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John 7
New International Version
John 7
New International Version
Jesus Goes to the Festival of Tabernacles
7 After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want[a] to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders(A) there were looking for a way to kill him.(B) 2 But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles(C) was near, 3 Jesus’ brothers(D) said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. 4 No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For even his own brothers did not believe in him.(E)
6 Therefore Jesus told them, “My time(F) is not yet here; for you any time will do. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me(G) because I testify that its works are evil.(H) 8 You go to the festival. I am not[b] going up to this festival, because my time(I) has not yet fully come.” 9 After he had said this, he stayed in Galilee.
10 However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. 11 Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus(J) and asking, “Where is he?”
12 Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.”
Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.”(K) 13 But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the leaders.(L)
Jesus Teaches at the Festival
14 Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach.(M) 15 The Jews(N) there were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning(O) without having been taught?”(P)
16 Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me.(Q) 17 Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out(R) whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 18 Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory,(S) but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. 19 Has not Moses given you the law?(T) Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?”(U)
20 “You are demon-possessed,”(V) the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?”
21 Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle,(W) and you are all amazed. 22 Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision(X) (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs),(Y) you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. 23 Now if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath? 24 Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”(Z)
Division Over Who Jesus Is
25 At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill?(AA) 26 Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities(AB) really concluded that he is the Messiah?(AC) 27 But we know where this man is from;(AD) when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.”
28 Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts,(AE) cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from.(AF) I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true.(AG) You do not know him, 29 but I know him(AH) because I am from him and he sent me.”(AI)
30 At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him,(AJ) because his hour had not yet come.(AK) 31 Still, many in the crowd believed in him.(AL) They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs(AM) than this man?”
32 The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.
33 Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time,(AN) and then I am going to the one who sent me.(AO) 34 You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.”(AP)
35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered(AQ) among the Greeks,(AR) and teach the Greeks? 36 What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me,’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”(AS)
37 On the last and greatest day of the festival,(AT) Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.(AU) 38 Whoever believes(AV) in me, as Scripture has said,(AW) rivers of living water(AX) will flow from within them.”[c](AY) 39 By this he meant the Spirit,(AZ) whom those who believed in him were later to receive.(BA) Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.(BB)
40 On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.”(BC)
41 Others said, “He is the Messiah.”
Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee?(BD) 42 Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants(BE) and from Bethlehem,(BF) the town where David lived?” 43 Thus the people were divided(BG) because of Jesus. 44 Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.(BH)
Unbelief of the Jewish Leaders
45 Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”
46 “No one ever spoke the way this man does,”(BI) the guards replied.
47 “You mean he has deceived you also?”(BJ) the Pharisees retorted. 48 “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him?(BK) 49 No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.”
50 Nicodemus,(BL) who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, 51 “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”
52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”(BM)
[The earliest manuscripts and many other ancient witnesses do not have John 7:53—8:11. A few manuscripts include these verses, wholly or in part, after John 7:36, John 21:25, Luke 21:38 or Luke 24:53.]
53 Then they all went home,
John 7
The Message
John 7
The Message
7 1-2 Later Jesus was going about his business in Galilee. He didn’t want to travel in Judea because the Jews there were looking for a chance to kill him. It was near the time of Tabernacles, a feast observed annually by the Jews.
3-5 His brothers said, “Why don’t you leave here and go up to the Feast so your disciples can get a good look at the works you do? No one who intends to be publicly known does everything behind the scenes. If you’re serious about what you are doing, come out in the open and show the world.” His brothers were pushing him like this because they didn’t believe in him either.
6-8 Jesus came back at them, “Don’t pressure me. This isn’t my time. It’s your time—it’s always your time; you have nothing to lose. The world has nothing against you, but it’s up in arms against me. It’s against me because I expose the evil behind its pretensions. You go ahead, go up to the Feast. Don’t wait for me. I’m not ready. It’s not the right time for me.”
9-11 He said this and stayed on in Galilee. But later, after his family had gone up to the Feast, he also went. But he kept out of the way, careful not to draw attention to himself. The Jews were already out looking for him, asking around, “Where is that man?”
