John 8
8
1while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. 3The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, 4they said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. 5Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground.#8.8 Other ancient authorities add the sins of each of them 9When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11She said, “No one, sir.”#8.11 Or Lord And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.”]#8.11 The most ancient authorities lack 7.53—8.11; other authorities add the passage here or after 7.36 or after 21.25 or after Luke 21.38, with variations of text; some mark the passage as doubtful.
Jesus the Light of the World
12Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” 13Then the Pharisees said to him, “You are testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid.” 14Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid because I know where I have come from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15You judge by human standards;#8.15 Gk according to the flesh I judge no one. 16Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is valid; for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father#8.16 Other ancient authorities read he who sent me. 17In your law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is valid. 18I testify on my own behalf, and the Father who sent me testifies on my behalf.” 19Then they said to him, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” 20He spoke these words while he was teaching in the treasury of the temple, but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.
Jesus Foretells His Death
21Again he said to them, “I am going away, and you will search for me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” 22Then the Jews said, “Is he going to kill himself? Is that what he means by saying, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” 23He said to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. 24I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he.”#8.24 Gk I am 25They said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Why do I speak to you at all?#8.25 Or What I have told you from the beginning 26I have much to say about you and much to condemn; but the one who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” 27They did not understand that he was speaking to them about the Father. 28So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he,#8.28 Gk I am and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me. 29And the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him.” 30As he was saying these things, many believed in him.
True Disciples
31Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; 32and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” 33They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, ‘You will be made free’?”
34Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. 35The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. 36So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. 37I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you look for an opportunity to kill me, because there is no place in you for my word. 38I declare what I have seen in the Father's presence; as for you, you should do what you have heard from the Father.”#8.38 Other ancient authorities read you do what you have heard from your father
Jesus and Abraham
39They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing#8.39 Other ancient authorities read If you are Abraham's children, then do what Abraham did, 40but now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41You are indeed doing what your father does.” They said to him, “We are not illegitimate children; we have one father, God himself.” 42Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now I am here. I did not come on my own, but he sent me. 43Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot accept my word. 44You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not from God.”
48The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is one who seeks it and he is the judge. 51Very truly, I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.” 52The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and so did the prophets; yet you say, ‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’ 53Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets also died. Who do you claim to be?” 54Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, he of whom you say, ‘He is our God,’ 55though you do not know him. But I know him; if I would say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him and I keep his word. 56Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad.” 57Then the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”#8.57 Other ancient authorities read has Abraham seen you? 58Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
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John 8: NRSV
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New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
John 8
8
1And at dawn he came again to the temple,
2and all the people were coming unto him, and having sat down, he was teaching them;
3and the scribes and the Pharisees bring unto him a woman having been taken in adultery, and having set her in the midst,
4they say to him, ‘Teacher, this woman was taken in the very crime — committing adultery,
5and in the law, Moses did command us that such be stoned; thou, therefore, what dost thou say?’
6and this they said, trying him, that they might have to accuse him. And Jesus, having stooped down, with the finger he was writing on the ground,
7and when they continued asking him, having bent himself back, he said unto them, ‘The sinless of you — let him first cast the stone at her;’
8and again having stooped down, he was writing on the ground,
9and they having heard, and by the conscience being convicted, were going forth one by one, having begun from the elders — unto the last; and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10And Jesus having bent himself back, and having seen no one but the woman, said to her, ‘Woman, where are those — thine accusers? did no one pass sentence upon thee?’
11and she said, ‘No one, Sir;’ and Jesus said to her, ‘Neither do I pass sentence on thee; be going on, and no more sin.’
12Again, therefore, Jesus spake to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world; he who is following me shall not walk in the darkness, but he shall have the light of the life.’
13The Pharisees, therefore, said to him, ‘Thou of thyself dost testify, thy testimony is not true;’
14Jesus answered and said to them, ‘And if I testify of myself — my testimony is true, because I have known whence I came, and whither I go, and ye — ye have not known whence I come, or whither I go.
15‘Ye according to the flesh do judge; I do not judge any one,
16and even if I do judge my judgment is true, because I am not alone, but I and the Father who sent me;
17and also in your law it hath been written, that the testimony of two men are true;
18I am [one] who is testifying of myself, and the Father who sent me doth testify of me.’
