1 PET 5:2 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, pink:genitive/possessor, 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 Shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight—not under compulsion, but willingly, according to God—and not greedily, but eagerly;

UST You elders, take care of the believers with you as if you were shepherds who take care of their flocks of sheep. Take care of them not because you must do it, but because you really want to, as God desires. Do not do this in a greedy manner to get money for doing it, but do it enthusiastically.

5:2 NE and WH do not include watching over them.

5:2 WH, BYZ, and TR but willingly

5:2 NE and WH do not include watching over them.

5:2 WH, MT, and TR; NA, SBL, and TH but willingly, as God would have you

BLB Shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but willingly according to God; and not for base gain but eagerly,

AICNT Shepherd the flock of God among you, [overseeing][fn] not by compulsion but willingly [according to God];[fn] not for shameful gain, but eagerly;

5:2, overseeing: Absent from some manuscripts. ℵ(01) B(03)

5:2, according to God: Absent from some manuscripts. BYZ TR

OEB I beg you to be true shepherds of the flock of God among you, not because you are compelled, but of your own free will; not from a base love of gain, but with a ready spirit;

WEBBE shepherd the flock of God which is amongst you, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily; not for dishonest gain, but willingly;

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Give a shepherd’s care to God’s flock among you, exercising oversight not merely as a duty but willingly under God’s direction, not for shameful profit but eagerly.

LSV feed the flock of God that [is] among you, overseeing not by compulsion, but willingly, neither for shameful gain, but eagerly,

FBV Look after God's flock you have been given to care for, watching over it not because you're forced to, but gladly, as God wants you to. Do this willingly, not looking to make a profit from it.

TCNT Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, [fn]exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but [fn]willingly; not for sordid gain, but eagerly.

5:2 exercising oversight, 95% ¦ — WH 0.8%

5:2 willingly; ¦ willingly, according to the will of God; ECM NA SBL TH

T4T I appeal to you elders to take care of the people who are in your congregations [MET] as shepherds take care of their flocks of sheep. Do this, not because you must do it, but instead do it willingly, as God desires. Do not be greedy to get a lot of money for doing it, but instead do it enthusiastically/wholeheartedly.

LEB shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not by compulsion but willingly, in accordance with God, and not greedily but eagerly,

BBE Keep watch over the flock of God which is in your care, using your authority, not as forced to do so, but gladly; and not for unclean profit but with a ready mind;

Moff be shepherds to your flock of God; take charge of them willingly instead of being pressed to it, not to make a base profit from it but freely,

Wymth Be shepherds of God's flock which is among you. Exercise the oversight not reluctantly but eagerly, in accordance with the will of God; not for base gain but with cheerful minds;

ASV Tend the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not of constraint, but willingly, according to the will of God; nor yet for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

DRA Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking care of it, not by constraint, but willingly, according to God: not for filthy lucre’s sake, but voluntarily:

YLT feed the flock of God that [is] among you, overseeing not constrainedly, but willingly, neither for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind,

Drby shepherd the flock of [fn]God which [is] among you, exercising oversight, not by necessity, but willingly; not for base gain, but readily;

5.2 Elohim

RV Tend the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not of constraint, but willingly, according unto God; nor yet for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

SLT Tend the flock of God which among you, inspecting, not by force, but voluntarily; neither occupied in sordid gain, but of a ready will;

Wbstr Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight of it , not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but from a ready mind;

KJB-1769 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

KJB-1611 Feede the flocke of God [fn]which is among you, taking the ouersight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly: not for filthy lucre, but of a ready minde:
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation and footnotes)

5:2 Or, as much as in you is.

Bshps Feede you God his flocke, whiche is committed vnto you, takyng the ouersight of them not as compelled therto, but wyllyngly, not for the desyre of fylthy lucre, but of a good mynde:
(Feed you God his flock, which is committed unto you, taking the oversight of them not as compelled thereto, but willingly, not for the desire of filthy lucre, but of a good mind:)

Gnva Feede the flocke of God, which dependeth vpon you, caring for it not by constraint, but willingly: not for filthy lucre, but of a ready minde:
(Feed the flock of God, which dependeth upon you, caring for it not by constraint, but willingly: not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind: )

