Preface: Jesus sends out an evangelistic crew of 70 (or 72) to the various cities and villages around. Jesus rejoices in the Spirit. Jesus tells the story of the good Samaritan. Finally, Jesus speaks to Martha about her and Mary and their different approaches to Him.

Bible Summary: Jesus sent out the seventy-two. A lawyer asked, "Who is my neighbour?" Jesus said, "A man was robbed. He was helped by a Samaritan." 

This should be the most extensive examination of Luke 10 available, where you will be able to examine in depth every word of the original text.

Outline of Chapter 10:

Preface

Introduction

         vv.     1–20         Jesus Sends Out the 70 with Instructions

         vv.        1–12        The 70 are sent out with instructions

         vv.       13–16        Jesus pronounces woes upon specific cities

         vv.       17–20        The 70 return, filled with great enthusiasm

         vv.    21–24         Jesus Rejoices in the Holy Spirit

         vv.    25–37         The Story of the Good Samaritan

         vv.       25–29        The law expert asks about gaining eternal life

         vv.       30–35        Jesus tells the story about the good Samaritan

         vv.       36–37        Jesus quizzes the law expert on his opinion

         vv.    38–42         Martha Serves and Mary Listens

Chapter Summary

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Preface               Quotations

         Introduction         Harmony of the Gospels

         Introduction         Titles and/or Brief Descriptions of Luke 10 (by Various Commentators)

         Introduction         Brief, but insightful observations of Luke 10 (various commentators)

         Introduction         Fundamental Questions About Luke 10

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Prequel of Luke 10

         Introduction         The Principals of Luke 10

         Introduction         The Places of Luke 10

         Introduction         By the Numbers

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Luke 10

         Introduction         Outlines and Summaries of Luke 10 (Various Commentators)

         Introduction         Shmoop Summary of Luke 10

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Luke 10 from the Summarized Bible

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Big Picture (Luke 9–11)

         Introduction         Changes—additions and subtractions

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         v.       2              Palestine at the Time of the New Testament (a map)

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         v.       9              Cults and the True Family of God

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         v.      11              Jesus’ Instructions to the Twelve and to the 70

         v.      12              Various Incidents found in Matthew and in Luke 7 & 10

         v.      16              Public Ministry Length of Religious Figures

         v.      18              Satan’s Intent

         v.      18              Satan’s Five “I wills”/Satan Cast from Heaven 

         v.      20              A brief review of Luke 10:17–20 

         v.      21              Republicans Going to Church (a liberal meme)

         v.      21              Jesus as a long-haired socialist (a political cartoon)

         v.      21              Jesus was not a long-haired hippie socialist

         v.      21              Science, Natural Patterns and God

         v.      21              The Fibonacci Sequence and Nature (a graphic)

         v.      21              The Head of a Flower (a graphic)

         v.      21              A Shell and the Golden Rectangle (a graphic)

         v.      21              The Golden Rectangle and the Fibonacci sequence together (a graphic)

         v.      21              Flower Petal Arrangements (a graphic)

         v.      21              A Spiral Galaxy (a graphic)

         v.      21              Quotes from Famous Scientists about God

         v.      21              Charles Darwin Quote (a graphic)

         v.      21              Louis Pasteur Quote (a graphic)

         v.      21              Neil deGrasse Tyson on the Empowerment of Science (a meme)

         v.      24              Two Examples

         v.      24              Messianic prophecies from the Old Testament

         v.      24              The angel Gabriel prophecies to Mary about Jesus

         v.      24              What is even greater than seeing Jesus Christ in person and hearing Him teach?

         v.      24              Today is the greatest time to be alive

         v.      27              Jesus and the Great Commandment

         v.      28              Jesus, the Law and Salvation (Luke 10:25–28)

         v.      29              A Summary of the Interaction Between Jesus and the Law Expert (so far)

         v.      34              The Good Samaritan Stops to Render Aid (a graphic)

         v.      34              A typical inn with buildings arranged round a courtyard (a graphic)

         v. 

         v.      35              What About the Innkeeper (asks Gary North)

         v.      35              The Good Samaritan by Rembrandt (a graphic)

         v.      36              Socialist Citizens/Socialist Leaders (a graphic)

         v.      38              Jerusalem, Bethphage and Bethany (a map)

         v.      38              Galilee, Samaria and Judæa (a map)

         v.      40              A Profile of Martha (from Dan Hill)

         v.      41              Worries and Concerns in the Life of the Believer (from Dr. Dan Hill)

         v.      42              Mary, Martha and the Priorities of Life (Dr. Dan Hill)

         Summary            A Set of Summary Doctrines and Commentary

         Summary            Why Luke 10 is in the Word of God

         Summary            What We Learn from Luke 10

         Summary            Jesus Christ in Luke 10

         Summary            A Brief Review of Luke 10

         Summary            The Subsections of Luke 10 (I took these subtitles from the ISV)

         Summary            Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines in Brief Review of Luke 10

         Summary            New Testament Map of Palestine (a graphic)

         Summary            The Chronology of Luke 9–19

         Summary 

         Addendum 

         Addendum          The Hypostatic Union (by R. B. Thieme, Jr.)

         Addendum          Satan (by R. B. Thieme, Jr.)

         Addendum          Satan’s five “I wills” (by R. B. Thieme, Jr.)

