Luke 14:35

14:35 It is of no value ¹  for the soil or for the manure pile; it is to be thrown out. ²  The one who has ears to hear had better listen!” ³ 

Luke 13:8

13:8 But the worker ⁴  answered him, ‘Sir, leave it alone this year too, until I dig around it and put fertilizer ⁵  on it.

¹ tn Or “It is not useful” (L&N 65.32).

² tn Grk “they throw it out.” The third person plural with unspecified subject is a circumlocution for the passive here.

³ tn The translation “had better listen!” captures the force of the third person imperative more effectively than the traditional “let him hear,” which sounds more like a permissive than an imperative to the modern English reader. This was Jesus’ common expression to listen and heed carefully (cf. Matt 11:15; 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 8:8).

⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the worker who tended the vineyard) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁵ tn Grk “toss manure [on it].” This is a reference to manure used as fertilizer.