Cvdl Fede Christes flocke which is amonge you, and take the ouersighte of the, not as though ye were copelled therto, but wyllingly: not for the desyre of filthye lucre, but of a good mynde:
(Feed Christ’s flock which is among you, and take the oversighte of them, not as though ye/you_all were copelled thereto, but willingly: not for the desire of filthye lucre, but of a good mind:)

TNT se that ye fede Christes flocke which is amonge you takynge the oversyght of them
(see that ye/you_all feed Christ’s flock which is among you taking the oversyght of them )

Wycl that ben among you, fede ye the flok of God, that is among you, and puruey ye, not as constreyned, but wilfulli, bi God; not for loue of foule wynnyng,
(that been among you, feed ye/you_all the flock of God, that is among you, and puruey ye/you_all, not as constreyned, but wilfulli, by God; not for love of fowl/bird wynning,)

Luth Weidet die Herde Christi, so euch befohlen ist, und sehet wohl zu, nicht gezwungen, sondern williglich, nicht um schändlichen Gewinns willen, sondern von Herzensgrund,
(pasture/meadowt the herd Christi, so you ordered is, and see probably/well to/for, not forced, rather willingly, not around/by/for shameful Gewinns will, rather from heartgrund,)

ClVg pascite qui in vobis est gregem Dei, providentes non coacte, sed spontanee secundum Deum: neque turpis lucri gratia, sed voluntarie:[fn]
(feedse who/which in/into/on to_you(pl) it_is flock of_God, proseeing not/no coacte, but willingly/voluntarily after/second God: nor turpis lucri grace, but voluntarie: )

5.2 Non coacte. Nolite prædicare Evangelium, ut de Evangelio vivere possitis, sed spontanee secundum Deum, id est tantum intuitu supernæ mercedis.

5.2 Not/No coacte. Don't to_preach the_Gospel, as from/about Evangelio to_live you(pl)_can, but willingly/voluntarily after/second God, that it_is only intuitu above mercedis.

UGNT ποιμάνατε τὸ ἐν ὑμῖν ποίμνιον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐπισκοποῦντες μὴ ἀναγκαστῶς, ἀλλὰ ἑκουσίως, κατὰ Θεόν; μηδὲ αἰσχροκερδῶς, ἀλλὰ προθύμως;
(poimanate to en humin poimnion tou Theou, episkopountes maʸ anagkastōs, alla hekousiōs, kata Theon; maʸde aisⱪrokerdōs, alla prothumōs;)

SBL-GNT ποιμάνατε τὸ ἐν ὑμῖν ποίμνιον τοῦ θεοῦ, ⸀ἐπισκοποῦντες μὴ ἀναγκαστῶς ἀλλὰ ἑκουσίως ⸂κατὰ θεόν⸃, μηδὲ αἰσχροκερδῶς ἀλλὰ προθύμως,
(poimanate to en humin poimnion tou theou, ⸀episkopountes maʸ anagkastōs alla hekousiōs ⸂kata theon⸃, maʸde aisⱪrokerdōs alla prothumōs,)

RP-GNT ποιμάνατε τὸ ἐν ὑμῖν ποίμνιον τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐπισκοποῦντες μὴ ἀναγκαστῶς, ἀλλ' ἑκουσίως· μηδὲ αἰσχροκερδῶς, ἀλλὰ προθύμως·
(poimanate to en humin poimnion tou theou, episkopountes maʸ anagkastōs, all' hekousiōs; maʸde aisⱪrokerdōs, alla prothumōs;)

TC-GNT ποιμάνατε τὸ ἐν ὑμῖν ποίμνιον τοῦ Θεοῦ, [fn]ἐπισκοποῦντες μὴ ἀναγκαστῶς, [fn]ἀλλ᾽ [fn]ἑκουσίως· μηδὲ αἰσχροκερδῶς, ἀλλὰ προθύμως·
(poimanate to en humin poimnion tou Theou, episkopountes maʸ anagkastōs, all hekousiōs; maʸde aisⱪrokerdōs, alla prothumōs; )

5:2 επισκοπουντες 95% ¦ — WH 0.8%

5:2 αλλ ¦ αλλα NA²⁷ SBL TH WH

5:2 εκουσιως ¦ εκουσιως κατα θεον ECM NA SBL TH

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

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 5:1–11: Instructions for God’s people

In this section Peter addressed the church community and gave them words of encouragement. First, he addressed the leaders and commanded them to be faithful in looking after the believers. He then addressed younger men in the church, and finally the whole community. He concluded this section by reminding them of God’s faithfulness.