19They said, therefore, to him, ‘Where is thy father?’ Jesus answered, ‘Ye have neither known me nor my Father: if me ye had known, my Father also ye had known.’
20These sayings spake Jesus in the treasury, teaching in the temple, and no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come;
21therefore said Jesus again to them, ‘I go away, and ye will seek me, and in your sin ye shall die; whither I go away, ye are not able to come.’
22The Jews, therefore, said, ‘Will he kill himself, because he saith, Whither I go away, ye are not able to come?’
23and he said to them, ‘Ye are from beneath, I am from above; ye are of this world, I am not of this world;
24I said, therefore, to you, that ye shall die in your sins, for if ye may not believe that I am [he], ye shall die in your sins.’
25They said, therefore, to him, ‘Thou — who art thou?’ and Jesus said to them, ‘Even what I did speak of to you at the beginning;
26many things I have to speak concerning you and to judge, but He who sent me is true, and I — what things I heard from Him — these I say to the world.’
27They knew not that of the Father he spake to them;
28Jesus, therefore, said to them, ‘When ye may lift up the Son of Man then ye will know that I am [he]; and of myself I do nothing, but according as my Father did teach me, these things I speak;
29and He who sent me is with me; the Father did not leave me alone, because I, the things pleasing to Him, do always.’
30As he is speaking these things, many believed in him;
31Jesus, therefore, said unto the Jews who believed in him, ‘If ye may remain in my word, truly my disciples ye are,
32and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’
33They answered him, ‘Seed of Abraham we are; and to no one have we been servants at any time; how dost thou say — Ye shall become free?’
34Jesus answered them, ‘Verily, verily, I say to you — Every one who is committing sin, is a servant of the sin,
35and the servant doth not remain in the house — to the age, the son doth remain — to the age;
36if then the son may make you free, in reality ye shall be free.
37‘I have known that ye are seed of Abraham, but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you;
38I — that which I have seen with my Father do speak, and ye, therefore, that which ye have seen with your father — ye do.’
39They answered and said to him, ‘Our father is Abraham;’ Jesus saith to them, ‘If children of Abraham ye were, the works of Abraham ye were doing;
40and now, ye seek to kill me — a man who hath spoken to you the truth I heard from God; this Abraham did not;
41ye do the works of your father.’ They said, therefore, to him, ‘We of whoredom have not been born; one Father we have — God;’
42Jesus then said to them, ‘If God were your father, ye were loving me, for I came forth from God, and am come; for neither have I come of myself, but He sent me;
43wherefore do ye not know my speech? because ye are not able to hear my word.
44‘Ye are of a father — the devil, and the desires of your father ye will to do; he was a manslayer from the beginning, and in the truth he hath not stood, because there is no truth in him; when one may speak the falsehood, of his own he speaketh, because he is a liar — also his father.
45‘And because I say the truth, ye do not believe me.
46Who of you doth convict me of sin? and if I speak truth, wherefore do ye not believe me?
47he who is of God, the sayings of God he doth hear; because of this ye do not hear, because of God ye are not.’
48The Jews, therefore, answered and said to him, ‘Do we not say well, that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a demon?’
49Jesus answered, ‘I have not a demon, but I honour my Father, and ye dishonour me;
50and I do not seek my own glory; there is who is seeking and is judging;
51verily, verily, I say to you, If any one may keep my word, death he may not see — to the age.’
52The Jews, therefore, said to him, ‘Now we have known that thou hast a demon; Abraham did die, and the prophets, and thou dost say, If any one may keep my word, he shall not taste of death — to the age!
53Art thou greater than our father Abraham, who died? and the prophets died; whom dost thou make thyself?’
54Jesus answered, ‘If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing; it is my Father who is glorifying me, of whom ye say that He is your God;
55and ye have not known Him, and I have known Him, and if I say that I have not known Him, I shall be like you — speaking falsely; but I have known Him, and His word I keep;
56Abraham, your father, was glad that he might see my day; and he saw, and did rejoice.’
57The Jews, therefore, said unto him, ‘Thou art not yet fifty years old, and Abraham hast thou seen?’
58Jesus said to them, ‘Verily, verily, I say to you, Before Abraham's coming — I am;’
59they took up, therefore, stones that they may cast at him, but Jesus hid himself, and went forth out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
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