Luke 17:4

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and comes back to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

King James Version (1611)
And if hee trespasse against thee seuen times in a day, and seuen times in a day turne againe to thee, saying, I repent, thou shalt forgiue him.

King James Version
And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

English Standard Version
and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,' you must forgive him."

New American Standard Bible
"And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."

New Century Version
If he sins against you seven times in one day and says that he is sorry each time, forgive him."

Amplified Bible
"Even if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times and says, 'I repent,' you must forgive him [that is, give up resentment and consider the offense recalled and annulled]."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' forgive him."

Legacy Standard Bible
And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,' forgive him."

Berean Standard Bible
Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to say, 'I repent,' you must forgive him."

Contemporary English Version
Even if one of them mistreats you seven times in one day and says, "I am sorry," you should still forgive that person.

Complete Jewish Bible
Also, if seven times in one day he sins against you, and seven times he comes to you and says, ‘I repent,' you are to forgive him."

Darby Translation
And if he should sin against thee seven times in the day, and seven times should return to thee, saying, I repent, thou shalt forgive him.

Easy-to-Read Version
Even if they do something wrong to you seven times in one day, but they say they are sorry each time, you should forgive them."

Geneva Bible (1587)
And though he sinne against thee seuen times in a day, and seuen times in a day turne againe to thee, saying, It repenteth mee, thou shalt forgiue him.

George Lamsa Translation
And if he should offend you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn to you and say, I repent; forgive him.

Good News Translation
If he sins against you seven times in one day, and each time he comes to you saying, ‘I repent,' you must forgive him."

Lexham English Bible
And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times he returns to you saying, ‘I repent,' you must forgive him."

Literal Translation
And if seven times of the day he sins against you, and seven times of the day turns to you saying, I repent, you shall forgive him.

American Standard Version
And if he sin against thee seven times in the day, and seven times turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

Bible in Basic English
And if he does you wrong seven times in a day, and seven times comes to you and says, I have regret for what I have done; let him have forgiveness.

Hebrew Names Version
If he sins against you seven times in the day, and seven times turns again, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."

International Standard Version
Even if he sins against you seven times in a day and comes back to you seven times and says, 'I repent,' you must forgive him."

Etheridge Translation
And if seven times in the day he shall trespass against thee, and seven times in the day return to thee and say, I repent, forgive him.

Murdock Translation
And if he shall offend against thee seven times in a day, and, seven times in a day, shall turn himself to thee, and say, I repent; forgive him.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And though he sinne agaynst thee seuen tymes in a day, and seuen tymes in a day turne agayne to thee, saying, it repenteth me: thou shalt forgeue hym.

English Revised Version
And if he sin against thee seven times in the day, and seven times turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

World English Bible
If he sins against you seven times in the day, and seven times turns again, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And if he sin against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day return to thee, saying, I repent, thou shalt forgive him.

Weymouth's New Testament
and if seven times in a day he acts wrongly towards you, and seven times turns again to you and says, `I am sorry,' you must forgive him."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And if seuene sithis in the dai he do synne ayens thee, and seuene sithis in the dai he be conuertid to thee, and seie, It forthenkith me, foryyue thou hym.

Update Bible Version
And if he sins against you seven times in the day, and seven times turn again to you, saying, I repent; you shall forgive him.

Webster's Bible Translation
And if he shall trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day shall turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

New English Translation
Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to you saying, ‘I repent,' you must forgive him."

New King James Version
And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, [fn] saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."

New Living Translation
Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive."

New Life Bible
What if he sins against you seven times in one day? If he comes to you and says he is sorry and turns from his sin, forgive him."

New Revised Standard
And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,' you must forgive."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Even if, seven times a day, he sin against thee, and, seven times, turn to thee, saying, I repent, thou shalt forgive him.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And if he sin against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day be converted unto thee, saying: I repent: forgive him.

Revised Standard Version
and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, and says, 'I repent,' you must forgive him."

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
and yf he repent forgeve him. And though he sinne agest ye .vii. tymes in a daye and seve tymes in a daye tourne agayne to ye sayinge: it repenteth me forgeve him

Young's Literal Translation
and if seven times in the day he may sin against thee, and seven times in the day may turn back to thee, saying, I reform; thou shalt forgive him.'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and yf he amende, forgeue him. And though he synne agaynst the seuen tymes in a daye, and come seuen tymes in a daye to ye agayne, and saye: It repenteth me, forgeue him.

