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John Contemporary English Version (CEV)

chapter 1

     The Word of Life

     1In the beginning was the one

     who is called the Word.

     The Word was with God

     and was truly God.

     2From the very beginning

     the Word was with God.

     3And with this Word,

     God created all things.

     Nothing was made

     without the Word.

     Everything that was created

     4received its life from him,

     and his life gave light

     to everyone.

     5The light keeps shining

     in the dark,

     and darkness has never

     put it out. 6God sent a man named John,

     7who came to tell

     about the light

     and to lead all people

     to have faith.

     8John wasn't that light.

     He came only to tell

     about the light.

     9The true light that shines

     on everyone

     was coming into the world.

     10The Word was in the world,

     but no one knew him,

     though God had made the world

     with his Word.

     11He came into his own world,

     but his own nation

     did not welcome him.

     12Yet some people accepted him

     and put their faith in him.

     So he gave them the right

     to be the children of God.

     13They were not God's children

     by nature

     or because

     of any human desires.

     God himself was the one

     who made them his children.

     14The Word became

     a human being

     and lived here with us.

     We saw his true glory,

     the glory of the only Son

     of the Father.

     From him all the kindness

     and all the truth of God

     have come down to us.

     15John spoke about him and shouted, "This is the one I told you would come! He is greater than I am,

     because he was alive before I was born."

     16Because of all that the Son is, we have been given one blessing after another. 17The Law was given by

     Moses, but Jesus Christ brought us undeserved kindness and truth. 18No one has ever seen God. The only

     Son, who is truly God and is closest to the Father, has shown us what God is like.

     John the Baptist Tells about Jesus

     (Matthew 3.1-12; Mark 1.1-8; Luke 3.15-17)

     19-20The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and temple helpers to ask John who he was. He told them

     plainly, "I am not the Messiah." 21Then when they asked him if he were Elijah, he said, "No, I am not!" And

     when they asked if he were the Prophet, he also said "No!" 22Finally, they said, "Who are you then? We have

     to give an answer to the ones who sent us. Tell us who you are!"

     23John answered in the words of the prophet Isaiah, "I am only someone shouting in the desert, `Get the

     road ready for the Lord!' "

     24Some Pharisees had also been sent to John. 25They asked him, "Why are you baptizing people, if you are

     not the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet?"

     26John told them, "I use water to baptize people. But here with you is someone you don't know. 27Even

     though I came first, I am not good enough to untie his sandals." 28John said this as he was baptizing east of

     the Jordan River in Bethany.

     The Lamb of God

     29The next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him and said:

     Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30He is the one I told you about when I said,

     "Someone else will come. He is greater than I am, because he was alive before I was born." 31I didn't know

     who he was. But I came to baptize you with water, so that everyone in Israel would see him.

     32I was there and saw the Spirit come down on him like a dove from heaven. And the Spirit stayed on him.

     33Before this I didn't know who he was. But the one who sent me to baptize with water had told me, "You will

     see the Spirit come down and stay on someone. Then you will know that he is the one who will baptize with

     the Holy Spirit." 34I saw this happen, and I tell you that he is the Son of God.

     The First Disciples of Jesus

     35The next day, John was there again, and two of his followers were with him. 36When he saw Jesus walking

     by, he said, "Here is the Lamb of God!" 37John's two followers heard him, and they went with Jesus.

     38When Jesus turned and saw them, he asked, "What do you want?"

     They answered, "Rabbi, where do you live?" The Hebrew word "Rabbi" means "Teacher."

     39Jesus replied, "Come and see!" It was already about four o'clock in the afternoon when they went with him

     and saw where he lived. So they stayed on for the rest of the day.

     40One of the two men who had heard John and had gone with Jesus was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter.

     41The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother and tell him, "We have found the Messiah!" The Hebrew

     word "Messiah" means the same as the Greek word "Christ."

     42Andrew brought his brother to Jesus. And when Jesus saw him, he said, "Simon son of John, you will be

     called Cephas." This name can be translated as "Peter."

     Jesus Chooses Philip and Nathanael

     43-44The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. There he met Philip, who was from Bethsaida, the

     hometown of Andrew and Peter. Jesus said to Philip, "Come with me."

     45Philip then found Nathanael and said, "We have found the one that Moses and the Prophets wrote about.

     He is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth." 46Nathanael asked, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?"

     Philip answered, "Come and see."

     47When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said, "Here is a true descendant of our ancestor Israel.

     And he isn't deceitful." 48"How do you know me?" Nathanael asked.

     Jesus answered, "Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree."

     49Nathanael said, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God and the King of Israel!"

     50Jesus answered, "Did you believe me just because I said that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see

     something even greater. 51I tell you for certain that you will see heaven open and God's angels going up and

     coming down on the Son of Man."

chapter 2

     Jesus at a Wedding in Cana

     1Three days later Mary, the mother of Jesus, was at a wedding feast in the village of Cana in Galilee. 2Jesus

     and his disciples had also been invited and were there.

     3When the wine was all gone, Mary said to Jesus, "They don't have any more wine."

     4Jesus replied, "Mother, my time hasn't yet come: You must not tell me what to do." 5Mary then said to the

     servants, "Do whatever Jesus tells you to do."

     6At the feast there were six stone water jars that were used by the people for washing themselves in the

     way that their religion said they must. Each jar held about twenty or thirty gallons. 7Jesus told the servants

     to fill them to the top with water. Then after the jars had been filled, 8he said, "Now take some water and

     give it to the man in charge of the feast."

     The servants did as Jesus told them, 9and the man in charge drank some of the water that had now turned

     into wine. He did not know where the wine had come from, but the servants did. He called the bridegroom

     over 10and said, "The best wine is always served first. Then after the guests have had plenty, the other wine

     is served. But you have kept the best until last!"

     11This was Jesus' first miracle, and he did it in the village of Cana in Galilee. There Jesus showed his glory,

     and his disciples put their faith in him. 12After this, he went with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples to

     the town of Capernaum, where they stayed for a few days.

     Jesus in the Temple

     (Matthew 21.12,13; Mark 11.15-17; Luke 19.45,46)

     13Not long before the Jewish festival of Passover, Jesus went to Jerusalem. 14There he found people selling

     cattle, sheep, and doves in the temple. He also saw moneychangers sitting at their tables. 15So he took

     some rope and made a whip. Then he chased everyone out of the temple, together with their sheep and

     cattle. He turned over the tables of the moneychangers and scattered their coins.

     16Jesus said to the people who had been selling doves, "Get those doves out of here! Don't make my Father's

     house a marketplace."

     17The disciples then remembered that the Scriptures say, "My love for your house burns in me like a fire."

     18The Jewish leaders asked Jesus, "What miracle will you work to show us why you have done this?"

     19"Destroy this temple," Jesus answered, "and in three days I will build it again!"

     20The leaders replied, "It took forty-six years to build this temple. What makes you think you can rebuild it in

     three days?"

     21But Jesus was talking about his body as a temple. 22And when he was raised from death, his disciples

     remembered what he had told them. Then they believed the Scriptures and the words of Jesus.

     Jesus Knows What People Are Like

     23In Jerusalem during Passover many people put their faith in Jesus, because they saw him work miracles.

     24But Jesus knew what was in their hearts, and he would not let them have power over him. 25No one had to

     tell him what people were like. He already knew.

chapter 3

     Jesus and Nicodemus

     1There was a man named Nicodemus who was a Pharisee and a Jewish leader. 2One night he went to Jesus

     and said, "Sir, we know that God has sent you to teach us. You could not work these miracles, unless God

     were with you."

     3Jesus replied, "I tell you for certain that you must be born from above before you can see God's kingdom!"

     4Nicodemus asked, "How can a grown man ever be born a second time?"

     5Jesus answered:

     I tell you for certain that before you can get into God's kingdom, you must be born not only by water, but by

     the Spirit. 6Humans give life to their children. Yet only God's Spirit can change you into a child of God. 7Don't

     be surprised when I say that you must be born from above. 8Only God's Spirit gives new life. The Spirit is like

     the wind that blows wherever it wants to. You can hear the wind, but you don't know where it comes from or

     where it is going.

     9"How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.

     10Jesus replied:

     How can you be a teacher of Israel and not know these things? 11I tell you for certain that we know what

     we are talking about because we have seen it ourselves. But none of you will accept what we say. 12If you

     don't believe when I talk to you about things on earth, how can you possibly believe if I talk to you about

     things in heaven?

     13No one has gone up to heaven except the Son of Man, who came down from there. 14And the Son of Man

     must be lifted up, just as that metal snake was lifted up by Moses in the desert. 15Then everyone who has

     faith in the Son of Man will have eternal life. 16God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his

     only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. 17God did not send

     his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them! 18No one who has faith in God's Son

     will be condemned. But everyone who doesn't have faith in him has already been condemned for not having

     faith in God's only Son.

     19The light has come into the world, and people who do evil things are judged guilty because they love the

     dark more than the light. 20People who do evil hate the light and won't come to the light, because it clearly

     shows what they have done. 21But everyone who lives by the truth will come to the light, because they

     want others to know that God is really the one doing what they do.

     Jesus and John the Baptist

     22Later, Jesus and his disciples went to Judea, where he stayed with them for a while and was baptizing

     people.

     23-24John had not yet been put in jail. He was at Aenon near Salim, where there was a lot of water, and

     people were coming there for John to baptize them.

     25John's followers got into an argument with a Jewish man about a ceremony of washing. 26They went to

     John and said, "Rabbi, you spoke about a man when you were with him east of the Jordan. He is now

     baptizing people, and everyone is going to him." 27John replied:

     No one can do anything unless God in heaven allows it. 28You surely remember how I told you that I am not

     the Messiah. I am only the one sent ahead of him.

     29At a wedding the groom is the one who gets married. The best man is glad just to be there and to hear the

     groom's voice. That's why I am so glad. 30Jesus must become more important, while I become less important.

     The One Who Comes from Heaven

     31God's Son comes from heaven and is above all others. Everyone who comes from the earth belongs to the

     earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all others. 32He speaks

     about what he has seen and heard, and yet no one believes him. 33But everyone who does believe him has

     shown that God is truthful. 34The Son was sent to speak God's message, and he has been given the full

     power of God's Spirit.

     35The Father loves the Son and has given him everything. 36Everyone who has faith in the Son has eternal

     life. But no one who rejects him will ever share in that life, and God will be angry with them forever.

chapter 4

     1Jesus knew that the Pharisees had heard that he was winning and baptizing more followers than John was.

     2But Jesus' disciples were really the ones doing the baptizing, and not Jesus himself.

     Jesus and the Samaritan Woman

     3Jesus left Judea and started for Galilee again. 4This time he had to go through Samaria, 5and on his way he

     came to the town of Sychar. It was near the field that Jacob had long ago given to his son Joseph. 6-8The

     well that Jacob had dug was still there, and Jesus sat down beside it because he was tired from traveling. It

     was noon, and after Jesus' disciples had gone into town to buy some food, a Samaritan woman came to draw

     water from the well.

