LUKE 19:21 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) because I was scared of you, knowing that you’re a hard man—picking up what you didn’t put down, and harvesting where you didn’t sow.’

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/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 for I feared you, because you are a harsh man. You take up what you did not put down, and you reap what you did not sow.’

UST I was afraid that you would take everything I earned. I know you are a hard man who takes things from others that do not really belong to you. You are like a farmer who harvests grain that another farmer has planted.’

BSB For I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man. You withdraw what you did not deposit and reap what you did not sow.’

MSB For I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man. You withdraw what you did not deposit and reap what you did not sow.[fn]’

19:21 GOC includes and you gather where you scattered no seed.

BLB For I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man. You take up what you did not lay down, and you reap what you did not sow.'

AICNT for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.

OEB For I was afraid of you, because you are a stern man. You take what you have not planted, and reap what you have not sown.”

WEBBE for I feared you, because you are an exacting man. You take up that which you didn’t lay down, and reap that which you didn’t sow.’

WMBB (Same as above)

NET For I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You withdraw what you did not deposit and reap what you did not sow.’

LSV for I was afraid of you, because you are an austere man; you take up what you did not lay down, and reap what you did not sow.

FBV I was afraid of you because you're a hard man. You take what doesn't belong to you, and you harvest what you didn't plant.’

TCNT For I was afraid of yoʋ, because yoʋ are a stern man. Yoʋ take out what yoʋ did not put in, and yoʋ reap what yoʋ did not [fn]sow.’

19:21 sow. ¦ sow, and yoʋ gather where yoʋ scattered no seed. ANT

T4T I did that because I was afraid of what you would do to me if the business failed. I know you are a man who does not do foolish things with your money. You even take from others money that does not really belong to you, like a farmer who harvests grain from another man’s field where he did not even do the planting.’

LEB For I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man—you withdraw what you did not deposit, and you reap what you did not sow!’

BBE Because I was in fear of you, for you are a hard man: you take up what you have not put down, and get in grain where you have not put seed.

Moff for I was afraid of you, you are such a hard man — picking up what you never put down, and reaping what you never sowed."

Wymth For I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man: you take up what you did not lay down, and you reap what you did not sow.'

ASV for I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that which thou layedst not down, and reapest that which thou didst not sow.

DRA For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up what thou didst not lay down, and thou reapest that which thou didst not sow.

YLT for I was afraid of thee, because thou art an austere man; thou takest up what thou didst not lay down, and reapest what thou didst not sow.

Drby For I feared thee because thou art a harsh man: thou takest up what thou hast not laid down, and thou reapest what thou hast not sowed.

RV for I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.
(for I feared thee/you, because thou/you art an austere man: thou/you takest/take up that thou/you layed not down, and reapest that thou/you didst/did not sow. )

SLT For I feared thee, for thou art an austere man: thou takest up what thou layedst not down, and thou reapest what thou didst not sow.

Wbstr For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up what thou layedst not down, and reapest what thou didst not sow.

KJB-1769 For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.
( For I feared thee/you, because thou/you art an austere man: thou/you takest/take up that thou/you layed not down, and reapest that thou/you didst/did not sow. )

KJB-1611 For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest vp that thou layedst not downe, and reapest that thou didst not sow.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps For I feared thee, because thou art a strayte man: Thou takest vp that thou laydest not downe, & reapest that thou dyddest not sowe.
(For I feared thee/you, because thou/you art a straight man: Thou/You takest/take up that thou/you laydest not down, and reapest that thou/you didst/did not sow.)

Gnva For I feared thee, because thou art a straight man: thou takest vp, that thou layedst not downe, and reapest that thou diddest not sowe.
(For I feared thee/you, because thou/you art a straight man: thou/you takest/take up, that thou/you layed not down, and reapest that thou/you didst/did not sow. )

Cvdl I was afrayed of the, for thou art an harde man, thou takest vp yt thou hast not layed downe, and reapest that thou hast not sowne.
(I was afraid of them, for thou/you art an hard man, thou/you takest/take up it thou/you hast not laid down, and reapest that thou/you hast not sowne.)

TNT for I feared the because thou arte a strayte man: thou takest vp that thou laydest not doune and repest that thou dyddest not sowe.
(for I feared the because thou/you art a straight man: thou/you takest/take up that thou/you laydest not down and repest that thou/you didst/did not sow. )

Wycl For Y dredde thee, for thou art `a sterne man; thou takist awey that that thou settidist not, and thou repist that that thou hast not sowun.
(For I dreaded thee/you, for thou/you art a stern man; thou/you takest/take away that that thou/you set/place not, and thou/you repist that that thou/you hast not sowun.)