12-13 There was a lot of contentious talk about him circulating through the crowds. Some were saying, “He’s a good man.” But others said, “Not so. He’s selling snake oil.” This kind of talk went on in guarded whispers because of the intimidating Jewish leaders.
Could It Be the Messiah?
14-15 With the Feast already half over, Jesus showed up in the Temple, teaching. The Jews were impressed, but puzzled: “How does he know so much without being schooled?”
16-19 Jesus said, “I didn’t make this up. What I teach comes from the One who sent me. Anyone who wants to do his will can test this teaching and know whether it’s from God or whether I’m making it up. A person making things up tries to make himself look good. But someone trying to honor the one who sent him sticks to the facts and doesn’t tamper with reality. It was Moses, wasn’t it, who gave you God’s Law? But none of you are living it. So why are you trying to kill me?”
20 The crowd said, “You’re crazy! Who’s trying to kill you? You’re demon-possessed.”
21-24 Jesus said, “I did one miraculous thing a few months ago, and you’re still standing around getting all upset, wondering what I’m up to. Moses prescribed circumcision—originally it came not from Moses but from his ancestors—and so you circumcise a man, dealing with one part of his body, even if it’s the Sabbath. You do this in order to preserve one item in the Law of Moses. So why are you upset with me because I made a man’s whole body well on the Sabbath? Don’t be hypercritical; use your head—and heart!—to discern what is right, to test what is authentically right.”
25-27 That’s when some of the people of Jerusalem said, “Isn’t this the one they were out to kill? And here he is out in the open, saying whatever he pleases, and no one is stopping him. Could it be that the rulers know that he is, in fact, the Messiah? And yet we know where this man came from. The Messiah is going to come out of nowhere. Nobody is going to know where he comes from.”
28-29 That provoked Jesus, who was teaching in the Temple, to cry out, “Yes, you think you know me and where I’m from, but that’s not where I’m from. I didn’t set myself up in business. My true origin is in the One who sent me, and you don’t know him at all. I come from him—that’s how I know him. He sent me here.”
30-31 They were looking for a way to arrest him, but not a hand was laid on him because it wasn’t yet God’s time. Many from the crowd committed themselves in faith to him, saying, “Will the Messiah, when he comes, provide better or more convincing evidence than this?”
32-34 The Pharisees, alarmed at this seditious undertow going through the crowd, teamed up with the high priests and sent their police to arrest him. Jesus rebuffed them: “I am with you only a short time. Then I go on to the One who sent me. You will look for me, but you won’t find me. Where I am, you can’t come.”
35-36 The Jews put their heads together. “Where do you think he is going that we won’t be able to find him? Do you think he is about to travel to the Greek world to teach the Jews? What is he talking about, anyway: ‘You will look for me, but you won’t find me,’ and ‘Where I am, you can’t come’?”
37-39 On the final and climactic day of the Feast, Jesus took his stand. He cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Rivers of living water will brim and spill out of the depths of anyone who believes in me this way, just as the Scripture says.” (He said this in regard to the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were about to receive. The Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified.)
40-44 Those in the crowd who heard these words were saying, “This has to be the Prophet.” Others said, “He is the Messiah!” But others were saying, “The Messiah doesn’t come from Galilee, does he? Don’t the Scriptures tell us that the Messiah comes from David’s line and from Bethlehem, David’s village?” So there was a split in the crowd over him. Some went so far as wanting to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him.
45 That’s when the Temple police reported back to the high priests and Pharisees, who demanded, “Why didn’t you bring him with you?”
46 The police answered, “Have you heard the way he talks? We’ve never heard anyone speak like this man.”
47-49 The Pharisees said, “Are you carried away like the rest of the rabble? You don’t see any of the leaders believing in him, do you? Or any from the Pharisees? It’s only this crowd, ignorant of God’s Law, that is taken in by him—and damned.”
50-51 Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus earlier and was both a ruler and a Pharisee, spoke up. “Does our Law decide about a man’s guilt without first listening to him and finding out what he is doing?”
52-53 But they cut him off. “Are you also campaigning for the Galilean? Examine the evidence. See if any prophet ever comes from Galilee.”
[Then they all went home.
John 7
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
John 7
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
7 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for he would not walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him.
2 Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand.
