Luke 17:23

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
They will say to you,

King James Version (1611)
And they shall say to you, See here, or see there: Goe not after them, nor follow them.

King James Version
And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.

English Standard Version
And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!' or ‘Look, here!' Do not go out or follow them.

New American Standard Bible
"And they will say to you, 'Look there,' or, 'Look here!' Do not leave, and do not run after them.

New Century Version
People will say to you, ‘Look, there he is!' or, ‘Look, here he is!' Stay where you are; don't go away and search.

Amplified Bible
"They will say to you, 'Look [the Messiah is] there!' or 'Look [He is] here!' Do not go away [to see Him], and do not run after them.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"They will say to you, 'Look there! Look here!' Do not go away, and do not run after them.

Legacy Standard Bible
And they will say to you, ‘Look there! Look here!' Do not go away, and do not run after them.

Berean Standard Bible
People will tell you, 'Look, there He is,' or 'Here He is.' Do not go out or chase after them.

Contemporary English Version
When people say to you, "Look there," or "Look here," don't go looking for him.

Complete Jewish Bible
People will say to you, ‘Look! Right here!' or, ‘See! Over there!' Don't run off, don't follow them,

Darby Translation
And they will say to you, Lo here, or Lo there; go not, nor follow [them].

Easy-to-Read Version
People will say to you, ‘Look, there it is!' or ‘Look, here it is!' Stay where you are; don't go away and search.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then they shall say to you, Behold here, or beholde there: but goe not thither, neither followe them.

George Lamsa Translation
And if they should say to you, Behold, he is here! and behold, he is there! do not go.

Good News Translation
There will be those who will say to you, ‘Look, over there!' or, ‘Look, over here!' But don't go out looking for it.

Lexham English Bible
And they will say to you, ‘Behold, there!' ‘Behold, here!' Do not go out or run after them!

Literal Translation
And they will say to you, Lo, here! Or, Lo, there! Do not go away, nor follow.

American Standard Version
And they shall say to you, Lo, there! Lo, here! go not away, nor follow after them:

Bible in Basic English
And if they say to you, See, it is there! or, It is here! do not go away, or go after them.

Hebrew Names Version
They will tell you, 'Look, here!' or 'Look, there!' Don't go away, nor follow after them,

International Standard Version
PeopleThey">[fn] will say to you, 'Look! There he is!' or 'Look! Here he is!' Don't go and chase after him.Matthew 24:23; Mark 13:21; Luke 21:8;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
And if they say to you, Behold here, and, Behold there, go not.

Murdock Translation
And if they shall say to you: Lo, here he is! or, Lo, there he is! go not forth.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And they shall say to you, See here, see there: Go not after them, nor folowe them.

English Revised Version
And they shall say to you, Lo, there! Lo, here! go not away, nor follow after them:

World English Bible
They will tell you, 'Look, here!' or 'Look, there!' Don't go away, nor follow after them,

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And when they shall say to you, See here; see there: go not, nor follow them.

Weymouth's New Testament
And they will say to you, `See there!' `See here!' Do not start off and go in pursuit.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thei schulen seie to you, Lo! here, and lo there. Nyle ye go, nether sue ye;

Update Bible Version
And they shall say to you, Look, there! Or, Look, here! don't go away, nor follow after [them]:

Webster's Bible Translation
And they will say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after [them], nor follow them.

New English Translation
Then people will say to you, ‘Look, there he is!' or ‘Look, here he is!' Do not go out or chase after them.

New King James Version
And they will say to you, 'Look here!' or 'Look there!' [fn] Do not go after them or follow them.

New Living Translation
People will tell you, ‘Look, there is the Son of Man,' or ‘Here he is,' but don't go out and follow them.

New Life Bible
They will say to you, ‘He is here,' or, ‘He is there,' but do not follow them.

New Revised Standard
They will say to you, ‘Look there!' or ‘Look here!' Do not go, do not set off in pursuit.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And they will say unto you, Lo there! or, Lo here! Do not depart, and do notpursue.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And they will say to you: See here, and see there. Go ye not after, nor follow them.

