John 8:12-59

I Am the Light of the World

12 ^aAgain Jesus spoke to them, saying, ^b“I am the light of the world. Whoever ^cfollows me will not ^dwalk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 13So the Pharisees said to him, ^e“You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” 14Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, ^fmy testimony is true, for I know ^gwhere I came from and ^hwhere I am going, but ⁱyou do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15 ^jYou judge according to the flesh; ^kI judge no one. 16Yet even if I do judge, ^lmy judgment is true, for ^mit is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father ▼

▼Some manuscripts he

who sent me. 17 ^oIn your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. 18I am the one who bears witness about myself, and ^pthe Father who sent me bears witness about me.” 19They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, ^q“You know neither me nor my Father. ^rIf you knew me, you would know my Father also.” 20These words he spoke in ^sthe treasury, as he taught in the temple; but ^tno one arrested him, because ^uhis hour had not yet come.

21So he said to them again, ^v“I am going away, and ^wyou will seek me, and ^xyou will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” 22So the Jews said, ^y“Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” 23He said to them, ^z“You are from below; I am from above. ^aaYou are of this world; ^abI am not of this world. 24I told you that you ^acwould die in your sins, for ^adunless you believe that ^aeI am he you will die in your sins.” 25So they said to him, ^af“Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. 26I have much to say about you and much to judge, but ^aghe who sent me is true, and I declare ^ahto the world ^aiwhat I have heard from him.” 27They did not understand that ^ajhe had been speaking to them about the Father. 28So Jesus said to them, “When you have ^aklifted up the Son of Man, ^althen you will know that ^amI am he, and that ^anI do nothing on my own authority, but ^aospeak just as the Father taught me. 29And ^aphe who sent me is with me. ^aqHe has not left me alone, for ^arI always do the things that are pleasing to him.” 30As he was saying these things, ^asmany believed in him.

The Truth Will Set You Free

31So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ^at“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32and you will ^auknow the truth, and the truth ^avwill set you free.” 33They answered him, ^aw“We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

34Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, ^axeveryone who practices sin is a slave ▼

▼Greek bondservant; also verse 35

to sin. 35 ^azThe slave does not remain in the house forever; ^bathe son remains forever. 36So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet ^bbyou seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. 38 ^bcI speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard ^bdfrom your father.”

You Are of Your Father the Devil

39They answered him, ^be“Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, ^bf“If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40but now ^bgyou seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth ^bhthat I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, ^bi“We were not born of sexual immorality. We have ^bjone Father—even God.” 42Jesus said to them, ^bk“If God were your Father, you would love me, for ^blI came from God and ^bmI am here. ^bnI came not of my own accord, but ^bohe sent me. 43 ^bpWhy do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot ^bqbear to hear my word. 44 ^brYou are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. ^bsHe was a murderer from the beginning, and ^btdoes not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. ^buWhen he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 ^bvWhoever is of God hears the words of God. ^bwThe reason why you do not hear them is that ^bxyou are not of God.”

Before Abraham Was, I Am

48The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and ^byhave a demon?” 49Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but ^bzI honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50Yet ^caI do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51Truly, truly, ^cbI say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never ^ccsee death.” 52The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! ^cdAbraham died, as did the prophets, yet ^ceyou say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never ^cftaste death.’ 53 ^cgAre you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” 54Jesus answered, ^ch“If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. ^ciIt is my Father who glorifies me, ^cjof whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ ▼

▼Some manuscripts your God

55But ^clyou have not known him. ^cmI know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be ^cna liar ^colike you, but I do know him and I keep his word. 56 ^cpYour father Abraham ^cqrejoiced ^crthat he would see my day. ^csHe saw it and was glad.” 57So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” ▼

▼Some manuscripts has Abraham seen you?

58Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, ^cuI am.” 59So ^cvthey picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.