5:11a

And: This verse begins with a Greek conjunction that is often translated as “and.” Some English versions, including the Berean Standard Bible and the English Standard Version, translate it that way. This verse concludes this event and tells what the fishermen did as a result of what happened. Some other ways to translate this word are:

Then (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
So (New International Version)

Some versions do not translate this word. Connect this verse with the previous verses in a way that is natural in your language.

they: Jesus had been talking specifically to Simon in the previous verse. However, the pronoun here is plural. It may refer to all the fishermen who were with Simon, to some of them, or specifically to Simon, James, and John. So it is recommended that you leave this general if possible. Some ways to do this are:

• Use a plural pronoun. For example:

they

• Use a phrase. For example:

Simon and his companions

had brought their boats ashore: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as had brought their boats ashore is literally “brought the boats on the land.” The fishermen pushed or pulled their boats up on dry land where it would be safe to leave them.

5:11b

left everything: The phrase left everything means “abandoned everything.” The word everything here probably refers to their fishing equipment. The fishermen left their boats. They left the fishing business. They even left the fish they had just caught.

They might have given or sold their equipment to other fisherman or just left it sitting on the shore. These details are not in focus in the story.

followed Him: The phrase followed Him here means “became Jesus’ disciples/ followers.” The fishermen decided to go with Jesus wherever he went in order to learn from him.

Another way to translate this is:

went with Jesus as his disciples/followers
-or-
became Jesus’ disciples/followers

General Comment on 5:11a–b

There are three verbs in 5:11a–b (“brought the boats,” “left everything,” and “followed him”). In the Greek text, the main verb is “followed.” Express the actions in a natural way in your language.

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