Revised Standard Version
And they will say to you, 'Lo, there!' or 'Lo, here!' Do not go, do not follow them.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And they shall saye to you: Se here Se there. Goo not after them nor folowe them

Young's Literal Translation
and they shall say to you, Lo, here; or lo, there; ye may not go away, nor follow;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And they shal saye vnto you: Se here, Se there. Go not ye, nether folowe,

Mace New Testament (1729)
they will tell you, here he is, or, he is there: but don't go out to follow them;

Simplified Cowboy Version
There will be people saying, 'Look, over there! or, 'Here he is over here!' But don't believe those people.

Contextual Overview

²⁰Jesus, grilled by the Pharisees on when the kingdom of God would come, answered, "The kingdom of God doesn't come by counting the days on the calendar. Nor when someone says, ‘Look here!' or, ‘There it is!' And why? Because God's kingdom is already among you." ²²He went on to say to his disciples, "The days are coming when you are going to be desperately homesick for just a glimpse of one of the days of the Son of Man, and you won't see a thing. And they'll say to you, ‘Look over there!' or, ‘Look here!' Don't fall for any of that nonsense. The arrival of the Son of Man is not something you go out to see. He simply comes. "You know how the whole sky lights up from a single flash of lightning? That's how it will be on the Day of the Son of Man. But first it's necessary that he suffer many things and be turned down by the people of today. "The time of the Son of Man will be just like the time of Noah—everyone carrying on as usual, having a good time right up to the day Noah boarded the ship. They suspected nothing until the flood hit and swept everything away. "It was the same in the time of Lot—the people carrying on, having a good time, business as usual right up to the day Lot walked out of Sodom and a firestorm swept down and burned everything to a crisp. That's how it will be—sudden, total—when the Son of Man is revealed. "When the Day arrives and you're out working in the yard, don't run into the house to get anything. And if you're out in the field, don't go back and get your coat. Remember what happened to Lot's wife! If you grasp and cling to life on your terms, you'll lose it, but if you let that life go, you'll get life on God's terms. "On that Day, two men will be in the same boat fishing—one taken, the other left. Two women will be working in the same kitchen—one taken, the other left." Trying to take all this in, the disciples said, "Master, where?" He told them, "Watch for the circling of the vultures. They'll spot the corpse first. The action will begin around my dead body." ²⁵A Kernel of Faith He said to his disciples, "Hard trials and temptations are bound to come, but too bad for whoever brings them on! Better to wear a millstone necklace and take a swim in the deep blue sea than give even one of these dear little ones a hard time! "Be alert. If you see your friend going wrong, correct him. If he responds, forgive him. Even if it's personal against you and repeated seven times through the day, and seven times he says, ‘I'm sorry, I won't do it again,' forgive him." The apostles came up and said to the Master, "Give us more faith." But the Master said, "You don't need more faith. There is no ‘more' or ‘less' in faith. If you have a bare kernel of faith, say the size of a poppy seed, you could say to this sycamore tree, ‘Go jump in the lake,' and it would do it. "Suppose one of you has a servant who comes in from plowing the field or tending the sheep. Would you take his coat, set the table, and say, ‘Sit down and eat'? Wouldn't you be more likely to say, ‘Prepare dinner; change your clothes and wait table for me until I've finished my coffee; then go to the kitchen and have your supper'? Does the servant get special thanks for doing what's expected of him? It's the same with you. When you've done everything expected of you, be matter-of-fact and say, ‘The work is done. What we were told to do, we did.'" It happened that as he made his way toward Jerusalem, he crossed over the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten men, all lepers, met him. They kept their distance but raised their voices, calling out, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" Taking a good look at them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." They went, and while still on their way, became clean. One of them, when he realized that he was healed, turned around and came back, shouting his gratitude, glorifying God. He kneeled at Jesus' feet, so grateful. He couldn't thank him enough—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus said, "Were not ten healed? Where are the nine? Can none be found to come back and give glory to God except this outsider?" Then he said to him, "Get up. On your way. Your faith has healed and saved you." Jesus, grilled by the Pharisees on when the kingdom of God would come, answered, "The kingdom of God doesn't come by counting the days on the calendar. Nor when someone says, ‘Look here!' or, ‘There it is!' And why? Because God's kingdom is already among you." He went on to say to his disciples, "The days are coming when you are going to be desperately homesick for just a glimpse of one of the days of the Son of Man, and you won't see a thing. And they'll say to you, ‘Look over there!' or, ‘Look here!' Don't fall for any of that nonsense. The arrival of the Son of Man is not something you go out to see. He simply comes. "You know how the whole sky lights up from a single flash of