LUKE 18:7 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, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object, red:negative.
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 will not God do the vindication of his elect, the ones crying out to him day and night, and he delays long over them?

UST Even more certainly will God, who is just, bring about justice for his chosen people, who pray earnestly to him all day long! And he is always patient with them.

BSB {Will} not God bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night? Will He delay in helping them?

BLB And shall not God execute the avenging of His elect, the ones crying out to Him day and night, and be deferring in regard to them?

AICNT And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out [to him][fn] day and night, and is he {slow to respond to them}?[fn]

18:7, to him: Absent from some manuscripts. Latin(a b ff² i)

18:7, slow to respond to them: Some manuscripts read “patient with them.” D(05)

OEB And God – won’t he see that his own people, who cry to him night and day, have justice done them – though he holds his hand?

WEBBE Won’t God avenge his chosen ones who are crying out to him day and night, and yet he exercises patience with them?

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Won’t God give justice to his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he delay long to help them?

LSV and will God not execute justice to His chosen ones, who are crying to Him day and night—bearing long in regard to them?

FBV “Don't you think that God will make sure his chosen people receive justice, those who cry out to him day and night? Do you think he will make them wait?

TCNT If even he ultimately rendered a just decision, will not God patiently listen to his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night, and give them justice?

T4T Similarly, ◄God will certainly show that what you have done has been right!/will God not show that what you have done has been right?► [RHQ] He will do this for you whom he has chosen. He will do this for you who pray earnestly to him night and day, asking him to help you. He may delay helping you.

LEB And will not God surely _⌊see to it that justice is done_⌋[fn] to his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night, and will he delay toward them?

18:7 Literally “carry out the giving of justice”

BBE And will not God do right in the cause of his saints, whose cries come day and night to his ears, though he is long in doing it?

Moff And will not God see justice done to his elect who cry to him by day and night? Will he be tolerant to their opponents?

Wymth And will not God avenge the wrongs of His own People who cry aloud to Him day and night, although He seems slow in taking action on their behalf?

ASV And shall not God avenge his elect, that cry to him day and night, and yet he is longsuffering over them?

DRA And will not God revenge his elect who cry to him day and night: and will he have patience in their regard?

YLT and shall not God execute the justice to His choice ones, who are crying unto Him day and night — bearing long in regard to them?

Drby And shall not [fn]God at all avenge his elect, who cry to him day and night, and he bears long as to them?

18.7 Elohim

RV And shall not God avenge his elect, which cry to him day and night, and he is longsuffering over them?
(And shall not God avenge his elect, which cry to him day and night, and he is long-suffering/patient over them? )

SLT And shall not God do the avenging of his chosen, crying to him day and night, being slow to anger toward them?

Wbstr And will not God avenge his own elect, who cry day and night to him, though he beareth long with them?

KJB-1769 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

KJB-1611 And shall not God auenge his owne elect, which crie day and night vnto him, thogh he beare long with them?
(And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, thogh he bear long with them?)

Bshps And shall not God auenge his elect, which crye day and nyght vnto hym? yea, though he deferre them,
(And shall not God avenge his elect, which cry day and night unto him? yea, though he defer them,)

Gnva Now shall not God auenge his elect, which cry day and night vnto him, yea, though he suffer long for them?
(Now shall not God avenge his elect, which cry day and night unto him, yea, though he suffer long for them? )

Cvdl But shall not God also delyuer his chosen, that crye vnto hi daye and night, though he differre the?
(But shall not God also deliver his chosen, that cry unto hi day and night, though he differre the?)

TNT And shall not god avenge his electe which crye daye and nyght vnto him ye though he differre them.
(And shall not god avenge his electe which cry day and night unto him ye/you_all though he differre them. )

Wycl and whether God schal not do veniaunce of hise chosun, criynge to hym dai and nyyt, and schal haue pacience in hem?
(and whether God shall not do vengeance of his chosen, crying to him day and night, and shall have patience in hem?)

Luth Sollte aber GOtt nicht auch retten seine Auserwählten, die zu ihm Tag und Nacht rufen, und sollte Geduld darüber haben?
(Shoulde but God not also correct/straightn his chosen_(ones), the to/for him day and night call/cry/shout, and should Geduld about_it have?)

ClVg Deus autem non faciet vindictam electorum suorum clamantium ad se die ac nocte, et patientiam habebit in illis?
(God however not/no will_do vengeance/revenge of_the_elect of_his_own they_shoutium to himself day and at_night, and patience will_have in/into/on to_them? )

UGNT ὁ δὲ Θεὸς οὐ μὴ ποιήσῃ τὴν ἐκδίκησιν τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν αὐτοῦ, τῶν βοώντων αὐτῷ ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός, καὶ μακροθυμεῖ ἐπ’ αὐτοῖς?
(ho de Theos ou maʸ poiaʸsaʸ taʸn ekdikaʸsin tōn eklektōn autou, tōn boōntōn autōi haʸmeras kai nuktos, kai makrothumei ep’ autois?)

