14:13a

So: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as So and the Revised Standard Version as “And” here introduces what Jesus did in response to the question that his disciples asked. Express this connection in a way that is natural in your language. In some languages it may be natural to use a phrase or clause. For example:

When they asked that, Jesus sent…

He sent two of His disciples and told them: Before Jesus sent his disciples to Jerusalem, he spoke the words that follow in 14:13b–15c. In some languages it may be natural to make this more explicit. For example:

So Jesus sent two of his disciples to Jerusalem with the following instructions:

In some languages a verb like sent may not be necessary, since it is implied when Jesus gave them instructions. For example:

So he told two of his disciples to prepare everything. He said to them:

14:13b

Go into the city: The phrase the city refers to Jerusalem. Jesus and his disciples were staying in Bethany about four kilometers away.

14:13c

and: The word and introduces what will happen after the disciples enter the city.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

There…
-or-
When you have gone into the city…
-or-
When you have arrived in the city…

a man carrying a jug of water: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a man refers to an adult male. Normally only women carried water. They carried the water in jars on their heads. When men carried water, they used a container made of skin/leather. If the disciples saw a man carrying water in a jar, they would know that he was the man that they were looking for. He would show them the right house.

carrying: Use a general word for carrying if possible. It is most likely that a man in that society would carry a water jar on his shoulder. If your language requires you to be specific, you may use a term for carrying on the shoulder. However, if people in your culture normally carry water on their heads, you may use the normal expression for this.

jug of water: The phrase jug of water refers to an earthenware or clay jar, pitcher or jug containing water. If your language has a word that means “water jar/pitcher,” you can use it here. If people do not carry water in jugs in your culture, you may use a more general expression like “container of water.”

will meet you: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as meet does not specify whether the man had planned to meet them. Try to leave this ambiguous in your language.

14:13d

Follow him: In this context the phrase Follow him means “go behind” or “go with.” It does not indicate that they should follow him at a distance without his knowledge. If a word like Follow would imply this in your language, you may need to use a different verb. For example:

Take the same path with him.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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