John 8
8
1But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
2At sunrise he arrived again in the temple courtyard. All the people gathered around him there. He sat down to teach them. 3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman. She had been caught committing adultery. They made her stand in front of the group. 4They said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught sleeping with a man who was not her husband. 5In the Law, Moses commanded us to kill such women by throwing stones at them. Now what do you say?” 6They were trying to trap Jesus with that question. They wanted to have a reason to bring charges against him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7They kept asking him questions. So he stood up and said to them, “Has any one of you not sinned? Then you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8He bent down again and wrote on the ground.
9Those who heard what he had said began to go away. They left one at a time, the older ones first. Soon only Jesus was left. The woman was still standing there. 10Jesus stood up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Hasn’t anyone found you guilty?”
11“No one, sir,” she said.
“Then I don’t find you guilty either,” Jesus said. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Challenge to What Jesus Says About Himself
12Jesus spoke to the people again. He said, “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in darkness. They will have that light. They will have life.”
13The Pharisees argued with him. “Here you are,” they said, “appearing as your own witness. But your witness does not count.”
14Jesus answered, “Even if I am a witness about myself, what I say does count. I know where I came from. And I know where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. 15You judge by human standards. I don’t judge anyone. 16But if I do judge, what I decide is true. This is because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. 17Your own Law says that the witness of two people proves the truth about something. 18I am a witness about myself. The other witness about me is the Father, who sent me.”
19Then they asked him, “Where is your father?”
“You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” 20He spoke these words while he was teaching in the temple courtyard. He was near the place where the offerings were put. But no one arrested him. That’s because the time for him to die had not yet come.
Challenge to Who Jesus Claims to Be
21Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away. You will look for me, and you will die in your sin. You can’t come where I am going.”
22This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘You can’t come where I am going’?”
23But Jesus said, “You are from below. I am from heaven. You are from this world. I am not from this world. 24I told you that you would die in your sins. This will happen if you don’t believe that I am he. If you don’t believe, you will certainly die in your sins.”
25“Who are you?” they asked.
“Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. 26“I have a lot to say that will judge you. But the one who sent me can be trusted. And I tell the world what I have heard from him.”
27They did not understand that Jesus was telling them about his Father. 28So Jesus said, “You will lift up the Son of Man. Then you will know that I am he. You will also know that I do nothing on my own. I speak just what the Father has taught me. 29The one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what pleases him.” 30Even while Jesus was speaking, many people believed in him.
Challenge to the Claim to Be Children of Abraham
31Jesus spoke to the Jews who had believed him. “If you obey my teaching,” he said, “you are really my disciples. 32Then you will know the truth. And the truth will set you free.”
33They answered him, “We are Abraham’s children. We have never been slaves of anyone. So how can you say that we will be set free?”
34Jesus replied, “What I’m about to tell you is true. Everyone who sins is a slave of sin. 35A slave has no lasting place in the family. But a son belongs to the family forever. 36So if the Son of Man sets you free, you will really be free. 37I know that you are Abraham’s children. But you are looking for a way to kill me. You have no room for my word. 38I am telling you what I saw when I was with my Father. You are doing what you have heard from your father.”
39“Abraham is our father,” they answered.
Jesus said, “Are you really Abraham’s children? If you are, you will do what Abraham did. 40But you are looking for a way to kill me. I am a man who has told you the truth I heard from God. Abraham didn’t do the things you want to do. 41You are doing what your own father does.”
“We have the right to claim to be God’s children,” they objected. “The only Father we have is God himself.”
42Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me. I have come here from God. I have not come on my own. God sent me. 43Why aren’t my words clear to you? Because you can’t really hear what I say. 44You belong to your father, the devil. You want to obey your father’s wishes. From the beginning, the devil was a murderer. He has never obeyed the truth. There is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his natural language. He does this because he is a liar. He is the father of lies. 45But because I tell the truth, you don’t believe me! 46Can any of you prove I am guilty of sinning? Am I not telling the truth? Then why don’t you believe me? 47Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you don’t hear is that you don’t belong to God.”
Jesus Makes Claims About Himself
48The Jews answered Jesus, “Aren’t we right when we say you are a Samaritan? Aren’t you controlled by a demon?”
49“I am not controlled by a demon,” said Jesus. “I honor my Father. You do not honor me. 50I am not seeking glory for myself. But there is one who brings glory to me. He is the judge. 51What I’m about to tell you is true. Whoever obeys my word will never die.”
52Then they cried out, “Now we know you are controlled by a demon! Abraham died. So did the prophets. But you say that whoever obeys your word will never die. 53Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died. So did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”
54Jesus replied, “If I bring glory to myself, my glory means nothing. You claim that my Father is your God. He is the one who brings glory to me. 55You do not know him. But I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him. And I obey his word. 56Your father Abraham was filled with joy at the thought of seeing my day. He saw it and was glad.”
57“You are not even 50 years old,” they said to Jesus. “And you have seen Abraham?”
58“What I’m about to tell you is true,” Jesus answered. “Before Abraham was born, I am!” 59When he said this, they picked up stones to kill him. But Jesus hid himself. He slipped away from the temple area.
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John 8: NIrV
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John 8
8
A Woman Caught in Adultery
1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2Now early in the morning he came again to the temple courts.#*Here “courts” is supplied to distinguish this area from the interior of the temple building itself And all the people were coming,#Some manuscripts have “were coming to him” and he sat down and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“sat down”) has been translated as a finite verb began to teach#*The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to teach”) them.
