Luke 16:15

Easy-to-Read Version

Jesus said to them, "You make yourselves look good in front of people. But God knows what is really in your hearts. What people think is important is worth nothing to God.

Parallel Translations

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And he sayd vnto the: Ye are they which iustifie youre selves before me: but God knoweth youre hertes. For ye which is highlie estemed amoge me is abhominable in yt sight of god

Hebrew Names Version
He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts. For that which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

International Standard Version
So he said to them, "You try to justify yourselves in front of people, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly valued by people is detestable to God.1 Samuel 16:7; Psalm 7:9; Luke 10:29;">[xr]

New American Standard Bible
And He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the sight of people, but God knows your hearts; because that which is highly esteemed among people is detestable in the sight of God.

New Century Version
He said to them, "You make yourselves look good in front of people, but God knows what is really in your hearts. What is important to people is hateful in God's sight.

Update Bible Version
And he said to them, You are those that justify yourselves in the sight of men; but God knows your hearts: for that which is exalted among men is disgusting in the sight of God.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he said to them, Ye are they who justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men, is abomination in the sight of God.

Amplified Bible
So He said to them, "You are the ones who declare yourselves just and upright in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts [your thoughts, your desires, your secrets]; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.

English Standard Version
And he said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

World English Bible
He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts. For that which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And he said to them, Ye are they who justify yourselves before men: but God knoweth your hearts: And that which is highly esteemed among men, is an abomination before God.

Weymouth's New Testament
"You are they," He said to them, "who boast of their own goodness before men, but God sees your hearts; for that which holds a proud position among men is detestable in God's sight.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he seide to hem, Ye it ben, that iustifien you bifor men; but God hath knowun youre hertis, for that that is hiy to men, is abhomynacioun bifor God.

English Revised Version
And he said unto them, Ye are they that justify yourselves in the sight of men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

Berean Standard Bible
So He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is prized among men is detestable before God.

Contemporary English Version
But Jesus told them: You are always making yourselves look good, but God sees what is in your heart. The things that most people think are important are worthless as far as God is concerned.

American Standard Version
And he said unto them, Ye are they that justify yourselves in the sight of men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

Bible in Basic English
And he said, You take care to seem right in the eyes of men, but God sees your hearts: and those things which are important in the opinion of men, are evil in the eyes of God.

Complete Jewish Bible
He said to them, "You people make yourselves look righteous to others, but God knows your hearts; what people regard highly is an abomination before God!

Darby Translation
And he said to them, *Ye* are they who justify themselves before men, but God knows your hearts; for what amongst men is highly thought of is an abomination before God.

Etheridge Translation
But Jeshu said to them, You are they who justify yourselves before the sons of men; but Aloha knoweth your hearts. For, what is exalted among men, before Aloha is abominable.

Murdock Translation
And Jesus said to them: Ye are such as justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your heart: for that which is exalted among men, is abominable before God.

King James Version (1611)
And he said vnto them, Ye are they which iustifie your selues before men, but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed amongst men, is abomination in the sight of God.

New Living Translation
Then he said to them, "You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts. What this world honors is detestable in the sight of God.

New Life Bible
Jesus said to them, "You are the kind of people who make yourselves look good before other people. God knows your hearts. What men think is good is hated in the eyes of God.

New Revised Standard
So he said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then he sayde vnto them, Yee are they, which iustifie your selues before men: but God knoweth your heartes: for that which is highly esteemed among men, is abomination in the sight of God.

George Lamsa Translation
But Jesus said to them, You are the ones who make yourselves righteous before men; but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is disgusting in the presence of God.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And he said unto them - Ye, are they who justify themselves before men, but, God, knoweth your hearts; because, that which amongst men is lofty, is an abomination before God.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And he said to them: you are they who justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth your hearts. For that which is high to men is an abomination before God.

Revised Standard Version
But he said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts; for what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he sayde vnto them, Ye are they which iustifie your selues before men: but God knoweth your heartes. For that which is hyghly esteemed among men, is abhominable in the syght of God.

Good News Translation
Jesus said to them, "You are the ones who make yourselves look right in other people's sight, but God knows your hearts. For the things that are considered of great value by people are worth nothing in God's sight.

