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John 15:18-25
New Catholic Bible
John 15:18-25
New Catholic Bible
Witnesses to Jesus in the Face of the World’s Hatred[a]
18 “If the world hates you,
be aware that it hated me
before it hated you.
19 If you belonged to the world,
the world would love you as its own.
But you do not belong to the world
because I have chosen you out of the world,
and therefore the world hates you.
20 “Remember the word that I said to you:
‘a servant is not greater than his master.’
If they persecuted me,
they will persecute you.
If they kept my word,
they will keep yours as well.
21 But they will do all these things to you
on account of my name,
because they do not know the one who sent me.
22 “If I had not come
and spoken to them,
they would not be guilty of sin,
but now they have no excuse for their sin.
23 Whoever hates me
hates my Father also.
24 If I had not done works among them
that no one else had ever done,
they would not be guilty of sin.
But now they have seen and hated
both me and my Father.
25 All this was to fulfill the word
that is inscribed in their Law:
‘They hated me without cause.’
Footnotes
- John 15:18 The trial of Jesus, which the fourth Gospel unveils all through its pages, will not cease until the Father, to whom he is going, will have rendered justice to him in glorifying him. This drama, which people sometimes would like to conceal through reassuring words and sentiments, will not cease until the end of time. Persecution awaits Jesus, not because of some fatal error but because Christianity is different from what we want and claim it to be.
The early Christians were excluded from the synagogue; hatred and violence were stirred up against them under the guise of religion. Blindness and stubbornness: this is the world in the Johannine sense, the world of the persecutors. The Spirit is the strength and the light that assists the persecuted to hold fast in this affront, which no doubt also comes to pass in the heart of every believer.
John 15:18-25
New International Version
John 15:18-25
New International Version
The World Hates the Disciples
18 “If the world hates you,(A) keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you(B) out of the world. That is why the world hates you.(C) 20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’[a](D) If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.(E) If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name,(F) for they do not know the one who sent me.(G) 22 If I had not come and spoken to them,(H) they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.(I) 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. 24 If I had not done among them the works no one else did,(J) they would not be guilty of sin.(K) As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law:(L) ‘They hated me without reason.’[b](M)
Footnotes
- John 15:20 John 13:16
- John 15:25 Psalms 35:19; 69:4
John 15:18-25
New American Standard Bible
John 15:18-25
New American Standard Bible
Disciples’ Relation to the World
18 “(A)If the world hates you, [a]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 (B)I chose you out of the world, (C)because of this the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘(D)A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, (E)they will persecute you as well; if they (F)followed My word, they will follow yours also. 21 But all these things they will do to you (G)on account of My name, (H)because they do not know the One who sent Me. 22 (I)If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have [b]sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 The one who hates Me hates My Father also. 24 (J)If I had not done among them (K)the works which no one else did, they would not have [c]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 (L)Law will be fulfilled: ‘(M)They hated Me for no reason.’
Read full chapterFootnotes
- John 15:18 Or (command) know that
- John 15:22 I.e., guilt
- John 15:24 I.e., responsibility for their sin
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.