Saturday, March 8, 2025

Matthew 14 in the Unitarian Standard Version

 

Introducing the Unitarian Standard Version Bible

1 At that season Herod the tetrarch(a) heard the report concerning Jesus, 2 and said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore do these powers work in him. 3 For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him aside in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip`s wife. 4 For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her(b). 5 And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. 6 But when Herod`s birthday(c) came, the daughter(d) of Herodias danced in the midst, and pleased Herod. 7 Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she should ask. 8 And she, being put forward by her mother, saith, Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist. 9 And the king was grieved; because of his oaths, and of them that sat to eat(e) with him, he commanded it to be given; 10 and he sent and beheaded John in the prison. 11 And his head(f) was brought on a platter, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother. 12 And his disciples came, and took up the corpse, and buried him; and they went and told Jesus.

13 Now when Jesus heard [it], he withdrew from there in a boat, to a desert place apart: and when the multitudes heard [thereof,] they followed him on foot from the cities. 14 And he(g) came forth, and saw a great multitude, and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick. 15 And when evening was come, the disciples came to him, saying, The place is desert, and the time is already past; send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves food. 16 But [Jesus] said unto them, They have no need to go away; give ye them [something] to eat. 17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. 18 And he said, Bring them here to me. 19 And he commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass; he took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitudes. 20 And they all ate, and were filled: and they took up that which remained over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. 21 And they that did eat were about five thousand(h) men, besides women and children.

22 And straightway he constrained the disciples to enter into the boat, and to go before him unto the other side, till he should send the multitudes away. 23 And after he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into the mountain apart to pray: and when evening was come, he was there alone. 24 But the boat was now already many furlongs from the land, distressed by the waves; for the wind was contrary. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came unto them, walking upon the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a ghost(i); and they cried out for fear. 27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying Be of good cheer; it is I(j); be not afraid. 28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto the upon the waters. 29 And he said, Come. And Peter went down from the boat, and walked upon the waters to come to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the [strong] wind, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, Lord, save me. 31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and took hold of him, and saith unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? 32 And when they were gone up into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And they that were in the boat paid homage(k) to him, saying, Of a truth thou art God's Son(l).

34 And when they had crossed over, they came to the land, unto Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place knew him, they sent into all that region round about, and brought unto him all that were sick, 36 and they besought him that they might only touch the border of his garment: and as many as touched were made whole.

Footnotes

(a) "Tetrarch - King of a fourth part of his father's dominions."~John Wesley's Notes on the Bible. AT has "governor"; NWT has "district ruler"; Riverside NT and NEB has "Prince." GNT has "ruler of Galilee."
(b) "Mark (vi. 18) says 'It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife,' which last words constitute the ground of objection."~Edward Williams B. Nicholson, A New Commentary on the Gospel According to Matthew, Volume 1, 1881
(c)
Birthdays in the Bible were always associated with death (Genesis 40).
(d)
According to Josephus, her name was Salome.
(e)
ASV: "sat at meat"
(f)
It is said that no fewer than four locations lay claim to John the Baptist's head. The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria was built in the eighth century A.D. on the site of a church named for John the Baptist; his head is said to be buried in a shrine there. The Church of San Silvestro in Capite in Rome houses a skull identified as the head of John the Baptist. A Crusader brought back  John's head from Constantinople in 1206 to a cathedral in Amiens, France. And in Munich, Germany, the Residenz Museum includes the skull of John the Baptist.

(g) The KJV, TR, MT and NIV have Jesus here instead of "he".
(h) The "Feeding of the 5,000", is the only miracle—aside from the resurrection—recorded in all four gospels (Mark 6:31-44; Luke 9:12-17; John 6:1-14).
(i) It has always struck me that Jesus never corrected their ghostly superstition.
(j) The words used in the Greek here are EGW EIMI/ego eimi, and they are used merely as an identifier, not as a statement of Deity.

(k) The KJV and ASV and most Protestant Bibles have "worshipped" here. Thayer's Lexicon has "to fall upon the knees and touch the ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence...hence, in the N. T. by kneeling or prostration to do homage (to one) or make obeisance, whether in order to express respect or to make supplication. It is used a. of homage shown to men of superior rank." BDAG has "Freq. used to designate the custom of prostrating oneself before persons and kissing their feet or the hem of their garment, the ground, etc...to express in attitude or gesture one’s complete dependence on or submission to a high authority figure, (fall down and) worship, do obeisance to, prostrate oneself before, do reverence to, welcome respectfully" Hence, at this Scripture, many Bibles use words other than "worship" here, i.e. "fall down", "paid homage", etc. (See REB, REV, NEB, NAB, NJB, Darby, Weymouth, Rotherham, NWT, Goodspeed etc).
(l) The ASV has "thou art the Son of God" here. "In Matt. xiv. 33, the simple translation would be, 'Of a truth thou art a son of God.' The Revisers follow the Authorized Version, thou art the Son of God, giving no indication that the noun has no article in the Greek. Compare with this, Mark xv. 39, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God,' and the parallel text in Matt. xxvii. 54, with the marginal note, 'or, a son of God, the Greek being the same in each case."~Henry Ierson, Notes on the Amended English Bible, 1887

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Thursday, March 6, 2025

Matthew 13 in the Unitarian Standard Version

 

Introducing the Unitarian Standard Version Bible

References Used in the Unitarian Standard Version

Read Matthew 1 and 2 here...Read Matthew 3 here...Read Matthew 4 here...Read Matthew 5 here...Read Matthew 6 here...Read Matthew 7 here...Read Matthew 8 here...Read Matthew 9 here...Read Matthew 10 here...Read Matthew 11 here...Matthew 12 here...

