MAT 18:15 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) [ref]“If a fellow believer sins, go where there’s just the two of you and rebuke that person privately. If they listen to you, you have gained back a fellow believer.

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor.
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 But if your brother sins against you[fn], go, reprove him between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.

Some manuscripts do not include the phrase against you here.

UST Suppose that fellow believers sin against you. You should visit them and privately tell them what they did wrong. Suppose that they accept what you say. In that case, you have made things right with your fellow believers.

BSB If your brother sins against you,[fn] go [and] confront him privately. If he listens to you, you have won your brother {over}.

BLB And if your brother sins against you, go reprove him, between you and him alone. If he will hear you, you have gained your brother.

AICNT “If your brother sins [against you],[fn] go and reprove him between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother;

18:15, against you: Absent from some manuscripts.

OEB ‘If your brother or sister does wrong, go to them and convince them of their fault when you are both alone. If they listen to you, you have won them over.

WEBBE “If your brother sins against you, go, show him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained back your brother.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault when the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have regained your brother.

LSV And if your brother may sin against you, go and show him his fault between you and him alone, if he may hear you, you gained your brother;

FBV If a brother[fn] sins against you, go and point out the wrong to him, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you've won your brother over.

18:15 Or “fellow believer.”

TCNT “If yoʋr brother sins [fn]against yoʋ, go show him his fault between yoʋ and him alone. If he listens to yoʋ, yoʋ have gained yoʋr brother.

18:15 against yoʋ ¦ — WH

T4T “If a fellow believer sins against you, go to him, and when you two are alone, reprove him for sinning against you. If that person listens to you and feels sorry that he has sinned against you, you will have restored your friendship with that person.

LEB ¶ “Now if your brother sins against you, go correct him between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.

BBE And if your brother does wrong to you, go, make clear to him his error between you and him in private: if he gives ear to you, you have got your brother back again.

Moff If your brother sins [against you], go and reprove him, as between you and him alone. If he listens to you, then you have won your brother over;

Wymth "If your brother acts wrongly towards you, go and point out his fault to him when only you and he are there. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.

ASV And if thy brother sin against thee, go, show him his fault between thee and him alone: if he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

DRA But if thy brother shall offend against thee, go, and rebuke him between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou shalt gain thy brother.

YLT 'And if thy brother may sin against thee, go and show him his fault between thee and him alone, if he may hear thee, thou didst gain thy brother;

Drby But if thy brother sin against thee, go, reprove him between thee and him alone. If he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

RV And if thy brother sin against thee, go, shew him his fault between thee and him alone: if he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
(And if thy/your brother sin against thee/you, go, show him his fault between thee/you and him alone: if he hear thee/you, thou/you hast gained thy/your brother. )

SLT And if thy brother sin against thee, retire, and refute him between thee and him alone; if he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

Wbstr Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

KJB-1769 ¶ Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
(¶ Moreover/What’s_more if thy/your brother shall trespass against thee/you, go and tell him his fault between thee/you and him alone: if he shall hear thee/you, thou/you hast gained thy/your brother. )

KJB-1611 ¶ Moreouer, if thy brother shall trespasse against thee, goe and tell him his fault betweene thee and him alone: if he shall heare thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps Moreouer, yf thy brother trespas agaynst thee, go and tell hym his faulte betwene thee and hym alone: If he heare thee, thou hast wonne thy brother.
(Moreover/What’s_more, if thy/your brother trespass against thee/you, go and tell him his faulte between thee/you and him alone: If he hear thee/you, thou/you hast won thy/your brother.)

Gnva Moreouer, if thy brother trespasse against thee, goe and tell him his fault betweene thee and him alone: if he heare thee, thou hast wonne thy brother.
(Moreover/What’s_more, if thy/your brother trespass against thee/you, go and tell him his fault between thee/you and him alone: if he hear thee/you, thou/you hast won thy/your brother. )

Cvdl Yf thy brother trespace agaynst the, go and tell him his faute betwene the and him alone. Yf he heare the, thou hast wone thy brother.
(If thy/your brother trespass against them, go and tell him his fault between the and him alone. If he hear them, thou/you hast wone thy/your brother.)

