John 5-8

New American Standard Bible 1995

The Healing at Bethesda

5 After these things there was ^(A)a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

² Now there is in Jerusalem by ^(B)the sheep gate a pool, which is called ^(C)in ^[a]Hebrew ^[b]Bethesda, having five porticoes. ³ In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, [^[c]waiting for the moving of the waters; ⁴ for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted.] ⁵ A man was there who had been ^[d]ill for thirty-eight years. ⁶ When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He *said to him, “Do you wish to get well?” ⁷ The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when ^(D)the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” ⁸ Jesus *said to him, “^(E)Get up, pick up your pallet and walk.” ⁹ Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk.

^(F)Now it was the Sabbath on that day. ¹⁰ So ^(G)the Jews were saying to the man who was cured, “It is the Sabbath, and ^(H)it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet.” ¹¹ But he answered them, “He who made me well was the one who said to me, ‘Pick up your pallet and walk.’” ¹² They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Pick up your pallet and walk’?” ¹³ But the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place. ¹⁴ Afterward Jesus *found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you have become well; do not ^(I)sin anymore, ^(J)so that nothing worse happens to you.” ¹⁵ The man went away, and told ^(K)the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. ¹⁶ For this reason ^(L)the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. ¹⁷ But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.”

Jesus’ Equality with God

¹⁸ For this reason therefore ^(M)the Jews ^(N)were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, ^(O)making Himself equal with God.

¹⁹ Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(P)the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever ^[e]the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. ^20 (Q)For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him ^(R)greater works than these, so that you will marvel. ²¹ For just as the Father raises the dead and ^(S)gives them life, even so ^(T)the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. ²² For not even the Father judges anyone, but ^(U)He has given all judgment to the Son, ²³ so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. ^(V)He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

²⁴ “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and ^(W)believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and ^(X)does not come into judgment, but has ^(Y)passed out of death into life.

Two Resurrections

²⁵ Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(Z)an hour is coming and now is, when ^(AA)the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who ^(AB)hear will live. ²⁶ For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He ^(AC)gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; ²⁷ and He gave Him authority to ^(AD)execute judgment, because He is ^[f]the Son of Man. ²⁸ Do not marvel at this; for ^(AE)an hour is coming, in which ^(AF)all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, ²⁹ and will come forth; ^(AG)those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.

³⁰ “^(AH)I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and ^(AI)My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but ^(AJ)the will of Him who sent Me.

³¹ “^(AK)If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not ^[g]true. ³² There is ^(AL)another who testifies of Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true.

Witness of John

³³ You have sent to John, and he ^(AM)has testified to the truth. ³⁴ But ^(AN)the testimony which I receive is not from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. ³⁵ He was ^(AO)the lamp that was burning and was shining and you ^(AP)were willing to rejoice for ^[h]a while in his light.

Witness of Works

³⁶ But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for ^(AQ)the works which the Father has given Me ^(AR)to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify about Me, that the Father ^(AS)has sent Me.

Witness of the Father

³⁷ And the Father who sent Me, ^(AT)He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form. ³⁸ You do not have ^(AU)His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He ^(AV)sent.

Witness of the Scripture

^39 [i](AW)You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is ^(AX)these that testify about Me; ⁴⁰ and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life. ^41 (AY)I do not receive glory from men; ⁴² but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. ⁴³ I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; ^(AZ)if another comes in his own name, you will receive him. ⁴⁴ How can you believe, when you ^(BA)receive ^[j]glory from one another and you do not seek ^(BB)the ^[k]glory that is from ^(BC)the one and only God? ⁴⁵ Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is ^(BD)Moses, in whom you have set your hope. ⁴⁶ For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for ^(BE)he wrote about Me. ⁴⁷ But ^(BF)if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”

Five Thousand Fed

6 After these things ^(BG)Jesus went away to the other side of ^(BH)the Sea of Galilee (or ^(BI)Tiberias). ² A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the ^[l](BJ)signs which He was performing on those who were sick. ³ Then ^(BK)Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples. ⁴ Now ^(BL)the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near. ⁵ Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, *said to ^(BM)Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” ⁶ This He was saying to ^(BN)test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. ^7 (BO)Philip answered Him, “^(BP)Two hundred ^[m]denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.” ⁸ One of His ^(BQ)disciples, ^(BR)Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, *said to Him, ⁹ “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two ^(BS)fish, but what are these for so many people?” ¹⁰ Jesus said, “Have the people ^[n]sit down.” Now there was ^(BT)much grass in the place. So the men ^[o]sat down, in number about ^(BU)five thousand. ¹¹ Jesus then took the loaves, and ^(BV)having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the ^(BW)fish as much as they wanted. ¹² When they were filled, He *said to His ^(BX)disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.” ¹³ So they gathered them up, and filled twelve ^(BY)baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. ¹⁴ Therefore when the people saw the ^[p]sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the ^(BZ)Prophet who is to come into the world.”

Jesus Walks on the Water

¹⁵ So Jesus, perceiving that they were ^[q]intending to come and take Him by force ^(CA)to make Him king, ^(CB)withdrew again to ^(CC)the mountain by Himself alone.

¹⁶ Now when evening came, His ^(CD)disciples went down to the sea, ¹⁷ and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the sea ^(CE)to Capernaum. It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. ¹⁸ The sea began to be stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. ¹⁹ Then, when they had rowed about ^[r]three or four miles, they *saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened. ²⁰ But He *said to them, “It is I; ^[s](CF)do not be afraid.” ²¹ So they were willing to receive Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

²² The next day ^(CG)the crowd that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other small boat there, except one, and that Jesus ^(CH)had not entered with His disciples into the boat, but that His disciples had gone away alone. ²³ There came other small boats from ^(CI)Tiberias near to the place where they ate the bread after the ^(CJ)Lord ^(CK)had given thanks. ²⁴ So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they themselves got into the small boats, and ^(CL)came to Capernaum seeking Jesus. ²⁵ When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “^(CM)Rabbi, when did You get here?”

Words to the People

²⁶ Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you ^(CN)seek Me, not because you saw ^(CO)signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. ²⁷ Do not ^(CP)work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to ^(CQ)eternal life, which ^(CR)the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, ^(CS)has set His seal.” ²⁸ Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” ²⁹ Jesus answered and said to them, “This is ^(CT)the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He ^(CU)has sent.” ³⁰ So they said to Him, “^(CV)What then do You do for a ^(CW)sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform? ^31 (CX)Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘^(CY)He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.’” ³² Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. ³³ For the bread of God is ^[t]that which ^(CZ)comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” ³⁴ Then they said to Him, “Lord, always ^(DA)give us this bread.”

³⁵ Jesus said to them, “^(DB)I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me ^(DC)will never thirst. ³⁶ But ^(DD)I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. ^37 (DE)All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. ³⁸ For ^(DF)I have come down from heaven, ^(DG)not to do My own will, but ^(DH)the will of Him who ^(DI)sent Me. ³⁹ This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of ^(DJ)all that He has given Me I ^(DK)lose nothing, but ^(DL)raise it up on the last day. ⁴⁰ For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who ^(DM)beholds the Son and ^(DN)believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will ^(DO)raise him up on the last day.”

Words to the Jews

^41 (DP)Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, “I am the bread that ^(DQ)came down out of heaven.” ⁴² They were saying, “^(DR)Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother ^(DS)we know? How does He now say, ‘^(DT)I have come down out of heaven’?” ⁴³ Jesus answered and said to them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. ⁴⁴ No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me ^(DU)draws him; and I will ^(DV)raise him up on the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written ^(DW)in the prophets, ‘^(DX)And they shall all be ^(DY)taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. ^46 (DZ)Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes ^(EA)has eternal life. ^48 (EB)I am the bread of life. ^49 (EC)Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. ⁵⁰ This is the bread which ^(ED)comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and ^(EE)not die. ^51 (EF)I am the living bread that ^(EG)came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, ^(EH)he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give ^(EI)for the life of the world is ^(EJ)My flesh.”

^52 (EK)Then the Jews ^(EL)began to argue with one another, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” ⁵³ So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of ^(EM)the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. ⁵⁴ He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will ^(EN)raise him up on the last day. ⁵⁵ For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. ⁵⁶ He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood ^(EO)abides in Me, and I in him. ⁵⁷ As the ^(EP)living Father ^(EQ)sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread which ^(ER)came down out of heaven; not as ^(ES)the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread ^(ET)will live forever.”

Words to the Disciples

⁵⁹ These things He said ^(EU)in the synagogue as He taught ^(EV)in Capernaum.

⁶⁰ Therefore many of His ^(EW)disciples, when they heard this said, “^(EX)This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?” ⁶¹ But Jesus, ^(EY)conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, “Does this ^(EZ)cause you to stumble? ⁶² What then if you see ^(FA)the Son of Man ^(FB)ascending to where He was before? ^63 (FC)It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; ^(FD)the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. ⁶⁴ But there are ^(FE)some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus ^(FF)knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and ^(FG)who it was that would ^[u]betray Him. ⁶⁵ And He was saying, “For this reason I have ^(FH)said to you, that no one can come to Me unless ^(FI)it has been granted him from the Father.”

Peter’s Confession of Faith

⁶⁶ As a result of this many of His ^(FJ)disciples ^(FK)withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. ⁶⁷ So Jesus said to ^(FL)the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” ^68 (FM)Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have ^(FN)words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ We have believed and have come to know that You are ^(FO)the Holy One of God.” ⁷⁰ Jesus answered them, “^(FP)Did I Myself not choose you, ^(FQ)the twelve, and yet one of you is ^(FR)a devil?” ⁷¹ Now He meant Judas ^(FS)the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, ^(FT)one of ^(FU)the twelve, ^[v]was going to betray Him.

Jesus Teaches at the Feast

7 After these things Jesus ^(FV)was walking in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because ^(FW)the Jews ^(FX)were seeking to kill Him. ² Now the feast of the Jews, ^(FY)the Feast of Booths, was near. ³ Therefore His ^(FZ)brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go into Judea, so that Your ^(GA)disciples also may see Your works which You are doing. ⁴ For no one does anything in secret ^[w]when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” ⁵ For not even His ^(GB)brothers were believing in Him. ⁶ So Jesus *said to them, “^(GC)My time is not yet here, but your time is always opportune. ^7 (GD)The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that ^(GE)its deeds are evil. ⁸ Go up to the feast yourselves; I do not go up to this feast because ^(GF)My time has not yet fully come.” ⁹ Having said these things to them, He stayed in Galilee.

¹⁰ But when His ^(GG)brothers had gone up to the feast, then He Himself also went up, not publicly, but as if, in secret. ^11 (GH)So the Jews ^(GI)were seeking Him at the feast and were saying, “Where is He?” ¹² There was much grumbling among the crowds concerning Him; ^(GJ)some were saying, “He is a good man”; others were saying, “No, on the contrary, He leads the people astray.” ¹³ Yet no one was speaking openly of Him for ^(GK)fear of the Jews.

¹⁴ But when it was now the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and began to ^(GL)teach. ^15 (GM)The Jews then were astonished, saying, “How has this man ^(GN)become learned, having never been educated?” ¹⁶ So Jesus answered them and said, “^(GO)My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me. ^17 (GP)If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself. ¹⁸ He who speaks from himself ^(GQ)seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

¹⁹ “^(GR)Did not Moses give you the Law, and yet none of you carries out the Law? Why do you ^(GS)seek to kill Me?” ²⁰ The crowd answered, “^(GT)You have a demon! Who seeks to kill You?” ²¹ Jesus answered them, “I did ^(GU)one ^[x]deed, and you all marvel. ²² For this reason ^(GV)Moses has given you circumcision (not because it is from Moses, but from ^(GW)the fathers), and on the Sabbath you circumcise a man. ^23 (GX)If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the Law of Moses will not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made an entire man well on the Sabbath? ²⁴ Do not ^(GY)judge according to appearance, but ^[y]judge with righteous judgment.”

²⁵ So some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is this not the man whom they are seeking to kill? ²⁶ Look, He is speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to Him. ^(GZ)The rulers do not really know that this is ^[z]the Christ, do they? ²⁷ However, ^(HA)we know where this man is from; but whenever the Christ may come, no one knows where He is from.” ²⁸ Then Jesus cried out in the temple, ^(HB)teaching and saying, “^(HC)You both know Me and know where I am from; and ^(HD)I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. ^29 (HE)I know Him, because ^(HF)I am from Him, and ^(HG)He sent Me.” ³⁰ So they ^(HH)were seeking to seize Him; and no man laid his hand on Him, because His ^(HI)hour had not yet come. ³¹ But ^(HJ)many of the crowd believed in Him; and they were saying, “^(HK)When ^[aa]the Christ comes, He will not perform more ^[ab](HL)signs than those which this man has, will He?”

³² The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about Him, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent ^(HM)officers to ^(HN)seize Him. ³³ Therefore Jesus said, “^(HO)For a little while longer I am with you, then ^(HP)I go to Him who sent Me. ^34 (HQ)You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.” ^35 (HR)The Jews then said to one another, “^(HS)Where does this man intend to go that we will not find Him? He is not intending to go to ^(HT)the Dispersion among ^(HU)the Greeks, and teach the Greeks, is He? ³⁶ What is this statement that He said, ‘^(HV)You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come’?”

³⁷ Now on ^(HW)the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “^[ac](HX)If anyone is thirsty, ^[ad]let him come to Me and drink. ³⁸ He who believes in Me, ^(HY)as the Scripture said, ‘From ^[ae]his innermost being will flow rivers of ^(HZ)living water.’” ³⁹ But this He spoke ^(IA)of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for ^(IB)the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet ^(IC)glorified.

Division of People over Jesus

⁴⁰ Some of the people therefore, when they heard these words, were saying, “This certainly is ^(ID)the Prophet.” ⁴¹ Others were saying, “This is ^[af]the Christ.” Still others were saying, “^(IE)Surely ^[ag]the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is He? ⁴² Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from ^(IF)the descendants of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” ⁴³ So ^(IG)a division occurred in the crowd because of Him. ^44 (IH)Some of them wanted to seize Him, but no one laid hands on Him.

⁴⁵ The ^(II)officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, “Why did you not bring Him?” ⁴⁶ The ^(IJ)officers answered, “^(IK)Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks.” ⁴⁷ The Pharisees then answered them, “^(IL)You have not also been led astray, have you? ^48 (IM)No one of ^(IN)the rulers or Pharisees has believed in Him, has he? ⁴⁹ But this crowd which does not know the Law is accursed.” ^50 (IO)Nicodemus (he who came to Him before, being one of them) *said to them, ⁵¹ “^(IP)Our Law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?” ⁵² They answered him, “^(IQ)You are not also from Galilee, are you? Search, and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee.” ⁵³ [^[ah]Everyone went to his home.

The Adulterous Woman

8 But Jesus went to ^(IR)the Mount of Olives. ² Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and ^(IS)He sat down and began to teach them. ³ The scribes and the Pharisees *brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, ⁴ they *said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. ⁵ Now in the Law ^(IT)Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” ⁶ They were saying this, ^(IU)testing Him, ^(IV)so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. ⁷ But when they persisted in asking Him, ^(IW)He straightened up, and said to them, “^(IX)He who is without sin among you, let him be the ^(IY)first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. ⁹ When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. ^10 (IZ)Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” ¹¹ She said, “No one, ^[ai]Lord.” And Jesus said, “^(JA)I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on ^(JB)sin no more.”]

Jesus Is the Light of the World

¹² Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “^(JC)I am the Light of the world; ^(JD)he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” ¹³ So the Pharisees said to Him, “^(JE)You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not ^[aj]true.” ¹⁴ Jesus answered and said to them, “^(JF)Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is ^[ak]true, for I know ^(JG)where I came from and where I am going; but ^(JH)you do not know where I come from or where I am going. ^15 (JI)You judge ^[al]according to the flesh; ^(JJ)I am not judging anyone. ¹⁶ But even ^(JK)if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me. ¹⁷ Even in ^(JL)your law it has been written that the testimony of ^(JM)two men is ^[am]true. ¹⁸ I am He who testifies about Myself, and ^(JN)the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.” ¹⁹ So they were saying to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father; ^(JO)if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.” ²⁰ These words He spoke in ^(JP)the treasury, as ^(JQ)He taught in the temple; and no one seized Him, because ^(JR)His hour had not yet come.

²¹ Then He said again to them, “I go away, and ^(JS)you will seek Me, and ^(JT)will die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come.” ²² So ^(JU)the Jews were saying, “Surely He will not kill Himself, will He, since He says, ‘^(JV)Where I am going, you cannot come’?” ²³ And He was saying to them, “^(JW)You are from below, I am from above; ^(JX)you are of this world, ^(JY)I am not of this world. ²⁴ Therefore I said to you that you ^(JZ)will die in your sins; for unless you believe that ^[an](KA)I am He, ^(KB)you will die in your sins.” ²⁵ So they were saying to Him, “Who are You?” Jesus said to them, “^[ao]What have I been saying to you from the beginning? ²⁶ I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you, but ^(KC)He who sent Me is true; and ^(KD)the things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world.” ²⁷ They did not realize that He had been speaking to them about the Father. ²⁸ So Jesus said, “When you ^(KE)lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that ^[ap](KF)I am He, and ^(KG)I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. ²⁹ And He who sent Me is with Me; ^(KH)He ^[aq]has not left Me alone, for ^(KI)I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” ³⁰ As He spoke these things, ^(KJ)many came to believe in Him.

The Truth Will Make You Free

³¹ So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “^(KK)If you continue in My word, then you are truly ^(KL)disciples of Mine; ³² and ^(KM)you will know the truth, and ^(KN)the truth will make you free.” ³³ They answered Him, “^(KO)We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”

³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(KP)everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. ^35 (KQ)The slave does not remain in the house forever; ^(KR)the son does remain forever. ³⁶ So if the Son ^(KS)makes you free, you will be free indeed. ³⁷ I know that you are ^(KT)Abraham’s descendants; yet ^(KU)you seek to kill Me, because My word ^[ar]has no place in you. ³⁸ I speak the things which I have seen ^[as]with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from ^(KV)your father.”

³⁹ They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is ^(KW)our father.” Jesus *said to them, “^(KX)If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. ⁴⁰ But as it is, ^(KY)you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has ^(KZ)told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. ⁴¹ You are doing the deeds of ^(LA)your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; ^(LB)we have one Father: God.” ⁴² Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, ^(LC)you would love Me, ^(LD)for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have ^(LE)not even come on My own initiative, but ^[at](LF)He sent Me. ⁴³ Why do you not understand ^[au](LG)what I am saying? It is because you cannot ^(LH)hear My word. ^44 (LI)You are of ^(LJ)your father the devil, and ^(LK)you want to do the desires of your father. ^(LL)He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because ^(LM)there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks ^[av]a lie, he ^(LN)speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of ^[aw]lies. ⁴⁵ But because ^(LO)I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. ⁴⁶ Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If ^(LP)I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? ^47 (LQ)He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”

^48 (LR)The Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a ^(LS)Samaritan and ^(LT)have a demon?” ⁴⁹ Jesus answered, “I do not ^(LU)have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. ⁵⁰ But ^(LV)I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges. ⁵¹ Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone ^(LW)keeps My word he will never ^(LX)see death.” ^52 (LY)The Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You ^(LZ)have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, ‘If anyone ^(MA)keeps My word, he will never ^(MB)taste of death.’ ⁵³ Surely You ^(MC)are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?” ⁵⁴ Jesus answered, “^(MD)If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; ^(ME)it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’; ⁵⁵ and ^(MF)you have not come to know Him, ^(MG)but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be ^(MH)a liar like you, ^(MI)but I do know Him and ^(MJ)keep His word. ^56 (MK)Your father Abraham ^(ML)rejoiced ^[ax]to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” ^57 (MM)So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” ⁵⁸ Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham ^[ay]was born, ^(MN)I am.” ⁵⁹ Therefore they ^(MO)picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus ^[az](MP)hid Himself and went out of the temple.