Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who are watching it will begin to ridicule him,
Parallel translations
- WEB Or perhaps, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, everyone who sees begins to mock him,
- KJV Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
- BSB Otherwise, if he lays the foundation and is unable to finish the work, everyone who sees it will ridicule him,
- NKJV lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,
- NLT Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you.
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
One who lays a foundation but cannot finish becomes a laughingstock. Half-hearted discipleship that fails to follow through brings disgrace.
Overview
The unfinished tower exposes the builder to public mockery. Jesus warns against beginning to follow Him without intending to persevere. The image presses hearers to weigh whether they are prepared to see discipleship through to the end.
Cross-references & the web
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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 14:29 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
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