Luke 14:28-30 New English Translation

²⁸For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t sit down^[a] first and compute the cost^[b] to see if he has enough money to complete it? ²⁹Otherwise,^[c] when he has laid^[d] a foundation and is not able to finish the tower,^[e] all who see it^[f] will begin to make fun of^[g] him. ³⁰They will say,^[h] ‘This man^[i] began to build and was not able to finish!’^[j]

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Footnotes

Luke 14:28 tn The participle καθίσας (kathisas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
Luke 14:28 tn The first illustration involves checking to see if enough funds exist to build a watchtower. Both ψηφίζω (psēphizō, “compute”) and δαπάνη (dapanē, “cost”) are economic terms.
Luke 14:29 tn Grk “to complete it, lest.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation and ἵνα μήποτε (hina mēpote, “lest”) has been translated as “Otherwise.”
Luke 14:29 tn The participle θέντος (thentos) has been taken temporally.
Luke 14:29 tn The words “the tower” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
Luke 14:29 tn The word “it” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
Luke 14:29 tn Or “mock,” “ridicule.” The person who did not plan ahead becomes an object of joking and ridicule.
Luke 14:30 tn Grk “make fun of him, saying.”
Luke 14:30 sn The phrase this man is often used in Luke in a derogatory sense; see “this one” and expressions like it in Luke 5:21; 7:39; 13:32; 23:4, 14, 22, 35.
Luke 14:30 sn The failure to finish the building project leads to embarrassment (in a culture where avoiding public shame was extremely important). The half completed tower testified to poor preparation and planning.

New English Translation (NET)