10:39a

She had a sister named Mary: Mary was probably Martha’s younger sister. They had the same parents. We do not know whether Martha had any other sisters. They had at least one brother, Lazarus (see John 11:1).

In some languages it is natural to use a more specific term such as “younger sister” to refer to Mary here. In other languages it is natural to use a general term such as “sibling” or “younger sibling.” Use a natural kinship term in your language.

10:39b

sat at the Lord’s feet: Jewish people often used the phrase “sat at his feet” to describe a disciple/student listening to his religious teacher. Students often sat on the ground or on the floor around the teacher while he sat and taught them. This expressed the students’ humility and eagerness to learn. Some other ways to translate this expression are:

sat down beside the Lord’s feet
-or-
sat down ⌊on the floor⌋ near the Lord

the Lord’s:
For information about how to translate the title Lord, see the note at 10:1a.

listening to His message: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as listening to His message is more literally “listening to his word.” It refers to the things that Jesus was teaching about God. Other people besides Mary were probably also listening to him teach. These people may have included Jesus’ disciples and any other guests.

Some ways to translate listening to His message here are:

listening to him teach (New Century Version)
-or-
listening to ⌊God’s⌋ words that he was telling ⌊people⌋

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