Parallel Verses

An Understandable Version

And if your hand becomes the occasion for falling away [from God], cut it off; it would be better for you to enter [never ending] life disabled, rather than keeping both hands and going to hell, into the fire that cannot be put out [i.e., all because it caused you to fall away from God]. {{Verse

New American Standard Bible

If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire,

King James Version

And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

Holman Bible

And if your hand causes your downfall, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and go to hell—the unquenchable fire,

International Standard Version

So if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It's better for you to enter life injured than to have two hands and go to hell, to the fire that cannot be put out.

A Conservative Version

And if thy hand may cause thee to stumble, cut it off. It is good for thee to enter into life maimed, than having thy two hands to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire,

American Standard Version

And if thy hand cause thee to stumble, cut it off: it is good for thee to enter into life maimed, rather than having thy two hands to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire.

Amplified

If your hand causes you to stumble and sin, cut it off [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]! It is better for you to enter life crippled, than to have two hands and go into hell, into the unquenchable fire,

Anderson New Testament

And if your hand ensnare you, cut it off: it is better for you to enter maimed into life, than having two hands to go away into hell, into the fire that is not quenched,

Bible in Basic English

And if your hand is a cause of trouble to you, let it be cut off; it is better for you to go into life with one hand than to have two hands and go into hell, into the eternal fire.

Common New Testament

If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, to the fire that shall never be quenched.

Daniel Mace New Testament

if even thy hand should make thee transgress, saw it off, and cast it away, it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than to have both hands and go into Gehenna, the unextinguishable fire:

Darby Translation

And if thy hand serve as a snare to thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having thy two hands to go away into hell, into the fire unquenchable;

Godbey New Testament

And if thy hand may offend thee, cut it off: it is good for thee to go into life maimed, rather than having two hands to go away into hell, into the fire that can not be quenched.

Goodspeed New Testament

If your hand makes you fall, cut it off. You might better enter upon life maimed, than go with both your hands to the pit, into the fire that cannot be put out.

John Wesley New Testament

And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is good for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands, to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

Julia Smith Translation

And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off; it is good for thee rather to enter into life maimed, than having two hands, to go away into hell, into inextinguishable fire:

King James 2000

And if your hand offend you, cut it off: it is better for you to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

Lexham Expanded Bible

And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off! It is better [for] you to enter into life crippled than, having two hands, to go into hell--into the unquenchable fire!

Modern King James verseion

And if your hand offends you, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than to have two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched

Modern Spelling Tyndale-Coverdale

Wherefore, if thy hand offend thee, cut him off. It is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than to go, having two hands, into hell: into fire that never shall be quenched,

Moffatt New Testament

If your hand is a hindrance to you, cut it off: better be maimed and get into Life, than keep your two hands and go to Gehenna, to the fire that is never quenched.

Montgomery New Testament

"If your hand cause you to stumble, cut it off! It is better to be maimed and to enter into life than to have two hands and go away into hell, into the fire that cannot be put out.

NET Bible

If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off! It is better for you to enter into life crippled than to have two hands and go into hell, to the unquenchable fire.

New Heart English Bible

If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off.[note: idiom meaning to stop doing a sin] It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having your two hands to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire,

Noyes New Testament

And if thy hand cause thee to fall away, cut it off. It is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having the two hands to go away into hell, into the fire that is unquenchable.

Sawyer New Testament

And if your hand offends you, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life crippled, than having two hands to go away into hell, into the inextinguishable fire.

The Emphasized Bible

And, if thy hand shall cause thee to stumble, cut it off, - it is, seemly, for thee, maimed, to enter into life, rather than having, the two hands, to depart into the gehenna, into the fire that is not quenched;

Thomas Haweis New Testament

And if thy hand cause thee to offend, cut it off: it were better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having both hands to go into hell, into the fire that never will be quenched:

Twentieth Century New Testament

If your hand proves a snare to you, cut it off. It would be better for you to enter the Life maimed, than to have both your hands and go into the Pit, into the inextinguishable fire.

Webster

And if thy hand causeth thee to fall into sin, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

Weymouth New Testament

If your hand should cause you to sin, cut it off: it would be better for you to enter into Life maimed, than remain in possession of both your hands and go away into Gehenna, into the fire which cannot be put out.

Williams New Testament

If your hand makes you do wrong, cut it off. You might better go into life maimed than keep both your hands and go down to the pit, to the fire that is never put out.

World English Bible

If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having your two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire,

Worrell New Testament

And, if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is good for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having the two hands to go into Hell--into the unquenchable fire!