3Now the scribes and the Pharisees brought to him a woman#Some manuscripts have “brought a woman” caught in adultery. And standing her in their midst, 4they said to him, testing him,#Some manuscripts omit “testing him” “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery! 5Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6(Now they were saying this to test him, so that they would have an occasion#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation to bring charges against him.) But Jesus, bending down, began to write#*The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to write”) with his#*Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun finger on the ground, taking no notice.#Some manuscripts omit “taking no notice” 7And when they persisted in asking him, straightening up he said#Some manuscripts have “he straightened up and said” to them, “The one of you without sin, let him throw the first stone at her!” 8And bending down again, he wrote on the ground. 9Now when they#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal heard it,#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation being convicted by their conscience,#Some manuscripts omit “being convicted by their conscience” they began to depart,#*The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to depart”) one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus#Some manuscripts have “he” was left alone—and the woman who was in their midst. 10So Jesus, straightening up and seeing no one except the woman,#Some manuscripts omit “and seeing no one except the woman” said to her, “Where are those accusers of yours?#Some manuscripts have “said to her, ‘Woman, where are they?” Does no one condemn you?” 11And she said, “No one, Lord.” So Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and#Some manuscripts have “and from now on” sin no more.”〛#John 7:53–8:11 is not found in the earliest and best manuscripts and was almost certainly not an original part of the Gospel of John; one significant group of Greek manuscripts places it after Luke 21:38
Jesus, the Light of the World
12Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world! The one who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 13So the Pharisees said to him, “You testify concerning yourself! Your testimony is not true.” 14Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I testify concerning myself, my testimony is true, because I know where I have come from and where I am going. But you do not know where I have come from or where I am going. 15You judge according to externals; I do not judge anyone. 16But even if I judge, my judgment is true, because I am not alone, but I and the Father who sent me. 17And even in your law it is written that the testimony of two men is true.#An allusion to Deut 17:6 18I am the one who testifies concerning myself, and the Father who sent me testifies concerning me.”
19So they were saying to him, “Where is your father?” Jesus replied, “You know neither me nor my Father! If you had known me, you would have known my Father also.” 20He spoke these words by the treasury while#*Here “while” is supplied as a component of the participle (“teaching”) which is understood as temporal teaching in the temple courts,#*Here “courts” is supplied to distinguish this area from the interior of the temple building itself and no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.
Jesus Predicts His Death
21So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me and will die in your sin. Where I am going you cannot come!” 22Then the Jews began to say,#*The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to say”) “Perhaps he will kill himself, because he is saying, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ ” 23And he said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are from this world; I am not from this world. 24Thus I said to you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.”
25So they began to say to him,#*The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to say”) “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “What#Literally “that which” I have been saying to you from the beginning. 26I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but the one who sent me is true, and the things which I heard from him, these things I say to the world.” 27(They did not know that he was speaking to them about the Father.)
28Then Jesus said,#Some manuscripts have “said to them” “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will recognize that I am he, and I do nothing from myself, but just as the Father taught me, I say these things. 29And the one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” 30While#*Here “while” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“was saying”) he was saying these things, many believed in him.
The Truth Will Set You Free
31Then Jesus said to those Jews who had believed him, “If you continue in my word you are truly my disciples, 32and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33They replied to him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have not been enslaved to anyone at any time. How do you say, ‘You will become free’?” 34Jesus replied to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, that everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. 35And the slave does not remain in the household forever;#Literally “for the age” the son remains forever.#Literally “for the age” 36So if the son sets you free, you will be truly free. 37I know that you are descendants of Abraham. But you are seeking to kill me, because my word makes no progress among you. 38I speak the things that I have seen with the Father; so also you do the things that you have heard from the Father.”
The Priority of Jesus Over Abraham
39They answered and said to him, “Abraham is our father!” Jesus said to them, “If you are children of Abraham, do the deeds of Abraham! 40But now you are seeking to kill me, a man who spoke to you the truth which I heard from God. This Abraham did not do. 41You are doing the deeds of your father!”
They said#Some manuscripts have “Then they said” to him, “We were not born from sexual immorality! We have one father, God!” 42Jesus said to them, “If God were your father, you would love me, for I have come forth from God and have come. For I have not come from myself, but that one sent me. 43Why#Literally “because of what” do you not understand my way of speaking? Because you are not able to listen to my message. 44You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father! That one was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand firm in the truth, because truth is not in him. Whenever he speaks the lie, he speaks from his own nature,#*The word “nature” is not in the Greek text but is implied because he is a liar and the father of lies.#Literally “of it” 45But because I am telling the truth, you do not believe me. 46Who among you convicts me concerning sin? If I am telling the truth, why#Literally “because of what” do you not believe me? 47The one who is from God listens to the words of God. Because of this you do not listen—because you are not of God.”
48The Jews answered and said to him, “Do we not correctly say that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49Jesus replied, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me! 50But I do not seek my own glory. There is one who seeks and judges! 51Truly, truly I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never experience death forever.”#Literally “for the age”
52The Jews#Some manuscripts have “Then the Jews” said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham and the prophets died, and you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death forever.’#Literally “for the age” 53You are not greater than our father Abraham who died, are you?#*The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated in the translation by the phrase “are you” And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself to be?” 54Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. The one who glorifies me is my Father, about whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ 55And you have not known him, but I know him. And if I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you! But I know him and I keep his word. 56Abraham your father rejoiced that he would see my day, and he saw it#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation and was glad.”
57So the Jews said to him, “You are#Literally “you have” not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” 58Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was, I am!” 59Then they picked up stones in order to throw them#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation at him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple courts.#*Here “courts” is supplied to distinguish this area from the interior of the temple building itself
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