19:17a

His master replied: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as His master replied is literally “and he said to him.” In the Greek text it occurs before the reply, and that is where the Berean Standard Bible has placed it. Other versions, such as the New International Version, place it after the reply. Place this phrase where it is natural in your language and refer to the king in a natural way. Here is another way to translate this:

The king said to him (God’s Word)

Well done, good servant: There is no verb in what the king said to his servant here. In some languages it may be more natural to use a complete sentence. For example:

You have done well, my good servant.

In some languages it may be more natural to begin with the direct address. For example:

My good servant, you have done well.

Well done: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Well done is an exclamation that expresses praise. Translate this exclamation in a way that is natural for a king or master to praise his servant in your language. For example:

Excellent! (New Century Version)
-or-
Good job! (God’s Word)
-or-
Splendid… (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

good servant: In some languages it may be natural to add “my” to the Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as good servant. The idea of “my” is implied.

In some languages, it may be more natural to express good servant as a sentence rather than with direct address. For example:

You are a good servant. (New Century Version)

19:17b–c

Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, you shall have authority over ten cities: The king gave his servant to authority over ten cities as a reward for being trustworthy. In some languages it may be necessary to make explicit that the king was rewarding him. For example:

You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you, so you will be governor of ten cities as your reward. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Because you have been trustworthy with a very small matter, ⌊I will reward you by⌋ letting you rule over ten cities.

In your translation, make sure that there is a contrast between the very small matter in 19:17b and the ten cities in 19:17c. It was a small thing to take care of one mina/coin, but it was a very important thing to take care of ten cities. Here is another way to translate this:

Since I can trust you with small things, I will let you rule over ten of my cities. (New Century Version)

See the General Comment on 19:17b–c below for an example of changing the order of the clauses.

faithful: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as faithful means “trustworthy, dependable.” The king trusted his servant to manage his money well, and the servant worked hard to do that. The servant showed that he could be trusted. For more information, see believe, Meaning 4, in the Glossary.

a very small matter: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a very small matter refers to the task of trading with the one coin that the master gave him. Other ways to translate this are:

a little money (God’s Word)
-or-
the little I entrusted to you (New Living Translation (2004))

The phrase “faithful in a very small matter” uses the same words as the phrase in 16:10 that the Berean Standard Bible translated as “faithful with very little.”

19:17c

you shall have authority over ten cities: The clause you shall have authority over ten cities indicates that the king was giving his servant responsibility to govern the people in ten cities. In Greek this clause is literally a command. Here is another way to translate this:

take charge of ten cities (New International Version)

In some languages it may be more natural to use a statement. For example:

I will put you in charge of ten cities. (Good News Translation)
-or-
I am making you the ruler/governor over ten cities.

General Comment on 19:17b–c

Here 19:17b is the reason for 19:17c. In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of these clauses. For example:

17cI will give you control over ten cities, 17bbecause you have been so faithful with the small responsibility ⌊I gave you⌋.

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