MARK 9:23 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) Yeshua asked him, “If I can? A person who believes can do anything.”

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, 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 But Jesus said to him, “‘If you are able’? All things are possible for the one believing.”

UST Jesus replied, “You should not talk about whether I can help you. God can do anything for people who trust him!”

BSB “If You can?” echoed Jesus. “All things are possible to him who believes!”

MSB “If you can believe!” said Jesus.[fn] “All things are possible to him who believes!”

BLB And Jesus said to him, "If You are able? All things are possible to the one believing."

AICNT And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can [[believe]]’![fn] All things are possible for one who believes.”

9:23, believe: Some manuscripts include.

OEB ‘Why say “possibly”?’ Jesus replied. ‘Everything is possible for one who has faith.’

WEBBE Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

WMBB Yeshua said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

NET Then Jesus said to him, “‘If you are able?’ All things are possible for the one who believes.”

LSV And Jesus said to him, “If you are able to believe! All things are possible to the one that is believing”;

FBV “Why do you say,[fn] ‘if you can?’ ” replied Jesus. “Whoever trusts has every power!”

9:23 Implied. Jesus was asking why the man said to him, “if you can,” which suggested doubt as to what Jesus could do.

TCNT Jesus said to him, “[fn]The question is whether yoʋ are able to believe. All things are possible for the one who believes.”

9:23 The question is whether yoʋ are able to believe. ¦ ‘If yoʋ are able’? CT

T4T Jesus exclaimed to him, “Do not say [RHQ] ‘If you can’, for God/I can do anything for people who believe in him/me!”

LEB But Jesus said to him, “If you are able! All things are possible for the one who believes!”

BBE And Jesus said to him, If you are able! All things are possible to him who has faith.

Moff Jesus said to him, "If you can! Anything can be done for one who believes."

Wymth "`If I possibly can!'" replied Jesus; "why, everything is possible to him who believes."

ASV And Jesus said unto him, If thou canst! All things are possible to him that believeth.

DRA And immediately the father of the boy crying out, with tears said: I do believe, Lord: help my unbelief.

YLT And Jesus said to him, 'If thou art able to believe! all things are possible to the one that is believing;'

Drby And Jesus said to him, The 'if thou couldst' is [if thou couldst] believe: all things are possible to him that believes.

RV And Jesus said unto him, If thou canst! All things are possible to him that believeth.
(And Jesus said unto him, If thou/you canst! All things are possible to him that believeth/believes. )

SLT And Jesus said to him, If thou canst believe, all things possible to him believing.

Wbstr Jesus said to him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

KJB-1769 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
(Jesus said unto him, If thou/you canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth/believes. )

KJB-1611 Iesus said vnto him, If thou canst beleeue, all things are possible to him that beleeueth.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps Iesus sayde vnto hym: this thyng yf thou cans beleue, all thynges are possible to hym that beleueth.
(Yesus/Yeshua said unto him: this thing if thou/you cans believe, all things are possible to him that believeth/believes.)

Gnva And Iesus said vnto him, If thou canst beleeue it, al things are possible to him that beleeueth.
(And Yesus/Yeshua said unto him, If thou/you canst believe it, all things are possible to him that believeth/believes. )

Cvdl Iesus sayde vnto him: Yf thou couldest beleue: All thinges are possible vnto him that beleueth.
(Yesus/Yeshua said unto him: If thou/you couldst believe: All things are possible unto him that believeth/believes.)

TNT And Iesus sayde vnto him: ye yf thou couldest beleve all thinges are possible to him that belevith.
(And Yesus/Yeshua said unto him: ye/you_all if thou/you couldst believe all things are possible to him that belevith. )

Wycl And anoon the fadir of the child criede with teeris, and seide, Lord, Y bileue; Lord, helpe thou myn vnbileue.
(And anon/immediately the father of the child cried with tears, and said, Lord, I believe; Lord, help thou/you mine unbelief.)

Luth JEsus aber sprach zu ihm: Wenn du könntet glauben! Alle Dinge sind möglich dem, der da glaubet.
(Yesus but spoke to/for him: When you(sg) could believe! All things are possible/feasible to_him, the/of_the there believes.)

