John 7

¹⁶Now because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews began to persecute Him.

¹⁷But Jesus answered them, “To this very day My Father is at His work, and I too am working.”

³⁸But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and take his inheritance.’

³He left Judea and returned to Galilee.

¹⁹Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps it. Why are you trying to kill Me?”

²³When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next. Truly I tell you, you will not reach all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

³⁸how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him.

¹⁶Then all the survivors from the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

¹⁷And should any of the families of the earth not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, then the rain will not fall on them.

¹³You are to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress.

¹⁴And you shall rejoice in your feast—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite, as well as the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widows among you.

³⁴“Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the Feast of Tabernacles to the Lord begins, and it continues for seven days.

³⁵On the first day there shall be a sacred assembly. You must not do any regular work.

¹⁶You are also to keep the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the produce from what you sow in the field. And keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather your produce from the field.

¹⁷Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord God.

¹²On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, you are to hold a sacred assembly; you must not do any regular work, and you shall observe a feast to the Lord for seven days.

¹³As a pleasing aroma to the Lord, you are to present a food offering, a burnt offering of thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old, all unblemished,

¹⁴And they found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month,

¹⁵and that they should proclaim this message and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the hill country and bring back branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.”

⁴⁶While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, His mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to Him.

⁵For even His own brothers did not believe in Him.

²⁸Now when David’s oldest brother Eliab heard him speaking to the men, his anger burned against David. “Why have you come down here?” he asked. “And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and wickedness of heart—you have come down to see the battle!”

²⁰“Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We can say that a vicious animal has devoured him. Then we shall see what becomes of his dreams!”

¹⁹Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see Him, but they were unable to reach Him because of the crowd.

¹⁶They sent their disciples to Him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that You are honest and that You teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You seek favor from no one, because You pay no attention to external appearance.

¹⁷So tell us what You think: Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

²⁰“I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus answered. “I always taught in the synagogues and at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret.

¹He who isolates himself pursues selfish desires; he rebels against all sound judgment.

²A fool does not delight in understanding, but only in airing his opinions.

⁵All their deeds are done for men to see. They broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.

⁵And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.

⁴⁵The good man brings good things out of the good treasure of his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil treasure of his heart. For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

¹“Be careful not to perform your righteous acts before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

²So when you give to the needy, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.

²¹When His family heard about this, they went out to take custody of Him, saying, “He is out of His mind.”

¹¹He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.

¹²But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—

⁵Do not rely on a friend; do not trust in a companion. Seal the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms.

⁶For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man’s enemies are the members of his own household.

³So Jesus’ brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go to Judea, so that Your disciples there may see the works You are doing.

¹⁰But after His brothers had gone up to the feast, He also went—not publicly, but in secret.

⁸Go up to the feast on your own. I am not going up to this feast, because My time has not yet come.”

⁴“Woman, what is that to you and to Me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

³⁰So they tried to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.

¹When Jesus had spoken these things, He lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You.

¹It was now just before the Passover Feast, and Jesus knew that His hour had come to leave this world and return to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the very end.

²⁰He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts, near the treasury. Yet no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come.

¹⁸If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first.

¹⁹If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.

¹⁹And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil.

¹⁶Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?

⁷He who corrects a mocker brings shame on himself; he who rebukes a wicked man taints himself.

⁸Do not rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.

⁴You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God.

⁵They are of the world. That is why they speak from the world’s perspective, and the world listens to them.

⁶Therefore Jesus told them, “Although your time is always at hand, My time has not yet come.

²⁰He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts, near the treasury. Yet no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come.

¹⁵The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment.

¹⁶“For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

³⁰So they tried to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.

¹³Therefore, the prudent keep silent in such times, for the days are evil.

¹⁶Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

²He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the streets.

³A bruised reed He will not break and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice.

¹⁵“Let it be so now,” Jesus replied. “It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness in this way.” Then John permitted Him.

⁵For even His own brothers did not believe in Him.

⁸O Lord, I love the house where You dwell, the place where Your glory resides.

⁵⁶They kept looking for Jesus and asking one another as they stood in the temple courts, “What do you think? Will He come to the feast at all?”

¹⁶Because of this, some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a sinful man perform such signs?” And there was division among them.

⁴⁰On hearing these words, some of the people said, “This is truly the Prophet.”

⁴¹Others declared, “This is the Christ.” But still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee?

²⁴Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.