     Jesus asked her, "Would you please give me a drink of water?"

     9"You are a Jew," she replied, "and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink of water when

     Jews and Samaritans won't have anything to do with each other?" 10Jesus answered, "You don't know what

     God wants to give you, and you don't know who is asking you for a drink. If you did, you would ask me for the

     water that gives life."

     11"Sir," the woman said, "you don't even have a bucket, and the well is deep. Where are you going to get

     this life-giving water? 12Our ancestor Jacob dug this well for us, and his family and animals got water from it.

     Are you greater than Jacob?"

     13Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again. 14But no one who drinks the water

     I give will ever be thirsty again. The water I give is like a flowing fountain that gives eternal life."

     15The woman replied, "Sir, please give me a drink of that water! Then I won't get thirsty and have to come

     to this well again."

     16Jesus told her, "Go and bring your husband."

     17-18The woman answered, "I don't have a husband."

     "That's right," Jesus replied, "you're telling the truth. You don't have a husband. You have already been

     married five times, and the man you are now living with isn't your husband."

     19The woman said, "Sir, I can see that you are a prophet. 20My ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but

     you Jews say Jerusalem is the only place to worship." 21Jesus said to her:

     Believe me, the time is coming when you won't worship the Father either on this mountain or in Jerusalem.

     22You Samaritans don't really know the one you worship. But we Jews do know the God we worship, and by

     using us, God will save the world. 23But a time is coming, and it is already here! Even now the true worshipers

     are being led by the Spirit to worship the Father according to the truth. These are the ones the Father is

     seeking to worship him. 24God is Spirit, and those who worship God must be led by the Spirit to worship him

     according to the truth.

     25The woman said, "I know that the Messiah will come. He is the one we call Christ. When he comes, he will

     explain everything to us."

     26"I am that one," Jesus told her, "and I am speaking to you now."

     27The disciples returned about this time and were surprised to find Jesus talking with a woman. But none of

     them asked him what he wanted or why he was talking with her.

     28The woman left her water jar and ran back into town. She said to the people, 29"Come and see a man who

     told me everything I have ever done! Could he be the Messiah?" 30Everyone in town went out to see Jesus.

     31While this was happening, Jesus' disciples were saying to him, "Teacher, please eat something."

     32But Jesus told them, "I have food that you don't know anything about."

     33His disciples started asking each other, "Has someone brought him something to eat?"

     34Jesus said:

     My food is to do what God wants! He is the one who sent me, and I must finish the work that he gave me to

     do. 35You may say that there are still four months until harvest time. But I tell you to look, and you will see

     that the fields are ripe and ready to harvest.

     36Even now the harvest workers are receiving their reward by gathering a harvest that brings eternal life.

     Then everyone who planted the seed and everyone who harvests the crop will celebrate together. 37So the

     saying proves true, "Some plant the seed, and others harvest the crop." 38I am sending you to harvest crops

     in fields where others have done all the hard work.

     39A lot of Samaritans in that town put their faith in Jesus because the woman had said, "This man told me

     everything I have ever done." 40They came and asked him to stay in their town, and he stayed on for two

     days.

     41Many more Samaritans put their faith in Jesus because of what they heard him say. 42They told the

     woman, "We no longer have faith in Jesus just because of what you told us. We have heard him ourselves,

     and we are certain that he is the Savior of the world!"

     Jesus Heals an Official's Son

     (Matthew 8.5-13; Luke 7.1-10)

     43-44Jesus had said, "Prophets are honored everywhere, except in their own country." Then two days later

     he left 45and went to Galilee. The people there welcomed him, because they had gone to the festival in

     Jerusalem and had seen everything he had done.

     46While Jesus was in Galilee, he returned to the village of Cana, where he had turned the water into wine.

     There was an official in Capernaum whose son was sick. 47And when the man heard that Jesus had come

     from Judea, he went and begged him to keep his son from dying.

     48Jesus told the official, "You won't have faith unless you see miracles and wonders!"

     49The man replied, "Lord, please come before my son dies!"

     50Jesus then said, "Your son will live. Go on home to him." The man believed Jesus and started back home.

     51Some of the official's servants met him along the road and told him, "Your son is better!" 52He asked them

     when the boy got better, and they answered, "The fever left him yesterday at one o'clock."

     53The boy's father realized that at one o'clock the day before, Jesus had told him, "Your son will live!" So the

     man and everyone in his family put their faith in Jesus.

     54This was the second miracle that Jesus worked after he left Judea and went to Galilee.

chapter 5

     Jesus Heals a Sick Man

     1Later, Jesus went to Jerusalem for another Jewish festival. 2In the city near the sheep gate was a pool with

     five porches, and its name in Hebrew was Bethzatha. 3-4Many sick, blind, lame, and crippled people were

     lying close to the pool. 5Beside the pool was a man who had been sick for thirty-eight years. 6When Jesus

     saw the man and realized that he had been crippled for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to be

     healed?"

     7The man answered, "Lord, I don't have anyone to put me in the pool when the water is stirred up. I try to

     get in, but someone else always gets there first."

     8Jesus told him, "Pick up your mat and walk!" 9Right then the man was healed. He picked up his mat and

     started walking around. The day on which this happened was a Sabbath.

     10When the Jewish leaders saw the man carrying his mat, they said to him, "This is the Sabbath! No one is

     allowed to carry a mat on the Sabbath."

     11But he replied, "The man who healed me told me to pick up my mat and walk."

     12They asked him, "Who is this man that told you to pick up your mat and walk?" 13But he did not know who

     Jesus was, and Jesus had left because of the crowd.

     14Later, Jesus met the man in the temple and told him, "You are now well. But don't sin anymore or something

     worse might happen to you." 15The man left and told the leaders that Jesus was the one who had healed

     him. 16They started making a lot of trouble for Jesus because he did things like this on the Sabbath.

     17But Jesus said, "My Father has never stopped working, and that is why I keep on working." 18Now the

     leaders wanted to kill Jesus for two reasons. First, he had broken the law of the Sabbath. But even worse, he

     had said that God was his Father, which made him equal with God.

     The Son's Authority

     19Jesus told the people:

     I tell you for certain that the Son cannot do anything on his own. He can do only what he sees the Father

     doing, and he does exactly what he sees the Father do. 20The Father loves the Son and has shown him

     everything he does. The Father will show him even greater things, and you will be amazed. 21Just as the

     Father raises the dead and gives life, so the Son gives life to anyone he wants to.

     22The Father doesn't judge anyone, but he has made his Son the judge of everyone. 23The Father wants all

     people to honor the Son as much as they honor him. When anyone refuses to honor the Son, that is the same

     as refusing to honor the Father who sent him. 24I tell you for certain that everyone who hears my message

     and has faith in the one who sent me has eternal life and will never be condemned. They have already gone

     from death to life.

     25I tell you for certain that the time will come, and it is already here, when all of the dead will hear the voice

     of the Son of God. And those who listen to it will live! 26The Father has the power to give life, and he has

     given that same power to the Son. 27And he has given his Son the right to judge everyone, because he is

     the Son of Man.

     28Don't be surprised! The time will come when all of the dead will hear the voice of the Son of Man, 29and

     they will come out of their graves. Everyone who has done good things will rise to life, but everyone who has

     done evil things will rise and be condemned.

     30I cannot do anything on my own. The Father sent me, and he is the one who told me how to judge. I judge

     with fairness, because I obey him, and I don't just try to please myself.

     Witnesses to Jesus

     31If I speak for myself, there is no way to prove I am telling the truth. 32But there is someone else who

     speaks for me, and I know what he says is true. 33You sent messengers to John, and he told them the truth.

     34I don't depend on what people say about me, but I tell you these things so that you may be saved. 35John

     was a lamp that gave a lot of light, and you were glad to enjoy his light for a while.

     36But something more important than John speaks for me. I mean the things that the Father has given me to

     do! All of these speak for me and prove that the Father sent me.

     37The Father who sent me also speaks for me, but you have never heard his voice or seen him face to face.

     38You have not believed his message, because you refused to have faith in the one he sent.

     39You search the Scriptures, because you think you will find eternal life in them. The Scriptures tell about

     me, 40but you refuse to come to me for eternal life.

     41I don't care about human praise, 42but I do know that none of you love God. 43I have come with my

     Father's authority, and you have not welcomed me. But you will welcome people who come on their own.

     44How could you possibly believe? You like to have your friends praise you, and you don't care about praise

     that the only God can give!

     45Don't think that I will be the one to accuse you to the Father. You have put your hope in Moses, yet he is

     the very one who will accuse you. 46Moses wrote about me, and if you had believed Moses, you would have

     believed me. 47But if you don't believe what Moses wrote, how can you believe what I say?

chapter 6

     Feeding Five Thousand

     (Matthew 14.13-21; Mark 6.30-44; Luke 9.10-17)

     1Jesus crossed Lake Galilee, which was also known as Lake Tiberias. 2A large crowd had seen him work

     miracles to heal the sick, and those people went with him. 3-4It was almost time for the Jewish festival of

     Passover, and Jesus went up on a mountain with his disciples and sat down. 5When Jesus saw the large

     crowd coming toward him, he asked Philip, "Where will we get enough food to feed all these people?" 6He said

     this to test Philip, since he already knew what he was going to do.

     7Philip answered, "Don't you know that it would take almost a year's wages just to buy only a little bread for

     each of these people?" 8Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the disciples. He spoke up and said,

     9"There is a boy here who has five small loaves of barley bread and two fish. But what good is that with all

     these people?" 10The ground was covered with grass, and Jesus told his disciples to have everyone sit down.

     About five thousand men were in the crowd. 11Jesus took the bread in his hands and gave thanks to God.

     Then he passed the bread to the people, and he did the same with the fish, until everyone had plenty to eat.

     12The people ate all they wanted, and Jesus told his disciples to gather up the leftovers, so that nothing

     would be wasted. 13The disciples gathered them up and filled twelve large baskets with what was left over

     from the five barley loaves.

     14After the people had seen Jesus work this miracle, they began saying, "This must be the Prophet who is to

     come into the world!" 15Jesus realized that they would try to force him to be their king. So he went up on a

     mountain, where he could be alone.

     Jesus Walks on the Water

     (Matthew 14.22-27; Mark 6.45-52)

     16That evening, Jesus' disciples went down to the lake. 17They got into a boat and started across for

     Capernaum. Later that evening Jesus had still not come to them, 18and a strong wind was making the water

     rough.

     19When the disciples had rowed for three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the water. He kept coming

     closer to the boat, and they were terrified. 20But he said, "I am Jesus! Don't be afraid!" 21The disciples

     wanted to take him into the boat, but suddenly the boat reached the shore where they were headed.