                                                                             Textual changes are underlined.


1 On that day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. 2 And there were gathered unto him great multitudes, so that he entered into a boat, and sat; and all the multitude stood on the beach. 3 And he spake to them many things in parables, saying, Behold, the sower went forth to sow; 4 and as he sowed, some [seeds] fell by the way side, and the birds came and devoured them: 5 and others fell upon the rocky places, where they had not much earth: and straightway they sprang up, because they had no deepness of earth:
6 and when the sun was risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7 And others fell upon the thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked them: 8 and others fell upon the good ground, and yielded fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He that hath ears, let him hear (a).

10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 11 And he answered and said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he hath. 13 Therefore speak I to them in parables; because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 14 And unto them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith,

By hearing ye shall hear, and shall in no wise understand;
And seeing ye shall see, and shall in no wise perceive:
For this people`s heart is waxed gross,
And their ears are dull of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed;
Lest haply they should perceive with their eyes,
And hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart,
and turn, and I heal them.(b)

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear. 17 For verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which ye see, and saw them not; and to hear the things which ye hear, and heard them not. 18 Hear then ye the parable of the sower. 19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, [then] cometh the evil [one], and snatcheth away that which hath been sown in his heart. This is he that was sown by the way side. 20 And he that was sown upon the rocky places, this is he that heareth the word, and straightway with joy receiveth it; 21 yet hath he not root in himself, but endureth for a while; and when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, straightway he stumbleth. 22 And he that was sown among the thorns, this is he that heareth the word; and the anxiety of the age, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. 23 And he that was sown upon the good ground, this is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; who verily beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

24 Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man that sowed good seed in his field: 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away. 26 But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 27 And the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it tares(c)? 28 And he said unto them, An enemy hath done this. And the servants say unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29 But he saith, Nay; lest haply while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the harvest time I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn (d).

31 Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 32 which indeed is less than all seeds; but when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becometh a tree(e), so that the birds of the heaven come and lodge in the branches thereof.

33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven(f) is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till it was all leavened.

34 All these things spake Jesus in parables unto the multitudes; and without a parable he did not speak unto them: 35 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world(g).

36 Then he left the multitudes, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Explain unto us the parable of the tares of the field. 37 And he answered and said, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; 38 and the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil [one]; 39 and the enemy that sowed them is the devil: and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. 40 As therefore the tares are gathered up and burned with fire; so shall it be in the end of the age. 41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity, 42 and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. 43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears, let him hear.

44 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in the field; which a man found, and hid; and in his joy he goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a merchant seeking goodly pearls: 46 and having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: 48 which, when it was filled, they drew up on the beach; and they sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but the bad they cast away. 49 So shall it be in the end of the age: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the righteous, 50 and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth(h).

51 Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea. 52 And he said unto them, Therefore every scribe who hath been made a disciple to the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a householder, who bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.

53 And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.

54 And coming into his own country he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? 55 Is not this the builder`s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas? 56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? 57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and in his own house(i). 58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.


Footnotes

(a) "The contact of sound with a human ear whose hearing is pure and unimpaired is coincident with an ecstasy. Sugar is not so sweet to the palate, as sound to the healthy ear; the hearing of it makes men brave."~Henry David Thoreau
(b) A quotation from Isaiah 6:10 in the Septuagint
(c) "Then the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where do the weeds come from?'"~Riverside New Testament. Tares (Greek: Zizanion) "a kind of darnel, bastard wheat, resembling wheat except that the grains are black." ~Thayer's
(d) A shorter, compressed version of the Parable of the Tares is found without any interpretation in the apocryphal Gospel of Thomas.
(e) "This seed is smaller than all other seeds, but, when it has grown up, it is larger than the herbs and becomes a tree." Twentieth Century New Testament. "Though not the smallest seed known to botanical science (the seed of the lycopodium, one of the fern-worts, is smaller), the mustard seed was the smallest seed cultivated by the Jews and was popularly regarded as the smallest of all seeds."~Teachers' Guide to International Sunday School Lessons for Jan.-Dec. 1912 By Martha Tarbell
(f) Only Matthew uses the phrase "Kingdom of Heaven."
(g) Psalm 78:2
(h) The weeping and the gnashing of teeth is mentioned seven times in the Bible, and only in the Gospels. (Matt. 8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; Luke 13:28).
(i) Familiarity breeds contempt.

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Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Matthew 12 in the Unitarian Standard Version

 

Introducing the Unitarian Standard Version Bible

References Used in the Unitarian Standard Version

Read Matthew 1 and 2 here...Read Matthew 3 here...Read Matthew 4 here...Read Matthew 5 here...Read Matthew 6 here...Read Matthew 7 here...Read Matthew 8 here...Read Matthew 9 here...Read Matthew 10 here...Read Matthew 11 here...

                                                                             Textual changes are underlined.