⁴⁷“Have you also been deceived?” replied the Pharisees.

³²When the Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things about Jesus, they and the chief priests sent officers to arrest Him.

⁴⁷When the centurion saw what had happened, he gave glory to God, saying, “Surely this was a righteous man.”

²²His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews. For the Jews had already determined that anyone who confessed Jesus as the Christ would be put out of the synagogue.

³⁸Afterward, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus (but secretly for fear of the Jews), asked Pilate to let him remove the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission, so he came and removed His body.

¹⁹It was the first day of the week, and that very evening, while the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you!” He said to them.

⁴²Nevertheless, many of the leaders believed in Him. But because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue.

⁴³For they loved praise from men more than praise from God.

²⁵The fear of man is a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is set securely on high.

¹³I know where you live, where the throne of Satan sits, yet you hold fast to My name. You did not deny your faith in Me, even in the days of My faithful witness Antipas, who was killed among you where Satan dwells.

²⁸Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “You know Me, and you know where I am from. I have not come of My own accord, but He who sent Me is true. You do not know Him,

⁴⁷Jesus was teaching at the temple every day, but the chief priests, scribes, and leaders of the people were intent on killing Him.

⁷I will shake all the nations, and they will come with all their treasures, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of Hosts.

⁸The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, declares the Lord of Hosts.

²Early in the morning He went back into the temple courts. All the people came to Him, and He sat down to teach them.

²⁰“I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus answered. “I always taught in the synagogues and at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret.

¹⁴Afterward, Jesus found the man at the temple and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you.”

²²All spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words that came from His lips. “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” they asked.

²⁸When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at His teaching,

²⁹because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

⁵⁴Coming to His hometown, He taught the people in their synagogue, and they were astonished. “Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers?” they asked.

²⁴At this stage of Paul’s defense, Festus exclaimed in a loud voice, “You are insane, Paul! Your great learning is driving you to madness!”

²²And when they heard this, they were amazed. So they left Him and went away.

⁴⁶“Never has anyone spoken like this man!” the officers answered.

¹⁰Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words I say to you, I do not speak on My own. Instead, it is the Father dwelling in Me, performing His works.

²⁴Whoever does not love Me does not keep My words. The word that you hear is not My own, but it is from the Father who sent Me.

³⁰I can do nothing by Myself; I judge only as I hear. And My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

³⁸For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me.

³⁹And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day.

⁴⁹I have not spoken on My own, but the Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it.

⁵⁰And I know that His command leads to eternal life. So I speak exactly what the Father has told Me to say.”

²³so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

²⁴Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment. Indeed, he has crossed over from death to life.

³¹So He said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples.

³²Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

⁴³Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to accept My message.

³³“But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.

³⁴No longer will each man teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more.”

⁴⁷Whoever belongs to God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

¹⁰Many will be purified, made spotless, and refined, but the wicked will continue to act wickedly. None of the wicked will understand, but the wise will understand.

⁸Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He shows sinners the way.

⁹He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way.

⁴¹I do not accept glory from men,

³Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves.

⁴Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

³¹So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.

³²Do not become a stumbling block, whether to Jews or Greeks or the church of God—

³¹When Judas had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him.

³²If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify the Son in Himself—and will glorify Him at once.

²⁸Father, glorify Your name!” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

⁴⁹“I do not have a demon,” Jesus replied, “but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.

⁵⁰I do not seek My own glory. There is One who seeks it, and He is the Judge.

¹⁷For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

¹After this, Jesus traveled throughout Galilee. He did not want to travel in Judea, because the Jews there were trying to kill Him.

⁵³So from that day on they plotted to kill Him.

¹⁴But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.

¹⁷Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.”

⁴the law that Moses gave us, the possession of the assembly of Jacob.

²⁰Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and insane. Why would you listen to Him?”

⁴⁸The Jews answered Him, “Are we not right to say that You are a Samaritan and You have a demon?”

²¹When His family heard about this, they went out to take custody of Him, saying, “He is out of His mind.”

²²And the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and, “By the prince of the demons He drives out demons.”

⁵²“Now we know that You have a demon!” declared the Jews. “Abraham died, and so did the prophets, yet You say that anyone who keeps Your word will never taste death.

³⁰Jesus made this statement because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

¹⁸For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’

¹⁹The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at this glutton and drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is vindicated by her actions.”

²Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool with five covered colonnades, which in Hebrew is called Bethesda.

³On these walkways lay a great number of the sick, the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed.

