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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Luke 20:2

They said, "Tell us what authority you have to do these things. Who gave you this authority?"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Instruction;   Thompson Chain Reference - Divinity;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Heal, Health;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Consciousness;   Perplexity;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chief parables and miracles in the bible;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Authority in Religion;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
and said to him: “Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things? Who is it who gave you this authority?”
King James Version (1611)
And spake vnto him, saying, Tell vs, by what authoritie doest thou these things? or who is hee that gaue thee this authoritie?
King James Version
And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?
English Standard Version
and said to him, "Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority."
New American Standard Bible
and they declared, saying to Him, "Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?"
New Century Version
saying, "Tell us what authority you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?"
Amplified Bible
and said to Him, "Tell us by what kind of authority You are doing these things? Or who is the one who gave You this authority?"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
and they spoke, saying to Him, "Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?"
Legacy Standard Bible
and they spoke, saying to Him, "Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?"
Berean Standard Bible
"Tell us," they said, "by what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?"
Contemporary English Version
asked him, "What right do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?"
Complete Jewish Bible
and said, "Tell us, what s'mikhah do you have that authorizes you to do these things? Who gave you this s'mikhah?"
Darby Translation
and spoke to him saying, Tell us by what authority thou doest these things, or who is it who has given thee this authority?
Geneva Bible (1587)
And spake vnto him, saying, Tell vs by what authoritie thou doest these things, or who is hee that hath giuen thee this authoritie?
George Lamsa Translation
And they said to him, Tell us by what authority you do these things, and who gave you this authority?
Good News Translation
and said to him, "Tell us, what right do you have to do these things? Who gave you such right?"
Lexham English Bible
and said, saying to him, "Tell us, by what authority you are doing these things, or who is the one who gave you this authority?
Literal Translation
and spoke to Him, saying, Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who is it who gave to you this authority?
American Standard Version
and they spake, saying unto him, Tell us: By what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?
Bible in Basic English
That the chief priests and the scribes and the rulers of the people came to him and said, Make clear to us by what authority you do these things and who gave you this authority.
Hebrew Names Version
They asked him, "Tell us: by what authority do you do these things? Or who is giving you this authority?"
International Standard Version
and asked him, "Tell us: By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?"Acts 4:7; 7:27;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
and said to him, Tell us by what authority thou doest these, and who is he who gave thee this authority ?
Murdock Translation
and said to him: Tell us, by what authority thou doest these things? And who is it, that gave thee this authority?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And spake vnto him, saying: Tell vs by what aucthoritie doest thou these thynges? Eyther who is he that gaue thee this aucthoritie?
English Revised Version
and they spake, saying unto him, Tell us: By what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?
World English Bible
They asked him, "Tell us: by what authority do you do these things? Or who is giving you this authority?"
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And spake to him saying, Tell us, by what authority dost thou these things, and who is he that gave thee this authority?
Weymouth's New Testament
together with the Elders, and they asked Him, "Tell us, By what authority are you doing these things? And who is it that gave you this authority?"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and thei seiden to hym, Seie to vs, in what power thou doist these thingis, or who is he that yaf to thee this power?
Update Bible Version
and they spoke, saying to him, Tell us: By what authority do you do these things? or who is he that gave you this authority?
Webster's Bible Translation
And spoke to him, saying, Tell us, By what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?
New English Translation
and said to him, "Tell us: By what authority are you doing these things? Or who is it who gave you this authority?"
New King James Version
and spoke to Him, saying, "Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things? Or who is he who gave You this authority?"
New Living Translation
They demanded, "By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?"
New Life Bible
They said to Him, "Tell us, by what right and power are You doing these things? Who gave You the right and the power?"
New Revised Standard
and said to him, "Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things? Who is it who gave you this authority?"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and spake, saying, unto him - Tell us, by what authority, these things, thou art doing, and, who, is it, that gave thee this authority.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And spoke to him, saying: Tell us, by what authority dost thou these things? Or, who is he that hath given thee this authority?
Revised Standard Version
and said to him, "Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority."
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
and spake vnto him sayinge. Tell vs by what auctorite thou doest these thinges? Ether who is he yt gave ye this auctorite?
Young's Literal Translation
and spake unto him, saying, `Tell us by what authority thou dost these things? or who is he that gave to thee this authority?'
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and spake vnto him, and sayde: Tell vs, by what auctorite doest thou these thinges? Or who gaue the this auctorite?
Mace New Testament (1729)
and thus accosted him, tell us by what authority do you act thus? and whence do you derive that authority?
Simplified Cowboy Version
"Who said you could teach in here?"