SBL-GNT ὁ δὲ θεὸς οὐ μὴ ποιήσῃ τὴν ἐκδίκησιν τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν αὐτοῦ τῶν βοώντων ⸀αὐτῷ ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός, καὶ ⸀μακροθυμεῖ ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς;
(ho de theos ou maʸ poiaʸsaʸ taʸn ekdikaʸsin tōn eklektōn autou tōn boōntōn ⸀autōi haʸmeras kai nuktos, kai ⸀makrothumei epʼ autois;)

RP-GNT Ὁ δὲ θεὸς οὐ μὴ ποιήσῃ τὴν ἐκδίκησιν τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν αὐτοῦ τῶν βοώντων πρὸς αὐτὸν ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός, καὶ μακροθυμῶν ἐπ' αὐτοῖς;
(Ho de theos ou maʸ poiaʸsaʸ taʸn ekdikaʸsin tōn eklektōn autou tōn boōntōn pros auton haʸmeras kai nuktos, kai makrothumōn ep' autois;)

TC-GNT Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς οὐ μὴ [fn]ποιήσῃ τὴν ἐκδίκησιν τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν αὐτοῦ τῶν βοώντων [fn]πρὸς αὐτὸν ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός, καὶ [fn]μακροθυμῶν ἐπ᾽ αὐτοῖς;
(Ho de Theos ou maʸ poiaʸsaʸ taʸn ekdikaʸsin tōn eklektōn autou tōn boōntōn pros auton haʸmeras kai nuktos, kai makrothumōn ep autois; )

18:7 ποιηση ¦ ποιησει 𝔐^pt TR

18:7 προς αυτον ¦ αυτω CT

18:7 μακροθυμων ¦ μακροθυμει CT

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 18:6–8

In this paragraph Jesus told his disciples what he wanted them to learn from the parable in 18:1–5. Jesus contrasted God and his people with the judge and the widow. God is not like the unfair judge. God loves to help his people. The judge helped the widow because she asked him many times. God will certainly be much more willing to help his people get justice when they continue to pray to him. He will quickly help them.Keener (p. 238) says, “This parable is a standard Jewish ‘how much more’…argument: if an unjust judge who cared not for widows can dispense justice, how much more will the righteous judge of all the earth, who was known as the defender of widows and orphans?”

18:7a

Will not God bring about justice for His elect

Since he said that, do you^(plur) not think that God will do what is just for his chosen people,
Even he did the right/fair thing for the widow, and God will certainly do the right/fair thing for his people. He has chosen them to trust him,
And as for God, he will much more certainly help his own people receive justice

Will not God bring about justice for His elect…?: This is a rhetorical question. Jesus used this rhetorical question to emphasize that God will certainly bring about justice for his people. The question expects the answer “Certainly he will.” Jesus answered this question himself in 18:8a.

Some ways to translate this emphasis are:

As a rhetorical question. For example:
Won’t God give his chosen people justice…? (GW)
So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people…? (NLT)
As a statement. For example:
God will always give what is right to his people… (NCV)
you can be sure that God will bring about justice for his people

Translate this emphasis in a way that is natural in your language.

Will not God bring about justice for His elect: In this context the phrase Will not God bring about justice for His elect indicates that God will do what is just and right for his people. He will give them the help that they deserve. He will rescue them from people who have oppressed them, and he will punish the people who have treated them unjustly. He will cause his people to be treated fairly. Some ways to translate this are:

God will certainly do what is right/just for his chosen people

God will certainly cause his chosen people to obtain justice

His elect: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates literally as His elect refers to the people whom God has chosen to be his people. They are the ones who believe him and trust him. Some ways to translate this are:

the people whom he chose to be his

his people…. He has selected them to trust him.

The disciples were part of the group that Jesus referred to as His elect. In some languages it may be necessary to make this clear. For example:

Will not God do the right thing for you^(plur) and for all the others whom he has chosen…?

18:7b

who cry out to Him day and night?

as they call/cry earnestly to him night and day?
and they constantly appeal to him for help.
when they come to him all the time with strong/fervent pleas.

who cry out to Him day and night: The clause who cry out to Him day and night indicates that God’s people are praying earnestly and persistently. They continually come to God with pleas for help and justice. In some languages it may be necessary to make explicit why they are crying out to God. For example:

who continually pray/appeal to him to help/them

who keep crying out to him, “Please help^(sing) us!”