²³If a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses will not be broken, why are you angry with Me for making the whole man well on the Sabbath?

³And on the eighth day the flesh of the boy’s foreskin is to be circumcised.

¹⁰This is My covenant with you and your descendants after you, which you are to keep: Every male among you must be circumcised.

¹¹You are to circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and this will be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.

⁹Is this blessing only on the circumcised, or also on the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness.

¹⁰In what context was it credited? Was it after his circumcision, or before? It was not after, but before.

¹⁷What I mean is this: The law that came 430 years later does not revoke the covenant previously established by God, so as to nullify the promise.

¹⁴Afterward, Jesus found the man at the temple and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you.”

¹⁵And the man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

²When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”

⁵Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and yet are innocent?

⁸Then Jesus told him, “Get up, pick up your mat, and walk.”

⁹Immediately the man was made well, and he picked up his mat and began to walk. Now this happened on the Sabbath day,

³And He will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what His eyes see, and He will not decide by what His ears hear,

⁴but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and with equity He will decide for the lowly of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth and slay the wicked with the breath of His lips.

⁹But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

¹⁵Acquitting the guilty and condemning the righteous—both are detestable to the Lord.

¹⁵You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.

²³These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good.

¹My brothers, as you hold out your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, do not show favoritism.

¹⁰But after His brothers had gone up to the feast, He also went—not publicly, but in secret.

¹¹So the Jews were looking for Him at the feast and asking, “Where is He?”

⁷For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.

⁸So do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me, His prisoner. Instead, join me in suffering for the gospel by the power of God.

¹⁹Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will boldly make known the mystery of the gospel,

²⁰for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it fearlessly, as I should.

⁴⁸“Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in Him?

⁹I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly; behold, I do not seal my lips, as You, O Lord, do know.

¹⁰I have not covered up Your righteousness in my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and salvation; I have not concealed Your loving devotion and faithfulness from the great assembly.

²²His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews. For the Jews had already determined that anyone who confessed Jesus as the Christ would be put out of the synagogue.

⁷Because the Lord God helps Me, I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set My face like flint, and I know that I will not be put to shame.

⁸The One who vindicates Me is near. Who will dare to contend with Me? Let us confront each other! Who has a case against Me? Let him approach Me!

²But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel—One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity.

⁴¹Others declared, “This is the Christ.” But still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee?

⁴²Doesn’t the Scripture say that the Christ will come from the line of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?”

²⁹We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this man is from.”

⁴²They were asking, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then can He say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”

⁵⁴Coming to His hometown, He taught the people in their synagogue, and they were astonished. “Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers?” they asked.

⁵⁵“Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t His mother’s name Mary, and aren’t His brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?

²¹Their leader will be one of their own, and their ruler will arise from their midst. And I will bring him near, and he will approach Me, for who would dare on his own to approach Me?” declares the Lord.

⁴²Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on My own, but He sent Me.

¹⁹“Where is Your Father?” they asked Him. “You do not know Me or My Father,” Jesus answered. “If you knew Me, you would know My Father as well.”

⁶You dwell in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to know Me,” declares the Lord.

⁴⁹I have not spoken on My own, but the Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it.

⁴³I have come in My Father’s name, and you have not received Me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will receive him.

¹⁴Jesus replied, “Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is valid, because I know where I came from and where I am going. But you do not know where I came from or where I am going.

⁵⁵You do not know Him, but I know Him. If I said I did not know Him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know Him, and I keep His word.

²⁷All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.

¹⁶For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

¹⁷For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.

⁴⁶not that anyone has seen the Father except the One who is from God; only He has seen the Father.

⁹This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.

²⁵Righteous Father, although the world has not known You, I know You, and they know that You sent Me.

²⁶And I have made Your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love You have for Me may be in them, and I in them.”

³⁹At this, they tried again to seize Him, but He escaped their grasp.

²⁰He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts, near the treasury. Yet no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come.

⁶Therefore Jesus told them, “Although your time is always at hand, My time has not yet come.

³²When the Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things about Jesus, they and the chief priests sent officers to arrest Him.

³²But Jesus replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘Look, I will keep driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach My goal.’

³³Nevertheless, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day, for it is not admissible for a prophet to perish outside of Jerusalem.

⁹Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? If anyone walks in the daytime, he will not stumble, because he sees by the light of this world.

¹⁰But if anyone walks at night, he will stumble, because he has no light.”