lightning? That's how it will be on the Day of the Son of Man. But first it's necessary that he suffer many things and be turned down by the people of today. ²⁶"The time of the Son of Man will be just like the time of Noah—everyone carrying on as usual, having a good time right up to the day Noah boarded the ship. They suspected nothing until the flood hit and swept everything away. ²⁸"It was the same in the time of Lot—the people carrying on, having a good time, business as usual right up to the day Lot walked out of Sodom and a firestorm swept down and burned everything to a crisp. That's how it will be—sudden, total—when the Son of Man is revealed. ³¹"When the Day arrives and you're out working in the yard, don't run into the house to get anything. And if you're out in the field, don't go back and get your coat. Remember what happened to Lot's wife! If you grasp and cling to life on your terms, you'll lose it, but if you let that life go, you'll get life on God's terms. ³⁴"On that Day, two men will be in the same boat fishing—one taken, the other left. Two women will be working in the same kitchen—one taken, the other left." Trying to take all this in, the disciples said, "Master, where?" He told them, "Watch for the circling of the vultures. They'll spot the corpse first. The action will begin around my dead body." ³⁶A Kernel of Faith He said to his disciples, "Hard trials and temptations are bound to come, but too bad for whoever brings them on! Better to wear a millstone necklace and take a swim in the deep blue sea than give even one of these dear little ones a hard time! "Be alert. If you see your friend going wrong, correct him. If he responds, forgive him. Even if it's personal against you and repeated seven times through the day, and seven times he says, ‘I'm sorry, I won't do it again,' forgive him." The apostles came up and said to the Master, "Give us more faith." But the Master said, "You don't need more faith. There is no ‘more' or ‘less' in faith. If you have a bare kernel of faith, say the size of a poppy seed, you could say to this sycamore tree, ‘Go jump in the lake,' and it would do it. "Suppose one of you has a servant who comes in from plowing the field or tending the sheep. Would you take his coat, set the table, and say, ‘Sit down and eat'? Wouldn't you be more likely to say, ‘Prepare dinner; change your clothes and wait table for me until I've finished my coffee; then go to the kitchen and have your supper'? Does the servant get special thanks for doing what's expected of him? It's the same with you. When you've done everything expected of you, be matter-of-fact and say, ‘The work is done. What we were told to do, we did.'" It happened that as he made his way toward Jerusalem, he crossed over the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten men, all lepers, met him. They kept their distance but raised their voices, calling out, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" Taking a good look at them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." They went, and while still on their way, became clean. One of them, when he realized that he was healed, turned around and came back, shouting his gratitude, glorifying God. He kneeled at Jesus' feet, so grateful. He couldn't thank him enough—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus said, "Were not ten healed? Where are the nine? Can none be found to come back and give glory to God except this outsider?" Then he said to him, "Get up. On your way. Your faith has healed and saved you." Jesus, grilled by the Pharisees on when the kingdom of God would come, answered, "The kingdom of God doesn't come by counting the days on the calendar. Nor when someone says, ‘Look here!' or, ‘There it is!' And why? Because God's kingdom is already among you." He went on to say to his disciples, "The days are coming when you are going to be desperately homesick for just a glimpse of one of the days of the Son of Man, and you won't see a thing. And they'll say to you, ‘Look over there!' or, ‘Look here!' Don't fall for any of that nonsense. The arrival of the Son of Man is not something you go out to see. He simply comes. "You know how the whole sky lights up from a single flash of lightning? That's how it will be on the Day of the Son of Man. But first it's necessary that he suffer many things and be turned down by the people of today. "The time of the Son of Man will be just like the time of Noah—everyone carrying on as usual, having a good time right up to the day Noah boarded the ship. They suspected nothing until the flood hit and swept everything away. "It was the same in the time of Lot—the people carrying on, having a good time, business as usual right up to the day Lot walked out of Sodom and a firestorm swept down and burned everything to a crisp. That's how it will be—sudden, total—when the Son of Man is revealed. "When the Day arrives and you're out working in the yard, don't run into the house to get anything. And if you're out in the field, don't go back and get your coat. Remember what happened to Lot's wife! If you grasp and cling to life on your terms, you'll lose it, but if you let that life go, you'll get life on God's terms. "On that Day, two men will be in the same boat fishing—one taken, the other left. Two women will be working in the same kitchen—one taken, the other left." ³⁷ Trying to take all this in, the disciples said, "Master, where?" He told them, "Watch for the circling of the vultures. They'll spot the corpse first. The action will begin around my dead body."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Luke 17:21, Luke 21:8, Matthew 24:23-26, Mark 13:21-23