         Addendum          Satan Doctrines Links

         Addendum          John 11:1–12:8 (a brief verse-by-verse study)

         Addendum 

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of Luke 10

         Addendum          Word Cloud from a Reasonably Literal Paraphrase of Luke 10

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of Luke 10

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An Introduction to Luke 10

I ntroduction: Luke 10 is broken down into several sections: (1) sending out the advance group; (2) woes concering the unrepentant cities; (3) the return of seventy (or seventy-two); (4) Jesus rejoicing in the Father’s will; (5) the good Samaritan; and (6) preparing a meal at Martha and Mary’s.

Now let’s get back to introducing Luke 10:

If you like being oriented to time and place, make sure you read Harmony of the Gospels in the introduction to this chapter. When referring to what passage in Luke matches with what passage in Matthew and Mark, the Harmony of the Gospels will be invaluable.

Given that Luke was not a first person source, and given that all he learned came from the testimony of others, he collected narratives and sermons and parables which may have had nowhere to go, chronologically speaking (I am simply postulating this). So it appears that he just put these sermons altogether into one section, bookended by two chronological sections. Bear in mind that this approach to Luke is just a theory. The end of Luke 9 and all of Luke 10 appear to be sprinkled with chronological clues, such as, after these things; or and then. So, even though Luke 10 cannot be matched to anything in the other synoptic gospels, it appears to follow Luke 9 chronologically.

The big picture is this: Jesus is turning His face toward Jerusalem (Luke 9:31, 51, 53). Therefore, Jesus is going to Jerusalem for the last time, and we are not even halfway through the book of Luke. Luke 10 appears to be a continuation of Luke 9, given the chronological markers found in Luke 10 (vv. 1, 17, 21, 23, 25, 38). The time frame for Luke 11-18½ is up for discussion at this point. In the second half of Luke 18, Jesus is approaching Jerusalem for the last time, and the numerous parallels with the synoptic gospels return.

Luke 9 has about nine places where it matches up with Matthew 14–18 and Mark 6, 8–9; and Luke 18b–19 has nine or more places where it matches up with Matthew 19–21 and Mark 10–11. Therefore, there is a center section of Luke—Luke 11–18½—which is possibly untethered to the chronology of the rest of the book (again, that is a working theory, nothing more).

I don’t know if this knowledge actually affects your understanding of these chapters of Luke or not. I am a person who is fascinated by maps, so I like seeing things laid out on a giant map first. Most people who have read or studied these middle chapters of Luke have never given a single thought to this (as far as I know). And whether or not these middle chapters belong here chronologically or not may have no effect on your understanding of Luke and what Jesus is teaching.

Another possible theory, given the context, is these middle chapters of Luke may be what Jesus taught primarily to the Samaritans. Luke, a gentile, would find this very interesting; Matthew, Mark and John, being Jews, may not have taken the same interest in this material.

In Luke 10, every section begins with a time-related word or words. Going by the ESV, Luke 10:1 begins with after this. Luke 10:21 begins with: In that same hour... Luke 10:38 begins with: Now as they went on their way... These are transitional phrases which seem to take us from one incident to the next. Since there are no actual chapter breaks in the original text, after this in Luke 10:1 follows the events of Luke 9, events which have take place right before Jesus is going to Jerusalem for the last time.

In Luke 10, Jesus first sends out 70 (or 72) believers ahead of Him. Then Jesus pronounces the woes on certain cities. Then the disciples whom He sent out at the beginning of the chapter return. Therefore, these three things apparently happened in this order (the sending out of the disciples, the woes pronounced, the disciples return). And all of this appears to take place after Luke 9, based on the first three words of Luke 10:1 (as well as the simple reasoning that the disciples whom He sends out must also return at a later date).

The next section (Luke 10:21–24) begins with in that same hour; the next section (Luke 10:25–37) beings with and behold; and the final section (Luke 10:38–42) begins with now, as they went on their way.

Given that information, what takes place in Luke 10 appears to be a continuation of Luke 9, but without any real parallels in the other gospels (most of Luke 10–18½ has no parallels in the other synoptics). Ken Palmer’s Harmony Gospel chart—found in the Introduction to Luke (HTML) (PDF) (WPD)—shows no parallel passages at all.

So far, I have made two basic points: (1) Luke 10 continues Luke 9 and (2) we don’t know about Luke 11–18½.

Section 1 (Luke 10:1–12): We begin this chapter with Jesus sending out 70 (or 72) men to evangelize and to talk about the Kingdom of God, which is to come (we know this is coming because the King is here). These men are given power over sickness and over demon possession. They are not to pack any additional provisions; but to depend upon God’s logistical grace for this short-lived ministry.

Section 2 (Luke 10:13–16): Before these disciples are sent out, or, right after they leave, Jesus pronounces woes against specific cities—primarily against those cities which should receive His disciples (now or in the future), but will not.

Section 3 (Luke 10:17–20): The 70 go out, and later return expressing great enthusiasm regarding this adventure.

Section 4 (Luke 10:21–24): Jesus rejoices in the Father’s will. This is, no doubt, confusing to some. If Jesus is God, isn’t His will the Father’s will? Jesus, in His humanity, has voluntarily set His Deity aside (the doctrine of Kenosis). Therefore, most, if not all of the gospels, are about Jesus in His humanity. Choosing not to access His Deity is an act of His human will. Almost everything that Jesus does is done from his humanity and not from His Deity. Think of this as illustrated by the young man born into a wealthy family, who chooses to begin his adult life without any financial dependence on his family’s wealth. He pays for his own education, he pays for his own room and board; and he works to put food on his own table. He could draw from his family’s money, but he chooses not to. That is analogous to Jesus in His 1^st advent, where He sets His Deity aside for a time.