3 And his brethren said to him: Pass from hence, and go into Judea; that thy disciples also may see thy works which thou dost.
4 For there is no man that doth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, manifest thyself to the world.
5 For neither did his brethren believe in him.
6 Then Jesus said to them: My time is not yet come; but your time is always ready.
7 The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth: because I give testimony of it, that the works thereof are evil.
8 Go you up to this festival day, but I go not up to this festival day: because my time is not accomplished.
9 When he had said these things, he himself stayed in Galilee.
10 But after his brethren were gone up, then he also went up to the feast, not openly, but, as it were, in secret.
11 The Jews therefore sought him on the festival day, and said: Where is he?
12 And there was much murmuring among the multitude concerning him. For some said: He is a good man. And others said: No, but he seduceth the people.
13 Yet no man spoke openly of him, for fear of the Jews.
14 Now about the midst of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple, and taught.
15 And the Jews wondered, saying: How doth this man know letters, having never learned?
16 Jesus answered them, and said: My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.
17 If any man do the will of him; he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
18 He that speaketh of himself, seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh the glory of him that sent him, he is true, and there is no injustice in him.
19 Did Moses not give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law?
20 Why seek you to kill me? The multitude answered, and said: Thou hast a devil; who seeketh to kill thee?
21 Jesus answered, and said to them: One work I have done; and you all wonder:
22 Therefore, Moses gave you circumcision (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and on the sabbath day you circumcise a man.
23 If a man receive circumcision on the sabbath day, that the law of Moses may not be broken; are you angry at me because I have healed the whole man on the sabbath day?
24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge just judgment.
25 Some therefore of Jerusalem said: Is not this he whom they seek to kill?
26 And behold, he speaketh openly, and they say nothing to him. Have the rulers known for a truth, that this is the Christ?
27 But we know this man, whence he is: but when the Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is.
28 Jesus therefore cried out in the temple, teaching, and saying: You both know me, and you know whence I am: and I am not come of myself; but he that sent me, is true, whom you know not.
29 I know him, because I am from him, and he hath sent me.
30 They sought therefore to apprehend him: and no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come.
31 But of the people many believed in him, and said: When the Christ cometh, shall he do more miracles, than these which this man doth?
32 The Pharisees heard the people murmuring these things concerning him: and the rulers and Pharisees sent ministers to apprehend him.
33 Jesus therefore said to them: Yet a little while I am with you: and then I go to him that sent me.
34 You shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither you cannot come.
35 The Jews therefore said among themselves: Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? will he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles?
36 What is this saying that he hath said: You shall seek me, and shall not find me; and where I am, you cannot come?
37 And on the last, and great day of the festivity, Jesus stood and cried, saying: If any man thirst, let him come to me, and drink.
38 He that believeth in me, as the scripture saith, Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
39 Now this he said of the Spirit which they should receive, who believed in him: for as yet the Spirit was not given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
40 Of that multitude therefore, when they had heard these words of his, some said: This is the prophet indeed.
41 Others said: This is the Christ. But some said: Doth the Christ come out of Galilee?
42 Doth not the scripture say: That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and from Bethlehem the town where David was?
43 So there arose a dissension among the people because of him.
44 And some of them would have apprehended him: but no man laid hands on him.
45 The ministers therefore came to the chief priests and the Pharisees. And they said to them: Why have you not brought him?
46 The ministers answered: Never did man speak like this man.
47 The Pharisees therefore answered them: Are you also seduced?
48 Hath any one of the rulers believed in him, or of the Pharisees?
49 But this multitude, that knoweth not the law, are accursed.
50 Nicodemus said to them, (he that came to him by night, who was one of them:)
51 Doth our law judge any man, unless it first hear him, and know what he doth?
52 They answered, and said to him: Art thou also a Galilean? Search the scriptures, and see, that out of Galilee a prophet riseth not.
