And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,
- BSB “Martha, Martha,” the Lord replied, “you are worried and upset about many things.
- NKJV And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.
- NASB But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things;
- NLT But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus gently names Martha's anxious, troubled state over many concerns. He addresses the heart behind her busyness.
Overview
The repeated 'Martha, Martha' conveys both affection and concern. Jesus diagnoses not her serving itself but the worry and inner turmoil driving it. He calls her from scattered anxiety toward settled trust and attentiveness.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Phil 4:6Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
- Mark 4:19And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
- Luke 21:34And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
- Matt 6:25–34Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
- Luke 8:14And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
- Luke 12:22And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.
- 1 Cor 7:32–35But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:
- Eccl 6:11Seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what is man the better?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 10:41 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.