Section 5 (Luke 10:25–28): Jesus, when receiving the public, takes a question from an expert in the Law of Moses. The expert asks Jesus, how does one attain to eternal life? Jesus puts it back to that man, asking him, “What do you think? Give Me your opinion.” The man says that people must love the Lord with all their heart, soul and mind; and that they must love their neighbor as themselves. Jesus agrees with him, which prompts the man to ask, who exactly is my neighbor? (This begins section 6)

Section 6 (Luke 10:29–37): Jesus then tells a story about a man who is beaten and robbed and how a Samaritan (a half Jew) comes to his aid. Jesus then asks the law expert, if this Samaritan is a true neighbor compared to two Jewish men who saw the half-dead man and just walked on by. The law expert agrees with Jesus that the Samaritan is truly the neighbor; and Jesus tells the man, “Go and behave like this man.”

Now, as an aside, remember our time and place. Jesus is traveling from Galilee through Samaria, heading toward Jerusalem for the last time. Is Jesus teaching this in a Samaritan village? Off the top of my head, I cannot recall anything which indicates to us that we are in a city of the Jews or a city of the Samaritans (although section 6 really sounds like something which was taught in Samaria).

Section 7 (Luke 10:38–42): Finally, this chapter ends with Jesus in the home of Martha and Mary, presumably with His many disciples. Martha is running around and taking care of things, while Mary is sitting at the Lord’s feet, taking in Bible doctrine. When Martha complains, Jesus sets her straight. It is possible that this short narrative may provide a key to unraveling the time frame of Luke 11–18½.

As previously discussed, many of these sections are tied together with time stamps (phrases which seem to lead from one section to the next). So we appear to still be on the trail from Galilee through Samaria going to Jerusalem. Jesus may be traveling between Galilee and Samaria, so He might go to a Galilean city, and then to a Samaritan city.

As an aside, you have no doubt noticed that many technical words appear to be hyperlinked, but the links don’t take you anywhere. In the chapter-by-chapter studies, each chapter will feature a vocabulary table within the first ten pages of the document and there may be as many as five pages of vocabulary covered in that section. The hyperlinked words here will be linked to their definitions in the Luke 10 chapter document (but not within the emailed study). If you read some of these words and think to yourself, it would be really handy to have them defined; then simply go to the chapter we are in, Luke 10 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). So, if you go to the chapter study of Luke 10, then all of the linked words will actually be linked to a dictionary on p. 5 of that document. The commentary on Luke 10 will be more sparse than what you are reading now because I have taken that commentary (which is in 2^nd draft form) and transferred it to the weekly lessons where I both append and rewrite this material many times. As soon as we complete chapter 10 in the weekly lessons, all of this material will be edited back into the Luke 10 chapter study.

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Jesus Sends Out the 70 with Instructions

The 70 are sent out with instructions

compare Matthew 9:37-38 10:7-16

Jesus sends out the 70 (or 72) on this occasion; and He sends out His Apostles on another (Matthew 10 Luke 9).

Although I have seen that some try to make this into the same incident (the sending out of the 70 and the sending out of the twelve), it appears that these take place at different times and for different purposes. There are similarities regarding some of what the Lord has to say to prepare them, but there are two reasons why these two events are distinct: (1) Luke talks about sending out the twelve in Luke 9; so why would he talk about the same incident in Luke 10? (2) What seems to be key in this mission of the seventy is preparing the way for the Lord. They were to determine which cities Jesus would go to and which ones He should skip over. This was a very practical mission. Jesus was going to Jerusalem and He needed to be there by the time of the Passover. Therefore, He needed to confine His movements to villages who wanted to hear from Him. Those with no positive volition could be skipped.

Now, with regards to the second reason, you may be asking, “Doesn’t Jesus just know which cities to go to and which ones to skip? Isn’t He omniscient?” Jesus has the ability to access His omniscience as God, but He does not. He voluntarily set aside His privileges and powers as Deity. This is known as the doctrine of Kenosis. Therefore, for almost every day of His life, Jesus does not know what is going to happen next. Just like us.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       Note: I will use the Westcott-Hort Greek text as the basis for my English translation. I use that test primarily because e-sword has a nice module by Rob Wolfram which has the interlinear English text, Strong’s #’s, and the Greek morphology. The e-sword tab is IWH+P. I do not use their English text for my translation. Also, throughout, I take in consideration alternate readings.

As a young Christian, I was quite interested in the alternative readings. After many decades of study, I have found that, as with the Hebrew text, disputed readings rarely have any affect on the interpretation of a text (apart from perhaps a half-dozen fairly well-known alternate readings, like the end of the book of Mark).

I will compare the Greek text to English translations of the Latin and Syriac (= Aramaic) texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation and George Lamsa’s translation from the Syriac. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.).

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

The Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls are irrelevant, as they preceded the writing of the New Testament by over 200 years.

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Ancient texts:

Westcott-Hort Text (Greek)    And after these things, lifted up the Lord others [of a different kind] seventy [two] and He sent out them in two [two] before a face of His into every city and place where about to He to go. And He said face to face with them, “Indeed the harvest [is] great and the laborers [are] few. Pray, therefore, to the Lord of the harvest, that laborers He should throw out into the harvest of His.

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) And after these things, the Lord appointed also other seventy-two. And he sent them two and two before his face into every city and place whither he himself was to come. And he said to them: The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he send labourers into his harvest.

Holy Aramaic Scriptures        After these things, Eshu {Yeshua} separated Seventy others from His Disciples, and sent them two by two before His face unto every region and city that He was destined to go.