53 And every man returned to his own house.
John 7
Expanded Bible
John 7
Expanded Bible
Jesus’ Brothers Don’t Believe
7 After this, Jesus ·traveled [walked] around Galilee. He did not want to ·travel [walk] in Judea, because the ·Jewish leaders [L Jews] there ·wanted [sought] to kill him [see 5:18]. 2 [L But] It was [L near the] time for the Feast of ·Shelters [Tabernacles; Booths; C an important annual festival celebrating harvest, sometimes known as Ingathering, and commemorating the exodus from Egypt; Ex. 23:16; Lev. 23:33–44; Deut. 16:13–17]. 3 So Jesus’ brothers [C children of Joseph and Mary born after Jesus, or children of Joseph from a previous marriage; Mark 3:21, 31–35] said to him, “You should leave here and go to Judea so your ·followers [disciples] there can see the ·miracles [L works] you do. 4 [L For] Anyone who wants to be ·well [publicly] known does not ·hide what he does [L act in secret]. If you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 ([L For] Even Jesus’ brothers did not believe in him.)
6 [L Therefore] Jesus said to his brothers, “·The right time for me [L My time; 2:4] has not yet come, but any time is right for you [C they could go to Jerusalem anytime; but Jesus had a special destiny to fulfill there]. 7 The world cannot hate you [C because they are part of it], but it hates me, because I ·tell it [testify concerning; witness to] ·the evil things it does [L that its works are evil]. 8 So you go [L up] to the feast. I will not go [L up] yet[a] to this feast, because ·the right time for me [my time] has not yet ·come [fully come; L been fulfilled].” 9 After saying this, Jesus ·stayed [remained behind] in Galilee.
10 But after Jesus’ brothers had gone [L up] to the feast, Jesus went [L up] also. But he did not ·let people see him [L go publicly, but in secret]. 11 At the feast ·some people [the Jewish leaders; L the Jews] were ·looking for [watching for] him and saying, “Where is that man?”
12 Within the large crowd there, many people were ·whispering [arguing; murmuring; grumbling] to each other about Jesus. Some said, “He is a good man.”
Others said, “No, he ·fools [deceives; misleads] the people.” 13 But no one was brave enough to talk about Jesus openly, because they were afraid of the ·elders [the Jewish leaders; L the Jews].
Jesus Teaches at the Feast
14 When the feast was about half over, Jesus went to the Temple [courts; 2:14] and began to teach. 15 The people ·were amazed [marveled] and said, “This man has never studied in school. How did he learn so much?”
16 Jesus answered them, “The things I teach are not my own, but they come from him who sent me [C God]. 17 If people ·choose [desire; want] to do ·what God wants [L God’s will], they will know that my teaching comes from God and not from me. 18 Those who ·teach their own ideas [speak with their own authority] are trying to get ·honor [glory] for themselves. But those who try to bring ·honor [glory] to the one who sent them speak the truth, and there is nothing ·false [or unrighteous] in them. [C The Greek here is singular (“But the one who…”), so Jesus is speaking especially about himself.] 19 Moses gave you the law [L Has not Moses given you the law?; Ex. 34:29–32], but none of you obeys that law. Why are you trying to kill me?”
20 The people answered, “A demon has come into you [L You have a demon]. We are not trying to kill you [L Who is trying to kill you?].”
21 Jesus ·said to [answered] them, “I did one ·miracle [L work; deed; 5:1–15], and you are all ·amazed [astonished]. 22 Moses gave you the law about circumcision [Ex. 12:44–49]. (But really Moses did not give you circumcision; it came from ·our ancestors [L the fathers/patriarchs; Gen. 17:9–14].) And yet you circumcise a ·baby boy [L person] on a Sabbath day. 23 If a ·baby boy [L person] can be circumcised on a Sabbath day ·to obey the law of Moses [L so the law of Moses may not be broken], why are you angry at me for healing a person’s whole body on the Sabbath day? 24 Stop judging by ·the way things look [outward appearances], but judge by ·what is really right [L right/just/righteous judgment].”
Is Jesus the Christ?
25 Then some of the people who lived in Jerusalem said, “·This is the man [L Isn’t this the man…?] they are trying to kill. 26 But he is ·teaching where everyone can see and hear him [L speaking publicly], and no one is ·trying to stop [L saying anything to] him. Maybe the ·leaders [rulers; authorities] have ·decided [come to recognize] he really is the ·Christ [Messiah]. 27 But we know where this man is from. Yet when the real ·Christ [Messiah] comes, no one will know where he comes from.” [C Some Jewish traditions claimed the Messiah would be unknown until he came to deliver Israel.]