     The Bread That Gives Life

     22The people who had stayed on the east side of the lake knew that only one boat had been there. They

     also knew that Jesus had not left in it with his disciples. But the next day 23some boats from Tiberias sailed

     near the place where the crowd had eaten the bread for which the Lord had given thanks. 24They saw that

     Jesus and his disciples had left. Then they got into the boats and went to Capernaum to look for Jesus.

     25They found him on the west side of the lake and asked, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"

     26Jesus answered, "I tell you for certain that you are not looking for me because you saw the miracles, but

     because you ate all the food you wanted. 27Don't work for food that spoils. Work for food that gives eternal

     life. The Son of Man will give you this food, because God the Father has given him the right to do so."

     28"What exactly does God want us to do?" the people asked.

     29Jesus answered, "God wants you to have faith in the one he sent."

     30They replied, "What miracle will you work, so that we can have faith in you? What will you do? 31For

     example, when our ancestors were in the desert, they were given manna to eat. It happened just as the

     Scriptures say, `God gave them bread from heaven to eat.' " 32Jesus then told them, "I tell you for certain

     that Moses wasn't the one who gave you bread from heaven. My Father is the one who gives you the true

     bread from heaven. 33And the bread that God gives is the one who came down from heaven to give life to

     the world."

     34The people said, "Lord, give us this bread and don't ever stop!"

     35Jesus replied:

     I am the bread that gives life! No one who comes to me will ever be hungry. No one who has faith in me will

     ever be thirsty. 36I have told you already that you have seen me and still do not have faith in me.

     37Everything and everyone that the Father has given me will come to me, and I won't turn any of them

     away.

     38I didn't come from heaven to do what I want! I came to do what the Father wants me to do. He sent me,

     39and he wants to make certain that none of the ones he has given me will be lost. Instead, he wants me to

     raise them to life on the last day. 40My Father wants everyone who sees the Son to have faith in him and to

     have eternal life. Then I will raise them to life on the last day. 41The people started grumbling because Jesus

     had said he was the bread that had come down from heaven. 42They were asking each other, "Isn't he Jesus,

     the son of Joseph? Don't we know his father and mother? How can he say that he has come down from

     heaven?"

     43Jesus told them:

     Stop grumbling! 44No one can come to me, unless the Father who sent me makes them want to come. But if

     they do come, I will raise them to life on the last day. 45One of the prophets wrote, "God will teach all of

     them." And so everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him will come to me.

     46The only one who has seen the Father is the one who has come from him. No one else has ever seen the

     Father. 47I tell you for certain that everyone who has faith in me has eternal life.

     48I am the bread that gives life! 49Your ancestors ate manna in the desert, and later they died. 50But the

     bread from heaven has come down, so that no one who eats it will ever die. 51I am that bread from heaven!

     Everyone who eats it will live forever. My flesh is the life-giving bread that I give to the people of this world.

     52They started arguing with each other and asked, "How can he give us his flesh to eat?"

     53Jesus answered:

     I tell you for certain that you won't live unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man. 54But

     if you do eat my flesh and drink my blood, you will have eternal life, and I will raise you to life on the last day.

     55My flesh is the true food, and my blood is the true drink. 56If you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you are

     one with me, and I am one with you.

     57The living Father sent me, and I have life because of him. Now everyone who eats my flesh will live

     because of me. 58The bread that comes down from heaven isn't like what your ancestors ate. They died, but

     whoever eats this bread will live forever.

     59Jesus was teaching in a Jewish place of worship in Capernaum when he said these things.

     The Words of Eternal Life

     60Many of Jesus' disciples heard him and said, "This is too hard for anyone to understand."

     61Jesus knew that his disciples were grumbling. So he asked, "Does this bother you? 62What if you should see

     the Son of Man go up to heaven where he came from? 63The Spirit is the one who gives life! Human strength

     can do nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are from that life-giving Spirit. 64But some of you

     refuse to have faith in me." Jesus said this, because from the beginning he knew who would have faith in him.

     He also knew which one would betray him.

     65Then Jesus said, "You cannot come to me, unless the Father makes you want to come. That is why I have

     told these things to all of you."

     66Because of what Jesus said, many of his disciples turned their backs on him and stopped following him.

     67Jesus then asked his twelve disciples if they were going to leave him. 68Simon Peter answered, "Lord, there

     is no one else that we can go to! Your words give eternal life. 69We have faith in you, and we are sure that

     you are God's Holy One."

     70Jesus told his disciples, "I chose all twelve of you, but one of you is a demon!" 71Jesus was talking about

     Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. He would later betray Jesus, even though he was one of the twelve

     disciples.

chapter 7

     Jesus' Brothers Don't Have Faith in Him

     1Jesus decided to leave Judea and to start going through Galilee because the Jewish leaders of the people

     wanted to kill him. 2It was almost time for the Festival of Shelters, 3and Jesus' brothers said to him, "Why

     don't you go to Judea? Then your disciples can see what you are doing. 4No one does anything in secret, if

     they want others to know about them. So let the world know what you are doing!" 5Even Jesus' own brothers

     had not yet become his followers.

     6Jesus answered, "My time hasn't yet come, but your time is always here. 7The people of this world cannot

     hate you. They hate me, because I tell them that they do evil things. 8Go on to the festival. My time hasn't

     yet come, and I am not going." 9Jesus said this and stayed on in Galilee.

     Jesus at the Festival of Shelters

     10After Jesus' brothers had gone to the festival, he went secretly, without telling anyone.

     11During the festival the Jewish leaders looked for Jesus and asked, "Where is he?" 12The crowds even got

     into an argument about him. Some were saying, "Jesus is a good man," while others were saying, "He is lying

     to everyone." 13But the people were afraid of their leaders, and none of them talked in public about him.

     14When the festival was about half over, Jesus went into the temple and started teaching. 15The leaders

     were surprised and said, "How does this man know so much? He has never been taught!"

     16Jesus replied:

     I am not teaching something that I thought up. What I teach comes from the one who sent me. 17If you

     really want to obey God, you will know if what I teach comes from God or from me. 18If I wanted to bring

     honor to myself, I would speak for myself. But I want to honor the one who sent me. That is why I tell the

     truth and not a lie. 19Didn't Moses give you the Law? Yet none of you obey it! So why do you want to kill

     me?

     20The crowd replied, "You're crazy! What makes you think someone wants to kill you?"

     21Jesus answered:

     I worked one miracle, and it amazed you. 22Moses commanded you to circumcise your sons. But it wasn't

     really Moses who gave you this command. It was your ancestors, and even on the Sabbath you circumcise

     your sons 23in order to obey the Law of Moses. Why are you angry with me for making someone completely

     well on the Sabbath? 24Don't judge by appearances. Judge by what is right. 25Some of the people from

     Jerusalem were saying, "Isn't this the man they want to kill? 26Yet here he is, speaking for everyone to hear.

     And no one is arguing with him. Do you suppose the authorities know that he is the Messiah? 27But how could

     that be? No one knows where the Messiah will come from, but we know where this man comes from."

     28As Jesus was teaching in the temple, he shouted, "Do you really think you know me and where I came

     from? I didn't come on my own! The one who sent me is truthful, and you don't know him. 29But I know the

     one who sent me, because I came from him."

     30Some of the people wanted to arrest Jesus right then. But no one even laid a hand on him, because his

     time had not yet come. 31A lot of people in the crowd put their faith in him and said, "When the Messiah

     comes, he surely won't perform more miracles than this man has done!"

     Officers Sent To Arrest Jesus

     32When the Pharisees heard the crowd arguing about Jesus, they got together with the chief priests and

     sent some temple police to arrest him. 33But Jesus told them, "I will be with you a little while longer, and then

     I will return to the one who sent me. 34You will look for me, but you won't find me. You cannot go where I am

     going."

     35The Jewish leaders asked each other, "Where can he go to keep us from finding him? Is he going to some

     foreign country where our people live? Is he going there to teach the Greeks? 36What did he mean by saying

     that we will look for him, but won't find him? Why can't we go where he is going?"

     Streams of Life-Giving Water

     37On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and shouted, "If you are thirsty, come

     to me and drink! 38Have faith in me, and you will have life-giving water flowing from deep inside you, just as

     the Scriptures say." 39Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit, who would be given to everyone that had faith

     in him. The Spirit had not yet been given to anyone, since Jesus had not yet been given his full glory.

     The People Take Sides

     40When the crowd heard Jesus say this, some of them said, "He must be the Prophet!" 41Others said, "He is

     the Messiah!" Others even said, "Can the Messiah come from Galilee? 42The Scriptures say that the Messiah

     will come from the family of King David. Doesn't this mean that he will be born in David's hometown of

     Bethlehem?" 43The people started taking sides against each other because of Jesus. 44Some of them wanted

     to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him.

     The Leaders Refuse To Have Faith in Jesus

     45When the temple police returned to the chief priests and Pharisees, they were asked, "Why didn't you bring

     Jesus here?"

     46They answered, "No one has ever spoken like that man!"

     47The Pharisees said to them, "Have you also been fooled? 48Not one of the chief priests or the Pharisees

     has faith in him. 49And these people who don't know the Law are under God's curse anyway."

     50Nicodemus was there at the time. He was a member of the council, and was the same one who had earlier

     come to see Jesus. He said, 51"Our Law doesn't let us condemn people before we hear what they have to

     say. We cannot judge them before we know what they have done." 52Then they said, "Nicodemus, you must

     be from Galilee! Read the Scriptures, and you will find that no prophet is to come from Galilee."

     A Woman Caught in Sin

     53Everyone else went home,

chapter 8

     1but Jesus walked out to the Mount of Olives. 2Then early the next morning he went to the temple. The

     people came to him, and he sat down and started teaching them. 3The Pharisees and the teachers of the

     Law of Moses brought in a woman who had been caught in bed with a man who wasn't her husband. They

     made her stand in the middle of the crowd. 4Then they said, "Teacher, this woman was caught sleeping with

     a man who isn't her husband. 5The Law of Moses teaches that a woman like this should be stoned to death!

     What do you say?"

     6They asked Jesus this question, because they wanted to test him and bring some charge against him. But

     Jesus simply bent over and started writing on the ground with his finger.

     7They kept on asking Jesus about the woman. Finally, he stood up and said, "If any of you have never

     sinned, then go ahead and throw the first stone at her!" 8Once again he bent over and began writing on the

     ground. 9The people left one by one, beginning with the oldest. Finally, Jesus and the woman were there

     alone.

     10Jesus stood up and asked her, "Where is everyone? Isn't there anyone left to accuse you?"

     11"No sir," the woman answered.

     Then Jesus told her, "I am not going to accuse you either. You may go now, but don't sin anymore."