⁴²Nevertheless, many of the leaders believed in Him. But because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue.

²³The crowds were astounded and asked, “Could this be the Son of David?”

¹³Even Simon himself believed and was baptized. He followed Philip closely and was astounded by the great signs and miracles he observed.

⁴⁵Therefore many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in Him.

⁴¹Many came to Him and said, “Although John never performed a sign, everything he said about this man was true.”

⁴²And many in that place believed in Jesus.

³⁰As Jesus spoke these things, many believed in Him.

³¹So He said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples.

²⁶At that point, the captain went with the officers and brought the apostles—but not by force, for fear the people would stone them.

²³The crowds were astounded and asked, “Could this be the Son of David?”

²⁴But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “Only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, does this man drive out demons.”

⁵²Then Jesus said to the chief priests, temple officers, and elders who had come for Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as you would against an outlaw?

⁵³Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on Me. But this hour belongs to you and to the power of darkness.”

³So Judas brought a band of soldiers and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees. They arrived at the garden carrying lanterns, torches, and weapons.

¹⁹Then the Pharisees said to one another, “You can see that this is doing you no good. Look how the whole world has gone after Him!”

¹³Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter.

³³Little children, I am with you only a little while longer. You will look for Me, and as I said to the Jews, so now I say to you: ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’

⁵Now, however, I am going to Him who sent Me; yet none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’

¹⁹After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

¹¹I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, protect them by Your name, the name You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one.

¹⁹In a little while the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you also will live.

¹³But now I am coming to You; and I am saying these things while I am in the world, so that they may have My joy fulfilled within them.

³³Little children, I am with you only a little while longer. You will look for Me, and as I said to the Jews, so now I say to you: ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’

³⁴A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another.

²⁴Because you refused my call, and no one took my outstretched hand,

²⁵because you neglected all my counsel, and wanted none of my correction,

⁶They go with their flocks and herds to seek the Lord, but they do not find Him; He has withdrawn Himself from them.

³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and welcome you into My presence, so that you also may be where I am.

²⁴Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, that they may see the glory You gave Me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

²¹Again He said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for Me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.”

²²So the Jews began to ask, “Will He kill Himself, since He says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?”

¹James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes of the Dispersion: Greetings.

¹Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the elect who are exiles of the Dispersion throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, chosen

¹⁰From beyond the rivers of Cush My worshipers, My scattered people, will bring Me an offering.

¹²He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; He will collect the scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

¹⁰On that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will seek Him, and His place of rest will be glorious.

²⁰Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the feast.

⁹“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

¹⁴The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

³⁴You will look for Me, but you will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.”

⁴“How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time to be born?”

¹⁷Then some of His disciples asked one another, “Why is He telling us, ‘In a little while you will not see Me, and then after a little while you will see Me’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”

¹⁸They kept asking, “Why is He saying, ‘a little while’? We do not understand what He is saying.”

⁶⁰On hearing it, many of His disciples said, “This is a difficult teaching. Who can accept it?”

¹“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost!

¹⁴But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.”

³⁵Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst.

³With joy you will draw water from the springs of salvation,

¹⁷The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears say, “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come, and the one who desires the water of life drink freely.

³For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and currents on the dry ground. I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring.

¹⁴But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.”

³For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and currents on the dry ground. I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring.

¹¹The Lord will always guide you; He will satisfy you in a sun-scorched land and strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

³With joy you will draw water from the springs of salvation,

¹⁰Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God and who is asking you for a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

¹¹The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

¹⁷‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.

²⁸And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.

¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever—

¹⁷the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.

¹⁵until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high. Then the desert will be an orchard, and the orchard will seem like a forest.

⁷But I tell you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.

³³Exalted, then, to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.

¹¹The crowds replied, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

²¹“Then who are you?” they inquired. “Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.”

¹⁴When the people saw the sign that Jesus had performed, they began to say, “Truly this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

⁵²“Aren’t you also from Galilee?” they replied. “Look into it, and you will see that no prophet comes out of Galilee.”

⁴⁶“Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.

⁴⁹“Rabbi,” Nathanael answered, “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

⁴¹He first found his brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated as Christ).

²⁹“Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”

¹⁴They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

¹⁵“But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?”

²But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel—One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity.

⁵“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

⁵Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land.

⁴So Joseph also went up from Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, since he was from the house and line of David.

¹¹Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord!

¹This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:

¹⁶Because of this, some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a sinful man perform such signs?” And there was division among them.

