John 20
New King James Version
The Empty Tomb(A)
20 Now the (B)first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the (C)stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the (D)other disciple, (E)whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”
3 (F)Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. 4 So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. 5 And he, stooping down and looking in, saw (G)the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and (H)the [a]handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. 8 Then the (I)other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. 9 For as yet they did not [b]know the (J)Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.
Mary Magdalene Sees the Risen Lord
11 (K)But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”
14 (L)Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and (M)did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”
She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”
16 Jesus said to her, (N)“Mary!”
She turned and said to [c]Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher).
17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet (O)ascended to My Father; but go to (P)My brethren and say to them, (Q)‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to (R)My God and your God.’ ”
18 (S)Mary Magdalene came and told the [d]disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.
The Apostles Commissioned(T)
19 (U)Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were [e]assembled, for (V)fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, (W)“Peace be with you.” 20 When He had said this, He (X)showed them His hands and His side. (Y)Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! (Z)As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 (AA)If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
Seeing and Believing
24 Now Thomas, (AB)called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and (AC)reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be (AD)unbelieving, but believing.”
28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Jesus said to him, [f]“Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. (AE)Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
That You May Believe
30 And (AF)truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 (AG)but these are written that (AH)you may believe that Jesus (AI)is the Christ, the Son of God, (AJ)and that believing you may have life in His name.
Footnotes
- John 20:7 face cloth
- John 20:9 understand
- John 20:16 NU adds in Hebrew
- John 20:18 NU disciples, “I have seen the Lord,”
- John 20:19 NU omits assembled
- John 20:29 NU, M omit Thomas
John 20
Amplified Bible
The Empty Tomb
20 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw the stone [already] removed from the [groove across the entrance of the] tomb.(A) 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the [a]other disciple (John), whom Jesus loved (esteemed), and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and [b]we do not know where they have laid Him!” 3 So Peter and the other disciple left, and they were going to the tomb.(B) 4 And the two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and arrived at the tomb first. 5 Stooping down and looking in, he saw the linen [c]wrappings [neatly] lying there; but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came up, following him, and went into the tomb and saw the linen wrappings [neatly] lying there; 7 and the [burial] [d]face-cloth which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the [other] linen wrappings, but [e]rolled up in a place by itself. 8 So the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, went in too; and he saw [the wrappings and the face-cloth] and [f]believed [without any doubt that Jesus had risen from the dead]. 9 For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise from the dead.(C) 10 Then the disciples went back again to their own homes.
11 But Mary [who had returned] was standing outside the tomb sobbing; and so, as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 And they said to her, “Woman, why are you crying?” She told them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” 14 After saying this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you crying? For whom are you looking?” Supposing that He was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you are the one who has carried Him away from here, tell me where you have put Him, and I will take Him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in [g]Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “[h]Do not hold Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene came, reporting to the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that He had said these things to her.
Jesus among His Disciples
19 So when it was evening on that same day, the first day of the week, though the disciples were [meeting] behind barred doors for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them, and said, “[i]Peace to you.” 20 After He said this, He showed them His hands and His side. When the disciples saw the Lord, they were filled with great joy. 21 Then Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you [as My representatives].” 22 And when He said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.(D) 23 If you forgive the sins of anyone they are forgiven [because of their faith]; if you retain the sins of anyone, they are retained [and remain unforgiven because of their unbelief].”
24 But Thomas, one of the twelve [disciples], who was called Didymus (the twin), was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples kept telling him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the marks of the nails, and put my finger into the nail prints, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe.”
26 Eight days later His disciples were again inside the house, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, though the doors had been barred, and stood among them and said, “Peace to you.” 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and put out your hand and place it in My side. Do not be unbelieving, but [stop doubting and] believe.”(E) 28 Thomas answered Him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, do you now believe? Blessed [happy, spiritually secure, and favored by God] are they who did not see [Me] and yet believed [in Me].”
Purpose of Writing this Gospel
30 There are also many other signs (attesting miracles) that Jesus performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written so that you may believe [with a deep, abiding trust] that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the Son of God; and that by believing [and trusting in and relying on Him] you may have life in His name.(F)
Footnotes
- John 20:2 See note 19:26.
- John 20:2 This indicates others were also present.
- John 20:5 Removing the burial wrappings and spices from a dead, decaying body would have been not only extremely difficult (if not impossible), but overwhelmingly nauseating. If a tomb robber had even attempted such a thing, the tomb would have been left in shambles. It would make no sense for a tomb robber to remove a dead body from the wrappings before stealing it.
- John 20:7 The word used here, soudarion, is taken from Latin (sudarium), where it refers to a linen handkerchief (cf Acts 19:12) or large linen napkin. This suggests something of the dimensions of the cloth, which was probably a new, unused piece of material.