     Jesus Is the Light for the World

     12Once again Jesus spoke to the people. This time he said, "I am the light for the world! Follow me, and you

     won't be walking in the dark. You will have the light that gives life."

     13The Pharisees objected, "You are the only one speaking for yourself, and what you say isn't true!"

     14Jesus replied:

     Even if I do speak for myself, what I say is true! I know where I came from and where I am going. But you

     don't know where I am from or where I am going. 15You judge in the same way that everyone else does, but

     I don't judge anyone. 16If I did judge, I would judge fairly, because I would not be doing it alone. The Father

     who sent me is here with me. 17Your Law requires two witnesses to prove that something is true. 18I am one

     of my witnesses, and the Father who sent me is the other one.

     19"Where is your Father?" they asked.

     "You don't know me or my Father!" Jesus answered. "If you knew me, you would know my Father."

     20Jesus said this while he was still teaching in the place where the temple treasures were stored. But no one

     arrested him, because his time had not yet come.

     You Cannot Go Where I Am Going

     21Jesus also told them, "I am going away, and you will look for me. But you cannot go where I am going, and

     you will die with your sins unforgiven."

     22The Jewish leaders asked, "Does he intend to kill himself? Is that what he means by saying we cannot go

     where he is going?"

     23Jesus answered, "You are from below, but I am from above. You belong to this world, but I don't. 24That is

     why I said you will die with your sins unforgiven. If you don't have faith in me for who I am, you will die, and

     your sins will not be forgiven." 25"Who are you?" they asked Jesus.

     Jesus answered, "I am exactly who I told you at the beginning. 26There is a lot more I could say to condemn

     you. But the one who sent me is truthful, and I tell the people of this world only what I have heard from him."

     27No one understood that Jesus was talking to them about the Father.

     28Jesus went on to say, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, you will know who I am. You will also

     know that I don't do anything on my own. I say only what my Father taught me. 29The one who sent me is

     with me. I always do what pleases him, and he will never leave me." 30After Jesus said this, many of the

     people put their faith in him.

     The Truth Will Set You Free

     31Jesus told the people who had faith in him, "If you keep on obeying what I have said, you truly are my

     disciples. 32You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

     33They answered, "We are Abraham's children! We have never been anyone's slaves. How can you say we

     will be set free?"

     34Jesus replied:

     I tell you for certain that anyone who sins is a slave of sin! 35And slaves don't stay in the family forever,

     though the Son will always remain in the family. 36If the Son gives you freedom, you are free! 37I know that

     you are from Abraham's family. Yet you want to kill me, because my message isn't really in your hearts. 38I

     am telling you what my Father has shown me, just as you are doing what your father has taught you.

     Your Father Is the Devil

     39The people said to Jesus, "Abraham is our father!"

     Jesus replied, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do what Abraham did. 40Instead, you want to kill

     me for telling you the truth that God gave me. Abraham never did anything like that. 41But you are doing

     exactly what your father does."

     "Don't accuse us of having someone else as our father!" they said. "We just have one father, and he is God."

     42Jesus answered:

     If God were your Father, you would love me, because I came from God and only from him. He sent me. I did

     not come on my own. 43Why can't you understand what I am talking about? Can't you stand to hear what I

     am saying? 44Your father is the devil, and you do exactly what he wants. He has always been a murderer and

     a liar. There is nothing truthful about him. He speaks on his own, and everything he says is a lie. Not only is

     he a liar himself, but he is also the father of all lies.

     45Everything I have told you is true, and you still refuse to have faith in me. 46Can any of you accuse me of

     sin? If you cannot, why won't you have faith in me? After all, I am telling you the truth. 47Anyone who

     belongs to God will listen to his message. But you refuse to listen, because you don't belong to God.

     Jesus and Abraham

     48The people told Jesus, "We were right to say that you are a Samaritan and that you have a demon in you!"

     49Jesus answered, "I don't have a demon in me. I honor my Father, and you refuse to honor me. 50I don't

     want honor for myself. But there is one who wants me to be honored, and he is also the one who judges. 51I

     tell you for certain that if you obey my words, you will never die."

     52Then the people said, "Now we are sure that you have a demon. Abraham is dead, and so are the prophets.

     How can you say that no one who obeys your words will ever die? 53Are you greater than our father

     Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?"

     54Jesus replied, "If I honored myself, it would mean nothing. My Father is the one who honors me. You claim

     that he is your God, 55even though you don't really know him. If I said I didn't know him, I would be a liar,

     just like all of you. But I know him, and I do what he says. 56Your father Abraham was really glad to see me."

     57"You are not even fifty years old!" they said. "How could you have seen Abraham?"

     58Jesus answered, "I tell you for certain that even before Abraham was, I was, and I am." 59The people

     picked up stones to kill Jesus, but he hid and left the temple.

chapter 9

     Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

     1As Jesus walked along, he saw a man who had been blind since birth. 2Jesus' disciples asked, "Teacher, why

     was this man born blind? Was it because he or his parents sinned?"

     3"No, it wasn't!" Jesus answered. "But because of his blindness, you will see God work a miracle for him. 4As

     long as it is day, we must do what the one who sent me wants me to do. When night comes, no one can

     work. 5While I am in the world, I am the light for the world."

     6After Jesus said this, he spit on the ground. He made some mud and smeared it on the man's eyes. 7Then he

     said, "Go and wash off the mud in Siloam Pool." The man went and washed in Siloam, which means "One Who

     Is Sent." When he had washed off the mud, he could see.

     8The man's neighbors and the people who had seen him begging wondered if he really could be the same man.

     9Some of them said he was the same beggar, while others said he only looked like him. But he told them, "I

     am that man."

     10"Then how can you see?" they asked.

     11He answered, "Someone named Jesus made some mud and smeared it on my eyes. He told me to go and

     wash it off in Siloam Pool. When I did, I could see."

     12"Where is he now?" they asked.

     "I don't know," he answered.

     The Pharisees Try To Find Out What Happened

     13-14The day when Jesus made the mud and healed the man was a Sabbath. So the people took the man to

     the Pharisees. 15They asked him how he was able to see, and he answered, "Jesus made some mud and

     smeared it on my eyes. Then after I washed it off, I could see."

     16Some of the Pharisees said, "This man Jesus doesn't come from God. If he did, he would not break the law

     of the Sabbath."

     Others asked, "How could someone who is a sinner work such a miracle?" Since the Pharisees could not agree

     among themselves, 17they asked the man, "What do you say about this one who healed your eyes?"

     "He is a prophet!" the man told them.

     18But the Jewish leaders would not believe that the man had once been blind. They sent for his parents

     19and asked them, "Is this the son that you said was born blind? How can he now see?"

     20The man's parents answered, "We are certain that he is our son, and we know that he was born blind.

     21But we don't know how he got his sight or who gave it to him. Ask him! He is old enough to speak for

     himself."

     22-23The man's parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. The leaders had already

     agreed that no one was to have anything to do with anyone who said Jesus was the Messiah.

     24The leaders called the man back and said, "Swear by God to tell the truth! We know that Jesus is a sinner."

     25The man replied, "I don't know if he is a sinner or not. All I know is that I used to be blind, but now I can

     see!"

     26"What did he do to you?" the Jewish leaders asked. "How did he heal your eyes?"

     27The man answered, "I have already told you once, and you refused to listen. Why do you want me to tell

     you again? Do you also want to become his disciples?"

     28The leaders insulted the man and said, "You are his follower! We are followers of Moses. 29We are sure

     that God spoke to Moses, but we don't even know where Jesus comes from."

     30"How strange!" the man replied. "He healed my eyes, and yet you don't know where he comes from. 31We

     know that God listens only to people who love and obey him. God doesn't listen to sinners. 32And this is the

     first time in history that anyone has ever given sight to someone born blind. 33Jesus could not do anything

     unless he came from God."

     34The leaders told the man, "You have been a sinner since the day you were born! Do you think you can

     teach us anything?" Then they said, "You can never come back into any of our meeting places!"

     35When Jesus heard what had happened, he went and found the man. Then Jesus asked, "Do you have faith

     in the Son of Man?"

     36He replied, "Sir, if you will tell me who he is, I will put my faith in him."

     37"You have already seen him," Jesus answered, "and right now he is talking with you."

     38The man said, "Lord, I put my faith in you!" Then he worshiped Jesus.

     39Jesus told him, "I came to judge the people of this world. I am here to give sight to the blind and to make

     blind everyone who can see."

     40When the Pharisees heard Jesus say this, they asked, "Are we blind?"

     41Jesus answered, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty. But now that you claim to see, you will keep

     on being guilty."

chapter 10

     A Story about Sheep

     1Jesus said:

     I tell you for certain that only thieves and robbers climb over the fence instead of going in through the gate

     to the sheep pen. 2-3But the gatekeeper opens the gate for the shepherd, and he goes in through it. The

     sheep know their shepherd's voice. He calls each of them by name and leads them out.

     4When he has led out all of his sheep, he walks in front of them, and they follow, because they know his

     voice. 5The sheep will not follow strangers. They don't recognize a stranger's voice, and they run away.

     6Jesus told the people this story. But they did not understand what he was talking about.

     Jesus Is the Good Shepherd

     7Jesus said:

     I tell you for certain that I am the gate for the sheep. 8Everyone who came before me was a thief or a

     robber, and the sheep did not listen to any of them. 9I am the gate. All who come in through me will be

     saved. Through me they will come and go and find pasture.

     10A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its

     fullest. 11I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives up his life for his sheep. 12Hired workers are

     not like the shepherd. They don't own the sheep, and when they see a wolf coming, they run off and leave

     the sheep. Then the wolf attacks and scatters the flock. 13Hired workers run away because they don't care

     about the sheep.

     14I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and they know me. 15Just as the Father knows me, I know the

     Father, and I give up my life for my sheep. 16I have other sheep that are not in this sheep pen. I must bring

     them together too, when they hear my voice. Then there will be one flock of sheep and one shepherd.

     17The Father loves me, because I give up my life, so that I may receive it back again. 18No one takes my life

     from me. I give it up willingly! I have the power to give it up and the power to receive it back again, just as

     my Father commanded me to do.

     19The people took sides because of what Jesus had told them. 20Many of them said, "He has a demon in him!

     He is crazy! Why listen to him?"

     21But others said, "How could anyone with a demon in him say these things? No one like that could give sight

     to a blind person!"

     Jesus Is Rejected

     22That winter, Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Temple Festival. 23One day he was walking in that part of the

     temple known as Solomon's Porch, 24and the people gathered all around him. They said, "How long are you

     going to keep us guessing? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly!" 25Jesus answered:

     I have told you, and you refused to believe me. The things I do by my Father's authority show who I am.

