Luke 19:31

Amplified Bible

"If anybody asks you, 'Why are you untying the colt?' you will say, 'The Lord needs it.'"

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say this: ‘The Lord needs it.’”

King James Version (1611)
And if any man aske you, Why do ye loose him? Thus shall ye say vnto him, Because the Lord hath neede of him.

King James Version
And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him.

English Standard Version
If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?' you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.'"

New American Standard Bible
"And if anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' you shall say this: 'The Lord has need of it.'"

New Century Version
If anyone asks you why you are untying it, say that the Master needs it."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' you shall say, 'The Lord has need of it.'"

Legacy Standard Bible
And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?' you shall say this: ‘Because the Lord has need of it.'"

Berean Standard Bible
If anyone asks, 'Why you are untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.'"

Contemporary English Version
If anyone asks why you are doing that, just say, ‘The Lord needs it.'"

Complete Jewish Bible
If anyone asks why you are untying it, tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.'"

Darby Translation
And if any one ask you, Why do ye loose [it]? thus shall ye say to him, Because the Lord has need of it.

Easy-to-Read Version
If anyone asks you why you are taking the donkey, you should say, ‘The Master needs it.'"

Geneva Bible (1587)
And if any man aske you, why ye loose him, thus shall ye say vnto him, Because the Lord hath neede of him.

George Lamsa Translation
And if any man should ask you, Why do you untie it? tell him this: Our lord needs it.

Good News Translation
If someone asks you why you are untying it, tell him that the Master needs it."

Lexham English Bible
And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?' you will say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.'"

Literal Translation
And if anyone asks, Why do you untie it ? you shall say to them, The Lord has need of it.

American Standard Version
And if any one ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say, The Lord hath need of him.

Bible in Basic English
And if anyone says to you, Why are you taking him? say, The Lord has need of him.

Hebrew Names Version
If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' say to him: 'The Lord needs it.'"

International Standard Version
If anyone asks you why you are untying it, say this: 'The Lord needs it.'"

Etheridge Translation
And if any man demand why you loose him, thus say: It is requested by our Lord.

Murdock Translation
And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? say to him: Our Lord needeth him.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And yf any man aske you, why do ye loose hym, thus shall ye say vnto hym: because the Lorde hath neede of hym.

English Revised Version
And if any one ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say, The Lord hath need of him.

World English Bible
If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' say to him: 'The Lord needs it.'"

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him, thus shall ye say to him, The Lord hath need of him.

Weymouth's New Testament
And if any one asks you, `Why are you untying the colt?' simply say, `The Master needs it.'"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And if ony man axe you, whi ye vntien, thus ye schulen seie to hym, For the Lord desirith his werk.

Update Bible Version
And if any one asks you, Why do you loose him? thus you shall say, The Lord has need of him.

Webster's Bible Translation
And if any man shall ask you, Why do ye loose [him]? thus shall ye say to him, Because the Lord hath need of him.

New English Translation
If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?' just say, ‘The Lord needs it.'"

New King James Version
And if anyone asks you, "Why are you loosing it?' thus you shall say to him, "Because the Lord has need of it."'

New Living Translation
If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?' just say, ‘The Lord needs it.'"

New Life Bible
If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you letting it loose?' say to him, ‘Because the Lord needs it.'"

New Revised Standard
If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?' just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.'"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, if any one question you - Wherefore are ye loosing him? thus, shall ye say - His Lord, hath, need.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And if any man shall ask you: Why do you loose him? You shall say thus unto him: Because the Lord hath need of his service.

Revised Standard Version
If any one asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' you shall say this, 'The Lord has need of it.'"

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And if eny man axe you why that ye loowse him: thus saye vnto him ye lorde hath nede of him.

Young's Literal Translation
and if any one doth question you, Wherefore do ye loose [it]? thus ye shall say to him -- The Lord hath need of it.'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And yf eny ma axe you wherfore ye lowse it, saye thus vnto him. The LORDE hath nede therof.

Mace New Testament (1729)
if any one should ask you, why you untie it, let this be your answer, because the Lord has occasion for it.

Simplified Cowboy Version
And if anyone asks what you are doing, say, 'The Top Hand needs it.'"

Contextual Overview

²⁸After saying these things, Jesus went on ahead [of them], going up to Jerusalem. ²⁹When He approached Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, He sent two of the disciples, ³⁰saying, "Go into the village ahead of you; there, as you enter, you will find a [donkey's] colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. ³¹"If anybody asks you, 'Why are you untying the colt?' you will say, 'The Lord needs it.'"³²So those who were sent left and found the colt just as He had told them. ³³As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?" ³⁴They said, "The Lord needs it." ³⁵They brought it to Jesus, and they threw their robes over the colt and put Jesus on it. ³⁶As He rode along, people were spreading their coats on the road [as an act of homage before a king]. ³⁷As soon as He was approaching [Jerusalem], near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the entire multitude of the disciples [all those who were or claimed to be His followers] began praising God [adoring Him enthusiastically and] joyfully with loud voices for all the miracles and works of power that they had seen,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the Lord: Psalms 24:1, Psalms 50:10-12, Matthew 21:2, Matthew 21:3, Mark 11:3-6, Acts 10:36

Reciprocal: Mark 11:2 - General Luke 22:11 - The Master John 4:1 - the Lord

Cross-References

Genesis 4:1
Now the man Adam knew Eve as his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, "I have obtained a man (baby boy, son) with the help of the LORD."

Genesis 6:4
There were Nephilim (men of stature, notorious men) on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God lived with the daughters of men, and they gave birth to their children. These were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown (great reputation, fame).

Genesis 16:2
So Sarai said to Abram, "See here, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. I am asking you to go in to [the bed of] my maid [so that she may bear you a child]; perhaps I will obtain children by her." And Abram listened to Sarai and did as she said.

Genesis 16:4
He went in to [the bed of] Hagar, and she conceived; and when she realized that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress [regarding Sarai as insignificant because of her infertility].

Genesis 19:8
"See here, I have two daughters who have not known a man [intimately]; please let me bring them out to you [instead], and you can do as you please with them; only do nothing to these men, because they have in fact come under the shelter of my roof [for protection]."

Genesis 19:9
But they said, "Get out of the way!" And they said, "This man (Lot) came [as an outsider] to live here temporarily, and now he is acting like a judge. Now we will treat you worse than your visitors!" So they rushed forward and pressed violently against Lot and came close to breaking down the door [of his house].

Genesis 19:14
So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were [betrothed, and legally promised] to marry his daughters, and said, "Get up, get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy this city!" But to his sons-in-law he appeared to be joking.

Genesis 19:28
and he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the valley [of the Dead Sea]; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a kiln (pottery furnace).

Genesis 19:30
Now Lot went up from Zoar, and lived in the mountain together with his two daughters, for he was afraid to stay [any longer] in Zoar; and he lived in a cave with his two daughters.

Deuteronomy 25:5
"If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, the widow of the deceased shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband's brother shall be intimate with her after taking her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And if any man ask you, why do ye loose [him]?.... As our Lord, being God omniscient, knew this question would be asked by the owners, and therefore prepares his disciples with an answer to it:

thus shall ye say unto him, because the Lord hath need of him. The Syriac and Persic versions read "our Lord", yours, and ours; probably the owners of the colt might be such as knew the Lord Jesus Christ, and by this way of speaking of him, knew, at once, who was meant, and so made no scruple of sending him, as Christ told them they would not, and so they found it; :- and

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Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See the notes at Matthew 21:1-16.