TNT Moreover yf thy brother treaspace agenst the. Go and tell him his faute betwene him and the alone. Yf he heare the thou hast wone thy brother:
(Moreover/What’s_more if thy/your brother treaspace agenst them. Go and tell him his fault between him and the alone. If he hear the thou/you hast wone thy/your brother: )

Wycl But if thi brother synneth ayens thee, go thou, and repreue hym, bitwixe thee and hym aloone; if he herith thee, thou hast wonnun thi brother.
(But if thy/your brother sinneth/sins against thee/you, go thou/you, and reprove him, between thee/you and him alone; if he heareth/hears thee/you, thou/you hast wonnun thy/your brother.)

Luth Sündiget aber dein Bruder an dir, so gehe hin und strafe ihn zwischen dir und ihm allein. Höret er dich, so hast du deinen Bruder gewonnen.
(Sündiget but your(s) brother at/to you/to_you(sg), so go there/therefore and punish him/it between you/to_you(sg) and him alone. Hear he you/yourself, so have you(sg) your(s) brother won/gained.)

ClVg Si autem peccaverit in te frater tuus, vade, et corripe eum inter te, et ipsum solum: si te audierit, lucratus eris fratrem tuum.[fn]
(When/But_if however sinned in/into/on you(sg) brother your(sg), go, and corripe him between you(sg), and him only: when/but_if you(sg) heard, profitstus you_will_be brother your(sg). )

18.15 Si autem peccaverit in te, etc. Si enim in Deum, non est nostri arbitrii. Hoc ordine scandala vitare debemus ne quem lædamus: et peccantem zelo justitiæ corripiamus, et pœnitenti misericordiæ viscera pandamus. Corripe eum, etc. Non passim jubet peccanti dimittere; sed pœnitenti. Ita peccat qui videns fratrem peccare tacet: sicut qui pœnitenti non indulget. Nam quod dixit: si pœnitet dimitte, præmisit, si peccaverit increpa. Nec difficilis sit venia nec remissa indulgentia.

18.15 When/But_if however sinned in/into/on you(sg), etc. When/But_if because in/into/on God, not/no it_is our of_choice. This in_order scandala avoid we_must not which lædamus: and peccantem zeal justice I_will_correctus, and pœnitenti of_mercy viscera pandamus. Corripe him, etc. Not/No passim commands peccanti to_release; but pœnitenti. Ita sins who/which seeing brother to_sin is_silent: like who/which pœnitenti not/no indulget. For/Surely that he/she_said: when/but_if repent let_go, sent_ahead, when/but_if sinned increpa. Neither difficilis be forgiveness but_not remissa indulgentia.

UGNT ἐὰν δὲ ἁμαρτήσῃ εἰς σὲ ὁ ἀδελφός σου, ὕπαγε ἔλεγξον αὐτὸν μεταξὺ σοῦ καὶ αὐτοῦ μόνου. ἐάν σου ἀκούσῃ, ἐκέρδησας τὸν ἀδελφόν σου.
(ean de hamartaʸsaʸ eis se ho adelfos sou, hupage elegxon auton metaxu sou kai autou monou. ean sou akousaʸ, ekerdaʸsas ton adelfon sou.)