Luth Ich fürchtete mich vor dir, denn du bist ein harter Mann; du nimmst, was du nicht gelegt hast, und erntest, was du nicht gesäet hart.
(I feared me before/in_front_of you/to_you(sg), because/than you(sg) are a harder Mann; you(sg) takest, what/which you(sg) not placed have, and erntest, what/which you(sg) not sown hard.)

ClVg timui enim te, quia homo austerus es: tollis quod non posuisti, et metis quod non seminasti.[fn]
(timui because you(sg), because human austerus you_are: tollis that not/no you_put, and metis that not/no seminasti. )

19.21 Metis quod. Metit enim Deus ubi non seminavit, id est etiam eos impietatis reos tenet quibus legis verbum vel Evangelii non ministravit. Timens ergo periculum judicii, requiescam ab administratione verbi.

19.21 Metis that. Metit because God where not/no seminavit, that it_is also them impiety/irreverence reos holds to_whom law the_word/saying or of_the_Gospels not/no ministravit. Timens therefore periculum judgement, rest/reposecam away administratione words.

UGNT ἐφοβούμην γάρ σε, ὅτι ἄνθρωπος αὐστηρὸς εἶ; αἴρεις ὃ οὐκ ἔθηκας, καὶ θερίζεις ὃ οὐκ ἔσπειρας.
(efoboumaʸn gar se, hoti anthrōpos austaʸros ei; aireis ho ouk ethaʸkas, kai therizeis ho ouk espeiras.)

SBL-GNT ἐφοβούμην γάρ σε ὅτι ἄνθρωπος αὐστηρὸς εἶ, αἴρεις ὃ οὐκ ἔθηκας καὶ θερίζεις ὃ οὐκ ἔσπειρας.
(efoboumaʸn gar se hoti anthrōpos austaʸros ei, aireis ho ouk ethaʸkas kai therizeis ho ouk espeiras.)

RP-GNT ἐφοβούμην γάρ σε, ὅτι ἄνθρωπος αὐστηρὸς εἶ· αἴρεις ὃ οὐκ ἔθηκας, καὶ θερίζεις ὃ οὐκ ἔσπειρας.
(efoboumaʸn gar se, hoti anthrōpos austaʸros ei; aireis ho ouk ethaʸkas, kai therizeis ho ouk espeiras.)

TC-GNT ἐφοβούμην γάρ σε, ὅτι ἄνθρωπος αὐστηρὸς εἶ· αἴρεις ὃ οὐκ ἔθηκας, καὶ θερίζεις ὃ οὐκ [fn]ἔσπειρας.
(efoboumaʸn gar se, hoti anthrōpos austaʸros ei; aireis ho ouk ethaʸkas, kai therizeis ho ouk espeiras. )

19:21 εσπειρας ¦ εσπειρας και συναγεις οθεν ου διεσκορπισας ANT

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

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 19:11–27: Jesus told a parable about a king and his ten servants

Many of Jesus’ followers expected that when they arrived in Jerusalem, Jesus would establish the kingdom of God and begin to reign as king. He told the parable in this section to help them understand that events would happen differently than they expected.

There are two main ideas that Jesus taught through this parable:

Jesus, like the important man in the parable, was going away and would not return until after God made him king. In the meantime, the Jewish people would reject Jesus and God would punish them when he returned.
While Jesus is gone, his disciples must serve him faithfully and use whatever he has given them to glorify him.

Other examples of headings for this section are:

The Parable of the Gold Coins (GNT)

Jesus told a parable about ten servants

A parallel passage to this section is found in Matthew 25:14–30.

19:21a

For I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man.

I feared you^(sing) because you are a strict/severe man.
I did this because you^(sing) are such an exacting/difficult master that I was fearful/worried.

For: In this verse the servant explained the reason why he did not invest the money. He said that he hid it because he was afraid of his master. In Greek this reason is introduced with a conjunction that the BSB translates as For. Other versions, such as the NIV, CEV, GW, and NLT, do not translate this conjunction. Express the reason in a natural way in your language. Another way to do this in English is:

I did this because I was afraid of you

I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man: Here the servant told his reason for fearing his master. He thought that his master was a harsh man. In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of the clauses in 19:21a. For example:

You are a hard man, and I was afraid of you. (CEV)

You are very severe, so I feared you.

I was afraid of you: Here this clause implies that the servant was afraid that his master would be angry or punish him if he lost the coin. In some languages it may be necessary to make that explicit. For example:

I was afraid that you would be angry with me if I lost it (TRT)

you are a harsh man: The Greek word that the BSB translates as harsh means “severe” or “strict.” Here it implies that the master demanded that his servants work hard and do the work exactly as he wanted them to. It may also imply that the master would punish them severely if they did not do the work properly. The servant thought that his master was a difficult man to serve. Here is another way to translate this:

you are a severe man (RSV)

In some languages there is an idiom to describe this sort of person.