     26But since you are not my sheep, you don't believe me. 27My sheep know my voice, and I know them. They

     follow me, 28and I give them eternal life, so that they will never be lost. No one can snatch them out of my

     hand. 29My Father gave them to me, and he is greater than all others. No one can snatch them from his

     hands, 30and I am one with the Father. 31Once again the Jewish leaders picked up stones in order to kill

     Jesus. 32But he said, "I have shown you many good things that my Father sent me to do. Which one are you

     going to stone me for?"

     33They answered, "We are not stoning you because of any good thing you did. We are stoning you because

     you did a terrible thing. You are just a man, and here you are claiming to be God!"

     34Jesus replied:

     In your Scriptures doesn't God say, "You are gods"? 35You can't argue with the Scriptures, and God spoke to

     those people and called them gods. 36So why do you accuse me of a terrible sin for saying that I am the Son

     of God? After all, it is the Father who prepared me for this work. He is also the one who sent me into the

     world. 37If I don't do as my Father does, you should not believe me. 38But if I do what my Father does, you

     should believe because of that, even if you don't have faith in me. Then you will know for certain that the

     Father is one with me, and I am one with the Father.

     39Again they wanted to arrest Jesus. But he escaped 40and crossed the Jordan to the place where John had

     earlier been baptizing. While Jesus was there, 41many people came to him. They were saying, "John didn't

     work any miracles, but everything he said about Jesus is true." 42A lot of those people also put their faith in

     Jesus.

chapter 11

     The Death of Lazarus

     1-2A man by the name of Lazarus was sick in the village of Bethany. He had two sisters, Mary and Martha.

     This was the same Mary who later poured perfume on the Lord's head and wiped his feet with her hair. 3The

     sisters sent a message to the Lord and told him that his good friend Lazarus was sick.

     4When Jesus heard this, he said, "His sickness won't end in death. It will bring glory to God and his Son."

     5Jesus loved Martha and her sister and brother. 6But he stayed where he was for two more days. 7Then he

     said to his disciples, "Now we will go back to Judea."

     8"Teacher," they said, "the people there want to stone you to death! Why do you want to go back?"

     9Jesus answered, "Aren't there twelve hours in each day? If you walk during the day, you will have light from

     the sun, and you won't stumble. 10But if you walk during the night, you will stumble, because you don't have

     any light." 11Then he told them, "Our friend Lazarus is asleep, and I am going there to wake him up."

     12They replied, "Lord, if he is asleep, he will get better." 13Jesus really meant that Lazarus was dead, but

     they thought he was talking only about sleep.

     14Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead! 15I am glad that I wasn't there, because now you will have

     a chance to put your faith in me. Let's go to him."

     16Thomas, whose nickname was "Twin," said to the other disciples, "Come on. Let's go, so we can die with

     him."

     Jesus Brings Lazarus to Life

     17When Jesus got to Bethany, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18Bethany was

     only about two miles from Jerusalem, 19and many people had come from the city to comfort Martha and Mary

     because their brother had died.

     20When Martha heard that Jesus had arrived, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed in the house.

     21Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22Yet even now I know

     that God will do anything you ask."

     23Jesus told her, "Your brother will live again!"

     24Martha answered, "I know that he will be raised to life on the last day, when all the dead are raised."

     25Jesus then said, "I am the one who raises the dead to life! Everyone who has faith in me will live, even if

     they die. 26And everyone who lives because of faith in me will never really die. Do you believe this?"

     27"Yes, Lord!" she replied. "I believe that you are Christ, the Son of God. You are the one we hoped would

     come into the world."

     28After Martha said this, she went and privately said to her sister Mary, "The Teacher is here, and he wants

     to see you." 29As soon as Mary heard this, she got up and went out to Jesus. 30He was still outside the

     village where Martha had gone to meet him. 31Many people had come to comfort Mary, and when they saw

     her quickly leave the house, they thought she was going out to the tomb to cry. So they followed her.

     32Mary went to where Jesus was. Then as soon as she saw him, she knelt at his feet and said, "Lord, if you

     had been here, my brother would not have died."

     33When Jesus saw that Mary and the people with her were crying, he was terribly upset 34and asked, "Where

     have you put his body?"

     They replied, "Lord, come and you will see."

     35Jesus started crying, 36and the people said, "See how much he loved Lazarus."

     37Some of them said, "He gives sight to the blind. Why couldn't he have kept Lazarus from dying?"

     38Jesus was still terribly upset. So he went to the tomb, which was a cave with a stone rolled against the

     entrance. 39Then he told the people to roll the stone away. But Martha said, "Lord, you know that Lazarus

     has been dead four days, and there will be a bad smell."

     40Jesus replied, "Didn't I tell you that if you had faith, you would see the glory of God?"

     41After the stone had been rolled aside, Jesus looked up toward heaven and prayed, "Father, I thank you for

     answering my prayer. 42I know that you always answer my prayers. But I said this, so that the people here

     would believe that you sent me."

     43When Jesus had finished praying, he shouted, "Lazarus, come out!" 44The man who had been dead came

     out. His hands and feet were wrapped with strips of burial cloth, and a cloth covered his face.

     Jesus then told the people, "Untie him and let him go."

     The Plot To Kill Jesus

     (Matthew 26.1-5; Mark 14.1,2; Luke 22.1,2)

     45Many of the people who had come to visit Mary saw the things that Jesus did, and they put their faith in

     him. 46Others went to the Pharisees and told what Jesus had done. 47Then the chief priests and the

     Pharisees called the council together and said, "What should we do? This man is working a lot of miracles. 48If

     we don't stop him now, everyone will put their faith in him. Then the Romans will come and destroy our temple

     and our nation." 49One of the council members was Caiaphas, who was also high priest that year. He spoke

     up and said, "You people don't have any sense at all! 50Don't you know it is better for one person to die for

     the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed?" 51Caiaphas did not say this on his own. As high priest

     that year, he was prophesying that Jesus would die for the nation. 52Yet Jesus would not die just for the

     Jewish nation. He would die to bring together all of God's scattered people. 53From that day on, the council

     started making plans to put Jesus to death.

     54Because of this plot against him, Jesus stopped going around in public. He went to the town of Ephraim,

     which was near the desert, and he stayed there with his disciples.

     55It was almost time for Passover. Many of the Jewish people who lived out in the country had come to

     Jerusalem to get themselves ready for the festival. 56They looked around for Jesus. Then when they were in

     the temple, they asked each other, "You don't think he will come here for Passover, do you?" 57The chief

     priests and the Pharisees told the people to let them know if any of them saw Jesus. That is how they hoped

     to arrest him.

chapter 12

     At Bethany

     (Matthew 26.6-13; Mark 14.3-9)

     1Six days before Passover Jesus went back to Bethany, where he had raised Lazarus from death. 2A meal had

     been prepared for Jesus. Martha was doing the serving, and Lazarus himself was there.

     3Mary took a very expensive bottle of perfume and poured it on Jesus' feet. She wiped them with her hair,

     and the sweet smell of the perfume filled the house. 4A disciple named Judas Iscariot was there. He was the

     one who was going to betray Jesus, and he asked, 5"Why wasn't this perfume sold for three hundred silver

     coins and the money given to the poor?" 6Judas did not really care about the poor. He asked this because he

     carried the moneybag and sometimes would steal from it. 7Jesus replied, "Leave her alone! She has kept this

     perfume for the day of my burial. 8You will always have the poor with you, but you won't always have me."

     A Plot To Kill Lazarus

     9A lot of people came when they heard that Jesus was there. They also wanted to see Lazarus, because

     Jesus had raised him from death. 10So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus. 11He was the reason that

     many of the Jewish leaders were turning from them and putting their faith in Jesus.

     Jesus Enters Jerusalem

     (Matthew 21.1-11; Mark 11.1-11; Luke 19.28-40)

     12The next day a large crowd was in Jerusalem for Passover. When they heard that Jesus was coming for the

     festival, 13they took palm branches and went out to greet him. They shouted, "Hooray! God bless the one

     who comes

     in the name of the Lord!

     God bless the King

     of Israel!"

     14Jesus found a donkey and rode on it, just as the Scriptures say,

     15"People of Jerusalem,

     don't be afraid!

     Your King is now coming,

     and he is riding

     on a donkey."

     16At first, Jesus' disciples did not understand. But after he had been given his glory, they remembered all this.

     Everything had happened exactly as the Scriptures said it would. 17-18A crowd had come to meet Jesus

     because they had seen him call Lazarus out of the tomb. They kept talking about him and this miracle. 19But

     the Pharisees said to each other, "There is nothing that can be done! Everyone in the world is following

     Jesus."

     Some Greeks Want To Meet Jesus

     20Some Greeks had gone to Jerusalem to worship during Passover. 21Philip from Bethsaida in Galilee was there

     too. So they went to him and said, "Sir, we would like to meet Jesus." 22Philip told Andrew. Then the two of

     them went to Jesus and told him.

     The Son of Man Must Be Lifted Up

     23Jesus said:

     The time has come for the Son of Man to be given his glory. 24I tell you for certain that a grain of wheat that

     falls on the ground will never be more than one grain unless it dies. But if it dies, it will produce lots of wheat.

     25If you love your life, you will lose it. If you give it up in this world, you will be given eternal life. 26If you

     serve me, you must go with me. My servants will be with me wherever I am. If you serve me, my Father will

     honor you. 27Now I am deeply troubled, and I don't know what to say. But I must not ask my Father to keep

     me from this time of suffering. In fact, I came into the world to suffer. 28So Father, bring glory to yourself.

     A voice from heaven then said, "I have already brought glory to myself, and I will do it again!" 29When the

     crowd heard the voice, some of them thought it was thunder. Others thought an angel had spoken to Jesus.

     30Then Jesus told the crowd, "That voice spoke to help you, not me. 31This world's people are now being

     judged, and the ruler of this world is already being thrown out! 32If I am lifted up above the earth, I will make

     everyone want to come to me." 33Jesus was talking about the way he would be put to death. 34The crowd

     said to Jesus, "The Scriptures teach that the Messiah will live forever. How can you say that the Son of Man

     must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?"

     35Jesus answered, "The light will be with you for only a little longer. Walk in the light while you can. Then you

     won't be caught walking blindly in the dark. 36Have faith in the light while it is with you, and you will be

     children of the light."

     After Jesus had said these things, he left and went into hiding.

     The People Refuse To Have Faith in Jesus

     37He had worked a lot of miracles among the people, but they were still not willing to have faith in him.

     38This happened so that what the prophet Isaiah had said would come true, "Lord, who has believed

     our message?

     And who has seen

     your mighty strength?"

     39The people could not have faith in Jesus, because Isaiah had also said,

     40"The Lord has blinded

     the eyes of the people,

     and he has made

     the people stubborn.

     He did this so that they

     could not see

     or understand,

     and so that they

     would not turn to the Lord

     and be healed."