SBL-GNT Ἐὰν δὲ ἁμαρτήσῃ ⸂εἰς σὲ⸃ ὁ ἀδελφός σου, ⸀ὕπαγε ἔλεγξον αὐτὸν μεταξὺ σοῦ καὶ αὐτοῦ μόνου. ἐάν σου ἀκούσῃ, ἐκέρδησας τὸν ἀδελφόν σου·
(Ean de hamartaʸsaʸ ⸂eis se⸃ ho adelfos sou, ⸀hupage elegxon auton metaxu sou kai autou monou. ean sou akousaʸ, ekerdaʸsas ton adelfon sou;)

RP-GNT Ἐὰν δὲ ἁμαρτήσῃ εἰς σὲ ὁ ἀδελφός σου, ὕπαγε καὶ ἔλεγξον αὐτὸν μεταξὺ σοῦ καὶ αὐτοῦ μόνου. Ἐάν σου ἀκούσῃ, ἐκέρδησας τὸν ἀδελφόν σου·
(Ean de hamartaʸsaʸ eis se ho adelfos sou, hupage kai elegxon auton metaxu sou kai autou monou. Ean sou akousaʸ, ekerdaʸsas ton adelfon sou;)

TC-GNT Ἐὰν δὲ [fn]ἁμαρτήσῃ [fn]εἰς σὲ ὁ ἀδελφός σου, ὕπαγε [fn]καὶ ἔλεγξον αὐτὸν μεταξὺ σοῦ καὶ αὐτοῦ μόνου. Ἐάν σου ἀκούσῃ, ἐκέρδησας τὸν ἀδελφόν σου·
(Ean de hamartaʸsaʸ eis se ho adelfos sou, hupage kai elegxon auton metaxu sou kai autou monou. Ean sou akousaʸ, ekerdaʸsas ton adelfon sou; )

18:15 αμαρτηση ¦ αμαρτη PCK

18:15 εις σε ¦ — WH

18:15 και ¦ — CT PCK

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

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 18:15–20: Correct a brother who sins

In this section, Jesus told his disciples what to do when a fellow believer sins against one of them. Jesus gave them some steps to follow to deal with the problem in a gentle and loving manner. The main goal of these steps is to restore the relationship between two believers.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

When a Person Sins Against You (NCV)

What to do if a fellow believer sins against you

18:15a

If your brother sins against you,

¶ “If your^(sing) Christian brother or sister sins against you^(sing),
¶ “If/When a fellow believer does something wrong/evil to you^(sing),

If your brother: The Greek word that the BSB translates as brother refers to any fellow believer.

Here are some other ways to translate the phrase your brother:

your Christian brother

your fellow believer (NCV)

If the people in your area might think that this phrase would not include females, you could translate it as:

your Christian brother or sister

your: The pronouns “your” and “you” are singular throughout 18:15–17.

sins against you: There is a textual issue here:

Many Greek manuscripts have the phrase sins against you.The phrase “against you” is in brackets in the United Bible Society’s Greek New Testament indicating its uncertainty in the text. The Committee gave this reading a C rating. For example:
sins against you (GNT) (BSB, ESV, NIV, RSV, GNT, CEV, NLT, NCV, KJV, JBP)
Some important, early Greek manuscripts have only the word sins. They do not have the added phrase against you here. For example:
sins (NET) (NET, NASB, GW, REB, NJB)

It is recommended that you follow option (1). Some important, early Greek manuscripts do not include these words. But the phrase “just between you and him alone” in 18:15b is one reason to include them.

You may want to include a footnote to explain that some translations omit the phrase against you. For example:

Some important, early Greek manuscripts do not have the words “against you.” Many translations do not include them either.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

wrongs you (JBP)

does something wrong/bad to you

does evil against you

18:15b

go and confront him privately.

go and confront him in private about what he did wrong.
you^(sing) should go and correct/rebuke him when the two of you are alone.

go: This verb is a command. It includes the idea of “to him.” For example:

go to him (GNT)

In other words, you should go and find the person who sinned against you.

confront him: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as confront him also means “show, condemn, rebuke, or reprove him.” It means “describe to him what he has done wrong and tell him you disagree with what he has done.”

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

tell him what he has done wrong

show him his fault (NET)

privately: This phrase indicates that you should confront your brother in private.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

in private (NCV)

But do it privately, just between yourselves. (GNT)

when the two of you are alone (NET)

18:15c

If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.