Contextual Overview

1 One day Jesus was in the Temple area teaching the people. He was telling them the Good News. The leading priests, teachers of the law, and older Jewish leaders came to talk to Jesus. 2 They said, "Tell us what authority you have to do these things. Who gave you this authority?" 3 Jesus answered, "I will ask you a question too. Tell me: 4 When John baptized people, did his authority come from God or was it only from other people?" 5 The priests, the teachers of the law, and the Jewish leaders all talked about this. They said to each other, "If we answer, ‘John's baptism was from God,' then he will say, ‘Then why did you not believe John?' 6 But if we say that John's baptism was from someone else, the people will stone us to death. They all believe that John was a prophet." 7 So they answered, "We don't know the answer." 8 So Jesus said to them, "Then I will not tell you who gave me the authority to do these things."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Tell: Luke 19:35-40, Luke 19:45, Luke 19:46, Matthew 21:23-27, Mark 11:28-33

who: Exodus 2:14, John 2:18, John 5:22-27, Acts 4:7-10, Acts 7:27, Acts 7:35-39, Acts 7:51

Reciprocal: Jeremiah 32:3 - Wherefore Matthew 21:10 - Who Mark 14:49 - was

Cross-References

Genesis 12:15
Even some of Pharaoh's officials noticed her and told Pharaoh how beautiful she was. So they took her to Pharaoh's house.
Genesis 20:11
Then Abraham said, "I thought no one in this place respected God. I thought someone would kill me to get Sarah.
Genesis 20:12
She is my wife, but she is also my sister. She is the daughter of my father but not the daughter of my mother.
Genesis 20:13
God led me away from my father's house. He led me to wander to many different places. When that happened, I told Sarah, ‘Do something for me. Wherever we go, tell people you are my sister.'"
Genesis 26:1
Now there was a famine. This was like the famine that happened during Abraham's life. So Isaac went to the town of Gerar, to King Abimelech of the Philistines.
Genesis 26:7
His wife Rebekah was very beautiful. The men of that place asked Isaac about Rebekah. He said, "She is my sister." He was afraid to tell them Rebekah was his wife. He was afraid the men would kill him so that they could have her.
Genesis 26:16
Abimelech said to Isaac, "Leave our country. You have become much more powerful than we are."
2 Chronicles 19:2
The prophet Jehu, son of Hanani, went out to meet the king. Jehu said to him, "Why did you help those who are wicked? Why do you love those who hate the Lord ? That's the reason the Lord is angry with you now.
2 Chronicles 20:37
There was a man from the town of Mareshah named Eliezer son of Dodavahu. He spoke against Jehoshaphat and said, "Jehoshaphat, since you have joined with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have built." The ships were wrecked, so Jehoshaphat and Ahaziah were not able to send them to Tarshish.
2 Chronicles 32:31
One time the leaders of Babylon sent messengers to Hezekiah. The messengers asked about a strange sign that had happened in the nations. When they came, God left Hezekiah alone to test him and to know everything that was in Hezekiah's heart.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And spoke unto him, saying, tell us by what authority doest thou these things?.... The Arabic and Ethiopic versions read, "this thing"; as if the sanhedrim only referred to his preaching the Gospel, which is mentioned in the preceding verse, and was what he was about when they came to him: but the Persic version reads, "all these things"; not only preaching, but working miracles; and particularly driving the buyers and sellers out of the temple, which especially affected them, they losing their rents thereby:

or who is he that gave thee this authority? God or man?

:-.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See this passage explained in the notes at Matthew 21:23-27.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Luke 20:2. By what authority, &c.] See Clarke's notes on Matthew 21:23-27.


 
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