     41Isaiah said this, because he saw the glory of Jesus and spoke about him. 42Even then, many of the leaders

     put their faith in Jesus, but they did not tell anyone about it. The Pharisees had already given orders for the

     people not to have anything to do with anyone who had faith in Jesus. 43And besides, the leaders liked praise

     from others more than they liked praise from God.

     Jesus Came To Save the World

     44In a loud voice Jesus said:

     Everyone who has faith in me also has faith in the one who sent me. 45And everyone who has seen me has

     seen the one who sent me. 46I am the light that has come into the world. No one who has faith in me will

     stay in the dark.

     47I am not the one who will judge those who refuse to obey my teachings. I came to save the people of this

     world, not to be their judge. 48But everyone who rejects me and my teachings will be judged on the last day

     by what I have said. 49I don't speak on my own. I say only what the Father who sent me has told me to say.

     50I know that his commands will bring eternal life. That is why I tell you exactly what the Father has told me.

chapter 13

     Jesus Washes the Feet of His Disciples

     1It was before Passover, and Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and to return to

     the Father. He had always loved his followers in this world, and he loved them to the very end.

     2Even before the evening meal started, the devil had made Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, decide to betray

     Jesus. 3Jesus knew that he had come from God and would go back to God. He also knew that the Father had

     given him complete power. 4So during the meal Jesus got up, removed his outer garment, and wrapped a

     towel around his waist. 5He put some water into a large bowl. Then he began washing his disciples' feet and

     drying them with the towel he was wearing.

     6But when he came to Simon Peter, that disciple asked, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"

     7Jesus answered, "You don't really know what I am doing, but later you will understand."

     8"You will never wash my feet!" Peter replied.

     "If I don't wash you," Jesus told him, "you don't really belong to me."

     9Peter said, "Lord, don't wash just my feet. Wash my hands and my head."

     10Jesus answered, "People who have bathed and are clean all over need to wash just their feet. And you, my

     disciples, are clean, except for one of you." 11Jesus knew who would betray him. That is why he said,

     "except for one of you."

     12After Jesus had washed his disciples' feet and had put his outer garment back on, he sat down again. Then

     he said: Do you understand what I have done? 13You call me your teacher and Lord, and you should,

     because that is who I am. 14And if your Lord and teacher has washed your feet, you should do the same for

     each other. 15I have set the example, and you should do for each other exactly what I have done for you.

     16I tell you for certain that servants are not greater than their master, and messengers are not greater than

     the one who sent them. 17You know these things, and God will bless you, if you do them.

     18I am not talking about all of you. I know the ones I have chosen. But what the Scriptures say must come

     true. And they say, "The man who ate with me has turned against me!" 19I am telling you this before it all

     happens. Then when it does happen, you will believe who I am. 20I tell you for certain that anyone who

     welcomes my messengers also welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.

     Jesus Tells What Will Happen to Him

     (Matthew 26.20-25; Mark 14.17-21; Luke 22.21-23)

     21After Jesus had said these things, he was deeply troubled and told his disciples, "I tell you for certain that

     one of you will betray me." 22They were confused about what he meant. And they just stared at each other.

     23Jesus' favorite disciple was sitting next to him at the meal, 24and Simon motioned for that disciple to find

     out which one Jesus meant. 25So the disciple leaned toward Jesus and asked, "Lord, which one of us are you

     talking about?"

     26Jesus answered, "I will dip this piece of bread in the sauce and give it to the one I was talking about."

     Then Jesus dipped the bread and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27Right then Satan took control

     of Judas. Jesus said, "Judas, go quickly and do what you have to do." 28No one at the meal understood what

     Jesus meant. 29But because Judas was in charge of the money, some of them thought that Jesus had told

     him to buy something they needed for the festival. Others thought that Jesus had told him to give some

     money to the poor. 30Judas took the piece of bread and went out.

     It was already night.

     The New Command

     31After Judas had gone, Jesus said:

     Now the Son of Man will be given glory, and he will bring glory to God. 32Then, after God is given glory

     because of him, God will bring glory to him, and God will do it very soon.

     33My children, I will be with you for a little while longer. Then you will look for me, but you won't find me. I

     tell you just as I told the people, "You cannot go where I am going." 34But I am giving you a new command.

     You must love each other, just as I have loved you. 35If you love each other, everyone will know that you

     are my disciples.

     Peter's Promise

     (Matthew 26.31-35; Mark 14.27-31; Luke 22.31-34)

     36Simon Peter asked, "Lord, where are you going?"

     Jesus answered, "You can't go with me now, but later on you will."

     37Peter asked, "Lord, why can't I go with you now? I would die for you!"

     38"Would you really die for me?" Jesus asked. "I tell you for certain that before a rooster crows, you will say

     three times that you don't even know me."

chapter 14

     Jesus Is the Way to the Father

     1Jesus said to his disciples, "Don't be worried! Have faith in God and have faith in me. 2There are many rooms

     in my Father's house. I wouldn't tell you this, unless it was true. I am going there to prepare a place for each

     of you. 3After I have done this, I will come back and take you with me. Then we will be together. 4You know

     the way to where I am going." 5Thomas said, "Lord, we don't even know where you are going! How can we

     know the way?"

     6"I am the way, the truth, and the life!" Jesus answered. "Without me, no one can go to the Father. 7If you

     had known me, you would have known the Father. But from now on, you do know him, and you have seen

     him."

     8Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father. That is all we need."

     9Jesus replied:

     Philip, I have been with you for a long time. Don't you know who I am? If you have seen me, you have seen

     the Father. How can you ask me to show you the Father? 10Don't you believe that I am one with the Father

     and that the Father is one with me? What I say isn't said on my own. The Father who lives in me does these

     things.

     11Have faith in me when I say that the Father is one with me and that I am one with the Father. Or else

     have faith in me simply because of the things I do. 12I tell you for certain that if you have faith in me, you

     will do the same things that I am doing. You will do even greater things, now that I am going back to the

     Father. 13Ask me, and I will do whatever you ask. This way the Son will bring honor to the Father. 14I will do

     whatever you ask me to do.

     The Holy Spirit Is Promised

     15Jesus said to his disciples:

     If you love me, you will do as I command. 16Then I will ask the Father to send you the Holy Spirit who will

     help you and always be with you. 17The Spirit will show you what is true. The people of this world cannot

     accept the Spirit, because they don't see or know him. But you know the Spirit, who is with you and will keep

     on living in you. 18I won't leave you like orphans. I will come back to you. 19In a little while the people of this

     world won't be able to see me, but you will see me. And because I live, you will live. 20Then you will know

     that I am one with the Father. You will know that you are one with me, and I am one with you. 21If you love

     me, you will do what I have said, and my Father will love you. I will also love you and show you what I am

     like.

     22The other Judas, not Judas Iscariot, then spoke up and asked, "Lord, what do you mean by saying that you

     will show us what you are like, but you will not show the people of this world?" 23Jesus replied:

     If anyone loves me, they will obey me. Then my Father will love them, and we will come to them and live in

     them. 24But anyone who doesn't love me, won't obey me. What they have heard me say doesn't really come

     from me, but from the Father who sent me.

     25I have told you these things while I am still with you. 26But the Holy Spirit will come and help you, because

     the Father will send the Spirit to take my place. The Spirit will teach you everything and will remind you of

     what I said while I was with you. 27I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give. It isn't like the

     peace that this world can give. So don't be worried or afraid.

     28You have already heard me say that I am going and that I will also come back to you. If you really love me,

     you should be glad that I am going back to the Father, because he is greater than I am.

     29I am telling you this before I leave, so that when it does happen, you will have faith in me. 30I cannot

     speak with you much longer, because the ruler of this world is coming. But he has no power over me. 31I

     obey my Father, so that everyone in the world might know that I love him.

     It is time for us to go now.

chapter 15

     Jesus Is the True Vine

     1Jesus said to his disciples:

     I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts away every branch of mine that doesn't produce

     fruit. But he trims clean every branch that does produce fruit, so that it will produce even more fruit. 3You

     are already clean because of what I have said to you.

     4Stay joined to me, and I will stay joined to you. Just as a branch cannot produce fruit unless it stays joined

     to the vine, you cannot produce fruit unless you stay joined to me. 5I am the vine, and you are the

     branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you

     cannot do anything without me. 6If you don't stay joined to me, you will be thrown away. You will be like dry

     branches that are gathered up and burned in a fire.

     7Stay joined to me and let my teachings become part of you. Then you can pray for whatever you want, and

     your prayer will be answered. 8When you become fruitful disciples of mine, my Father will be honored. 9I have

     loved you, just as my Father has loved me. So remain faithful to my love for you. 10If you obey me, I will

     keep loving you, just as my Father keeps loving me, because I have obeyed him.

     11I have told you this to make you as completely happy as I am. 12Now I tell you to love each other, as I

     have loved you. 13The greatest way to show love for friends is to die for them. 14And you are my friends, if

     you obey me. 15Servants don't know what their master is doing, and so I don't speak to you as my servants.

     I speak to you as my friends, and I have told you everything that my Father has told me.

     16You did not choose me. I chose you and sent you out to produce fruit, the kind of fruit that will last. Then

     my Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name. 17So I command you to love each other.

     The World's Hatred

     18If the people of this world hate you, just remember that they hated me first. 19If you belonged to the

     world, its people would love you. But you don't belong to the world. I have chosen you to leave the world

     behind, and that is why its people hate you. 20Remember how I told you that servants are not greater than

     their master. So if people mistreat me, they will mistreat you. If they do what I say, they will do what you

     say. 21People will do to you exactly what they did to me. They will do it because you belong to me, and they

     don't know the one who sent me. 22If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin.

     But now they have no excuse for their sin.

     23Everyone who hates me also hates my Father. 24I have done things that no one else has ever done. If

     they had not seen me do these things, they would not be guilty. But they did see me do these things, and

     they still hate me and my Father too. 25That is why the Scriptures are true when they say, "People hated me

     for no reason."

     26I will send you the Spirit who comes from the Father and shows what is true. The Spirit will help you and

     will tell you about me. 27Then you will also tell others about me, because you have been with me from the

     beginning.

chapter 16

     1I am telling you this to keep you from being afraid. 2You will be chased out of the Jewish meeting places.

     And the time will come when people will kill you and think they are doing God a favor. 3They will do these

     things because they don't know either the Father or me. 4I am saying this to you now, so that when the time

     comes, you will remember what I have said.

     I was with you at the first, and so I didn't tell you these things.

     The Work of the Holy Spirit

     5But now I am going back to the Father who sent me, and none of you asks me where I am going. 6You are

     very sad from hearing all of this. 7But I tell you that I am going to do what is best for you. That is why I am

     going away. The Holy Spirit cannot come to help you until I leave. But after I am gone, I will send the Spirit

     to you.

     8The Spirit will come and show the people of this world the truth about sin and God's justice and the

     judgment. 9The Spirit will show them that they are wrong about sin, because they didn't have faith in me.