1 At that season Jesus went on the sabbath day through the grainfields; and his disciples were hungry and began to pluck ears and to eat. 2 But the Pharisees, when they saw it, said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which it is not lawful to do upon the sabbath. 3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did(a), when he was hungry, and they that were with him; 4 how he entered into the house of God, and ate the showbread, which it was not lawful for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests? 5 Or have ye not read in the law, that on the sabbath day the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are guiltless? 6 But I say unto you, something greater than the temple is here. 7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice(b), ye would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of man is lord of the sabbath(c).

9 And he departed thence, and went into their synagogue: 10 and behold, a man having a withered hand. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? that they might accuse him. 11 And he said unto them, What man shall there be of you, that shall have one sheep, and if this fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out. 12 How much then is a man of more value than a sheep! Wherefore it is lawful to do good on the sabbath day. 13 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, as the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out, and took counsel against him, how they might destroy him.

15 And Jesus perceiving [it] withdrew from thence: and many [crowds](d) followed him; and he healed them all, 16 and charged them that they should not make him known: 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,

18 Behold, my servant whom I have chosen(e); My beloved in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit(f) upon him, And he shall declare judgment to the Gentiles. 19 He shall not strive, nor cry aloud; Neither shall any one hear his voice in the streets. 20 A bruised reed shall he not break, And smoking flax(g) shall he not quench, Till he send forth judgment unto victory. 21 And in his name shall the Gentiles hope.

22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a demon, blind and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the dumb man spake and saw. 23 And all the multitudes were amazed, and said, Can this be the son of David(h)? 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This man doth not cast out demons, but by Beelzebul(i) the prince of the demons. 25 And knowing their thoughts he said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 26 and if Satan(j) casteth out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand? 27 And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. 28 But if it is by the spirit of God that I cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you. 29 Or how can one enter into the house of the strong [one,](k) and seize his goods, except he first bind the strong [one]? and then he will seize his house. 30 He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. 31 Therefore I say unto you, Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the spirit shall not be forgiven. 32 And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever shall speak against the holy spirit(l), it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this age, nor in that which is to come(m). 33 Either make the tree good, and its(n) fruit good; or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 Ye offspring of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 35 The good man out of his good treasure bringeth forth good things: and the evil man out of his evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. 36 And I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

38 Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, Teacher, we would see a sign from thee. 39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given it but the sign of Jonah the prophet: 40 for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale(o); so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, a greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, a greater than Solomon is here. 43 But the unclean spirit, when he is gone out of the man, passeth through waterless places, seeking rest, and findeth it not. 44 Then he saith, I will return into my house whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man becometh worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this evil generation.

46 While he was yet speaking to the multitudes, behold, his mother and his brethren(p) stood without, seeking to speak to him. 47 And one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, seeking to speak to thee.(p) 48 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? 49 And he stretched forth his hand towards his disciples, and said, Behold, my mother and my brethren! 50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.

