You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death.
Parallel translations
- WEB You will be handed over even by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends. They will cause some of you to be put to death.
- KJV And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
- BSB You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you will be put to death.
- NASB But you will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, other relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death,
- NLT Even those closest to you—your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends—will betray you. They will even kill some of 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
Even close family and friends will betray believers, and some will be put to death.
Overview
Jesus warns that loyalty to Him may cost the dearest earthly relationships and even life itself. The gospel divides, and faithfulness can bring betrayal from those closest to us. Yet such martyrdom is honored by the Lord who Himself gave His life.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Luke 12:53They will be divided, father against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against her mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”
- Rev 6:9When he opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed for the Word of God, and for the testimony of the Lamb which they had.
- Matt 10:21“Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child. Children will rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death.
- Jer 9:4“Everyone beware of his neighbor, and don’t trust in any brother; for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will go about with slanders.
- Mark 13:12“Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child. Children will rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death.
- Mic 7:5–6Don’t trust in a neighbor. Don’t put confidence in a friend. With the woman lying in your embrace, be careful of the words of your mouth!
- Jer 12:6For even your brothers, and the house of your father, even they have dealt treacherously with you; even they have cried aloud after you! Don’t believe them, though they speak beautiful words to you.
- Rev 12:11They overcame him because of the Lamb’s blood, and because of the word of their testimony. They didn’t love their life, even to death.
- Acts 12:2He killed James, the brother of John, with the sword.
- Rev 2:13“I know your works and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. You hold firmly to my name, and didn’t deny my faith in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
- Acts 7:59They stoned Stephen as he called out, saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”
- Acts 26:10–11This I also did in Jerusalem. I both shut up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, and when they were put to death I gave my vote against them.
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 21:16 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.