Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’
Parallel translations
- WEB Then I will tell them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.’
- KJV And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
- NKJV And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
- NASB And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
- NLT But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’
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 will tell such people, 'I never knew you; depart from me.' Saving faith is a real relationship with Christ marked by obedience, not lawlessness.
Overview
The decisive issue is not religious works but whether Christ knows the person in a saving relationship. To those who practiced 'lawlessness' he declares, 'I never knew you,' revealing that their works flowed from unconverted hearts. Once more Jesus occupies the seat of final judgment, underscoring his deity and the urgency of true discipleship over self-deceiving profession.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Matt 25:41Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
- Ps 6:8Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity, for the LORD has heard my weeping.
- Luke 13:27And he will answer, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers.’
- Luke 13:25After the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, you will stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ But he will reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’
- Matt 25:12But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’
- John 10:14I am the good shepherd. I know My sheep and My sheep know Me,
- Rev 22:15But outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
- John 10:27–30My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.
- 2 Tim 2:19Nevertheless, God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord must turn away from iniquity.”
- Ps 5:5The boastful cannot stand in Your presence; You hate all workers of iniquity.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 7:23 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.