Some other headings for this section include:

Leading and Living in God’s Flock (NET)

Advice for Elders and Young Men (NLT)

5:2a

Be shepherds of God’s flock that is among you,

Be like good shepherds and watch over God’s people whom he has entrusted to you.
I appeal to you leaders, take care of the people of God. You are responsible for them as a shepherd is responsible to care for his sheep.

This is the beginning of Peter’s appeal to the elders. In some languages it may be necessary to introduce it with a phrase such as:

This is my appeal…

Be shepherds of God’s flock: This is a metaphor. In the lands of the Bible, shepherds cared for and protected sheep. Church leaders were to care for the members of the church as a shepherd took care of his sheep.

In some languages, a literal translation of this metaphor may be difficult to understand. Some other ways to translate it are:

Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:
Just as shepherds watch over their sheep, you must watch over everyone God has placed in your care (CEV)
Change the metaphor to a simile and make explicit the way that they are similar. For example:
Care for God’s people as a shepherd watches over his flock of sheep
Translate the meaning without the figure of speech. For example:
Watch over God’s people who are under your care

God’s flock: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as God’s flock means “the flock that belongs to God.” God is the owner of the flock. A flock is a group of sheep. This is a metaphor for a church or congregation. In some languages it may be more natural and understandable to make the meaning clear. For example:

flock of sheep

God’s people

that is among you: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as that is among you in this context means “that is your responsibility.” God had given each spiritual leader the responsibility of taking care of other Christians. Other ways to translate this include:

entrusted to you (NLT)

for whom you are responsible (NCV)

that is under your care (NIV)

Try to translate using an expression that can be used both of a shepherd looking after his sheep and of a spiritual leader looking after Christians.

5:2b

watching over them not out of compulsion,

Do not watch over them because people compel you to work.
It is not out of duty/obligation that you should care for them,

watching over them not out of compulsion: In some languages it may be natural to translate this as one simple command. Be careful, however, to make it clear that Peter was not forbidding people to serve as overseers. He was forbidding them to serve with the wrong motives. For example:

do not serve as overseers because you are forced/obliged to

watching over them: The Greek word that the BSB translates as watching over is another term describing the work of church leaders and is similar in meaning to “shepherd.”

There is a textual problem here:

Some Greek manuscripts contain the word translated as watching over. For example:
exercising oversight (NASB) (BSB, KJV, NIV, NRSV, NET, NLT, NCV, NASB)
Some Greek manuscripts do not contain the word translated as watching over. For example:
do it… (REB) (RSV, CEV, NJB, GW, REB)

It is recommended that you follow option (1), since the majority of modern versions include this word.It is present in the UBS Greek text in square brackets with a C rating, indicating considerable uncertainty. Some commentators think that the word was omitted in some ancient manuscripts because it seemed to confuse the later church distinctions between elders and bishops.

not out of compulsion: In Peter’s day, church members sometimes chose their own overseers and sometimes the apostles appointed them. People did not just volunteer to be overseers. So Peter was telling the people who were chosen not to serve out of a sense of obligation, as if they had no choice. Some other ways to translate this phrase include, negatively and positively:

Don’t do this because you have to (GW)

do it voluntarily (CEB)

5:2c

but because it is God’s will;

Instead, care for them because you freely choose to, as God desires.
but because you are happy to do it. That is what pleases God.

but: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as but introduces a contrast to the words “not because you must” in the previous verse part. Express this contrast in a way that is natural in your language. For example:

Instead (NIRV)

because it is God’s will: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as because it is God’s will is literally “willingly according to God.” Peter is telling the elders to serve willingly because this is what God wants them to do. For example:

Watch over it willingly…because you are eager to serve God (NLT)

Other ways of translating these words include:

Do it willingly in order to please God (CEV)

because you are willing, as God wants you to be (NIV)

it is God’s will: There is a textual problem with the Greek phrase that the BSB translates as it is God’s will, which is literally “willingly according to God”:

Some Greek texts have the words “according to God.” For example:
willingly, as God would have you (ESV) (BSB, NIV, NET, GNT, NRSV, NJB, NCV, CEV, REB, NASB)
Some Greek texts do not have the words “according to God.” (RSV, KJV, GW, NLT)

It is recommended that you follow option (1), with the majority of English versions.The words κατ θεόν, “according to God,” do not occur in some manuscripts. They are included in the UBS Greek NT with a {C} rating, indicating difficulty in deciding whether to place them in the text.

