….the verb could refer to some future action that the woman is capable of doing (rather than simply the conclusion of what she has been doing). She will give the judge a black eye; metaphorically, she will make him look bad in public. She will defame (so hupōpiazō might be translated) him for not responding to her continual coming for vindication.” The Rheims of 1582 reads: “lest at last she come and defame me” (cited in Derrett, pp. 190–191). The widow would talk about the unfairness of the judge and cause other people to think that he was bad. For example:
She will defame/shame me.

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most English versions.However, interpretation (3) is based on a figurative expression (“blacken my face”) that is common in the Middle East. It is also similar to the interpretation that the Notes preferred in Luke 11:8c.

The phrase wearing…out is an English idiom. It describes the feeling that a person has after someone has bothered him for a long time. He feels that he cannot endure that irritation any longer. In other languages there may also be an idiom to express this idea. For example:

so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming (ESV)

her continual visits will be the death of me (JBP)

she will keep coming until I am too annoyed to endure it

General Comment on 18:4c–5c

In some languages it may be more natural to reorder the clauses in these verses. For example:

^5aThis widow is bothering me. ^5cShe will keep coming until she annoys me too much. ^5bSo ^4ceven though I do not respect either God or human beings, ^5bI will see that she gets justice.

Notice that this order puts the judge’s decision at the end of the verse.