Matthew 6:7

6:7 When¹ you pray, do not babble repetitiously like the Gentiles, because they think that by their many words they will be heard.

Matthew 26:42-44

26:42 He went away a second time and prayed,² “My Father, if this cup³ cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will must be done.” 26:43 He came again and found them sleeping; they could not keep their eyes open.⁴ 26:44 So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same thing once more.

Luke 18:1-2

Prayer and the Parable of the Persistent Widow

18:1 Then⁵ Jesus⁶ told them a parable to show them they should always⁷ pray and not lose heart.⁸ 18:2 He said,⁹ “In a certain city¹⁰ there was a judge¹¹ who neither feared God nor respected people.¹²

Colossians 1:8

1:8 who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

¹tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

²tn Grk “saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant here in contemporary English and has not been translated.

³tn Grk “this”; the referent (the cup) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁴tn Grk “because their eyes were weighed down,” an idiom for becoming extremely or excessively sleepy (L&N 23.69).

⁵tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

⁶tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁷tn Or “should pray at all times” (L&N 67.88).

⁸sn This is one of the few parables that comes with an explanation at the start: …they should always pray and not lose heart. It is part of Luke’s goal in encouraging Theophilus (1:4).

⁹tn Grk “lose heart, saying.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in the Greek text, but a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the pronominal subject “He.”

¹⁰tn Or “town.”

¹¹sn The judge here is apparently portrayed as a civil judge who often handled financial cases.

¹²tn Grk “man,” but the singular ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used as a generic in comparison to God.