And He said unto them, “The Khatsada {The Harvest} is great, and the phale {the workers} are few, therefore seek from Mare Khatsada {The Lord of The Harvest}, so that He will send out the phale {the workers} into Khatsadeh {His Harvest}.

James Murdock’s Syriac NT And after these things, Jesus separated from among his disciples seventy other persons, and sent them, two and two, before his face, to every place and city whither he was to go. And he said to them: The harvest is great, and the laborers few: pray ye, therefore, the lord of the harvest that he would send laborers into his harvest.

Original Aramaic NT              After these things Yeshua appointed another seventy of his disciples and he sent them two by two before his presence to every place and city where he was prepared to go. And he said to them, "The harvest is great and the workers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send workers to his harvest."

Lamsa Peshitta (Syriac)         After these things Yeshua appointed another seventy of his disciples and he sent them two by two before his presence to every place and city where he was prepared to go.

And he said to them, “The harvest is great and the workers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send workers to his harvest.”.

Significant differences: 

English Translations:          I have included translations which I disagree with and footnotes that I do not necessarily agree with. If I believe that the author is too far from the truth, I may even address that at the footnote. However, nearly all of the correct commentary will be found following the Greek text box and the translation of each phrase.

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             Now after these things, the Lord made selection of seventy others and sent them before him, two together, into every town and place where he himself was about to come. 

And he said to them, There is much grain ready to be cut, but not enough workers: so make prayer to the Lord of the grain-fields that he will send workers to get in the grain.

Bible in Worldwide English     After this the Lord chose seventy other men. He sent them ahead of him, two by two. He sent them to every town and village that he was going to visit. He said to them, The harvest is much, but there are not many people to gather it. So talk to the Lord of this harvest and ask him to send out people to his harvest.

Easy English                          Jesus sends out 72 disciples

After this, Jesus chose another 72 disciples. He sent them out two by two, to every town and village that he would visit soon. Before they went, he said to them, ‘Many people are ready to believe God's message. They are like crops in a field at harvest time. But there are very few workers to bring in the crops. So pray to God to send out workers. The field and the plants belong to him.’

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  After this, the Lord chose 72 more followers. He sent them out in groups of two. He sent them ahead of him into every town and place where he planned to go.

He said to them, "There is such a big harvest of people to bring in. But there are only a few workers to help harvest them. God owns the harvest. Ask him to send more workers to help bring in his harvest.

God’s Word™                         After this, the Lord appointed 70 other disciples to go ahead of him to every city and place that he intended to go. They were to travel in pairs.

He told them, "The harvest is large, but the workers are few. So ask the Lord who gives this harvest to send workers to harvest his crops.

Good News Bible (TEV)         After this the Lord chose another seventy-two men and sent them out two by two, to go ahead of him to every town and place where he himself was about to go.

He said to them, "There is a large harvest, but few workers to gather it in. Pray to the owner of the harvest that he will send out workers to gather in his harvest.

J. B. Phillips                           Jesus now despatches thirty-five couples to preach and heal the sick

Later on the Lord commissioned seventy other disciples and sent them off in twos as advance-parties into every town and district where he intended to go.

“There is a great harvest,” he told them, “but only a few are working in it—which means you must pray to the Lord of the harvest that he will send out more reapers

The Message                         Lambs in a Wolf Pack

Later the Master selected seventy and sent them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he intended to go. He gave them this charge:

“What a huge harvest! And how few the harvest hands. So on your knees; ask the God of the Harvest to send harvest hands.

NIRV                                      Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two

After this the Lord appointed 72 others. He sent them out two by two ahead of him. They went to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is huge, but the workers are few. So ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field.

New Life Version                    Seventy Are Sent Out

After this the Lord chose seventy others. He sent them out two together to every city and place where He would be going later. Jesus said to them, “There is much grain ready to gather. But the workmen are few. Pray then to the Lord Who is the Owner of the grain-fields that He will send workmen to gather His grain.

New Simplified Bible              The Lord appointed seventy disciples and sent them in groups of two into every city and place where he was about to go. He said to them: »The harvest indeed is great but the laborers are few. Pray that the Master ControllerLord of the harvest will send laborers into his harvest.

Thought-for-thought translations; dynamic translations; paraphrases:

Casual English Bible              HOW TO TELL THE JESUS STORY

72 ADVANCE MEN PREPPING TOWNS FOR JESUS

After that, the Lord picked 72[1] others to act as his advance PR team. He sent them out by twos—one pair to every town he planned to visit on his way to Jerusalem. He said, "There’s a huge crop out there ready to harvest. We don’t have many workers, though. So we should ask the Boss in charge of the harvest to send workers out into the field.

[1] Some ancient manuscripts set the number at 70, here and in 10:17.

Contemporary English V.       Later the Lord chose seventy-two other followers and sent them out two by two to every town and village where he was about to go. He said to them: A large crop is in the fields, but there are only a few workers. Ask the Lord in charge of the harvest to send out workers to bring it in.

The Living Bible                     The Lord now chose seventy other disciples and sent them on ahead in pairs to all the towns and villages he planned to visit later.

These were his instructions to them: “Plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out more laborers to help you, for the harvest is so plentiful and the workers so few.

New Berkeley Version           .

New Century Version             .

New Living Translation           Jesus Sends Out His Disciples

The Lord now chose seventy-two[a] other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit. These were his instructions to them: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.

The Passion Translation        Labor Shortage

After this, the Lord Jesus formed thirty-five teams among the other disciples. Each team was two disciples, seventy in all, and he commissioned them to go ahead of him into every town he was about to visit. 