28 Jesus, teaching in the Temple [courts; 2:14], cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. But I have not come ·by my own authority [on my own initiative; L from myself]. I was sent by the One who is true, whom you don’t know. 29 But I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.”
30 When Jesus said this, they tried to ·seize [arrest] him. But no one was able to ·touch him [L lay a hand on him], because ·it was not yet the right time [L his hour had not yet come; see 2:4]. 31 But many ·of the people [L in the crowd] believed in Jesus. They said, “When the ·Christ [Messiah] comes, will he do more ·miracles [L signs] than this man has done?”
The Leaders Try to Arrest Jesus
32 The Pharisees [see 1:24] heard the crowd ·whispering [arguing; murmuring; grumbling] these things about Jesus. So the leading priests and the Pharisees sent some Temple ·guards [police; officers] to ·arrest [seize] him. 33 [L Therefore] Jesus said, “I will be with you a little while longer. Then I will go back to the One who sent me. 34 You will ·look for [seek] me, but you will not find me. And you cannot come where I am [C in heaven].”
35 [L Therefore] ·Some people [The Jewish leaders; L The Jews] said to each other, “Where will this man go so we cannot find him? Will he go to the ·Greek cities where our people live [L dispersion/scattering among the Greeks; C ever since the Babylonian exile many Jewish people had lived outside the land of Israel] and teach the Greek people there? [C The Jews often used “Greeks” for Gentiles generally.] 36 What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me,’ and ‘You cannot come where I am’?”
Jesus Talks About the Spirit
37 On the last and ·most important [L greatest] day of the feast Jesus stood up and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. [C The feast of Shelters/Tabernacles featured a water pouring ritual that may stand in the background of Jesus’ speech.] 38 If anyone believes in me, rivers of living water will flow out from that person’s ·heart [L belly; gut], as the Scripture says [Is. 55:1; 58:11; Ezek. 47:1–12; Zech. 14:8, compare John 4:10–11; Rev. 7:17; 22:1].” 39 Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit. The Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been ·raised to glory [glorified]. But later, those who believed in Jesus would receive the Spirit.
The People Argue About Jesus
40 When the people heard Jesus’ words, some of them said, “This man really is the Prophet [1:21; C the “prophet like Moses” of Deut. 18:15–18].”
41 Others said, “He is the ·Christ [Messiah].”
Still others said, “The ·Christ [Messiah] will not come from Galilee. 42 The Scripture says that the ·Christ [Messiah] will come from David’s ·family [offspring; L seed; 2 Sam. 7:12–16; Ps. 89:3–4; Is. 9:7; 55:3] and from Bethlehem, the ·town [village] where David lived [Mic. 5:2].” 43 So ·the people did not agree with each other [L there was a division in the crowd] about Jesus. 44 Some of them wanted to ·arrest [seize] him, but no one was able to ·touch [L lay a hand on] him.
Some Leaders Won’t Believe
45 [L Therefore] The Temple ·guards [police; officers] went back to the ·leading [T chief] priests and the Pharisees, who asked, “Why didn’t you bring Jesus?”
46 The ·guards [police; officers] answered, “·The words he says are greater than the words of any other person who has ever spoken [L No one has ever spoken like this]!”
47 [L Therefore] The Pharisees answered them, “So Jesus has ·fooled [deceived; led astray] you also! 48 Have any of the ·leaders [rulers; authorities] or the Pharisees believed in him? No! 49 But ·these people [L this crowd], who know nothing about the law, are ·under God’s curse [accursed].”
50 Nicodemus, who had gone to see Jesus before [see 3:1–21], was in that group. He said, 51 “·Our law does not [L Does our law…?] judge a person without hearing him and knowing what he has done.”
52 They answered, “Are you from Galilee, too? ·Study the Scriptures, and you will learn [L Search and see] that no prophet comes from Galilee.”
Some of the earliest surviving Greek copies do not contain 7:53—8:11.
|53 And everyone left and went home.
Footnotes
- John 7:8 yet Some Greek copies do not have this word.
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The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA)
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