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Luke 3:14The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures
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14
ἐπηρώτων δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ στρατευόμενοι λέγοντες Τί ποιήσωμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς; καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Μηδένα διασείσητε μηδὲ συκοφαντήσητε, καὶ ἀρκεῖσθε τοῖς ὀψωνίοις ὑμῶν.
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Luke 3:14The Bible in Living English
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14 And enlisted men too put the question to him “And we, what shall we do?” and he said to them “Do not intimidate nor blackmail anybody, and be content with your pay.”
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Luke 3:14American Standard Version
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14 And soldiers also asked him, saying, And we, what must we do? And he said unto them, Extort from no man by violence, neither accuse any one wrongfully; and be content with your wages.
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Luke 3:14The Emphasized Bible
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14 Then were questioning him soldiers also saying—What shall even we do? And he said unto them—Molest ye no one, neither accuse falsely; and be content with your supplies.
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Luke 3:14King James Version
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14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.
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Luke Study Notes—Chapter 3New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition)
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those in military service: These were evidently native Jewish soldiers who may have been engaged in a type of police inspection, collecting customs or other taxes. Jewish soldiers were in a covenant relationship with Jehovah God. If they desired to be baptized in symbol of repentance of sins, they were obliged to change their conduct and no longer be guilty of extortion and other crimes for which soldiers were notorious.—Mt 3:8.
accuse anybody falsely: The Greek term translated “accuse . . . falsely” (sy·ko·phan·teʹo) used here is rendered “extorted” or “extorted by false accusation” at Lu 19:8. (See study note on Lu 19:8.) The literal meaning of the verb has been explained to be “to take by fig-showing.” There are various explanations of the origin of this word. One is that in ancient Athens, the exporting of figs from the province was prohibited. Therefore, someone who denounced others by accusing them of attempting to export figs was termed a “fig-shower.” The term came to designate a person who accused others falsely for the sake of gain, or a blackmailer.
provisions: Or “wages; pay.” The expression is used here as a military technical term, referring to a soldier’s pay, ration money, or allowance. Originally, food and other provisions may have been included as part of a soldier’s allowance. The Jewish soldiers who came to John were possibly engaged in a type of police inspection, especially in connection with customs, or the collection of taxes. John may have given this counsel because the pay given to most soldiers was low, and there evidently was a tendency for soldiers to abuse their power in order to supplement their income. The term is also used in the expression “at his own expense” at 1Co 9:7, where Paul refers to the pay to which a Christian “soldier” is entitled.
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