I Am the True Vine

1 ⁿ“I am the true ^ovine, ^pand my Father is the vinedresser. 2 ^qEvery branch in me ^rthat does not ^sbear fruit ^the takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already ^uyou are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 ^vAbide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, ^wunless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and ^xthe branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words ^yabide in you, ^zask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 ^aBy this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so ^bprove to be my disciples. 9 ^cAs ^dthe Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 ^eIf you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s ^fcommandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and ^gthat your joy may be full.

22 But be ^mdoers of the word, and ⁿnot hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the ^olaw of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be ^pblessed in his doing.

26 ^qIf anyone thinks he is religious and does not ^rbridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit ^sorphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.