The clause who cry out to Him day and night focuses on the ones among God’s people who pray to him continually.There are two ways to interpret the phrase “His elect, who cry out to Him day and night”: (1) It refers specifically to the ones among God’s chosen people who cry to him day and night. For example, the GW says: “Won’t God give his chosen people justice when they cry out to him for help day and night?” (BSB, GNT, NRSV, CEV, NASB, NCV, NLT, NJB) (2) It refers to all of God’s chosen people. The phrase who cry out to Him day and night describe them. For example: “And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones? They cry to him day and night.” (NIV, RSV, KJV, REB, NET, ESV, JBP) It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). It fits Jesus’ emphasis on the importance of persistent prayer.Many English versions indicate their choice between interpretations (1) and (2) only by whether they put a comma before the relative clause. God will certainly give them justice. Some other ways to translate this clause are:

when they cry out to him for help day and night (GW)

if they keep calling to him day and night (NJB)

cry out: The Greek word that the BSB translates as cry out refers here to loud pleading that is caused by distress or anguish.See boaō sense 1b in BDAG, p. 180. Here the word emphasizes that God’s people prayed fervently because of their great need. It does not imply that they were being disrespectful by speaking loudly. Use an appropriate word in your language to refer to earnestly asking God for help.

The same Greek word also occurs in 9:38 in an appeal to Jesus.This word also occurs in Acts 25:24, and a similar word is used in Matthew 27:46. See how you translated it there.

day and night: The phrase that the BSB translates as day and night indicates that God’s people continue to pray regularly for him to help them. They pray at all times of the day and night. The similar phrase “night and day” was used in 2:37 to describe the widow Anna, who fasted and prayed continually.

Some other ways to translate this are:

night and day

continually

18:7c

Will He continue to defer their help?

Will he delay in helping them? No, he certainly will not delay.
He will not be slow to help them.

Will He continue to defer their help?: This is a rhetorical question. Scholars interpret it in different ways.Marshall (pp. 674–675) lists nine different ways to interpret it. Some of these interpretations are:

It means “he will not delay to help them and give them justice.” For example:
Will he delay long in helping them? (NRSV) (BSB, NIV, GNT, NRSV, RSV, NLT, GW, ESV, NASB, NCV, NET)
It means “even though he delays in giving them justice.” For example:
even though he still delays to help them (NJB) (NJB, KJV)
It means “he is patient with them and concerned for them.” For example:
…to whom he listens patiently (REB)
Won’t he be concerned for them? (CEV) (REB, CEV, JBP)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most English versions.

The rhetorical question emphasizes that God will certainly not be slow to help them. He will be quick to give them justice. Jesus answered this question himself in 18:8a. Some ways to translate this emphasis are:

As a rhetorical question or a question and its answer. For example:
Will he be slow to help them? (GNT)
Will God delay in giving them justice? No!
Will God promptly bring justice to his people? Yes, he will.
As a statement. For example:
God…will not be slow to answer them. (NCV)
You can be sure that he will not delay in helping them.

Translate this emphasis in a way that is natural in your language.

General Comment on 18:7a–c

Some languages may need to change the order of the clauses in this verse. For example:

^7aWhen God’s chosen people ^7bsay night and day, “Help us!” ^7che will quickly help them.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

ὁ δὲ Θεὸς οὐ μὴ ποιήσῃ τὴν ἐκδίκησιν τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν αὐτοῦ, τῶν βοώντων αὐτῷ ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός, καὶ μακροθυμεῖ ἐπ’ αὐτοῖς?

¬the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὁ Δέ Θεός οὒ μή ποιήσῃ τήν ἐκδίκησιν τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν αὐτοῦ τῶν βοώντων αὐτῷ ἡμέρας καί νυκτός καί μακροθυμεῖ ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς)

Jesus is using the question form for emphasis as he teaches his disciples. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate his words as a statement. Alternate translation: [Now God will certainly answer the prayers of the people he has chosen, who cry out to him day and night, and he delays long over them!]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ὁ δὲ Θεὸς οὐ μὴ ποιήσῃ τὴν ἐκδίκησιν τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν αὐτοῦ

Jesus is drawing an implicit comparison between the unrighteous human judge and God, who is the perfectly righteous divine judge. The implication is that if even the human judge would ensure justice for someone who persevered in pleading for it, God would certainly do so. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: [If an unrighteous human judge would ensure justice for someone who persevered in pleading for it, God will certainly answer the prayers of the people he has chosen]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj

τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν αὐτοῦ

˱of˲_the chosen ˱of˲_him

Jesus is using the adjective elect as a noun in order to describe a group of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you could translate this with a noun phrase. Alternate translation: [for the people whom he chose]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / merism

τῶν βοώντων αὐτῷ ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός

˱of˲_the ¬which shouting ˱to˲_him day (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὁ Δέ Θεός οὒ μή ποιήσῃ τήν ἐκδίκησιν τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν αὐτοῦ τῶν βοώντων αὐτῷ ἡμέρας καί νυκτός καί μακροθυμεῖ ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς)

Jesus is using the phrase day and night to describe all of time, by referring to its two components. Alternate translation: [who pray to him all the time] or [who ask him for help continually]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

καὶ μακροθυμεῖ ἐπ’ αὐτοῖς

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὁ Δέ Θεός οὒ μή ποιήσῃ τήν ἐκδίκησιν τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν αὐτοῦ τῶν βοώντων αὐτῷ ἡμέρας καί νυκτός καί μακροθυμεῖ ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς)