Jesus Is the Vine—Followers Are Branches

15 (A)I am the true vine, and My Father is the (B)vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He [a]prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. (C)You are already [b]clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. (D)Remain in Me, [c]and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit [d]of itself [e]but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him [f](E)bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is (F)thrown away like a branch and dries up; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, (G)ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My (H)Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so [g](I)prove to be My disciples. Just as (J)the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you; remain in My love. 10 (K)If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love; just as (L)I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. 11 (M)These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your (N)joy may be made full.

Disciples’ Relation to Each Other

12 “This is (O)My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 (P)Greater love has no one than this, that a person will (Q)lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My (R)friends if (S)you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because (T)all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 (U)You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and (V)bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that (W)whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. 17 This (X)I command you, that you love one another.

Disciples’ Relation to the World

18 (Y)If the world hates you, [h]you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but (Z)I chose you out of the world, (AA)because of this the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘(AB)A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, (AC)they will persecute you as well; if they (AD)followed My word, they will follow yours also. 21 But all these things they will do to you (AE)on account of My name, (AF)because they do not know the One who sent Me. 22 (AG)If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have [i]sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 The one who hates Me hates My Father also. 24 (AH)If I had not done among them (AI)the works which no one else did, they would not have [j]sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. 25 But this has happened so that the word that is written in their (AJ)Law will be fulfilled: ‘(AK)They hated Me for no reason.’

26 “When the [k](AL)Helper comes, (AM)whom I will send to you from the Father, namely, (AN)the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, (AO)He will testify about Me, 27 and [l](AP)you are testifying as well, because you have been with Me (AQ)from the beginning.

Footnotes

  1. John 15:2 Lit cleans; used to describe pruning
  2. John 15:3 I.e., pruned like a branch
  3. John 15:4 Or I also remain in you
  4. John 15:4 Lit from
  5. John 15:4 Lit if it does not remain
  6. John 15:5 Lit this one bears
  7. John 15:8 Or become My disciples
  8. John 15:18 Or (command) know that
  9. John 15:22 I.e., guilt
  10. John 15:24 I.e., responsibility for their sin
  11. John 15:26 Or Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor
  12. John 15:27 Or (command) testify, you as well

Jesus’ Warning

16 (A)These things I have spoken to you so that you will not [a]be (B)led into sin. They will [b](C)ban you from the synagogue, yet (D)an hour is coming for everyone (E)who kills you to think that he is offering a [c]service to God. These things they will do (F)because they have not known the Father nor Me. But these things I have spoken to you, (G)so that when their hour comes, you [d]may remember that I told you of them. However, I did not say these things to you (H)at the beginning, because I was with you.

The Holy Spirit Promised

“But now (I)I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘(J)Where are You going?’ But because I have said these things to you, (K)grief has filled your heart. But I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I am leaving; for if I do not leave, the [e](L)Helper will not come to you; but if I go, (M)I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world regarding sin, and righteousness, and judgment: regarding sin, (N)because they do not believe in Me; 10 and regarding (O)righteousness, because (P)I am going to the Father and you no longer are going to see Me; 11 (Q)and regarding judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

12 “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them at the present time. 13 But when He, (R)the Spirit of truth, comes, He will (S)guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14 He will (T)glorify Me, for He will take from Mine and will disclose it to you. 15 (U)All things that the Father has are Mine; this is why I said that He takes from Mine and will disclose it to you.

Jesus’ Death and Resurrection Foretold

16 (V)A little while, and (W)you no longer are going to see Me; and again a little while, and (X)you will see Me.”

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Footnotes

  1. John 16:1 Or let yourselves be led; or fall away (in apostasy)
  2. John 16:2 Or excommunicate
  3. John 16:2 I.e., as an act of worship
  4. John 16:4 Or will remember them, that I told you
  5. John 16:7 Or Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor

20 Truly, truly I say to you that (A)you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but (B)your grief will be turned into joy! 21 (C)Whenever a woman is in labor she has [a]pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a [b]child has been born into the world. 22 Therefore (D)you too have grief now; but (E)I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one is going to take your joy away from you.

Prayer Promises

23 And (F)on that day (G)you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly I say to you, (H)if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. 24 (I)Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your (J)joy may be made full.

25 “These things I have spoken to you in (K)figures of speech; (L)an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech, but will tell you plainly about the Father. 26 (M)On that day (N)you will ask in My name, and I am not saying to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; 27 for (O)the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and (P)have believed that (Q)I came forth from the Father. 28 (R)I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and (S)going to the Father.”

29 His disciples *said, “See, now You are speaking plainly and are not [c]using any (T)figure of speech. 30 Now we know that You know all things, and that You have no need for anyone to question You; this is why we (U)believe that You (V)came forth from God.” 31 Jesus replied to them, “Do you now believe? 32 Behold, (W)an hour is coming, and has already come, for (X)you to be scattered, each to (Y)his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet (Z)I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. 33 These things I have spoken to you so that (AA)in Me you may have peace. (AB)In the world you have tribulation, but (AC)take courage; (AD)I have overcome the world.”

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Footnotes

  1. John 16:21 Lit grief
  2. John 16:21 Lit human being
  3. John 16:29 Lit saying

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