John 9

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Jesus at the Feast of Booths

After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because pthe Jews1 were seeking to kill him. Now qthe Jews’ Feast of rBooths was at hand. sSo his brothers2 said to him, Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, tshow yourself to the world. uFor not even vhis brothers believed in him. Jesus said to them, wMy time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but xit hates me because I testify about it that yits works are evil. You go up to the feast. I am not3 going up to this feast, for zmy time has not yet fully come. After saying this, he remained in Galilee.

10 But after ahis brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. 11 bThe Jews cwere looking for him at the feast, and saying, Where is he? 12 And there was much dmuttering about him among the people. eWhile some said, He is a good man, others said, No, fhe is leading the people astray. 13 Yet gfor fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him.

14 About the middle of the feast Jesus went up hinto the temple and began teaching. 15 The Jews therefore imarveled, saying, How is it that this man has learning,4 when he has never studied? 16 So Jesus answered them, jMy teaching is not mine, but his kwho sent me. 17 lIf anyone’s will is to do God’s5 will, mhe will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I nam speaking on my own authority. 18 The one who speaks on his own authority oseeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. 19 pHas not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. qWhy do you seek to kill me? 20 The crowd answered, rYou have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you? 21 Jesus answered them, I did sone work, and you all marvel at it. 22 tMoses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but ufrom the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, vare you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well? 24 wDo not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.

Can This Be the Christ?

25 Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, Is not this the man whom xthey seek to kill? 26 And here he is, yspeaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that zthe authorities really know that this is the Christ? 27 But awe know bwhere this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, cno one will know where he comes from. 28 So Jesus proclaimed, das he taught in the temple, aYou know me, and you know where I come from. But eI have not come of my own accord. fHe who sent me is true, gand him you do not know. 29 hI know him, for I come ifrom him, and jhe sent me. 30 kSo they were seeking to arrest him, but lno one laid a hand on him, mbecause his hour had not yet come. 31 Yet nmany of the people believed in him. They said, oWhen the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?

Officers Sent to Arrest Jesus

32 The Pharisees heard the crowd pmuttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent qofficers to arrest him. 33 Jesus then said, rI will be with you a little longer, and then sI am going to him who sent me. 34 tYou will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come. 35 The Jews said to one another, Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? uDoes he intend to go to vthe Dispersion among wthe Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What does he mean by saying, xYou will seek me and you will not find me, and, Where I am you cannot come?

Rivers of Living Water

37 yOn the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, zIf anyone thirsts, let him acome to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, bas6 the Scripture has said, cOut of his heart will flow rivers of dliving water. 39 Now ethis he said about the Spirit, fwhom those who believed in him were to receive, gfor as yet the Spirit had not been hgiven, ibecause Jesus was not yet glorified.

Division Among the People

40 When they heard these words, jsome of the people said, This really is kthe Prophet. 41 Others said, This is lthe Christ. But some said, mIs the Christ to come from Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes nfrom the offspring of David, and comes ofrom Bethlehem, the village pwhere David was? 43 So there was qa division among the people over him. 44 rSome of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.

45 sThe officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, Why did you not bring him? 46 The officers answered, tNo one ever spoke like this man! 47 The Pharisees answered them, uHave you also been deceived? 48 vHave any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? 49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed. 50 wNicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, 51 xDoes our law judge a man without first ygiving him a hearing and learning what he does? 52 They replied, zAre you from Galilee too? Search and see that ano prophet arises from Galilee.

[The earliest manuscripts do not include 7:538:11.]7

The Woman Caught in Adultery

53 [[They went each to his own house,

but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. bEarly in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and che sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now din the Law, Moses commanded us eto stone such women. So what do you say? This they said fto test him, gthat they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, hLet him who is without sin among you ibe the first to throw a stone at her. And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? 11 She said, No one, Lord. And Jesus said, jNeither do I condemn you; go, and from now on ksin no more.]]

I Am the Light of the World

12 lAgain Jesus spoke to them, saying, mI am the light of the world. Whoever nfollows me will not owalk in darkness, but will have the light of life. 13 So the Pharisees said to him, pYou are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true. 14 Jesus answered, Even if I do bear witness about myself, qmy testimony is true, for I know rwhere I came from and swhere I am going, but tyou do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15 uYou judge according to the flesh; vI judge no one. 16 Yet even if I do judge, wmy judgment is true, for xit is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father1 who sent me. 17 yIn your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. 18 I am the one who bears witness about myself, and zthe Father who sent me bears witness about me. 19 They said to him therefore, Where is your Father? Jesus answered, aYou know neither me nor my Father. bIf you knew me, you would know my Father also. 20 These words he spoke in cthe treasury, as he taught in the temple; but dno one arrested him, because ehis hour had not yet come.