He released them with these instructions: “The harvest is huge and ripe. But there are not enough harvesters to bring it all in. As you go, plead with the Owner of the Harvest to drive out into his harvest fields many more workers.

Unfolding Simplified Text       After that, the Lord Jesus appointed seventy other people to go preach. He prepared to send them out in pairs to go ahead of him to every town and village where he intended to go.  

He said to them, "The harvest is certainly plentiful, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord of the harvest and plead with him to send more workers to reap his harvest.

Williams’ New Testament      After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on before Him, two by two, to every town or place which He was going to visit.

So He was saying to them: "The harvest is plentiful, but the reapers are scarce. So pray the Lord of the harvest to send out reapers to His harvest-field.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Well after that, the Lord appointed 70 others that he sent out ahead of him in pairs into every city and place that he was going to go.

And he told them:

‘There’s a huge harvest, but there aren’t enough workers. So, beg the Master of the harvest to force more workers to do the harvesting.

Beck’s American Translation .

Breakthrough Version            After these things the Master pointed out seventy others and sent them out on a mission (two apiece) before His face into every city and place where He was going to be going. He was saying to them, "The harvest certainly is big, but the workers are few. So plead with the master of the harvest in order that he might put workers out into his harvest.

Common English Bible           Seventy-two sent out

After these things, the Lord commissioned seventy-two others and sent them on ahead in pairs to every city and place he was about to go. 2 He said to them, “The harvest is bigger than you can imagine, but there are few workers. Therefore, plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out workers for his harvest.

Len Gane Paraphrase           After those things the Lord appointed seventy others also and sent them off two by two before him into every city and place where he himself would come. Therefore he said to them, "The harvest is truly great, but the laborers are few; therefore plead to the Lord of the harvest, that he would sent out workers into his harvest.

A. Campbell's Living Oracles .

New Advent (Knox) Bible       After this, the Lord appointed seventy-two others, and sent them before him, two and two, into all the cities and villages he himself was to visit. The harvest, he told them, is plentiful enough, but the labourers are few; you must ask the Lord to whom the harvest belongs to send labourers out for the harvesting.

NT for Everyone                     Jesus Sends Out the Seventy

After this the master commissioned seventy others, and sent them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he was intending to come.

‘There’s a great harvest out there,’ he said to them, ‘but there aren’t many workers. So plead with the harvest-master to send out workers for the harvest.

20^th Century New Testament .

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Alpha & Omega Bible            .

Christian Standard Bible        Sending Out the Seventy-Two

After this, the Lord appointed seventy-two [Other mss read seventy] others, and he sent them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.

Conservapedia Translation    After this, the Lord sent another seventy out, in pairs, to go before Him into every city or village which He would travel through. So he said to them, “The harvest is large, but there are not enough workers, so pray to the Lord of the harvest, asking Him to send workers to collect His harvest.

Evangelical Heritage V.          .

Ferrar-Fenton (revised)          .

Free Bible Version                 The Mission of the Seventy.

After these events, the Lord also appointed others, seventy in number, and sent them by twos before His arrival into every town and place which He intended to visit.

And He said to them: "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray to the Master of the harvest, that He may send harvesters to His harvest.

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           After these things, the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before him into every city and place, *whither he himself would come. And he said unto them, the harvest is great but the laborers are few. Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest, to send forth laborers into his harvest.

*whither=what ever place, result, or condition.

International Standard V        The Mission of the Seventy

After this, the Lord appointed 70 [Other mss. read 72] other disciples [Lit. others] and was about to send them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place that he intended to go.

So he instructed them, “The harvest is vast, but the workers are few. So ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers out into his harvest.

Montgomery NT                     After this the appointed seventy others, and sent them two by two before his face, into every city and place into which he himself intended to go.

And he thus addressed them. "The harvest is abundant, but the harvesters are few. do you therefore pray the lord of the harvest to send forth harvesters into his harvest.

NIV, ©2011                             .

Riverside New Testament      .

Leicester A. Sawyer’s NT      .

UnfoldingWord Literal Text    Now after these things, the Lord appointed seventy [ Many of the best ancient copies read "seventy" but some read "seventy-two" ] others, and sent them out two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he himself was about to go.  

He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

Urim-Thummim Version         .

Weymouth New Testament    After this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them before Him, by twos, to go to every town or place which He Himself intended to visit.

And He addressed them thus: "The harvest is abundant, but the reapers are few: therefore entreat the Owner of the harvest to send out more reapers into His fields. And now go.

Wikipedia Bible Project          .

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)     Jesus sends out the seventy

(Mt 10:5; Mk 6:7)

• After this, the Lord appointed seventy-two other disciples, and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place, where he himself was to go. And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. So you must ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers to his harvest.

Mt 10: 5-16; Mk 6: 7-11; Lk 9:1-5

Mt 9: 37-38; Jn 4:38

• 10.1 See commentary on Matthew 10:5 and Mark 6:7.

Luke reports a mission of the seventy (or seventy-two) after the mission of the Twelve (9:1).

There were twelve apostles, according to the number of the tribes of Israel: this means that, at first, the Gospel was proclaimed to the people of Israel. Then came the mission of the seventy-two (or of the seventy): these numbers symbolized the multitude of pagan nations. This mission, then, is a figure of the task that is the responsibility of the Church until the end of the world: to evangelize all nations (Mt 28:19).

When the Church has been present long enough in a particular place, we tend to believe that everyone has had the opportunity to receive the Gospel: this is an illusion. Even in the best of circumstances, many families, especially the poorest ones, have waited for years for some missionary’s visit.