¹⁹Again there was division among the Jews because of Jesus’ message.

⁵¹Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but division.

¹²Many in the crowds were whispering about Him. Some said, “He is a good man.” But others replied, “No, He deceives the people.”

⁷As soon as he had said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.

⁸For the Sadducees say that there is neither a resurrection nor angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.

⁴The people of the city were divided. Some sided with the Jews, and others with the apostles.

³⁰So they tried to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.

¹¹The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about Me in Jerusalem, so also you must testify in Rome.”

²⁰He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts, near the treasury. Yet no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come.

²³For just last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me

²⁴and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And look, God has granted you the lives of all who sail with you.’

⁵“Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered. Jesus said, “I am He.” And Judas His betrayer was standing there with them.

⁶When Jesus said, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground.

¹⁰For I am with you and no one will lay a hand on you, because I have many people in this city.”

³²When the Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things about Jesus, they and the chief priests sent officers to arrest Him.

²¹At daybreak the apostles entered the temple courts as they had been told and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates arrived, they convened the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles.

²²But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they returned with the report:

²⁸When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at His teaching,

²⁹because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

²²All spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words that came from His lips. “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” they asked.

²⁶Yet here He is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying anything to Him. Have the rulers truly recognized that this is the Christ?

¹²Many in the crowds were whispering about Him. Some said, “He is a good man.” But others replied, “No, He deceives the people.”

⁸through glory and dishonor, slander and praise; viewed as imposters, yet genuine;

⁶³“Sir,” they said, “we remember that while He was alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’

¹⁵So now, do not let Hezekiah deceive you, and do not let him mislead you like this. Do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you from my hand!”

²⁹This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you; he cannot deliver you from my hand.

²⁷He replied, “I already told you, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?”

²⁸Then they heaped insults on him and said, “You are His disciple; we are disciples of Moses.

⁴²Nevertheless, many of the leaders believed in Him. But because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue.

²⁰Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

²⁶Yet here He is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying anything to Him. Have the rulers truly recognized that this is the Christ?

⁸None of the rulers of this age understood it. For if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

⁷So the word of God continued to spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem grew rapidly, and a great number of priests became obedient to the faith.

²⁵At that time Jesus declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.

²⁰Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

²¹For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

¹⁸Let no one deceive himself. If any of you thinks he is wise in this age, he should become a fool, so that he may become wise.

¹⁹For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness.”

¹³Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good conduct, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

¹⁴But if you harbor bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast in it or deny the truth.

³⁴They replied, “You were born in utter sin, and you are instructing us?” And they threw him out.

⁴⁰Some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard this, and they asked Him, “Are we blind too?”

⁵They say, ‘Keep to yourself; do not come near me, for I am holier than you!’ Such people are smoke in My nostrils, a fire that burns all day long.

³⁹Nicodemus, who had previously come to Jesus at night, also brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.

¹Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews.

²He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with him.”

¹³He who answers a matter before he hears it—this is folly and disgrace to him.

¹⁷Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.”

³Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit here to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck.”

¹⁵A lone witness is not sufficient to establish any wrongdoing or sin against a man, regardless of what offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

¹⁶If a false witness testifies against someone, accusing him of a crime,

⁸If a case is too difficult for you to judge, whether the controversy within your gates is regarding bloodshed, lawsuits, or assaults, you must go up to the place the Lord your God will choose.

⁹You are to go to the Levitical priests and to the judge who presides at that time. Inquire of them, and they will give you a verdict in the case.

⁶On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but he shall not be executed on the testimony of a lone witness.

⁴¹Others declared, “This is the Christ.” But still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee?

⁴⁶“Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.

¹Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those in distress. In the past He humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future He will honor the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations:

²The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.

¹⁵“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—

¹⁶the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.”

⁷He who corrects a mocker brings shame on himself; he who rebukes a wicked man taints himself.

⁸Do not rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.

¹⁴But the man replied, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you planning to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “This thing I have done has surely become known.”

¹⁰The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations; He thwarts the devices of the peoples.

¹²He thwarts the schemes of the crafty, so that their hands find no success.

¹³He catches the wise in their craftiness, and sweeps away the plans of the cunning.

⁵The valiant lie plundered; they sleep their last sleep. No men of might could lift a hand.

¹⁰Even the wrath of man shall praise You; with the survivors of wrath You will clothe Yourself.