If he listens to you and is sorry, then you have restored your brother to you.
If he accepts your words, then you have reconciled that brother to you.

If he listens to you: The Greek verb that the BSB translates as listens is the general word that means “hear.” In this context, it indicates that the brother agrees with you and responds appropriately. He confesses his sin and asks for forgiveness.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

If he hears you and repents

If he listens to you and is sorry/regretful

If the other person listens and confesses it (NLT)

If he accepts your words

If he agrees with you

you have won your brother over: The Greek word that the BSB translates as won…over means “gotten back” or “won” your brother. It implies that the relationship is restored and the two people have reconciled.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

you have won your brother back (GNT)

you have restored that brother to you

you have helped that person to be your brother or sister again (NCV)

you and your brother are reconciled again

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases

δὲ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἐάν Δέ ἁμαρτήσῃ ὁ ἀδελφός σοῦ ὕπαγε ἔλεγξον αὐτόν μεταξύ σοῦ καί αὐτοῦ μόνου Ἐάν σοῦ ἀκούσῃ ἐκέρδησας τόν ἀδελφόν σοῦ)

Here, the word But introduces the next topic that Jesus wishes to speak about. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces the next topic, or you could leave But untranslated. Alternate translation: [Next,]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ὁ ἀδελφός σου

the brother (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἐάν Δέ ἁμαρτήσῃ ὁ ἀδελφός σοῦ ὕπαγε ἔλεγξον αὐτόν μεταξύ σοῦ καί αὐτοῦ μόνου Ἐάν σοῦ ἀκούσῃ ἐκέρδησας τόν ἀδελφόν σοῦ)

Jesus is using the term brother to mean a person who shares the same faith. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [your fellow disciple]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / youcrowd

σὲ & σου & σοῦ & σου & ἐκέρδησας & σου

Even though Jesus is speaking to many disciples, he is addressing an individual situation, so you and your are singular throughout this verse. But if the singular form would not be natural in your language for someone who was speaking to a group of people, you could use the plural forms of you and your in your translation. If you do so, you may also need to make some other words plural.

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

ὁ ἀδελφός & αὐτὸν & αὐτοῦ & ἀκούσῃ & τὸν ἀδελφόν

the brother & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἐάν Δέ ἁμαρτήσῃ ὁ ἀδελφός σοῦ ὕπαγε ἔλεγξον αὐτόν μεταξύ σοῦ καί αὐτοῦ μόνου Ἐάν σοῦ ἀκούσῃ ἐκέρδησας τόν ἀδελφόν σοῦ)

Although the terms brother, him, him, and brother are masculine, Jesus is using the words in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use phrases that make this clear. Alternate translation: [brother or sister … him or her … him or her … he or she … brother or sister]

Note 5 topic: translate-textvariants

εἰς σὲ

Many ancient manuscripts read against you. The ULT follows that reading. Other ancient manuscripts do not include these words. If a translation of the Bible exists in your region, you may wish to use the reading that it uses. If a translation of the Bible does not exist in your region, you may wish to use the reading of the ULT.

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

μεταξὺ σοῦ καὶ αὐτοῦ μόνου

Here, the phrase between you and him alone means that the two people are alone, with no one else listening. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable phrase or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [when it is just the two of you] or [when you are alone with him]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἐκέρδησας τὸν ἀδελφόν σου

˱you˲_gained (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἐάν Δέ ἁμαρτήσῃ ὁ ἀδελφός σοῦ ὕπαγε ἔλεγξον αὐτόν μεταξύ σοῦ καί αὐτοῦ μόνου Ἐάν σοῦ ἀκούσῃ ἐκέρδησας τόν ἀδελφόν σοῦ)

Here Jesus is speaking of restoring the relationship with your brother as if it were having gained your brother. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [you have restored the relationship with your brother] or [you have made that person your brother again]

Parallel MAT 18:15

Section 18:15–20: Correct a brother who sins

18:15a

18:15b

18:15c