Christian Standard Bible®
And he told them, “You are the ones who justify

King James Version
And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

Lexham English Bible
And he said to them, "You are the ones who justify themselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts! For what is considered exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

Literal Translation
And He said to them, You are those justifying yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts; for the thing highly prized among men is a hateful thing before God.

Young's Literal Translation
and he said to them, `Ye are those declaring yourselves righteous before men, but God doth know your hearts; because that which among men is high, [is] abomination before God;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And he sayde vnto them: Ye are they that iustifie yor selues before men, but God knoweth youre hertes. For yt which is hye amonge men, is an abhominacion before God.

Mace New Testament (1729)
but he said to them, you pretend to piety before men, which, however they may admire, is an abomination to God, who knows your real temper.

New English Translation
But Jesus said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in men's eyes, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly prized among men is utterly detestable in God's sight.

New King James Version
And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

Simplified Cowboy Version
Jesus told 'em, "Y'all are the ones who try to look so good in other people's eyes, but the Boss knows what kind of leather you're made of. The things you and the world hold in high regard are useless in the eyes of the Boss.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.

Legacy Standard Bible
And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts, for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.

Contextual Overview

¹ Jesus said to his followers, "Once there was a rich man. He hired a manager to take care of his business. Later, he learned that his manager was cheating him. ² So he called the manager in and said to him, ‘I have heard bad things about you. Give me a report of what you have done with my money. You can't be my manager anymore.' ³ "So, the manager thought to himself, ‘What will I do? My master is taking my job away from me. I am not strong enough to dig ditches. I am too proud to beg. ⁴ I know what I will do! I will do something to make friends, so that when I lose my job, they will welcome me into their homes.' ⁵ "So the manager called in each person who owed the master some money. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe my master?' ⁶ He answered, ‘I owe him 100 jars of olive oil.' The manager said to him, ‘Here is your bill. Hurry! Sit down and make the bill less. Write 50 jars.' ⁷ "Then the manager asked another one, ‘How much do you owe my master?' He answered, ‘I owe him 100 measures of wheat.' Then the manager said to him, ‘Here is your bill; you can make it less. Write 80 measures.' ⁸ "Later, the master told the dishonest manager that he had done a smart thing. Yes, worldly people are smarter in their business with each other than spiritual people are. ⁹ "I tell you, use the worldly things you have now to make ‘friends' for later. Then, when those things are gone, you will be welcomed into a home that lasts forever. ¹⁰ Whoever can be trusted with small things can also be trusted with big things. Whoever is dishonest in little things will be dishonest in big things too.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Ye: Luke 10:29, Luke 11:39, Luke 18:11, Luke 18:21, Luke 20:20, Luke 20:47, Proverbs 20:6, Matthew 6:2, Matthew 6:5, Matthew 6:16, Matthew 23:5, Matthew 23:25-27, Romans 3:20, James 2:21-25

God: 1 Samuel 16:7, 1 Chronicles 29:17, 2 Chronicles 6:30, Psalms 7:9, Psalms 139:1, Psalms 139:2, Jeremiah 17:10, John 2:25, John 21:17, Acts 1:18, Acts 15:8, 1 Corinthians 4:5, Revelation 2:23

for: Psalms 10:3, Psalms 49:13, Psalms 49:18, Proverbs 16:5, Isaiah 1:10-14, Amos 5:21, Amos 5:22, Malachi 3:15, 1 Peter 3:4, 1 Peter 5:5

Reciprocal: Genesis 18:21 - I will know Leviticus 7:18 - an abomination Job 9:20 - justify Job 10:4 - seest thou Psalms 32:5 - have Psalms 36:2 - For he Psalms 119:51 - proud Proverbs 3:32 - the froward Proverbs 16:2 - but Proverbs 21:2 - the Lord Proverbs 30:12 - that are Isaiah 5:20 - them Isaiah 43:26 - declare Hosea 12:8 - they Matthew 5:20 - exceed Matthew 18:35 - from Matthew 23:28 - ye also Mark 2:17 - They that are whole Mark 7:21 - out Luke 1:6 - righteous Luke 2:35 - that Luke 6:25 - laugh Luke 15:7 - which Luke 18:9 - which Luke 18:14 - justified John 5:42 - I know John 12:43 - they Romans 10:3 - to establish 2 Corinthians 10:7 - ye look 2 Corinthians 10:18 - not Galatians 6:12 - as desire Philippians 4:8 - think

Cross-References

Genesis 16:9
The angel of the Lord said to her, "Sarai is your owner. Go home to her and obey her."