Footnotes

(a) 1 Samuel 21:6 "So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the showbread, that was taken from before Jehovah, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away."
(b) From Hosea 6:6
(c) It is therefore inferred that the Son of Man is JEHOVAH! It is said in John iii. 35, “THE FATHER loveth the Son, and HATH GIVEN all things into his hand;" and in Ephes. i. 22, “And hath Put all things under his feet, and GAVE him to be the head over all things to THE CHURCH." The power, lordship, or dominion given, is not originally possessed. If all things were put under the feet of Christ,” he was, under God who made him so, Lord of the Sabbath. There is probably here an allusion to the change in the Sabbatical institution: the first direct notice of the new Sabbath, or day of Christ's resurrection, occurs in John, Rev. i. 10, “I was in the spirit on the Lord's Day.” The preceding verse of this passage, Mark ii. 27, shows plainly that the lordship over the Sabbath has reference to the Gospel institutions merely: “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath: therefore the Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath.~From, An Appeal to Scripture and Tradition in Defence of the Unitarian faith 1818 (P.55)
(d) The word "crowds" is in brackets in both the UBS and NA28 Greek text. The NRSV includes it in the text without brackets.
(e) Quoted from Isaiah 41:8 and Isaiah 42:1.
(f) Bible Versions are divided as to whether to capitalize the word "spirit" here. Capitalizing this word is done so in order to make you believe that the spirit is a person. The ASV capitalizes it, while the KJV does not. The NAB, JB, REV, NWT, Centenary NT, Montgomery NT, Julia Smith also render spirit without capitalization. The Awful Scroll Bible and Unvarnished render it as "breath." The BDAG Lexicon gives as a primary definition of spirit (Gr. PNEUMA) "air in movement, blowing, breathing"...see also Thayer's Lexicon.
(g) "Flax. The Hebrew is, literally, a dimly burning wick he shall not quench (Isa. xlii. 3). The quotation stops at the end of the third verse in the prophecy; but the succeeding verse is beautifully suggestive as describing the Servant of Jehovah by the same figures in which he pictures his suffering ones - a wick and a reed." Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament
(h) The phrase son of David is mentioned 16 times in the New Testament.
(i) Beelzebul ("Lord of the Flies). ASV and KJV has Beelzebub, however the Greek text has Beelzebul. NAB, Moffatt, NJB, RSV, NRSV, BLE, Wilton, REB, KGV, MLB, Fenton, and GNB also have Beelzebul. The Pre-Nicene New Testament has Baal-Zebul.
(j) Satan. Greek: satanas. YLT and the ED both have Adversary. DBH has the Accuser. ELB has the enemy.
(k) "Satan is also called the strong one..." John L. McKenzie, Dictionary of the Bible
(l) Vine's Expository Dictionary states, "The full title with the article before both pneuma and hagios...'the Spirit the Holy,' stresses the character of the Person, e.g., Matt. 12:32; Mark 3:29..." However, is this really so? I collected these examples from the LXX and the Greek NT: Dan 9:20 has TOU OROUS TOU hAGIOU - The holy the mountain; Ex 26:33 has ANA MESON TOU hAGIOU KAI ANA MESON TOU hAGIOU - The holy place and the holy place; Is 63:15 has TOU OIKOU TOU hAGIO- The holy the house; Ps 104:42 has TOU LOGOU TOU hAGIOU - The holy the word; Acts 4:30 has TOU ONOMATOS TOU hAGIOU - The holy the name; Acts 6:13 has TOU TOPOU TOU hAGIOU - The holy the place; Rev 21:2 has THN POLIN THN hAGIAN - The holy the city; Rev 21:10 has THN POLIN THN hAGIAN - The holy the city; Rev 22:19 has THS POLEWS THS hAGIAS - The holy the city. As we see, this claim falls apart on closer inspection, for no one would really consider the above instances examples of something stressing the character of the Person.
(m) Some infer the doctrine of "future probation" from the words in this Scripture.
(n) The KJV translates AUTOU/autos here as "his" instead of "its." The KJV translates the same word in Romans 8:16 when referring to the holy spirit as "itself." Many other Bibles do the reverse. Many of these same Bibles use the word "what" instead of "whom" at Acts 17:23.
(o) Whale. "Great fish" (Darby); "Sea Monster" (NJB, Rotherham, RVIC, NRSV);  "Sea-Creature" (2001)
(p) The Catholic JB and NJB have notes indicating that these are not necessarily Mary's children. Their defense is that in the older languages the words could mean cousins and close relations. [See The Catholic Comparative New Testament ISBN 0-19-528299-X]
(q)
Some ancient authorities omit verse 47.
(j) Satan. Greek: satanas. YLT and the ED both have Adversary. DBH has the Accuser. ELB has the enemy.
(k) "Satan is also called the strong one..." John L. McKenzie, Dictionary of the Bible
(l) Vine's Expository Dictionary states, "The full title with the article before both pneuma and hagios...'the Spirit the Holy,' stresses the character of the Person, e.g., Matt. 12:32; Mark 3:29..." However, is this really so? I collected these examples from the LXX and the Greek NT: Dan 9:20 has TOU OROUS TOU hAGIOU - The holy the mountain; Ex 26:33 has ANA MESON TOU hAGIOU KAI ANA MESON TOU hAGIOU - The holy place and the holy place; Is 63:15 has TOU OIKOU TOU hAGIO- The holy the house; Ps 104:42 has TOU LOGOU TOU hAGIOU - The holy the word; Acts 4:30 has TOU ONOMATOS TOU hAGIOU - The holy the name; Acts 6:13 has TOU TOPOU TOU hAGIOU - The holy the place; Rev 21:2 has THN POLIN THN hAGIAN - The holy the city; Rev 21:10 has THN POLIN THN hAGIAN - The holy the city; Rev 22:19 has THS POLEWS THS hAGIAS - The holy the city. As we see, this claim falls apart on closer inspection, for no one would really consider the above instances examples of something stressing the character of the Person.
(m) Some infer the doctrine of "future probation" from the words in this Scripture.
(n) The KJV translates AUTOU/autos here as "his" instead of "its." The KJV translates the same word in Romans 8:16 when referring to the holy spirit as "itself." Many other Bibles do the reverse. Many of these same Bibles use the word "what" instead of "whom" at Acts 17:23.
(o) Whale. "Great fish" (Darby); "Sea Monster" (NJB, Rotherham, RVIC, NRSV);  "Sea-Creature" (2001)
(p) The Catholic JB and NJB have notes indicating that these are not necessarily Mary's children. Their defense is that in the older languages the words could mean cousins and close relations. [See The Catholic Comparative New Testament ISBN 0-19-528299-X]
(q) Some ancient authorities omit verse 47.

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Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Matthew 11 in the Unitarian Standard Version

 

Introducing the Unitarian Standard Version Bible

References Used in the Unitarian Standard Version

Read Matthew 1 and 2 here...Read Matthew 3 here...Read Matthew 4 here...Read Matthew 5 here...Read Matthew 6 here...Read Matthew 7 here...Read Matthew 8 here...Read Matthew 9 here...Read Matthew 10 here...

                                                                             Textual changes are underlined.

1 And it came to pass when Jesus had finished commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and preach in their cities.

2 Now when John heard in the prison the works of the Christ, he sent through(a) his disciples 3 and said unto him, Art thou he that cometh, or look we for another? 4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and tell John the things which ye hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good tidings preached to them(b). 6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall find no occasion of stumbling in me.