     10They are wrong about God's justice, because I am going to the Father, and you won't see me again. 11And

     they are wrong about the judgment, because God has already judged the ruler of this world.

     12I have much more to say to you, but right now it would be more than you could understand. 13The Spirit

     shows what is true and will come and guide you into the full truth. The Spirit doesn't speak on his own. He will

     tell you only what he has heard from me, and he will let you know what is going to happen. 14The Spirit will

     bring glory to me by taking my message and telling it to you. 15Everything that the Father has is mine. That

     is why I have said that the Spirit takes my message and tells it to you.

     Sorrow Will Turn into Joy

     16Jesus told his disciples, "For a little while you won't see me, but after a while you will see me. "

     17They said to each other, "What does Jesus mean by saying that for a little while we won't see him, but

     after a while we will see him? What does he mean by saying that he is going to the Father? 18What is this

     `little while' that he is talking about? We don't know what he means."

     19Jesus knew that they had some questions, so he said:

     You are wondering what I meant when I said that for a little while you won't see me, but after a while you will

     see me. 20I tell you for certain that you will cry and be sad, but the world will be happy. You will be sad, but

     later you will be happy.

     21When a woman is about to give birth, she is in great pain. But after it is all over, she forgets the pain and

     is happy, because she has brought a child into the world. 22You are now very sad. But later I will see you,

     and you will be so happy that no one will be able to change the way you feel. 23When that time comes, you

     won't have to ask me about anything. I tell you for certain that the Father will give you whatever you ask for

     in my name. 24You have not asked for anything in this way before, but now you must ask in my name. Then

     it will be given to you, so that you will be completely happy. 25I have used examples to explain to you what I

     have been talking about. But the time will come when I will speak to you plainly about the Father and will no

     longer use examples like these. 26You will ask the Father in my name, and I won't have to ask him for you.

     27God the Father loves you because you love me, and you believe that I have come from him. 28I came from

     the Father into the world, but I am leaving the world and returning to the Father. 29The disciples said, "Now

     you are speaking plainly to us! You are not using examples. 30At last we know that you understand

     everything, and we don't have any more questions. Now we believe that you truly have come from God."

     31Jesus replied:

     Do you really believe me? 32The time will come and is already here when all of you will be scattered. Each of

     you will go back home and leave me by myself. But the Father will be with me, and I won't be alone. 33I have

     told you this, so that you might have peace in your hearts because of me. While you are in the world, you will

     have to suffer. But cheer up! I have defeated the world.

chapter 17

     Jesus Prays

     1After Jesus had finished speaking to his disciples, he looked up toward heaven and prayed:

     Father, the time has come for you to bring glory to your Son, in order that he may bring glory to you. 2And

     you gave him power over all people, so that he would give eternal life to everyone you give him. 3Eternal life

     is to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, the one you sent. 4I have brought glory to you

     here on earth by doing everything you gave me to do. 5Now, Father, give me back the glory that I had with

     you before the world was created.

     6You have given me some followers from this world, and I have shown them what you are like. They were

     yours, but you gave them to me, and they have obeyed you. 7They know that you gave me everything I

     have. 8I told my followers what you told me, and they accepted it. They know that I came from you, and

     they believe that you are the one who sent me. 9I am praying for them, but not for those who belong to this

     world. My followers belong to you, and I am praying for them. 10All that I have is yours, and all that you have

     is mine, and they will bring glory to me. 11Holy Father, I am no longer in the world. I am coming to you, but

     my followers are still in the world. So keep them safe by the power of the name that you have given me.

     Then they will be one with each other, just as you and I are one. 12While I was with them, I kept them safe

     by the power you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost, except the one who had to

     be lost. This happened so that what the Scriptures say would come true.

     13I am on my way to you. But I say these things while I am still in the world, so that my followers will have

     the same complete joy that I do. 14I have told them your message. But the people of this world hate them,

     because they don't belong to this world, just as I don't.

     15Father, I don't ask you to take my followers out of the world, but keep them safe from the evil one. 16They

     don't belong to this world, and neither do I. 17Your word is the truth. So let this truth make them completely

     yours. 18I am sending them into the world, just as you sent me. 19I have given myself completely for their

     sake, so that they may belong completely to the truth.

     20I am not praying just for these followers. I am also praying for everyone else who will have faith because of

     what my followers will say about me. 21I want all of them to be one with each other, just as I am one with

     you and you are one with me. I also want them to be one with us. Then the people of this world will believe

     that you sent me.

     22I have honored my followers in the same way that you honored me, in order that they may be one with

     each other, just as we are one. 23I am one with them, and you are one with me, so that they may become

     completely one. Then this world's people will know that you sent me. They will know that you love my

     followers as much as you love me.

     24Father, I want everyone you have given me to be with me, wherever I am. Then they will see the glory

     that you have given me, because you loved me before the world was created. 25Good Father, the people of

     this world don't know you. But I know you, and my followers know that you sent me. 26I told them what you

     are like, and I will tell them even more. Then the love that you have for me will become part of them, and I

     will be one with them.

chapter 18

     Jesus Is Betrayed and Arrested

     (Matthew 26.47-56; Mark 14.43-50; Luke 22.47-53)

     1When Jesus had finished praying, he and his disciples crossed the Kidron Valley and went into a garden.

     2Jesus had often met there with his disciples, and Judas knew where the place was. 3-5Judas had promised

     to betray Jesus. So he went to the garden with some Roman soldiers and temple police, who had been sent

     by the chief priests and the Pharisees. They carried torches, lanterns, and weapons. Jesus already knew

     everything that was going to happen, but he asked, "Who are you looking for?"

     They answered, "We are looking for Jesus from Nazareth!"

     Jesus told them, "I am Jesus!" 6At once they all backed away and fell to the ground. 7Jesus again asked,

     "Who are you looking for?"

     "We are looking for Jesus from Nazareth," they answered.

     8This time Jesus replied, "I have already told you that I am Jesus. If I am the one you are looking for, let

     these others go. 9Then everything will happen, just as I said, `I did not lose anyone you gave me.' "

     10Simon Peter had brought along a sword. He now pulled it out and struck at the servant of the high priest.

     The servant's name was Malchus, and Peter cut off his right ear. 11Jesus told Peter, "Put your sword away. I

     must drink from the cup that the Father has given me."

     Jesus Is Brought to Annas

     (Matthew 26.57,58; Mark 14.53,54; Luke 22.54)

     12The Roman officer and his men, together with the temple police, arrested Jesus and tied him up. 13They

     took him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14This was the

     same Caiaphas who had told the Jewish leaders, "It is better if one person dies for the people."

     Peter Says He Doesn't Know Jesus

     (Matthew 26.69,70; Mark 14.66-68; Luke 22.55-57)

     15Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. That disciple knew the high priest, and he followed Jesus

     into the courtyard of the high priest's house. 16Peter stayed outside near the gate. But the other disciple

     came back out and spoke to the girl at the gate. She let Peter go in, 17but asked him, "Aren't you one of

     that man's followers?"

     "No, I am not!" Peter answered.

     18It was cold, and the servants and temple police had made a charcoal fire. They were warming themselves

     around it, when Peter went over and stood near the fire to warm himself.

     Jesus Is Questioned by the High Priest

     (Matthew 26.59-66; Mark 14.55-64; Luke 22.66-71)

     19The high priest questioned Jesus about his followers and his teaching. 20But Jesus told him, "I have spoken

     freely in front of everyone. And I have always taught in our meeting places and in the temple, where all of our

     people come together. I have not said anything in secret. 21Why are you questioning me? Why don't you ask

     the people who heard me? They know what I have said."

     22As soon as Jesus said this, one of the temple police hit him and said, "That's no way to talk to the high

     priest!"

     23Jesus answered, "If I have done something wrong, say so. But if not, why did you hit me?" 24Jesus was still

     tied up, and Annas sent him to Caiaphas the high priest.

     Peter Again Denies that He Knows Jesus

     (Matthew 26.71-75; Mark 14.69-72; Luke 22.58-62)

     25While Simon Peter was standing there warming himself, someone asked him, "Aren't you one of Jesus'

     followers?"

     Again Peter denied it and said, "No, I am not!"

     26One of the high priest's servants was there. He was a relative of the servant whose ear Peter had cut off,

     and he asked, "Didn't I see you in the garden with that man?"

     27Once more Peter denied it, and right then a rooster crowed.

     Jesus Is Tried by Pilate

     (Matthew 27.1,2,11-14; Mark 15.1-5; Luke 23.1-5)

     28It was early in the morning when Jesus was taken from Caiaphas to the building where the Roman governor

     stayed. But the crowd waited outside. Any of them who had gone inside would have become unclean and

     would not be allowed to eat the Passover meal. 29Pilate came out and asked, "What charges are you bringing

     against this man?"

     30They answered, "He is a criminal! That's why we brought him to you."

     31Pilate told them, "Take him and judge him by your own laws."

     The crowd replied, "We are not allowed to put anyone to death." 32And so what Jesus said about his death

     would soon come true. 33Pilate then went back inside. He called Jesus over and asked, "Are you the king of

     the Jews?"

     34Jesus answered, "Are you asking this on your own or did someone tell you about me?"

     35"You know I'm not a Jew!" Pilate said. "Your own people and the chief priests brought you to me. What

     have you done?"

     36Jesus answered, "My kingdom doesn't belong to this world. If it did, my followers would have fought to keep

     me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. No, my kingdom doesn't belong to this world."

     37"So you are a king," Pilate replied.

     "You are saying that I am a king," Jesus told him. "I was born into this world to tell about the truth. And

     everyone who belongs to the truth knows my voice."

     38Pilate asked Jesus, "What is truth?"

     Pilate went back out and said, "I don't find this man guilty of anything!

     Jesus Is Sentenced to Death

     (Matthew 27.15-31; Mark 15.6-20; Luke 23.13-25)

     39And since I usually set a prisoner free for you at Passover, would you like for me to set free the king of the

     Jews?"

     40They shouted, "No, not him! We want Barabbas." Now Barabbas was a terrorist.

chapter 19

     1Pilate gave orders for Jesus to be beaten with a whip. 2The soldiers made a crown out of thorn branches

     and put it on Jesus. Then they put a purple robe on him. 3They came up to him and said, "Hey, you king of

     the Jews!" They also hit him with their fists.

     4Once again Pilate went out. This time he said, "I will have Jesus brought out to you again. Then you can see

     for yourselves that I have not found him guilty."

     5Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said, "Here is the man!" 6When the

     chief priests and the temple police saw him, they yelled, "Nail him to a cross! Nail him to a cross!"

     Pilate told them, "You take him and nail him to a cross! I don't find him guilty of anything."

     7The crowd replied, "He claimed to be the Son of God! Our Jewish Law says that he must be put to death."