Do not stop at the homes of those you know (v. 4). The Gospel says: “do not greet anyone.” Missionaries would soon lose their wings if they stayed to chat or asked hospitality from friends who had not welcomed the Kingdom. They should rather count on the Providence of the Father who will open to them the heart and house of one of those who have listened to the Good News.

In visiting homes, the first thing to do is to give peace, that is, to come as a friend on behalf of Christ and his Church, taking time to listen to the people visited and to find out their concerns. Then, and only then, will we be able to give them a good answer and to tell them: the Kingdom has come to you; even though you may have a thousand problems, believe that today God has come closer to you to reconcile you. This is the time to be reconciled with family members and neighbors, to let go of resentments. Begin doing what you can do, and trust that, in his own way, God will solve what is beyond your own power.

Many of the people who welcome the missionaries with joy are not going to persevere: they are not going to enter a Christian community. That does not necessarily mean that the missionaries’ efforts have been wasted. These people will remember this moment of grace from the Lord, and it will help them in living with more faith. In any case, there will be some whose hearts were touched by the Lord at that time and they will become active members of his Church.

The mission helps form the missionaries and also awakens those they visit. Jesus formed his disciples, not only through his teaching, but also by sending them on missions. That is the way he formed the seventy a few months after they met him. Likewise now, the best people for missionary work are often those who have been recently converted.

The Heritage Bible                 And after these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and set them apart and sent them two by two before his face into every city and place where he was about to come.

Therefore he said to them, Truly the harvest is large, and the laborers few; therefore bind yourself in petition to the Lord of the harvest that he throw laborers out into his harvest.

New American Bible (2002)   .

New American Bible (2011)   The Mission of the Seventy-two.*

After this the Lord appointed seventy[-two]* others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit.^a

He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.^b

* [10:1–12] Only the Gospel of Luke contains two episodes in which Jesus sends out his followers on a mission: the first (Lk 9:1–6) is based on the mission in Mk 6:6b–13 and recounts the sending out of the Twelve; here in Lk 10:1–12 a similar report based on Q becomes the sending out of seventy-two in this gospel. The episode continues the theme of Jesus preparing witnesses to himself and his ministry. These witnesses include not only the Twelve but also the seventy-two who may represent the Christian mission in Luke’s own day. Note that the instructions given to the Twelve and to the seventy-two are similar and that what is said to the seventy-two in Lk 10:4 is directed to the Twelve in Lk 22:35.

* [10:1] Seventy[-two]: important representatives of the Alexandrian and Caesarean text types read “seventy,” while other important Alexandrian texts and Western readings have “seventy-two.”

a. [10:1] Mk 6:7.

b. [10:2] Mt 9:37–38; Jn 4:35.

New English Bible–1970        The Mission of the Seventy Two (Judæa)

After this the Lord appointed a further seventy-two Some witnesses read: seventy. and sent them on ahead in pairs to every town and place he was going to visit himself. He said to them: 'The crop is heavy, but labourers are scarce; you must therefore beg the owner to send labourers to harvest his crop. Be on your way.

New Jerusalem Bible             After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself would be visiting.

And he said to them, 'The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to do his harvesting.

NRSV (Anglicized Cath. Ed.) .

Revised English Bible–1989   .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           After this, the Lord appointed seventy other talmidim and sent them on ahead in pairs to every town and place where he himself was about to go. He said to them, “To be sure, there is a large harvest. But there are few workers. Therefore, plead with the Lord of the Harvest that he speed workers out to gather in his harvest.

Hebraic Roots Bible               And after these things, Yahshua also appointed seventy others from His disciples, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and region, where He was about to go.

Therefore He said to them, Indeed, the harvest is much but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray to the Master of the harvest, that He send out workers into His harvest.

Holy New Covenant Trans.    After this, the Lord Jesus chose 72 more men. He sent the men out in pairs ahead of him into every town and place where he was planning to go.

Jesus said to them, “The harvest is great but there are not many workers. Pray that the Owner of the harvest will send more workers out into the harvest field.

The Scriptures 2009              And after this the Master appointed seventy others, and sent them two by two ahead of Him into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. 

Then He said to them, “The harvest indeed is great, but the workers are few, therefore pray the Master of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.

Tree of Life Version                Now after these things, the Lord assigned seventy others and sent them out by twos before Him into every town and place where He Himself was about to go.

And He was telling them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, beg the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

Accurate New Testament       ...after but these appoints The Lord other seventy two [men] and [He] sends them in two [ones] two [ones] before face [of] him to every city and place where intended He to come [He] said but to them The certainly Harvest {is} Much The but Workers {are} Few request! so the lord [of] the harvest so workers [He] may remove to the harvest [of] him...

Awful Scroll Bible                   What is more, after these things the lord exhibited-upon seventy others also, and he sent- them -out ahead within two, with-respects-to- his -face, into every city and place where himself was about to go. Consequently he persists to instruct with regards to them, "The harvest surely is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Be yourselves came about implored therefore, how-that the lord of the harvest shall put-out laborers into his harvest.

Concordant Literal Version    Now after these things the Lord indicates seventy-two others also, and He dispatches them two by two before His face into every city and place where He was about to be entering."