Genesis 16:11
Then the angel of the Lord said, "Hagar, you are now pregnant, and you will have a son. You will name him Ishmael, because the Lord has heard that you were treated badly.

Genesis 17:18
Then Abraham said to God, "I hope Ishmael will live and serve you."

Genesis 17:20
"You mentioned Ishmael, and I heard you. I will bless him, and he will have many children. He will be the father of twelve great leaders. His family will become a great nation.

Genesis 25:9
His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah. This cave is in the field of Ephron, the son of Zohar. It was east of Mamre.

Genesis 25:12
This is the list of Ishmael's family. Ishmael was Abraham and Hagar's son. (Hagar was Sarah's Egyptian maid.)

Genesis 28:9
Esau already had two wives, but he went to Abraham's son Ishmael and married another woman, Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael. Mahalath was Nebaioth's sister.

Genesis 37:27
We will profit more if we sell him to these traders. Then we will not be guilty of killing our own brother." The other brothers agreed.

1 Chronicles 1:28
Abraham's sons were Isaac and Ishmael.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he said unto them,.... That is, Jesus said unto them, as the Syriac and Persic versions express it: "ye are they which justify yourselves before men": from the sins of injustice, unfaithfulness, covetousness, and all others; and would be thought, and appear to be righteous; but it is only in the sight of men, who can only see the outside of things, and judge thereby:

but God knoweth your hearts; and what is in them, the deceitfulness, hypocrisy, covetousness, and cruelty of them, which are hid from the eyes of men:

for that which is highly esteemed among men; or what is high in the account and esteem of men, as the outward appearance of these men for morality, religion, and holiness; their zeal for the ceremonies of the law, and the traditions of the elders:

is abomination in the sight of God; who knew full well from what principles, and with what views they acted, to gain popular applause, and amass riches to themselves, without any concern for the glory of God, and the good of men: see Isaiah 65:5.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

They derided him - The fact that they were “covetous” is here stated as the reason why they derided him, or, as it is literally, “they turned up the nose at him.” They contemned or despised the doctrine which he had laid down, probably because it showed them that with their love of money they could not be the true friends of God, or that their profession of religion was really false and hollow. They were “attempting” to serve God and mammon, and they, therefore, looked upon his doctrine with contempt and scorn.

Justify yourselves - “Attempt” to appear just; or; you aim to appear righteous in the sight of people, and do not regard the heart.

That which is highly esteemed - That is, mere external works, or actions performed merely to “appear” to be righteous.

Is abomination - Is abominable, or hateful. The word used here is the one that in the Old Testament is commonly given to “idols,” and denotes God’s “abhorrence” of such conduct. These words are to be applied “chiefly” to what Jesus was discoursing about. There are many things esteemed among people which are “not” abomination in the sight of God; as, for example, truth, parental and filial affection, industry, etc. But many things, much sought and admired, “are” hateful in his sight. The love of wealth and show, ambition and pride, frivolous and splendid vices, and all the wickedness that people contrive to “gild” and to make appear like virtue - external acts that “appear” well while the heart is evil - are abominable in the sight of God, and “should be” in the sight of people. Compare Luke 18:11-14; 1 Samuel 16:7.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Luke 16:15. Ye - justify yourselves — Ye declare yourselves to be just. Ye endeavour to make it appear to men that ye can still feel an insatiable thirst after the present world, and yet secure the blessings of another; that ye can reconcile God and mammon, - and serve two masters with equal zeal and affection; but God knoweth your hearts, - and he knoweth that ye are alive to the world, and dead to God and goodness. Therefore, howsoever ye may be esteemed among men, ye are an abomination before him. Luke 7:29.