7 And as these went their way, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to behold? a reed shaken with the wind? 8 But what went ye out to see? a man clothed in soft [raiment]? Behold, they that wear soft [raiment] are in king`s houses.(c) 9 But what went ye out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. 10 This is he, of whom it is written,
   "Behold, I send my messenger before thy face,
   Who shall prepare thy way before thee."(d)
11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist: yet he that is but little in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and men of violence take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 And if ye are willing to receive [it,] this is Elijah, that is to come. 15 He that hath ears, let him hear. 16 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the marketplaces, who call unto one another 17 saying, We piped unto you, and ye did not dance; we wailed, and ye did not mourn. 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a demon. 19 The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold, a gluttonous man and a winebibber(e), a friend of tax-collectors and sinners! And wisdom(f) is justified by her works(g).

20 Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not. 21 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon(h) in the day of judgment than for you. 23 And thou, Capernaum, shalt thou be exalted unto heaven? thou shalt go down unto Hades(i): for if the mighty works had been done in Sodom which were done in thee, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

25 At that season Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto babes: 26 yea, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in thy sight. 27 All things have been delivered unto me(j) of my Father: and no one knoweth the Son, save the Father; neither doth any know the Father, save the Son(k), and he to whomsoever the Son willeth to reveal [him.] 28 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Footnotes

(a) KJV has "he sent two of his disciples." Bullinger writes: "All the texts read dia = by means of (App-104. Mat_11:1), instead of duo = two, as in Luk_7:18." However, the Majority Text and the Received Text (Textus Receptus) has duo. The Latin Vulgate also has "duos" hence the Douay-Rheims Bible and the Knox Bible renders the word "two."
(b) A translation made in 1220 has "Blynde men seen, crookid men wandren, mesels been maad clene, deef men heeren, deef men rysen agein, pore men ben taken to prechynge of the Gospel. 
(c)
Weymouth: But what did you go out to see? A man luxuriously dressed? Those who wear luxurious clothes are to be found in kings' palaces.

(d) From Malachi 3:1: Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, whom ye desire, behold, he cometh, saith Jehovah of hosts.
(e) REV: wino
(f) "Jesus seems to be identified with wisdom, though the latter was mythologized as female (See Prov 8-9; Wis 7:22-8:21)." Harper Collins Study Bible. The Eonian Life Bible (ELB), Lamsa and the NWT has "its."
(g) 99% of the Greek manuscripts have "children" (TEKNWN, see also KJV, YLT, Douay) here instead of ERGWN (works). The USB, Nestle-aland and Westcott and Hort Greek Texts have TEKNWN because some of the oldest texts (Vaticanus, Sinaiticus and Codex W) support that reading.
(h)
Tyre and Sidon=heathen cities
(i) The Greek has hADES, the KJV translates this as Hell. However, the KJV also translates Gehenna as Hell (Matt. 5:22) and Tartarus as Hell (2 Peter 2:4).
(j)
delivered unto me - C.B. Williams NT has "entrusted to me."
(k)
JW: God hath now committed unto Christ all the secret purposes of his counsel concerning the salvation of mankind, which were concealed from ages. None of the prophets, which lived before, did so fully understand it; nor have we any other certain way of knowing this, but by the revelation Christ hath made to us. DR. WILLIAM SHERLOCK: Knowledge of Christ, chap. iii. sect. 1.


Sunday, March 2, 2025

Matthew 10 in the Unitarian Standard Version

 

Introducing the Unitarian Standard Version Bible

References Used in the Unitarian Standard Version

Read Matthew 1 and 2 here...Read Matthew 3 here...Read Matthew 4 here...Read Matthew 5 here...Read Matthew 6 here...Read Matthew 7 here...Read Matthew 8 here...Read Matthew 9 here...

                                                                             Textual changes are underlined.

1 And he called unto him his twelve(a) disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of disease and all manner of sickness.

2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter(b), and Andrew his brother; and James the [son] of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the tax-collector; James the [son] of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him(c).

5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and charged them, saying, Go not into [any] way of the Gentiles, and enter not into any city of the Samaritans: 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven(d) is at hand. 8 Heal the sick, [raise the dead](e), cleanse the lepers, cast out demons: freely ye received, freely give. 9 Get you no gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses; 10 no wallet for [your] journey, neither two coats, nor shoes, nor staff: for the laborer deserves his food. 11 And into whatsoever city or village ye shall enter, search out who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go forth. 12 And as ye enter into the house, salute it. 13 And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, as ye go forth out of that house or that city, shake off the dust of your feet. 15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city. 16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. 17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to councils, and in theirs synagogues they will scourge you; 18 yea and before governors and kings shall ye be brought for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up, be not anxious how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that hour what ye shall speak. 20 For it is not ye that speak, but the spirit(f) of your Father that speaketh in you. 21 And brother shall deliver up brother to death, and the father his child: and children shall rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death. 22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name`s sake: but he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. 23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee into the next: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone through the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.

24 A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his lord. 25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his teacher, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul(g), how much more them of his household! 26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. 27 What I tell you in the darkness, speak ye in the light; and what ye hear in the ear, proclaim upon the house-tops. 28 And be not afraid of them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna(h). 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny(i)? and not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Father: 30 but the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31  Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. 32 Every one therefore who shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven(j). 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in heaven.