Now He said to them, "The harvest, indeed, is vast, yet the workers are few. Beseech, then, the Lord of the harvest, so that He should be ejecting workers into His harvest."

exeGeses companion Bible   YAH SHUA APOSTOLIZES THE SEVENTY:

THE FIRST EVANGELISTIC ADVANCE TEAM

Now after these,

Adonay also designates seventy others;

and apostolizes them by twos in front of his face

to every city and place he is about to go:

so he words to them,

The harvest indeed is vast, but the workers few:

so petition Adonay of the harvest,

to cast forth workers into his harvest.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And after these things, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu gave smichah to shivim (seventy) others and sent them on ahead of him shnayim shnayim (two by two) into every shtetl and place where he was about to arrive.

And Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach was saying to them, Indeed the Katzir is plentiful, but the poalim of the Katzir are few; therefore, ask the Adon of the Katzir that he might send out poalim into his Katzir.

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. § 46. The Mission of the Seventy {Two.}

Chapter 10.

And |after these things| the Lord appointed seventy {two} others, and sent them forthˎ two and two before his faceˎ into everyʹ city and place whither |he himself| was about to come.

And he was saying unto them—

||The harvest|| indeedˎ is |great|,

But ||the labourers|| |few|;

Beg yeˎ thereforeˎ of the Lord of the harvest,

That he would thrust forth |labourers| into his harvest.^e

e Mt. ix. 37, 38.

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                The Seventy Sent Out

Now after this the Lord appointed seventy [One ancient ms reads seventy-two.] others, and sent them out ahead of Him, two by two, into every city and place where He was about to go. He was saying to them, “The harvest is abundant [for there are many who need to hear the good news about salvation], but the workers [those available to proclaim the message of salvation] are few. Therefore, [prayerfully] ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.

An Understandable Version   Now after these things [happened] the Lord appointed seventy-two other disciples [Note: Some ancient manuscripts say “seventy.” This group would have been in addition to the twelve. See Luke 9:1], and sent them two by two on ahead of Him into every town and locality that He planned to visit. And He said to them, “There is certainly plenty to harvest, but there are [too] few people to do the work. You should pray to the Lord of the harvest to send [more] workers out into the field to gather His crop.

The Expanded Bible              Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two

After this, the Lord ·chose [appointed] ·seventy-two [Some Greek copies read “seventy.”] [C the number may reflect the 70 nations listed in the “table of nations” in Genesis 10 (the Greek text of which reads “72”) and so foreshadows the mission to the Gentiles] others and sent them out in pairs ahead of him into every town and place where he ·planned [was about] to go. 2 He said to them, “·There are a great many people to harvest [^L The harvest is great/large], but ·there are only a few workers [^L the workers/laborers are few]. So pray to the Lord ·who owns [who is in charge of; ^L of] the harvest, that he will send more ·workers [laborers] ·to gather [^L into] his harvest.

Jonathan Mitchell NT             Now after these things, the Lord also indicated (or: designates) seventy [other MSS: seventy-two] different people by raising them up to be seen, and later sent them out as representatives on a mission, two by two, before His face (= in advance of His presence) into every town and place where He continued being about to be progressively coming. So He began saying to them, "On the one hand, the harvest [is] much (or: vast; = it is a very good crop); on the other hand, the workers are few. Therefore, at once urgently ask (or: beg) the Owner (or: Lord; Master) of the harvest so that He would (or: should) put out workers into His harvest.

P. Kretzmann Commentary    Verses 1-2

The Mission of the Seventy.

The plenteous harvest:

After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before His face into every city and place whither He Himself would come.

Therefore said He unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that He would send forth laborers into His harvest.

The Lord was constantly seeking more disciples, as the last incidents plainly show; His word of invitation went out again and again, pleading with men to follow His merciful leadership. And there were always some that were convinced and gladly joined the ranks of the believers in the Messiah of the world. From among these disciples in the wider sense, most of whom accompanied Jesus on His journeys, He now appointed or commissioned others, seventy in number, in addition to the Twelve whom He had elected as His representatives. The principal difference between the work of the two groups seems to have been that the seventy had only a temporary commission, the work of preparing the way for Him in parts of Palestine, in Judea, where the Lord was comparatively unknown. Jesus, sent them two by two, for companionship and mutual assistance. They went before His face, as special heralds, to prepare the people for the appearance of the Christ. He mapped out His itinerary and had them take note of the cities and places where He planned to go. It may not have been the intention of Christ to visit all the small villages and hamlets personally, but He wanted the announcement to go before Him that the great Prophet of Galilee, the Savior of Israel, was drawing near to their country. Knowing this, every one that "was concerned about the Messiah could come in person and see and hear Him. And Jesus characterized the situation for the benefit of these messengers. The harvest was great: there were many thousands of people in need of redemption, and many perhaps ready to receive it. Therefore the need of men fit to take part in the great work of preaching the Kingdom was particularly great. This has been true at all times since the days of Jesus, and will continue to be true till the end of time. In the heathen countries there are millions of souls still sitting in darkness and the shadow of death. And in the so-called Christian countries the proportion of professing Christians is very small. In our own country there are thousands of towns and small cities without any preaching of the Gospel. And so the second part of Christ's statement must also find its application, that the earnest prayer of all sincere Christians must go up to the Father of all grace and mercies that He would send forth laborers into His harvest, that He would make many young men willing to heed His call, and that many others take upon themselves the privilege of supplying these workers with the supplies for maintaining life while attending to these duties.

Syndein/Thieme                     {The Mission of the Seventy}

``After this, the Lord appointed seventy {some texts indicate 72 but RBT uses 70 in verse 17 below so that will be used here also} others of a different kind {heteros} and sent them 'on a mission under His authority' {apostello} on ahead of Him, two by two, into every town and place where He himself was about to go.

``These things being so, He said to them, "The harvest . . {is} abundant . . . but the workers . . . {are} few.

