I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
Parallel translations
- WEB I tell you, in that night there will be two people in one bed. The one will be taken, and the other will be left.
- BSB I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed: One will be taken and the other left.
- NKJV I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left.
- NASB I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left.
- NLT That night two people will be asleep in one bed; one will be taken, the other left.
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
On that night two will be in one bed; one taken, one left. Judgment divides people who outwardly look alike.
Overview
Jesus pictures a sudden separation cutting through the closest human settings. Whether "taken" means gathered to the Lord or removed in judgment is debated among faithful interpreters, but the main thrust is clear: the day brings a decisive, individual division. No external closeness substitutes for personal readiness before God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Matt 24:40–41Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
- 2 Pet 2:9The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
- Mal 3:16–18Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.
- 1 Th 4:16–17For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
- Luke 13:24Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
- Mark 13:23But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.
- Ps 26:9Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men:
- Luke 13:3I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
- Jer 45:5And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the LORD: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.
- Luke 13:5I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
- Ps 28:3Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts.
- Isa 42:9Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.
- Ezek 9:4–6And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
- Matt 24:25Behold, I have told you before.
- Rom 11:4–7But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.
- Mark 14:29But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 17:34 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.