34 Think not that I came to send peace on the earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword(k). 35 For I came to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law: 36 and a man`s foes [shall be] they of his own household. 37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And he that doth not take his stake(l) and follow after me, is not worthy of me. 39 He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. 40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. 41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet`s reward: and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man`s reward. 42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you he shall in no wise lose his reward.

Footnotes

(a) "This number is typified by many things in the Old Testament; by the twelve sons of Jacob, by the twelve princes of the children of Israel, by the twelve running springs in Helim, by the twelve stones in Aaron’s breastplate, by the twelve loaves of the show-bread, by the twelve spies sent by Moses, by the twelve stones of which the altar was made, by the twelve stones taken out of Jordan, by the twelve oxen which bare the brazen sea. Also in the New Testament, by the twelve stars in the bride’s crown, by the twelve foundations of Jerusalem which John saw, and her twelve gates." Rabanus Maurus, "Catena aurea: commentary on the four Gospels, collected out of the works of the Fathers: Volume 6, St. John. Oxford: Parker, 1874. Thomas Aquinas"
(b) Since Peter was mentioned first (PRWTOS), some Catholics cite this verse to argue for the primacy of the Roman see which they believe Peter founded.
(c) Ibid, "The Evangelist couples the names throughout in pairs. So he puts together Peter and Andrew, brothers not so much according to the flesh as in spirit; James and John who left their father after the flesh to follow their true Father; James the son of Zebedee and John his brother. He calls him the son of Zebedee, to distinguish him from the other James the son of Alphaeus." Jerome
(d) The ASV uses "kingdom of heaven" 32 times in the New Testament, and "kingdom of God" 66 times.
(e) About 94% of the Greek manuscripts do not have “raise the dead” here. Darby has the phrase in brackets, and 2001translation has marked it as questionable. The ELB & Fenton omits it.
(f) JW: The word spirit is eminently used of the divine powers with which the apostles were endowed for the propagation and defence of the gospel, and by which they were enabled, not only with the greatest tranquillity, constancy, and freedom, but also with wisdom of speech, and power of Christian doctrine and life, openly to vindicate their Master's cause before emperors, kings, governors, and magistrates ; and, though exposed to the utmost dangers, to remain undaunted in mind, and unwavering in faith: Matt. x. 20. Luke xii. 12. Mark xiii. 11, comp. Luke xxi. 15. Acts iv. 8, 31. 1 Cor. ii. 4; vii. 40. 2 Tim. i. 14. 1 Pet. i. 12. -- SCHLEUSNER: Lex. in Nov. Test. v. PNEUMA, 13.
(g) ASV and KJV has Beelzebub, however the Greek has Beelzebul. It is an Aramaic name preserved in the Greek text.
(h) ASV has hell here, but the Greek has Gehenna. "Gehenna occurs twelve times, and in the New Testament only...The word literally means the valley of Hinnom, the last word being the name of an owner, then long dead. Its location was south of Jerusalem, where it ran along under the ancient city wall, nearly half a mile south of the present wall (Jeremiah 7 and 19). It was a noted spot, once the place of human sacrifices; after that, of capital punishment; and still later, the place to which the carcasses of animals, and other refuse of the city, were carried...evidence is entirely wanting that gehenna was used in the time of Christ to denote a future hell. The Pharisees had no need of the term for such a purpose. With their view, the wicked were punished in hades. And here I would remind the reader that he must distinguish between the New Testament usage of hades, and the heathen usage, which the Pharisees (some of them, if not all) had adopted." W. E. Manley, D.D. (Evangelical Magazine and Gospel Advocate) 1889
(i) penny, KJV has farthing. NAB has small coin (see also NWT.) Montgomery NT has half-penny. Some translations simply opt to transliterate (assarion), see Diaglott, ELB and YLT.
(j) Father who is in heaven is a phrase used 13 times in the ASV.
(k) While Jesus considered the peacemaker a representative of the highest type of character, he also regarded the truth teller as one who, on the way to peace, must break idols and excite animosities which, for the time, would make peace impossible. (The Christian Register, Jan. 9 1908)
(l) Bullinger: In the Greek N.T. two words are used for "the cross", on which the Lord was put to death. The word stauros; which denotes an upright pale or stake, to which the criminals were nailed for execution...It never means two pieces of timber placed across one another at any angle, but always of one piece alone...There is nothing in the Greek of the N.T. even to imply two pieces of timber....The evidence is the same as to the pre-Christian (phallic) symbol in Asia, Africa, and Egypt...The Catacombs in Rome bear the same testimony:  "Christ" is never represented there as "hanging on a cross", and the cross itself is only portrayed in a veiled and hesitating manner. In the Egyptian churches the cross was a pagan symbol of life, borrowed by the Christians, and interpreted in the pagan manner.

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Saturday, March 1, 2025

Matthew 9 in the Unitarian Standard Version

 

Introducing the Unitarian Standard Version Bible

References Used in the Unitarian Standard Version

Read Matthew 1 and 2 here...Read Matthew 3 here...Read Matthew 4 here...Read Matthew 5 here...Read Matthew 6 here...Read Matthew 7 here...Read Matthew 8 here...

                                                                             Textual changes are underlined.