Therefore ask/pray {deomai - an order} the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.

Translation for Translators              Jesus instructed 72 other disciples before sending them out.

Luke 10:1-12

After that, the Lord Jesus appointed 72 other people. He prepared to send them out, two-by-two, to every town and village where he [SYN] intended to go. He said to them, “The people who are ready to receive my message are like a field of [MET] grain that is ready for people to harvest {to be harvested}. But there are not many people to bring them to God. So pray and ask the Lord God to send more workers who will gather people together and teach them my message, just like a landowner sends workers into his fields to gather the harvest.

The Voice                               The Lord then recruited and deployed 70[a] more disciples. He sent them ahead, in teams of two, to visit all the towns and settlements between them and Jerusalem. This is what He ordered.

Jesus: There’s a great harvest waiting in the fields, but there aren’t many good workers to harvest it. Pray that the Harvest Master will send out good workers to the fields.

Bible Translations with a Lot of Footnotes:

Lexham Bible                         The Seventy-Two Appointed and Sent Out

And after these things , the Lord also [Some manuscripts omit “also”] appointed seventy-two others and sent them out two by two before him [Literally “his presence”] into every town and place where he was about to go.

And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest that he send out workers into his harvest.

NET Bible®                             The Mission of the Seventy-Two

After this¹ the Lord appointed seventy-two² others and sent them on ahead of him two by two into every town³ and place where he himself was about to go. He⁴ said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest⁵ to send out⁶ workers into his harvest.

^1tn Grk “And after these things.” Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

^2tc There is a difficult textual problem here and in v. 17, where the number is either “seventy” (א A C L W Θ Ξ Ψ À1,13 œ and several church fathers and early versions) or “seventy-two” (Ã75 B D 0181 pc lat as well as other versions and fathers). The more difficult reading is “seventy-two,” since scribes would be prone to assimilate this passage to several OT passages that refer to groups of seventy people (Num 11:13-17; Deut 10:22; Judg 8:30; 2 Kgs 10:1 et al.); this reading also has slightly better ms support. “Seventy” could be the preferred reading if scribes drew from the tradition of the number of translators of the LXX, which the Letter of Aristeas puts at seventy-two (TCGNT 127), although this is far less likely. All things considered, “seventy-two” is a much more difficult reading and accounts for the rise of the other. Only Luke notes a second larger mission like the one in 9:1-6.

^3tn Or “city.”

^4tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

^5sn The phrase Lord of the harvest recognizes God’s sovereignty over the harvest process.

New American Bible (2011)   .

The Passion Translation        .

The Spoken English NT         Jesus Sends Out Seventy People on a Mission
Later, the Lord appointed seventy-two^a others. He sent them ahead of him^b two by two, to every town and place where he was about to come.

He’d say to them,
There’s a big harvest, but there are only a few workers. So really plead with the owner of the harvest field, to send workers out to the harvest.^c

^a.Or “seventy.” The best ancient mss are evenly split on this number.

^b.Lit. “before his face.”

^c.Lit. “to send workers into his harvest.”

Wilbur Pickering’s New T.     Jesus sends out the Seventy
Now after these things, the Lord appointed seventy¹ others also, and sent them two by two ahead of Him to every town and place where He Himself was about to go. Then He said to them: “The harvest is indeed great, but the workers are few; therefore pray to the Lord of the harvest that He may send out workers into His harvest.

(1) Perhaps 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, add “two” (as in NIV, LB, TEV, etc.), (also in verse 17).

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Analytical-Literal Translation  Now after these [things], the Lord appointed also seventy others, and He sent them two each [or, two by two] before His face [fig., ahead of Him] into every city and place where He Himself was about to be going. Then He was saying to them, "The harvest truly [is] plentiful, but the laborers [are] few. Therefore, implore the Lord of the harvest in order that He shall put forth laborers into His harvest.

Charles Thomson NT             .

Context Group Version          Now after these things the Lord appointed seventy-two others, and sent them two by two before his face into every city and place, where he himself was about to go.

And he said to them, The harvest indeed is plenteous, but the workers are few: implore (pl) therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send out workers into his harvest.

English Standard Version      .

Far Above All Translation       After these things the Lord appointed another seventy in addition and sent them in twos ahead of him into every town and place where he was going to go himself.

Then he said to them, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So entreat the Lord of the harvest to send out workers to his harvest.

Green’s Literal Translation    .

Literal New Testament           .

Modern English Version         The Mission of the Seventy

After this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them two by two ahead of Him into every city and place where He Himself was about to come. He said to them, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.

Modern Literal Version 2020  {Luk 10:1-24; Probably Judea, Oct., 29 AD; no parallel.}

Now after these things, the Lord also delegated seventy others, and sent them two apiece {i.e. two by two} into every city and place before his face, where he himself was about to go.

Therefore he said to them, The harvest is indeed large, but the workers are few, therefore beseech° the Lord of the harvest, *that he should put forth workers into his harvest.

Modern KJV                           .

New American Standard B.    .

New European Version          The sending of the 70

Now after these things the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them two by two ahead of him into every city and place, where he was about to go. And he said to them: The harvest indeed is plenteous, but the labourers are few. Therefore pray to the Lord of the harvest, that He send out labourers into His harvest.

New King James Version       .

New Matthew Bible                He sends the seventy on before him to preach, and instructs them how to conduct themselves. He prays to his heavenly Father, answers the scribe that tested him, and by the example of the Samaritan, shows who is our neighbour. Martha receives the Lord into her house. Mary Magdalene is fervent in hearing his word.