21 So he said to them again, fI am going away, and gyou will seek me, and hyou will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come. 22 So the Jews said, iWill he kill himself, since he says, Where I am going, you cannot come? 23 He said to them, jYou are from below; I am from above. kYou are of this world; lI am not of this world. 24 I told you that you mwould die in your sins, for nunless you believe that oI am he you will die in your sins. 25 So they said to him, pWho are you? Jesus said to them, Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. 26 I have much to say about you and much to judge, but qhe who sent me is true, and I declare rto the world swhat I have heard from him. 27 They did not understand that the had been speaking to them about the Father. 28 So Jesus said to them, When you have ulifted up the Son of Man, vthen you will know that wI am he, and that xI do nothing on my own authority, but yspeak just as the Father taught me. 29 And zhe who sent me is with me. zHe has not left me alone, for aI always do the things that are pleasing to him. 30 As he was saying these things, bmany believed in him.

The Truth Will Set You Free

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, cIf you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will dknow the truth, and the truth ewill set you free. 33 They answered him, fWe are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, You will become free?

34 Jesus answered them, Truly, truly, I say to you, geveryone who practices sin is a slave2 to sin. 35 hThe slave does not remain in the house forever; ithe son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet jyou seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. 38 kI speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard lfrom your father.

You Are of Your Father the Devil

39 They answered him, mAbraham is our father. Jesus said to them, nIf you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40 but now oyou seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth pthat I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41 You are doing the works your father did. They said to him, qWe were not born of sexual immorality. We have rone Fathereven God. 42 Jesus said to them, sIf God were your Father, you would love me, for tI came from God and uI am here. vI came not of my own accord, but whe sent me. 43 xWhy do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot ybear to hear my word. 44 zYou are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. aHe was a murderer from the beginning, and bdoes not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. cWhen he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 dWhoever is of God hears the words of God. eThe reason why you do not hear them is that fyou are not of God.

Before Abraham Was, I Am

48 The Jews answered him, Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and ghave a demon? 49 Jesus answered, I do not have a demon, but hI honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50 Yet iI do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Truly, truly, jI say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never ksee death. 52 The Jews said to him, Now we know that you have a demon! lAbraham died, as did the prophets, yet myou say, If anyone keeps my word, he will never ntaste death. 53 oAre you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be? 54 Jesus answered, pIf I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. qIt is my Father who glorifies me, rof whom you say, He is our God.3 55 But syou have not known him. tI know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be ua liar vlike you, but I do know him and I keep his word. 56 wYour father Abraham xrejoiced ythat he would see my day. zHe saw it and was glad. 57 So the Jews said to him, You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?4 58 Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, aI am. 59 So bthey picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, cRabbi, dwho sinned, ethis man or fhis parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but gthat the works of God might be displayed in him. We must hwork the works of him who sent me iwhile it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, jI am the light of the world. Having said these things, khe spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. lThen he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud and said to him, Go, wash in mthe pool of Siloam (which means Sent). So he went and washed and ncame back seeing.

The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, oIs this not the man who used to sit and beg? Some said, It is he. Others said, No, but he is like him. He kept saying, I am the man. 10 So they said to him, Then how were your eyes opened? 11 He answered, pThe man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, Go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed and received my sight. 12 They said to him, Where is he? He said, I do not know.

13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 qNow it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 rSo the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see. 16 Some of the Pharisees said, This man is not sfrom God, tfor he does not keep the Sabbath. But others said, uHow can a man who is a sinner do such signs? And vthere was a division among them. 17 So they said again to the blind man, What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes? He said, wHe is a prophet.

18 xThe Jews1 did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19 and asked them, Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see? 20 His parents answered, We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21 But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself. 22 (His parents said these things ybecause they feared the Jews, for zthe Jews had already agreed that if anyone should aconfess Jesus2 to be Christ, bhe was to be put out of the synagogue.) 23 Therefore his parents said, cHe is of age; ask him.

24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, dGive glory to God. We know that ethis man is a sinner. 25 He answered, Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I fwas blind, now I see. 26 They said to him, What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes? 27 He answered them, gI have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples? 28 And they reviled him, saying, You are his disciple, but hwe are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, iwe do not know where he comes from. 30 The man answered, Why, this is jan amazing thing! kYou do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that lGod does not listen to sinners, but mif anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 nIf this man were not from God, he could do nothing. 34 They answered him, oYou were born in utter sin, and would you teach us? And they pcast him out.

35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, Do you believe in qthe Son of Man?3 36 He answered, rAnd who is he, sir, that I may believe in him? 37 Jesus said to him, You have seen him, and sit is he who is speaking to you. 38 He said, Lord, I believe, and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, tFor judgment I came into this world, uthat those who do not see may see, and vthose who see may become blind. 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, wAre we also blind? 41 Jesus said to them, If you were blind, xyou would have no guilt;4 but now that you say, We see, your guilt remains.