Other ways of translating these words include:

because you are willing, as God wants you to be (NIV)

because you want…. That is how God wants it (NCV)

General Comment on 5:2b–c

In some languages it may be more natural to reverse the order of these verse parts and put the positive command first. For example:

^2cDo it willingly in order to please God, ^2band not simply because you think you must. (CEV)

5:2d

not out of greed, but out of eagerness;

Do not work just because you want to get money, but work with all your heart.
Serve as an elder eagerly/willingly, and not for the sake of making money.

out of greed: The word that the BSB translates with the phrase out of greed is an adverb that combines the words for “shame” and “gain.” It describes a motivation that is shameful: wanting to make as much money as possible. Peter was not forbidding church leaders to receive wages. He was saying that they should not become leaders for the sake of the money they could receive. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

not for what you will get out of it (NLT)

not for shameful gain (ESV)

out of eagerness: The Greek word that the BSB has translated with the phrase out of eagerness is literally “eagerly.” If your language would not naturally use an abstract noun such as eagerness, you could translate this as “eagerly,” as several English versions do (ESV, NET, NKJV, NRSV). It may also be helpful in your language to say what Peter wants the elders to do out of eagerness. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

eager to serve (NIV)

happy to serve (NCV)

General Comment on 5:2d

In some languages it may be natural to translate this with the positive idea first:

be eager to serve, and not greedy for money

Let it be something you want to do, instead of something you do merely to make money (CEV)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ποιμάνατε τὸ & ποίμνιον τοῦ Θεοῦ

shepherd (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ποιμάνατε τό ἐν ὑμῖν ποίμνιον τοῦ Θεοῦ μή ἀναγκαστῶς ἀλλά ἑκουσίως κατά Θεόν μηδέ αἰσχροκερδῶς ἀλλά προθύμως)

Here Peter uses Shepherd to refer to leading and taking care of believers, and he uses flock to refer to those believers. Elders who lead assemblies of believers should take care of those believers like shepherds take care of their sheep. Since the shepherd and sheep metaphors are important metaphors in the Bible, you should keep the metaphors in your translation or use similes. Alternate translation: [Take care of God’s people as if they were a flock of sheep]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

ἐπισκοποῦντες μὴ ἀναγκαστῶς

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ποιμάνατε τό ἐν ὑμῖν ποίμνιον τοῦ Θεοῦ μή ἀναγκαστῶς ἀλλά ἑκουσίως κατά Θεόν μηδέ αἰσχροκερδῶς ἀλλά προθύμως)

If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas of oversight and compulsion, you can express the same ideas in another way. Alternate translation: [supervising—not because you must do so]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

ἐπισκοποῦντες μὴ ἀναγκαστῶς

Peter is leaving out some of the words that a clause would need in many languages to be complete. If it would be helpful in your language, you could supply these words from the context. Alternate translation: [exercising oversight over them—not doing this under compulsion]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet

μὴ ἀναγκαστῶς, ἀλλὰ ἑκουσίως

The phrases not under compulsion and willingly mean the same thing. The repetition is used to emphasize that Peter wants church leaders to voluntarily take care of believers. If your language does not use repetition to do this, you can use one phrase and provide emphasis in another way. Alternate translation: [with complete willingness]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

κατὰ Θεόν

This phrase refers to acting according to God’s will or requirements. If this might confuse your readers, you could express this explicitly. Alternate translation: [according to God’s will] or [as God wants you to]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet

μηδὲ αἰσχροκερδῶς, ἀλλὰ προθύμως

The phrases not greedily and eagerly mean basically the same thing. The repetition is used to emphasize that Peter wants church leaders to eagerly take care of believers. If your language does not use repetition to do this, you can use one phrase and provide emphasis in another way. Alternate translation: [with complete eagerness]

Parallel 1 PET 5:2