1 And he entered into a boat, and crossed over, and came into his own city. 2 And behold, they brought to him a paralytic(a), lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith(b) said unto the paralytic, Child(c), be of good cheer; thy sins are forgiven(d). 3 And behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth(e). 4 And Jesus seeing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?(f) 5 For which is easier, to say, Thy sins are forgiven(g); or to say, Arise, and walk? 6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath authority on earth to forgive sins (then saith he to the paralytic), Arise, and take up thy bed, and go up unto thy house. 7 And he arose, and departed to his house. 8 But when the multitudes saw it, they were afraid, and glorified God, who had given such authority unto men(h).

9 And as Jesus passed by from thence, he saw a man, called Matthew, sitting at the tax office(i): and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.

10 And it came to pass, as he sat to eat(j) in the house, behold, many tax-collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Teacher with the tax-collectors and sinners? 12 But when he heard it, he said, They that are whole have no need of a physician, but they that are sick. 13 But go ye and learn what [this] meaneth, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners(k).

14 Then come to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? 15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the sons of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then will they fast. 16 And no man putteth a piece of undressed cloth upon an old garment; for that which should fill it up taketh from the garment, and a worse rent is made. 17 Neither do [men] put new wine into old wine-skins: else the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins perish: but they put new wine into fresh wine-skins, and both are preserved.

18 While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a ruler, and paid homage(l) to him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. 19 And Jesus arose, and followed him, and [so did] his disciples. 20 And behold, a woman(m), who had an issue of blood(n) twelve years, came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: 21 for she said within herself, If I do but touch his garment, I shall be made whole. 22 But Jesus turning and seeing her said, Daughter, be of good cheer; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. 23 And when Jesus came into the ruler`s house, and saw the flute-players, and the crowd making a tumult, 24 he said, Give place: for the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. 25 But when the crowd was put forth, he entered in, and took her by the hand; and the damsel arose. 26 And the fame hereof went forth into all that land.

27 And as Jesus passed by from thence, two blind men followed him, crying out, and saying, Have mercy on us, thou son of David. 28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. 29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it done unto you. 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus strictly charged them, saying, See that no man know it. 31 But they went forth, and spread abroad his fame in all that land.

32 And as they went forth, behold, there was brought to him a dumb man possessed with a demon. 33 And when the demon was cast out, the dumb man spake: and the multitudes marveled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel. 34 But the Pharisees said, By the prince of the demons casteth he out demons.

35 And Jesus went about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of disease and all manner of sickness. 36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were distressed and scattered, as sheep not having a shepherd (o). 37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest indeed is plenteous, but the laborers are few. 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send forth laborers into his harvest.

Footnotes

(a) ASV a man sick of the palsy; Moffatt has a leper
(b) JW: The object of the faith here mentioned was plainly the divine power and goodness, but not as coming from Christ originally, as eternal God, but as an instrument by which God conveyed it to men under such miserable circumstances as this poor man was in. — CONTINUATORS OF POOLE on Luke v. 20.
(c) ASV Son...the Greek has TEKNON which means child
(d) JW: It must be noted, that our Lord here speaks of remission, not of the eternal punishments, but of the temporal punishments, inflicted for sin; because our Saviour saith, it “is as easy to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee, as to say, Rise up and walk;” which consequence seems not to be good, if we take remission of sins in the highest sense. Moreover, it is usual in Scripture, and was so among the Jews, to represent bodily afflictions, miseries, and diseases, as the effects of sin. DR. WHITBY.
(e) JW: This man blasphemeth, making himself a god; for who can forgive sins but God only? - DR. WHITBY's Paraphrase.
The Jews accused Christ of blasphemy and sacrilege, because he usurped what was peculiar to God. But as his language is ambiguous, and he uttered nothing but what might be pronounced by a prophet, the witness of the grace of God (for Christ did not say, "I forgive thee thy sins”), why did they put the worse construction on what might have been more favourably interpreted? Because their minds were full of malevolence and envy towards Christ. LUCAS BRUGENSIS.
The scribes thought that no one could forgive sins, except God, and those who spoke in his name, and were sent by him, 2 Sam. 12:13, comp. Mark 2:7. Luke 5:21. But they did not receive Jesus as a divine messenger, and thence inferred, that he who arrogated to himself power from God, which was not received, made himself God, and therefore blasphemed.—J. G. ROSENMÜLLER.

(f) JW: Why do think that I am not sent of God? –J. G. ROSENMÜLLER.
If he could say to the paralytic man, Arise and walk, God must be with him; and therefore God was equally with him when he said, Thy sins be forgiven thee. So ought they (the scribes and other bystanders] to have reasoned among themselves, &c.- BISHOP SUMNER on Mark 2:6-11.