- John 20:7 Jesus either caused the tight linen wrappings to fall from His body miraculously or His resurrected body miraculously passed through the linen wrappings, leaving them just as they were where He was lying (except for the face-cloth), unlike Lazarus who emerged from the tomb and had to be released from the wrappings. In either case, the grave wrappings would collapse on themselves on the flat surface of the slab where His body had been placed. The text also indicates that Jesus may have removed the face-cloth Himself once His hands were free, and neatly placed it apart from the other wrappings.
- John 20:8 John, the “other disciple,” knew immediately that no one could have fabricated the sight before him: (1) no one could have surreptitiously removed the stone covering the entrance (cf Matt 28:2), even if the guards assigned to the tomb had fallen asleep, as they were later paid to say by the chief priests (Matt 28:13); (2) removing the grave clothes from a dead body in a dark tomb in the middle of the night made no sense (cf note v 5); (3) stealing Jesus’ body would have accomplished nothing. The disciples’ reaction of disbelief when told of His resurrection implies they were neither expecting nor prepared for this miraculous event (cf Matt 28:16, 17; Mark 16:8-14; Luke 24:6-11). The actual resurrection of a living, flesh-and-bone Jesus gave the disciples the courage to begin proclaiming anew the message of salvation, and provided the strength for them to face both great personal suffering and martyrdom for their faith.
- John 20:16 I.e. Jewish Aramaic.
- John 20:17 In her joy Mary had probably reverently embraced Jesus at the knees or ankles.
- John 20:19 A normal Hebrew greeting.
John 20
Authorized (King James) Version
20 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. 2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. 3 Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. 4 So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. 5 And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. 6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, 7 and the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. 8 Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. 9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.
10 Then the disciples went away again unto their own home. 11 But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, 12 and seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.
14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. 16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. 17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. 18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.
19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. 21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23 whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31 but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
John 20
1599 Geneva Bible
20 1 Mary bringeth word that Christ is risen: 3 Peter and John 4 run to see it. 15 Jesus appeareth to Mary, 19 and to the disciples that were together in the house, 25 Thomas, before faithless, 29 now believeth.
1 Now (A)[a]the first day of the week came Mary Magdalene, early when it was yet dark, unto the sepulcher, and saw the stone taken away from the tomb.
2 Then she ran, and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulcher, and we know not where they have laid him.
3 Peter therefore went forth, and the other disciple, and they came unto the sepulcher.
4 So they ran both together, but the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulcher.
5 And he stooped down, and saw the linen clothes lying: yet went he not in.
6 Then came Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulcher, and saw the linen clothes lie,
7 And the kerchief that was upon his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.
8 Then went in also the other disciple, which came first to the sepulcher, and he saw it, and believed.
9 For as yet they knew not the Scripture, That he must rise again from the dead.
10 And the disciples went away again unto their own home.
11 ¶ (B)But Mary stood [b]without at the sepulcher weeping: and as she wept, she bowed herself into the sepulcher,
12 [c]And saw two Angels in [d]white, sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
13 And they said unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She said unto them, They have taken away [e]my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.
14 [f]When she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.
15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She supposing that he had been the gardener, said unto him, Sir, if thou hast borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and said unto him, Rabboni, which is to say, Master.
17 [g]Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not: for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my [h]brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto [i]my Father, and to your Father, and to my God, and your God.
18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.
19 ¶ (C)[j]The same day then at night, which was the first day of the week, and when the [k]doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and said to them, Peace be unto you.
20 And when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands, and his side. Then were the disciples glad when they had seen the Lord.
21 (D)Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father sent me, so send I you.
22 And when he had said that, he breathed on them, and said unto them, Receive the holy Ghost.
23 [l]Whosoever’s sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them: and whosoever’s sins ye retain, they are retained.
24 ¶ [m]But Thomas one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord: but he said unto them, Except I see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put mine hand into his side, I will not believe it.
26 ¶ And eight days after, again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Then came Jesus, when the doors were shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
27 After said he to Thomas, Put thy finger here, and see mine hands, and put forth thine hand, and put it into my side, and be not faithless, but faithful.
28 Then Thomas answered, and said unto him, Thou art my Lord, and my God.
29 [n]Jesus said unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou believest: blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed.
30 (E)[o]And many other signs also did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book.
31 But these things are written that ye might believe, that Jesus is that Christ that Son of God, and that in believing ye might have life through his Name.
Footnotes
- John 20:1 Mary Magdalene, Peter and John are the first witnesses of the resurrection: and such as cannot justly be suspected, for that they themselves could scarcely be persuaded of it, so far is it off, that they should invent it of set purpose.
- John 20:11 That is, without the cave, which the sepulchre was cut out of.
- John 20:12 Two Angels are made witnesses of the Lord’s resurrection.
- John 20:12 In white clothing.
- John 20:13 Many speak as the common people use to speak: for they speak of a dead carcass, as they do of a whole man.
- John 20:14 Jesus witnesseth by his presence, that he is truly risen.