Mace New Testament (1729)
tho' he should offend you seven times in a day, and seven times in the day return to you, saying, I repent, you must forgive him.

Simplified Cowboy Version
Even if this happens over and over and over, if they turn from their sorry ways, you must forgive."

Contextual Overview

¹He 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! ³"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." ⁵ The apostles came up and said to the Master, "Give us more faith." ⁶ 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. ⁷"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.'"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

if: Matthew 18:21, Matthew 18:22, Matthew 18:35, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, Ephesians 4:31, Ephesians 4:32, Colossians 3:12, Colossians 3:13

I repent: Matthew 5:44, Matthew 6:12, Matthew 6:14, Matthew 6:15, Matthew 18:16, Romans 12:20, 2 Thessalonians 3:13, 2 Thessalonians 3:14

Reciprocal: Genesis 50:17 - Forgive Exodus 22:9 - for all manner of trespass Judges 11:8 - the elders Ecclesiastes 11:2 - seven Matthew 18:15 - if Luke 6:37 - forgive

Cross-References

Genesis 12:2
I'll make you a great nation and bless you. I'll make you famous; you'll be a blessing. I'll bless those who bless you; those who curse you I'll curse. All the families of the Earth will be blessed through you."

Genesis 17:1
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, God showed up and said to him, "I am The Strong God, live entirely before me, live to the hilt! I'll make a covenant between us and I'll give you a huge family."

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

Genesis 35:11
God continued, I am The Strong God. Have children! Flourish! A nation—a whole company of nations!— will come from you. Kings will come from your loins; the land I gave Abraham and Isaac I now give to you, and pass it on to your descendants.

Genesis 48:19
But his father wouldn't do it. He said, "I know, my son; but I know what I'm doing. He also will develop into a people, and he also will be great. But his younger brother will be even greater and his descendants will enrich nations." Then he blessed them both: Israel will use your names to give blessings: May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh. In that he made it explicit: he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day,.... For good men are frequently apt to fall into sin, and offend both God and man; see Proverbs 24:16 "and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent"; as often as he sins, and appears to be truly sensible of it, and humble for it, and makes acknowledgments of it; and not only barely in words professes his concern for it, but there is reason to believe that he is heartily grieved for it, and to hope that he will behave better for the future:

thou shalt forgive him; this seems to be occasioned by Peter's putting such a question to Christ, how often a brother might sin against him, and he forgive him; see Matthew 18:21. The Jews plead for great tenderness and readiness to forgive penitents, when they ask for forgiveness; which they insist upon should be done: they say q,

"it is forbidden an injured person to be cruel, and not forgive; this is not the way of the seed of Israel: but when he that has done the injury asks of him, and prays him once and again, and he knows that he has returned from his sin, and hath repented of his evil, he ought to forgive him; and whoever makes haste to forgive, is praiseworthy.''

But then, they say r,

"if he brings all the rams of Nebaioth that are in the world, he is not to have pardon, unless he asks it of him.''

And they seem also to have set times for it, as well as restrain the frequent repetition of it: they observe s;

"if a man returns by repentance, in the intermediate time, (i.e. as the gloss explains it, between the beginning of the year, or New Year's Day, and the day of atonement,) they pardon him; but if he does not return in the intermediate time, though he brings all the rams of Nebaioth in the world, they do not pardon him.''

A man that was always forgiving, was reckoned by them an extraordinary man: it is said t of Mar Zutra bar Nachman, that he was מוחל בכל יום, "forgiving every day"; but yet they do not seem to care to carry it to so great a length, and to repeat it so often as our Lord directs; they allow a man to forgive three times, but not a fourth; Matthew 18:21- :.

q Maimon. Hilchot Chobel Umezik, c. 5. sect. 10. r T. Bab. Bava Kama, fol. 92. 1. s T. Bab. Rosh Hashama, fol. 17. 2. t Juchasin, fol. 90. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See the notes at Matthew 18:15, Matthew 18:21-22. “Trespass against thee.” Sin against thee, or does anything that gives you an offence or does you an injury.

Rebuke - Reprove. Go and tell him his fault, and seek an explanation. Acquaint him with what has been the effect of his conduct, and the state of your feelings, that he may acknowledge his error and repent.