     8When Pilate heard this, he was terrified. 9He went back inside and asked Jesus, "Where are you from?" But

     Jesus did not answer.

     10"Why won't you answer my question?" Pilate asked. "Don't you know that I have the power to let you go

     free or to nail you to a cross?"

     11Jesus replied, "If God had not given you the power, you couldn't do anything at all to me. But the one who

     handed me over to you did something even worse."

     12Then Pilate wanted to set Jesus free. But the crowd again yelled, "If you set this man free, you are no

     friend of the Emperor! Anyone who claims to be a king is an enemy of the Emperor."

     13When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out. Then he sat down on the judge's bench at the place known

     as "The Stone Pavement." In Aramaic this pavement is called "Gabbatha." 14It was about noon on the day

     before Passover, and Pilate said to the crowd, "Look at your king!"

     15"Kill him! Kill him!" they yelled. "Nail him to a cross!"

     "So you want me to nail your king to a cross?" Pilate asked.

     The chief priests replied, "The Emperor is our king!" 16Then Pilate handed Jesus over to be nailed to a cross.

     Jesus was taken away,

     Jesus Is Nailed to a Cross

     (Matthew 27.32-44; Mark 15.21-32; Luke 23.26-43)

     17and he carried his cross to a place known as "The Skull." In Aramaic this place is called "Golgotha." 18There

     Jesus was nailed to the cross, and on each side of him a man was also nailed to a cross. 19Pilate ordered the

     charge against Jesus to be written on a board and put above the cross. It read, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of

     the Jews." 20The words were written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.

     The place where Jesus was taken wasn't far from the city, and many of the Jewish people read the charge

     against him. 21So the chief priests went to Pilate and said, "Why did you write that he is King of the Jews?

     You should have written, `He claimed to be King of the Jews.' "

     22But Pilate told them, "What is written will not be changed!"

     23After the soldiers had nailed Jesus to the cross, they divided up his clothes into four parts, one for each of

     them. But his outer garment was made from a single piece of cloth, and it did not have any seams. 24The

     soldiers said to each other, "Let's not rip it apart. We will gamble to see who gets it." This happened so that

     the Scriptures would come true, which say,

     "They divided up my clothes

     and gambled

     for my garments."

     The soldiers then did what they had decided.

     25Jesus' mother stood beside his cross with her sister and Mary the wife of Clopas. Mary Magdalene was

     standing there too. 26When Jesus saw his mother and his favorite disciple with her, he said to his mother,

     "This man is now your son." 27Then he said to the disciple, "She is now your mother." From then on, that

     disciple took her into his own home.

     The Death of Jesus

     (Matthew 27.45-56; Mark 15.33-41; Luke 23.44-49)

     28Jesus knew that he had now finished his work. And in order to make the Scriptures come true, he said, "I

     am thirsty!" 29A jar of cheap wine was there. Someone then soaked a sponge with the wine and held it up to

     Jesus' mouth on the stem of a hyssop plant. 30After Jesus drank the wine, he said, "Everything is done!" He

     bowed his head and died.

     A Spear Is Stuck in Jesus' Side

     31The next day would be both a Sabbath and the Passover. It was a special day for the Jewish people, and

     they did not want the bodies to stay on the crosses during that day. So they asked Pilate to break the men's

     legs and take their bodies down. 32The soldiers first broke the legs of the other two men who were nailed

     there. 33But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, and they did not break his legs.

     34One of the soldiers stuck his spear into Jesus' side, and blood and water came out. 35We know this is true,

     because it was told by someone who saw it happen. Now you can have faith too. 36All this happened so that

     the Scriptures would come true, which say, "No bone of his body will be broken" 37and, "They will see the one

     in whose side they stuck a spear."

     Jesus Is Buried

     (Matthew 27.57-61; Mark 15.42-47; Luke 23.50-56)

     38Joseph from Arimathea was one of Jesus' disciples. He had kept it secret though, because he was afraid of

     the Jewish leaders. But now he asked Pilate to let him have Jesus' body. Pilate gave him permission, and

     Joseph took it down from the cross.

     39Nicodemus also came with about seventy-five pounds of spices made from myrrh and aloes. This was the

     same Nicodemus who had visited Jesus one night. 40The two men wrapped the body in a linen cloth, together

     with the spices, which was how the Jewish people buried their dead. 41In the place where Jesus had been

     nailed to a cross, there was a garden with a tomb that had never been used. 42The tomb was nearby, and

     since it was the time to prepare for the Sabbath, they were in a hurry to put Jesus' body there.

chapter 20

     Jesus Is Alive

     (Matthew 28.1-10; Mark 16.1-8; Luke 24.1-12)

     1On Sunday morning while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had

     been rolled away from the entrance. 2She ran to Simon Peter and to Jesus' favorite disciple and said, "They

     have taken the Lord from the tomb! We don't know where they have put him."

     3Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4They ran side by side, until the other disciple ran faster

     than Peter and got there first. 5He bent over and saw the strips of linen cloth lying inside the tomb, but he

     did not go in.

     6When Simon Peter got there, he went into the tomb and saw the strips of cloth. 7He also saw the piece of

     cloth that had been used to cover Jesus' face. It was rolled up and in a place by itself. 8The disciple who got

     there first then went into the tomb, and when he saw it, he believed. 9At that time Peter and the other

     disciple did not know that the Scriptures said Jesus would rise to life. 10So the two of them went back to the

     other disciples.

     Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

     (Mark 16.9-11)

     11Mary Magdalene stood crying outside the tomb. She was still weeping, when she stooped down 12and saw

     two angels inside. They were dressed in white and were sitting where Jesus' body had been. One was at the

     head and the other was at the foot. 13The angels asked Mary, "Why are you crying?"

     She answered, "They have taken away my Lord's body! I don't know where they have put him."

     14As soon as Mary said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there. But she did not know who he

     was. 15Jesus asked her, "Why are you crying? Who are you looking for?"

     She thought he was the gardener and said, "Sir, if you have taken his body away, please tell me, so I can go

     and get him."

     16Then Jesus said to her, "Mary!"

     She turned and said to him, "Rabboni." The Aramaic word "Rabboni" means "Teacher."

     17Jesus told her, "Don't hold on to me! I have not yet gone to the Father. But tell my disciples that I am

     going to the one who is my Father and my God, as well as your Father and your God." 18Mary Magdalene then

     went and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord. She also told them what he had said to her.

     Jesus Appears to His Disciples

     (Matthew 28.16-20; Mark 16.14-18; Luke 24.36-49)

     19The disciples were afraid of the Jewish leaders, and on the evening of that same Sunday they locked

     themselves in a room. Suddenly, Jesus appeared in the middle of the group. He greeted them 20and showed

     them his hands and his side. When the disciples saw the Lord, they became very happy.

     21After Jesus had greeted them again, he said, "I am sending you, just as the Father has sent me." 22Then

     he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive anyone's sins, they will be forgiven.

     But if you don't forgive their sins, they will not be forgiven."

     Jesus and Thomas

     24Although Thomas the Twin was one of the twelve disciples, he wasn't with the others when Jesus appeared

     to them. 25So they told him, "We have seen the Lord!"

     But Thomas said, "First, I must see the nail scars in his hands and touch them with my finger. I must put my

     hand where the spear went into his side. I won't believe unless I do this!"

     26A week later the disciples were together again. This time, Thomas was with them. Jesus came in while the

     doors were still locked and stood in the middle of the group. He greeted his disciples 27and said to Thomas,

     "Put your finger here and look at my hands! Put your hand into my side. Stop doubting and have faith!"

     28Thomas replied, "You are my Lord and my God!"

     29Jesus said, "Thomas, do you have faith because you have seen me? The people who have faith in me

     without seeing me are the ones who are really blessed!"

     Why John Wrote His Book

     30Jesus worked many other miracles for his disciples, and not all of them are written in this book. 31But these

     are written so that you will put your faith in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God. If you have faith in

     him, you will have true life.

chapter 21

     Jesus Appears to Seven Disciples

     1Jesus later appeared to his disciples along the shore of Lake Tiberias. 2Simon Peter, Thomas the Twin,

     Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, and the brothers James and John, were there, together with two other

     disciples. 3Simon Peter said, "I'm going fishing!" The others said, "We will go with you." They went out in their

     boat. But they didn't catch a thing that night.

     4Early the next morning Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize who he was. 5Jesus

     shouted, "Friends, have you caught anything?"

     "No!" they answered.

     6So he told them, "Let your net down on the right side of your boat, and you will catch some fish."

     They did, and the net was so full of fish that they could not drag it up into the boat.

     7Jesus' favorite disciple told Peter, "It's the Lord!" When Simon heard that it was the Lord, he put on the

     clothes that he had taken off while he was working. Then he jumped into the water. 8The boat was only

     about a hundred yards from shore. So the other disciples stayed in the boat and dragged in the net full of

     fish.

     9When the disciples got out of the boat, they saw some bread and a charcoal fire with fish on it. 10Jesus told

     his disciples, "Bring some of the fish you just caught." 11Simon Peter got back into the boat and dragged the

     net to shore. In it were one hundred fifty-three large fish, but still the net did not rip.

     12Jesus said, "Come and eat!" But none of the disciples dared ask who he was. They knew he was the Lord.

     13Jesus took the bread in his hands and gave some of it to his disciples. He did the same with the fish. 14This

     was the third time that Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from death.

     Jesus and Peter

     15When Jesus and his disciples had finished eating, he asked, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than

     the others do?" Simon Peter answered, "Yes, Lord, you know I do!"

     "Then feed my lambs," Jesus said.

     16Jesus asked a second time, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"

     Peter answered, "Yes, Lord, you know I love you!"

     "Then take care of my sheep," Jesus told him.

     17Jesus asked a third time, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"

     Peter was hurt because Jesus had asked him three times if he loved him. So he told Jesus, "Lord, you know

     everything. You know I love you."

     Jesus replied, "Feed my sheep. 18I tell you for certain that when you were a young man, you dressed yourself

     and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will hold out your hands. Then others will

     wrap your belt around you and lead you where you don't want to go."

     19Jesus said this to tell how Peter would die and bring honor to God. Then he said to Peter, "Follow me!"

     Jesus and His Favorite Disciple

     20Peter turned and saw Jesus' favorite disciple following them. He was the same one who had sat next to

     Jesus at the meal and had asked, "Lord, who is going to betray you?" 21When Peter saw that disciple, he

     asked Jesus, "Lord, what about him?"

     22Jesus answered, "What is it to you, if I want him to live until I return? You must follow me." 23So the rumor

     spread among the other disciples that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say he would not die. He

     simply said, "What is it to you, if I want him to live until I return?"

     24This disciple is the one who told all of this. He wrote it, and we know he is telling the truth.

     25Jesus did many other things. If they were all written in books, I don't suppose there would be room enough

     in the whole world for all the books.