I Am the Good Shepherd

10 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. yA stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers. This figure of speech Jesus zused with them, but they adid not understand what he was saying to them.

So Jesus again said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, bI am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, che will be saved and will go in and out and dfind pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and ekill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 fI am the good shepherd. The good shepherd glays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is ha hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and ileaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and jscatters them. 13 He flees because khe is a hired hand and lcares nothing for the sheep. 14 mI am the good shepherd. nI know my own and omy own know me, 15 pjust as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and qI lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And rI have other sheep that are not of this fold. sI must bring them also, and tthey will listen to my voice. So there will be uone flock, vone shepherd. 17 wFor this reason the Father loves me, xbecause yI lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 zNo one takes it from me, but yI lay it down aof my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and bI have authority to take it up again. cThis charge I have received from my Father.

19 dThere was again a division among the Jews because of these words. 20 Many of them said, eHe has a demon, and fis insane; why listen to him? 21 Others said, These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. gCan a demon open the eyes of the blind?

I and the Father Are One

22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, hin the colonnade of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are ithe Christ, jtell us plainly. 25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and you do not believe. kThe works that I do lin my Father’s name bear witness about me, 26 but myou do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 nMy sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 oI give them eternal life, and pthey will never perish, and qno one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, rwho has given them to me,1 sis greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of tthe Father’s hand. 30 uI and the Father are one.

31 vThe Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me? 33 The Jews answered him, It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but wfor blasphemy, because you, being a man, xmake yourself God. 34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in yyour Law, zI said, you are gods? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God cameand Scripture cannot be abroken 36 do you say of him whom bthe Father consecrated and csent into the world, You are blaspheming, because dI said, I am the Son of God? 37 eIf I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, feven though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that gthe Father is in me and I am in the Father. 39 hAgain they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.

40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place iwhere John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. 41 And many came to him. And they said, John did no sign, but jeverything that John said about this man was true. 42 And kmany believed in him there.

The Death of Lazarus

11 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of lMary and her sister Martha. mIt was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, Lord, nhe whom you love is ill. But when Jesus heard it he said, oThis illness does not lead to death. It is for pthe glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.

Now qJesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus1 was ill, rhe stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, sLet us go to Judea again. The disciples said to him, tRabbi, uthe Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again? Jesus answered, vAre there not twelve hours in the day? wIf anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But xif anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not xin him. 11 After saying these things, he said to them, Our friend Lazarus yhas fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him. 12 The disciples said to him, Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover. 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him. 16 zSo Thomas, called the Twin,2 said to his fellow disciples, Let us also go, athat we may die with him.

I Am the Resurrection and the Life

17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb bfour days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles3 off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary cto console them concerning their brother. 20 dSo when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to eJesus, Lord, fif you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, gGod will give you. 23 Jesus said to her, Your brother will rise again. 24 hMartha said to him, I know that he will rise again in ithe resurrection on the last day. 25 Jesus said to her, jI am the resurrection and kthe life.4 Whoever believes in me, lthough he die, myet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me nshall never die. Do you believe this? 27 She said to him, Yes, Lord; oI believe that pyou are the Christ, the Son of God, qwho is coming into the world.

Jesus Weeps

28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, rThe Teacher is here and is calling for you. 29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews swho were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, tLord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he uwas deeply moved5 in his spirit and vgreatly troubled. 34 And he said, Where have you laid him? They said to him, Lord, come and see. 35 wJesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, See xhow he loved him! 37 But some of them said, Could not he ywho opened the eyes of the blind man zalso have kept this man from dying?

Jesus Raises Lazarus

38 Then Jesus, adeeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was ba cave, and ca stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, Take away the stone. Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for dhe has been dead four days. 40 Jesus said to her, eDid I not tell you that if you believed you would see fthe glory of God? 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus glifted up his eyes and said, Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 hI knew that you always hear me, but I said this ion account of the people standing around, jthat they may believe that you sent me. 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, Lazarus, come out. 44 kThe man who had died came out, lhis hands and feet bound with linen strips, and mhis face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, Unbind him, and let him go.

The Plot to Kill Jesus

45 nMany of the Jews therefore, owho had come with Mary and phad seen what he did, believed in him, 46 but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees qgathered rthe council and said, sWhat are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and tthe Romans will come and take away both our uplace and our nation. 49 But one of them, vCaiaphas, wwho was high priest that year, said to them, You know nothing at all. 50 Nor do you understand that xit is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish. 51 He did not say this of his own accord, but ybeing high priest that year zhe prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and anot for the nation only, but also bto gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53 So from that day on they cmade plans to put him to death.

54 Jesus therefore dno longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples.

55 Now ethe Passover of the Jews was at hand, and fmany went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover gto purify themselves. 56 hThey were looking for6 Jesus and saying to one another as they stood in the temple, What do you think? That he will not come to the feast at all? 57 Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should let them know, so that they might arrest him.