Mark 2:18

The NET Bible®

Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. So they came to Jesus and said, "Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples don't fast?"

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. People came and asked him, “Why do John’s disciples and the Pharisees’ disciples fast, but your disciples do not fast?”

King James Version (1611)
And the disciples of Iohn, and of the Pharisees vsed to fast; and they come, and say vnto him, Why doe the disciples of Iohn, and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?

King James Version
And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?

English Standard Version
Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"

New American Standard Bible
John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and they came and said to Him, "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?"

New Century Version
Now the followers of John and the Pharisees often fasted for a certain time. Some people came to Jesus and said, "Why do John's followers and the followers of the Pharisees often fast, but your followers don't?"

Amplified Bible
Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting [as a ritual]; and they came and asked Jesus, "Why are John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fasting, but Your disciples are not doing so?"

New American Standard Bible (1995)
John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and they came and said to Him, "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?"

Legacy Standard Bible
And John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and they *came and *said to Him, "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?"

Berean Standard Bible
Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were often fasting. So people came to Jesus and asked, "Why don't Your disciples fast like John's disciples and those of the Pharisees?"

Contemporary English Version
The followers of John the Baptist and the Pharisees often went without eating. Some people came and asked Jesus, "Why do the followers of John and those of the Pharisees often go without eating, while your disciples never do?"

Complete Jewish Bible
Also Yochanan's talmidim and the P'rushim were fasting; and they came and asked Yeshua, "Why is it that Yochanan's talmidim and the talmidim of the P'rushim fast, but your talmidim don't fast?"

Darby Translation
And the disciples of John and the Pharisees were fasting; and they come and say to him, Why do the disciples of John and [the disciples] of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?

Easy-to-Read Version
The followers of John and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came to Jesus and said, "John's followers fast, and the followers of the Pharisees fast. But your followers don't fast. Why?"

Geneva Bible (1587)
And the disciples of Iohn, and the Pharises did fast, and came and saide vnto him, Why doe the disciples of Iohn, and of the Pharises fast, and thy disciples fast not?

George Lamsa Translation
The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting; and they came and said to him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, and your own disciples do not fast?

Good News Translation
On one occasion the followers of John the Baptist and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came to Jesus and asked him, "Why is it that the disciples of John the Baptist and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but yours do not?"

Lexham English Bible
And John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, and they came and said to him, "Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"

Literal Translation
And John's disciples, and those of the Pharisees, were fasting. And they came and said to Him, Why do John's disciples and those of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?

American Standard Version
And John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting: and they come and say unto him, Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?

Bible in Basic English
And John's disciples and the Pharisees were taking no food: and they came and said to him, Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees go without food, but your disciples do not?

Hebrew Names Version
Yochanan's talmidim and the Perushim were fasting, and they came and asked him, "Why do Yochanan's talmidim and the talmidim of the Perushim fast, but your talmidim don't fast?"

International Standard Version
Now John's disciples and the Pharisees would fast regularly. Some peopleThey">[fn] came and asked Jesus,him">[fn] "Why do John's disciples and the Pharisees' disciples fast, but your disciples don't fast?"Matthew 9:14; Luke 5:33;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
Now the disciples of Juchanon and of the Pharishee fasted. And they came and said to him, (While) the disciples of Juchanon and of the Pharishee fast, why do not thy disciples fast ?

Murdock Translation
And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasters; and they came and said to him: Why are the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fasters, and thy disciples fast not?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the disciples of Iohn, & the Pharisees dyd fast. And they come, and say vnto him: Why do ye disciples of Iohn, and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?

English Revised Version
And John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting: and they come and say unto him, Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?

World English Bible
John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, and they came and asked him, "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples don't fast?"

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say to him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?

Weymouth's New Testament
(Now John's disciples and those of the Pharisees were keeping a fast.) And they came and asked Him, "How is it that John's disciples and those of the Pharisees are fasting, and yours are not?"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the disciplis of Joon and the Farisees weren fastynge; and thei camen, and seien to hym, Whi fasten the disciplis of Joon, and the Farisees fasten, but thi disciplis fasten not?

Update Bible Version
And John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting: and they come and say to him, Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples don't fast?

Webster's Bible Translation
And the disciples of John, and of the Pharisees, used to fast: and they come, and say to him, Why do the disciples of John, and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?

New King James Version
Matthew 9:14-17; Luke 5:33-39">[xr] The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?"

New Living Translation
Once when John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, some people came to Jesus and asked, "Why don't your disciples fast like John's disciples and the Pharisees do?"