(g) JW: By interrogating, Jesus affirms that any teacher who, by God's assistance, is enabled to restore health to others, has sufficient authority to declare the forgiveness of their sins. KUINOEL.
(h)
JW: They with united acclamations glorified God who had given such mighty and beneficent power to men, and raised up so eminent a Prophet to his people. — DR. DODDRIDGE.
The people, on this occasion, behaved much better than the Pharisees and doctors. Having seen the miracle, they were struck with an high degree of surprise mixed with admiration, and expressed their sense of the honour that was done to human nature by Almighty God, who had endued men with such powers; power not only to heal diseases, but to forgive sins. MACKNIGHT
(i)
ASV has
place of toll, other Bibles have Customs House
(j) ASV at meat
(k) KJV and Julia Smith add to repentance.
(l) ASV and KJV have worshipped. BDAG Lexicon refers to Matt. 9:18 when it writes, "Jesus, who is rendered homage as Messianic king and helper." See also Darby, RDNT, Moffatt, AT, NAB, NJB, RSV, NRSV, YLT, Bullinger, Barclay, KNT, Unvarnished, Wilton, Tomanek, GNT, CCB, Cassirrer, CEB, Rotherham, TNT etc
(m) tradition has assigned the name Veronica to this woman.
(n)
issue of blood, others clarify with the word hemorrhage, see Williams, AT, Moffatt, RSV, NJB, NAB
(o) Judith 11:19 

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Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Matthew 8 in the Unitarian Standard Version

 

Introducing the Unitarian Standard Version Bible

References Used in the Unitarian Standard Version

Read Matthew 1 and 2 here...Read Matthew 3 here...Read Matthew 4 here...Read Matthew 5 here...Read Matthew 6 here...Read Matthew 7 here...

                                                                             Textual changes are underlined.

1 And when he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. 2 And behold, there came to him a leper and paid homage(a) to him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 3 And he stretched forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou made clean. And straightway his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go, show thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

5 And when he was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 6 and saying, Lord, my servant lieth in the house sick of the palsy(b), grievously tormented. 7  And he saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 8 And the centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed.(c) 9 For I also am a man under authority, having under myself soldiers: and I say to this one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 10 And when Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found anyone in Israel with so great a faith. 11 And I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven: 12 but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast forth into the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. 13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; as thou hast believed, [so] be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in that hour.

14 And when Jesus was come into Peter`s house, he saw his wife`s mother lying sick of a fever. 15 And he touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she arose, and ministered unto him. 16 And when evening was come, they brought unto him many possessed with demons: and he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all that were sick: 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying: He himself took our infirmities, and bare our diseases.(d)

18 Now when Jesus saw a crowd about him, he gave commandments to depart unto the other side. 19 And there came a scribe, and said unto him, Teacher, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven [have] nests; but the Son of man(e) hath not where to lay his head. 21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 22 But Jesus saith unto him, Follow me; and leave the dead to bury their own dead.

23 And when he was entered into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the boat was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. 25 And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Save, Lord; we perish. 26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this(f), that even the winds and the sea obey him?

28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, there met him two possessed with demons, coming forth out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass through that way. 29 And behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? 30 Now there was afar off from them a herd of many swine feeding. 31 And the demons besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, send us away into the herd of swine. 32 And he said unto them, Go. And they came out, and went into the swine: and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep into the sea, and perished in the waters (g). 33 And they that fed them fled, and went away into the city, and told everything, and what was befallen to them that were possessed with demons. 34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought [him] that he would depart from their borders.

Footnotes

(a) ASV & KJV: worship. As stated in the ftn. at Matt. 2:2: The Greek word denotes an act of reverence whether paid to a creature (see 4:9; 18:26), or to the Creator (see 4:10). See also Bullinger ftn. at this Scripture. See also RSV, NRSV, JB, NJB, NAB, DBH, 5G, PNT, Capel, KGV, ELB, MLB, Douay, 2001, Knox, Moffatt, SEB, TNT, Fenton, Wright, Cassirer, Lattimore, Barclay, Williams etc
(b) Or, paralyzed
(c) JW: "It is incredible that the centurion should have been rightly instructed in the Divinity of Christ a doctrine which had hitherto been unknown almost to all. Jesus, indeed, imputes not these words to chance and ignorance, but declares that they proceed from faith ; and therefore many commentators have been induced to think, that the centurion speaks of Christ as the only true God. It appears, however, to me, that this good man, having been informed of the excellent and truly divine works of Christ, simply apprehended in him the power of God." — CALVIN.
"The centurion had undoubtedly been instructed in the Jewish religion, and had heard of, or even beheld, Christ's miracles, by which he conceived so high an opinion of the power of God, the divine mission of Jesus, and the authority which he had received from Heaven." LE CLERC.
(d) Isaiah 53:4
(e) Son of man: (JW) "Jesus Christ usually called himself the Son of man, to intimate that he was truly a man, as other men." LIMBORCH: Theol. Christ. lib. iii. cap. 12, § 5. ["The phrase is explained as indicative of humility, and referring to the low condition of Jesus", by Tostat, Lucas BRUGENSIS, MUNSTER, DRUSIUS, JAMES CAPPEL, GROTIUS, LE CLERC, BEAUSOBRE ET L'ENFANT, and others.]
(f) JW: How remarkable a prophet and divine messenger is this, whom the winds and the waves obey!—KUINOEL. (Ed. Much like Moses of old, Exodus 14:21)
(g) The exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac, frequently known as the Miracle of the (Gadarene) Swine and the exorcism of Legion, was interpreted by Saints Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas to mean that Christians have no duties to animals.

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Mark 11 in the Unitarian Standard Version Bible

Introducing the Unitarian Standard Version Bible References Used in the Unitarian Standard Version Read Matthew 1 and 2 here.. . Read Matthe...