Luke 19:31

THE MESSAGE

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."

Amplified Bible
"If anybody asks you, 'Why are you untying the colt?' you will say, 'The Lord 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 headed straight up to Jerusalem. When he got near Bethphage and Bethany at the mountain called Olives, he sent off two of the disciples with instructions: "Go to the village across from you. As soon as you enter, you'll find a colt tethered, one that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says anything, asks, ‘What are you doing?' say, ‘His Master needs him.'" ³²The two left and found it just as he said. As they were untying the colt, its owners said, "What are you doing untying the colt?" ³⁴ They said, "His Master needs him." ³⁵They brought the colt to Jesus. Then, throwing their coats on its back, they helped Jesus get on. As he rode, the people gave him a grand welcome, throwing their coats on the street. ³⁷Right at the crest, where Mount Olives begins its descent, the whole crowd of disciples burst into enthusiastic praise over all the mighty works they had witnessed: Blessed is he who comes, the king in God's name! All's well in heaven! Glory in the high places! ³⁹ Some Pharisees from the crowd told him, "Teacher, get your disciples under control!" ⁴⁰ But he said, "If they kept quiet, the stones would do it for them, shouting praise."

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
Adam slept with Eve his wife. She conceived and had Cain. She said, "I've gotten a man, with God 's help!"

Genesis 6:4
This was back in the days (and also later) when there were giants in the land. The giants came from the union of the sons of God and the daughters of men. These were the mighty men of ancient lore, the famous ones.

Genesis 19:9
They said, "Get lost! You drop in from nowhere and now you're going to tell us how to run our lives. We'll treat you worse than them!" And they charged past Lot to break down the door.

Genesis 19:14
Lot went out and warned the fiancés of his daughters, "Evacuate this place; God is about to destroy this city!" But his daughters' would-be husbands treated it as a joke.

Genesis 19:30
Lot left Zoar and went into the mountains to live with his two daughters; he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He lived in a cave with his daughters.

Deuteronomy 25:5
When brothers are living together and one of them dies without having had a son, the widow of the dead brother shall not marry a stranger from outside the family; her husband's brother is to come to her and marry her and do the brother-in-law's duty by her. The first son that she bears shall be named after her dead husband so his name won't die out in Israel.

Isaiah 4:1
That will be the day when seven women will gang up on one man, saying, "We'll take care of ourselves, get our own food and clothes. Just give us a child. Make us pregnant so we'll have something to live for!"

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

:-

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See the notes at Matthew 21:1-16.