New Life Bible
The followers of John and the proud religious law-keepers were not eating food so they could pray better. Some people came to Jesus and said, "Why do the followers of John and the proud religious law-keepers go without food so they can pray better, but Your followers do not?"

New Revised Standard
Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and people came and said to him, "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the disciples of John and the Pharisees were fasting; and they come and say unto him - For what cause, do, the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees, fast, whereas, thy disciples, fast not?

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the disciples of John and the Pharisees used to fast. And they come and say to him: Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast; but thy disciples do not fast?

Revised Standard Version
Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and people came and said to him, "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And the disciples of Iohn and the Pharises dyd faste: and therfore came and sayde vnto him. Why do ye disciples of Iohn and of the Pharises faste and thy disciples fast not.

Young's Literal Translation
And the disciples of John and those of the Pharisees were fasting, and they come and say to him, `Wherefore do the disciples of John and those of the Pharisees fast, and thy disciples do not fast?'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the disciples of Ihon and of ye Pharises fasted. And there came certaine, which sayde vnto him: Why fast the disciples of Ihon, and of ye Pharises, and thy disciples fast not?

Mace New Testament (1729)
It was customary for the Pharisees, and the disciples of John, to fast; they came therefore and ask'd him, why do John's disciples, and the Pharisees fast so frequently, and not your disciples?

THE MESSAGE
The disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees made a practice of fasting. Some people confronted Jesus: "Why do the followers of John and the Pharisees take on the discipline of fasting, but your followers don't?"

Simplified Cowboy Version
There was this one time that the guys who rode with John the Baptist, as well as some other goody-goody preachers, were going without food for religious reasons. All these folks came to Jesus and asked, "Why do all those who follow John, and those who follow the Pharisees, go without food in order to get closer to God, but your cowboys don't?"

Contextual Overview

¹⁸ Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. So they came to Jesus and said, "Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples don't fast?" ¹⁹ Jesus said to them, "The wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they do not fast. ²⁰ But the days are coming when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and at that time they will fast. ²¹ No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and the tear becomes worse. ²² And no one pours new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins will be destroyed. Instead new wine is poured into new wineskins." ²³ Jesus was going through the grain fields on a Sabbath, and his disciples began to pick some heads of wheat as they made their way. ²⁴ So the Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is against the law on the Sabbath?" ²⁵ He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry— ²⁶ how he entered the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the sacred bread, which is against the law for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to his companions?" ²⁷ Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the disciples: Matthew 9:14-17, Luke 5:33-39

Why: Matthew 6:16, Matthew 6:18, Matthew 23:5, Luke 18:12, Romans 10:3

Cross-References

Genesis 1:31
God saw all that he had made—and it was very good! There was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day.

Genesis 2:7
The Lord God formed the man from the soil of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Genesis 2:9
The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow from the soil, every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food. (Now the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard.)

Genesis 2:11
The name of the first is Pishon; it runs through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold.

Genesis 2:12
(The gold of that land is pure; pearls and lapis lazuli are also there).

Genesis 2:13
The name of the second river is Gihon; it runs through the entire land of Cush.

Genesis 3:12
The man said, "The woman whom you gave me, she gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it."

Ruth 3:1
At that time, Naomi, her mother-in-law, said to her, "My daughter, I must find a home for you so you will be secure.

Proverbs 18:22
The one who finds a wife finds what is enjoyable, and receives a pleasurable gift from the Lord .

1 Corinthians 7:36
If anyone thinks he is acting inappropriately toward his virgin, if she is past the bloom of youth and it seems necessary, he should do what he wishes; he does not sin. Let them marry.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast,.... Or "were fasting"; perhaps that very day, and so were the more displeased at this entertainment, Matthew had made for Christ and his disciples, and at their being at it; or fasting was usual with them: they fasted often, both John's disciples, and the disciples of the Pharisees, or the Pharisees themselves; so the Vulgate Latin reads: of their frequent fasting, :-,

and they came: both the disciples of John, Matthew 9:14, and the Scribes and Pharisees, Luke 5:30,

and say unto him, why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? Luke 5:30- :.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast - Were accustomed often to fast. Compare Luke 5:33; Luke 18:12.

And they come and say - The disciples of John come, Matthew 9:4.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 18. Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast — See this largely explained on Matthew 9:14, c. The following vices are very common to Pharisees.

1. They are more busied in censuring the conduct of others than in rectifying their own.

2. They desire that every one should regulate his piety by theirs and embrace their particular customs and forms of devotion.

3. They speak of and compare themselves with other people, only that they may have an opportunity of distinguishing and exalting themselves.

On the nature, times, and duration of fasting, see Matthew 6:16; Matthew 9:15.