Luke 10:42

but one thing ¹  is needed. Mary has chosen the best ²  part; it will not be taken away from her.”

De 30:19; Jos 24:15,22; Ps 16:5,6; Ps 17:15; Ps 27:4; Ps 73:25; Ps 119:30,111,173; Ps 142:5; Ec 12:13; Mr 8:36; Lu 8:18; Lu 12:20,33; Lu 16:2,25; Lu 18:22; Joh 4:14; Joh 5:24; Joh 10:27,28; Joh 17:3; Ro 8:35-39; 1Co 13:3; Ga 5:6; Col 2:10-19; Col 3:3,4; 1Pe 1:4,5; 1Jo 5:11,12

¹ tc Or, with some mss (̳ [א] B C² L 070^vid ˹ 33 [579] pc), “few things are needed – or only one” (as well as other variants). The textual problem here is a difficult one to decide. The shorter reading is normally preferred, but it is not altogether clear how the variants would arise from it. However, the reading followed in the translation has good support (with some internal variations) from a number of witnesses (Ì^45,75 A C* W Θ Ψ Ë¹³ Ï lat sa).

² tn Or “better”; Grk “good.” This is an instance of the positive adjective used in place of the superlative adjective. According to ExSyn 298, this could also be treated as a positive for comparative (“better”).