ClVg Et continuo exclamans pater pueri, cum lacrimis aiebat: Credo, Domine; adjuva incredulitatem meam.
(And continuously exclamans father children, when/with with_tears he_said: Credo, Master; adyuva disbelief of_mine. )

UGNT ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῷ, τὸ εἰ δύνῃ? πάντα δυνατὰ τῷ πιστεύοντι.
(ho de Yaʸsous eipen autōi, to ei dunaʸ? panta dunata tōi pisteuonti.)

SBL-GNT ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Τὸ Εἰ ⸀δύνῃ, πάντα δυνατὰ τῷ πιστεύοντι.
(ho de Yaʸsous eipen autōi; To Ei ⸀dunaʸ, panta dunata tōi pisteuonti.)

RP-GNT Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Τὸ εἰ δύνασαι πιστεῦσαι, πάντα δυνατὰ τῷ πιστεύοντι.
(Ho de Yaʸsous eipen autōi, To ei dunasai pisteusai, panta dunata tōi pisteuonti.)

TC-GNT Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Τὸ εἰ [fn]δύνασαι πιστεῦσαι, πάντα δυνατὰ τῷ πιστεύοντι.
(Ho de Yaʸsous eipen autōi, To ei dunasai pisteusai, panta dunata tōi pisteuonti. )

9:23 δυνασαι πιστευσαι ¦ δυνη CT

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

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 9:14–29: Jesus expelled an evil spirit from a boy

Earlier Jesus had given power to his twelve disciples to cast out demons and heal sick people. The disciples divided into groups of two and went and did those things (6:7–13). But here, when Jesus came down from the mountain with Peter, James, and John, he saw the other disciples arguing with the teachers of the Jewish law. They were arguing because the disciples were not able to make an evil spirit leave a man’s son.

When the evil spirit saw Jesus, it took control of the boy. Then Jesus caused the evil spirit to leave him. A large crowd of people was there and saw all these things.

It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it. Here are some other possible headings for this section:

The Healing of a Boy with an Evil Spirit (NIV)

A boy was freed from an evil spirit

The Disciples’ Failure to Heal (NET)

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 17:14–21 and Luke 9:37–43.

9:23a

“If You can?” echoed Jesus.

Jesus said, “You said, ‘if you are able to’!—
Jesus asked. “Why do you doubt that I can do anything?
Jesus replied, “You should not doubt that I can do this!

9:23b

“All things are possible to him who believes!”

All things can be done for the one who believes.” (NRSV)
Anything is possible if a person believes/trusts in me.”

9:23a–b

If You can?: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as If You can? is literally, “the ‘if you can.’” It indicates that Jesus was repeating the words “If you can” that the man had said to him in 9:22b. It also indicates that Jesus was about to respond to these words. Use a natural way in your language to indicate that Jesus was repeating the man’s words.

The phrase If you can also expresses a mild rebuke. It indicates that the man should not doubt that Jesus could help him.

Some ways to translate If you can in this context are:

As an introductory phrase. For example:
Jesus said to the father, “You said, ‘If you can!’ ” (NCV)
As for your words ‘If you can,’ know/realize that everything is possible…
As a rhetorical question. In some languages it may be necessary to use a pronoun like “I” to show that Jesus was talking about himself. For example:
Why do you doubt/question that I can do anything about this?
As a statement or command. For example:
As for whether I can do anything…
You should not doubt that I can do this.

echoed Jesus: The phrase that the BSB translates as echoed Jesus is more literally “Jesus said to him.” The BSB places these words in the middle of what Jesus said. It also puts the subject Jesus after the verb echoed. In Greek, these words occur before the question. Place the words echoed Jesus where it is natural in your language and in a natural word order.

All things are possible to him who believes: In this context the phrase All things are possible means that anything can be done or anything may happen if a person believes. For example, the NRSV says:

All things can be done for the one who believes.

The phrase to him who believes refers to anyone who believes. For example, the NLT says:

if a person believes

In some languages it may be necessary to express the clause All things are possible to him who believes in a more active way. If that is true in your language, you may need to supply God or Jesus as the subject. For example:

I/God can do anything for the person who believes.

believes: In this context, the word believes refers to believing in Jesus. A person who believes is one who trusts that Jesus can do all things. This person is confident that Jesus has the power to help him or her.

Here are some other ways to translate believes:

relies/depends on me

trusts in me

has confidence that I can do all things

Your language may use an idiom for this meaning. See believe, Meaning 3, in the Glossary.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-contrast

δὲ