And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.
Parallel translations
- WEB He said to them, “Collect no more than that which is appointed to you.”
- BSB “Collect no more than you are authorized,” he answered.
- NKJV And he said to them, “Collect no more than what is appointed for you.”
- NASB And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.”
- NLT He replied, “Collect no more taxes than the government requires.”
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
John tells tax collectors to collect no more than what is appointed—to stop overcharging. Repentance means abandoning the specific sins of one's calling.
Overview
Rather than telling tax collectors to abandon their occupation, John commands honesty: take only what is owed. True repentance does not require fleeing ordinary life but renouncing the sin within it. Justice and integrity in daily work are fruits worthy of repentance.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Luke 19:8And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
- Eph 4:28Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
- Isa 1:16–17Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
- 1 Cor 6:10Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
- Mic 6:8He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
- Matt 7:12Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
- Titus 2:11–12For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
- Prov 28:13He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
- Isa 55:6–7Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
- Ps 18:23I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.
- Heb 12:1Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
- Ezek 18:21–22But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
- Ezek 18:27–28Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.
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 3:13 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.