Worsley New Testament

And if thy hand cause thee to offend, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands, to go into hell, into the fire that will never be extinguished;

Youngs Literal Translation

And if thy hand may cause thee to stumble, cut it off; it is better for thee maimed to enter into the life, than having the two hands, to go away to the gehenna, to the fire -- the unquenchable --

References

Morish

Smith

Watsons

Images Mark 9:43

Prayers for Mark 9:43

Context Readings

Temptations To Sin

42 And whoever causes one of these little ones [i.e., humble followers of the Lord. See Matt. 18:6] who believes in me to be led astray [from God], he would have been better off to have had a huge millstone tied around his neck and thrown into the ocean [Note: This was a heavy, circular stone rolled over grain to crush it, and moved by an animal walking in a circle]. 43 And if your hand becomes the occasion for falling away [from God], cut it off; it would be better for you to enter [never ending] life disabled, rather than keeping both hands and going to hell, into the fire that cannot be put out [i.e., all because it caused you to fall away from God]. {{Verse 44 is absent from many manuscripts}}.

Cross References

Matthew 5:29-30

And if your right eye is what ensnares you into falling away [from God], gouge it out and throw it away from you. For it would be better for you to lose a part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. [Note: This is the word "Gehenna," and because of its Old Testament connotation of burning bodies, II Chron. 33:6, it is used figuratively here, and elsewhere, to describe the place of future, final punishment of the wicked].

Matthew 25:41

Then He [i.e., the King] will say to those at His left side, 'Go away from me, you who are cursed [by God], into the never ending fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels.

Matthew 3:12

His winnowing shovel [Note: This was a process whereby grain was tossed into the air so that the wind could blow the husks away, leaving only good grain on the ground] is in His hand and He will completely clear off His threshing floor [by removing all of the husks]. And He will gather His wheat into the barn, but will burn up the husks with a fire that will never go out."

Matthew 5:22

But I say to you that every person who is angry toward his brother will be subject to judgment; and whoever calls his brother 'stupid idiot' is subject to [being sentenced by] the [Jewish] Council, and whoever says, 'go to hell' is subject to going to the fire of hell [himself].

Matthew 18:8-9

If your hand or your foot becomes the occasion for you falling away [from God], cut them off and throw them away. It would be better for you to enter [never ending] life disabled or crippled, rather than keeping both hands and both feet and being thrown into the never ending fire [i.e., because they caused you to fall away from God].

Matthew 15:30-31

Large crowds came to Him, bringing crippled, blind, deaf-mute, disabled and many other [sick] people and laid them down at His feet. And He healed [all of] them,

Mark 9:45-48

And if your foot becomes the occasion for falling away [from God], cut it off; it would be better for you to enter [never ending] life crippled, rather than keeping both feet and being thrown into hell. {{Verse

Luke 14:13

But when you prepare a banquet, invite people who are poor, handicapped, crippled and blind [as well].

Luke 14:21

Then the slave returned and told his master about these things. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his slave, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring people who are poor, and handicapped, and blind and crippled in here [i.e., to the supper].'

Romans 8:13

for if you people live under [the control of] the flesh, you must die [spiritually]; but if you put to death [i.e., stop practicing] the [sinful] habits of the body by [the power of] the Holy Spirit, you will live [spiritually].

1 Corinthians 9:27

But I work out and get my body in shape [i.e., spiritually], so that after preaching to other people, I myself do not become disqualified [i.e., for winning the prize from God. See verse 24].

Galatians 5:24

And those persons who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified [i.e., put out of their lives, Col. 3:4ff] the sinful cravings of the body, along with their passionate desires.

Colossians 3:5

So, put to death [i.e., stop practicing the desires of] your physical bodies [such as] sexual immorality, [moral] impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is [in reality] idolatry.

Titus 2:12

It instructs us to give up ungodly living and worldly desires and to live sensible, righteous and godly lives in this present age,

Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a large crowd of spectators [Note: Christians are pictured here as being in a crowded arena, performing in the games], we should lay aside every [excessive] weight and sin that so easily entangle us, and with perseverance, we should run the race [of life] that lies before us.

1 Peter 2:1

Therefore, you should put out of your lives all malice [i.e., bad attitudes], and all deceit and hypocrisy, and all envy and unwholesome talk.

King James Version Public Domain

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International Standard Version Copyright © 1996-2008 by the ISV Foundation.

New American Standard Bible Copyright ©1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org

American Standard Version Public Domain

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Basic English, produced by Mr C. K. Ogden of the Orthological Institute - public domain