19:21b

You withdraw what you did not deposit

You^(sing) gain from what you did not supply/deposit,
You^(sing) take/get profit from what you do not contribute.
You^(sing) expect to acquire/obtain things that you did not work for,

19:21c

and reap what you did not sow.’

and you^(sing) harvest grain that you did not plant.’
You^(sing) are like a man who gets the harvest of crops that he did not plant!’
and you^(sing) want to profit/benefit from the work that other people do.’

19:21b–c

The two statements in 19:21b and 19:21c explain what the servant meant by saying that his master was a “hard man.” The statements are figurative and were used as proverbs.

The two statements have the same basic meaning. They refer to a person who takes profit that he does not deserve. He gets this profit from work that other people did. The servant implied that his master was greedy and unjust.

You withdraw what you did not deposit: The Greek proverb that the BSB translates as You withdraw what you did not deposit describes someone who wants to gain or take more than he deserves.Marshall (p. 707) says that “the metaphor is drawn from banking, and is used here to describe a person who seeks a disproportionately high return from his investments.” A note in the NET says, “The Greek verb… (tithēmi) can be used of depositing money with a banker to earn interest (Louw and Nida 57:217). In effect the slave charges that the master takes what he has not earned.” It often refers specifically to financial profit. If a literal translation is not clear in your language, you may translate the meaning more explicitly. For example:

You take out what you did not put in (NIV)

You even take money that you didn’t earn (NCV)

If you have a proverb in your language that has the same meaning, you may be able to use it here.

and reap what you did not sow: This statement literally means “you harvest the crops that other people planted.” It refers to someone receiving the benefits from the hard work that other people have done.

In some languages it may be necessary to refer to a specific type of crop. Some ways to do that are:

Supply a general word such as “grain.”
Supply a specific grain if you do not have a suitable general word. It is good to use a grain grown in Israel, such as wheat or barley, if possible. If these are not known in your area, substitute a local crop.

If the meaning of the proverb would not be understood in your language, you may need to supply the meaning:

You profit from the work done by someone else, like someone who harvests grain that he did not plant.

General Comment on 19:20–21

In some languages it may be helpful to put the reason for the slave’s actions in 19:21 before his conclusion in 19:20. For example:

²¹Another servant came and said, “Sir, you are a hard man. What you did not put in, you go and take out, and what you did not plant you go and reap. ²⁰Because that is how you behave/are, I was afraid of you. So, I wrapped up the money you gave me in a piece of cloth and put it away. Here it is.”

If you decide to change the order of the verses in this way, you may combine the verse numbers. For example:

^20–21Another…

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / quotesinquotes

ἐφοβούμην γάρ σε, ὅτι ἄνθρωπος αὐστηρὸς εἶ; αἴρεις ὃ οὐκ ἔθηκας, καὶ θερίζεις ὃ οὐκ ἔσπειρας

˱I˲_˓was˒_fearing (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἐφοβούμην Γάρ σέ ὅτι ἄνθρωπος αὐστηρός εἶ αἴρεις ὅ οὐκ ἔθηκας καί θερίζεις ὅ οὐκ ἔσπειρας)

If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this so that it is not a quotation within a quotation. If you do, it may be helpful to make this a new sentence. Alternate translation: [This servant told the king that he had been afraid of him because he was a demanding man who took other people’s property as his own and benefitted from other people’s hard work]

ἄνθρωπος αὐστηρὸς

˓a˒_man (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἐφοβούμην Γάρ σέ ὅτι ἄνθρωπος αὐστηρός εἶ αἴρεις ὅ οὐκ ἔθηκας καί θερίζεις ὅ οὐκ ἔσπειρας)

Alternate translation: [a man who is very demanding]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

αἴρεις ὃ οὐκ ἔθηκας

˱you˲_˓are˒_taking_up (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἐφοβούμην Γάρ σέ ὅτι ἄνθρωπος αὐστηρός εἶ αἴρεις ὅ οὐκ ἔθηκας καί θερίζεις ὅ οὐκ ἔσπειρας)

The servant is speaking of the king as if he would pick up things that others had set down and take them away as his own property. Alternate translation: [You take other people’s property as your own]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

θερίζεις ὃ οὐκ ἔσπειρας

˱you˲_˓are˒_reaping (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἐφοβούμην Γάρ σέ ὅτι ἄνθρωπος αὐστηρός εἶ αἴρεις ὅ οὐκ ἔθηκας καί θερίζεις ὅ οὐκ ἔσπειρας)