Come now, bring forth fruit worthy of repentance. And do not begin to say within yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I say to you, that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
“Come now.” For this translation compare Anchor Bible Commentary (Joseph Fitzmyer). NASB, HCSB, and KJV translate the oun (#3767 οὖν) as “therefore.” But “therefore” normally indicates the practical application of that which came before, which makes no sense in this context; rather, this is a continuation of narrative, a logical connection, not properly the practical application. “Come now” captures this sense well.