Reciprocal: Luke 17:20 - observation John 7:34 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 17:9
God continued to Abraham, "And you: You will honor my covenant, you and your descendants, generation after generation. This is the covenant that you are to honor, the covenant that pulls in all your descendants: Circumcise every male. Circumcise by cutting off the foreskin of the penis; it will be the sign of the covenant between us. Every male baby will be circumcised when he is eight days old, generation after generation—this includes house-born slaves and slaves bought from outsiders who are not blood kin. Make sure you circumcise both your own children and anyone brought in from the outside. That way my covenant will be cut into your body, a permanent mark of my permanent covenant. An uncircumcised male, one who has not had the foreskin of his penis cut off, will be cut off from his people—he has broken my covenant."

Genesis 17:18
Recovering, Abraham said to God, "Oh, keep Ishmael alive and well before you!"

Genesis 17:19
But God said, "That's not what I mean. Your wife, Sarah, will have a baby, a son. Name him Isaac (Laughter). I'll establish my covenant with him and his descendants, a covenant that lasts forever.

Genesis 34:24
Everyone who was anyone in the city agreed with Hamor and his son, Shechem; every male was circumcised.

Proverbs 27:1
Don't brashly announce what you're going to do tomorrow; you don't know the first thing about tomorrow.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they shall say unto you, see here, or see there,.... That is, there is Christ; and in two of Beza's exemplars, the word Christ is added as in Matthew 24:23 from whence it seems to be transcribed: and the sense is, it shall be said by one or another; Christ is in such a place, or he is in such a place, and he will quickly appear, and deliver the people of the Jews out of all their distresses and calamities by the Romans,

Go not after them nor follow [them]: the last clause, "nor follow them", is left out in the Syriac and Persic versions; the meaning is, give no credit to them; as if Christ was come again in person, and was in such a place, do not go along with them, where they direct, as into the desert, or into the secret chambers; for to follow them will be very dangerous, of bad consequence, as well as vain and fruitless; see Acts 5:36.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And they shall say ... - Many false Christs, according to Josephus, appeared about that time, attempting to lead away the people. See the notes at Matthew 24:23-27.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Luke 17:23. And they shall say — Or, And IF they shall say. Two MSS., the Syriac and Armenian, have εαν, IF.

See here — KM, sixteen others, and the later Syriac, have ο χριστος, Behold the Christ is here. This is undoubtedly the meaning of the place. Matthew 24:23; Matthew 24:23.