- John 20:17 Christ which is risen, is not to be sought in this world according to the flesh, but in heaven by faith, whither he is gone before us.
- John 20:17 By his brethren he meaneth his disciples: for in the next verse following, it is said, that Mary told his disciples.
- John 20:17 He calleth God his Father because he is his Father naturally in the Godhead, and he saith your Father, because he is our Father by grace, through the adoption of the sons of God: that is, by taking us of his free grace to be his sons, Epiphanius.
- John 20:19 Christ in that that he presented himself before his disciples suddenly through his divine power, when the gates were shut, doth fully assure them both of his resurrection, and also of their Apostleship, inspiring them with the holy Ghost, who is the director of the ministry of the Gospel.
- John 20:19 Either the doors opened to him of their own accord, or the very walls themselves were a passage for him.
- John 20:23 The publishing of the forgiveness of sins by faith in Christ, and the setting forth and denouncing the wrath of God in retaining the sins of the unbelievers, is the sum of the preaching of the Gospel.
- John 20:24 Christ draweth out of the unbelief of Thomas, a certain and sure testimony of his resurrection.
- John 20:29 True faith dependeth upon the mouth of God, and not upon fleshly eyes.
- John 20:30 To believe in Christ, the Son of God, and our only Savior, is the end of the doctrine of the Gospel, and especially of the history of the resurrection.
John 20
Young's Literal Translation
20 And on the first of the sabbaths, Mary the Magdalene doth come early (there being yet darkness) to the tomb, and she seeth the stone having been taken away out of the tomb,
2 she runneth, therefore, and cometh unto Simon Peter, and unto the other disciple whom Jesus was loving, and saith to them, `They took away the Lord out of the tomb, and we have not known where they laid him.'
3 Peter, therefore, went forth, and the other disciple, and they were coming to the tomb,
4 and the two were running together, and the other disciple did run forward more quickly than Peter, and came first to the tomb,
5 and having stooped down, seeth the linen clothes lying, yet, indeed, he entered not.
6 Simon Peter, therefore, cometh, following him, and he entered into the tomb, and beholdeth the linen clothes lying,
7 and the napkin that was upon his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but apart, having been folded up, in one place;
8 then, therefore, entered also the other disciple who came first unto the tomb, and he saw, and did believe;
9 for not yet did they know the Writing, that it behoveth him out of the dead to rise again.
10 The disciples therefore went away again unto their own friends,
11 and Mary was standing near the tomb, weeping without; as she was weeping, then, she stooped down to the tomb, and beholdeth two messengers in white, sitting,
12 one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been laid.
13 And they say to her, `Woman, why dost thou weep?' she saith to them, `Because they took away my Lord, and I have not known where they laid him;'
14 and these things having said, she turned backward, and seeth Jesus standing, and she had not known that it is Jesus.
15 Jesus saith to her, `Woman, why dost thou weep? whom dost thou seek;' she, supposing that he is the gardener, saith to him, `Sir, if thou didst carry him away, tell me where thou didst lay him, and I will take him away;'
16 Jesus saith to her, `Mary!' having turned, she saith to him, `Rabbouni;' that is to say, `Teacher.'
17 Jesus saith to her, `Be not touching me, for I have not yet ascended unto my Father; and be going on to my brethren, and say to them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father, and to my God, and to your God.'
18 Mary the Magdalene cometh, telling to the disciples that she hath seen the Lord, and [that] these things he said to her.
19 It being, therefore, evening, on that day, the first of the sabbaths, and the doors having been shut where the disciples were assembled, through fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and saith to them, `Peace to you;'
20 and this having said, he shewed them his hands and side; the disciples, therefore, rejoiced, having seen the Lord.
21 Jesus, therefore, said to them again, `Peace to you; according as the Father hath sent me, I also send you;'
22 and this having said, he breathed on [them], and saith to them, `Receive the Holy Spirit;
23 if of any ye may loose the sins, they are loosed to them; if of any ye may retain, they have been retained.'
24 And Thomas, one of the twelve, who is called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came;
25 the other disciples, therefore, said to him, `We have seen the Lord;' and he said to them, `If I may not see in his hands the mark of the nails, and may put my finger to the mark of the nails, and may put my hand to his side, I will not believe.'
26 And after eight days, again were his disciples within, and Thomas with them; Jesus cometh, the doors having been shut, and he stood in the midst, and said, `Peace to you!'
27 then he saith to Thomas, `Bring thy finger hither, and see my hands, and bring thy hand, and put [it] to my side, and become not unbelieving, but believing.'
28 And Thomas answered and said to him, `My Lord and my God;'
29 Jesus saith to him, `Because thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou hast believed; happy those not having seen, and having believed.'
30 Many indeed, therefore, other signs also did Jesus before his disciples, that are not written in this book;
31 and these have been written that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye may have life in his name.'
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
KJV reproduced by permission of Cambridge University Press, the Crown’s patentee in the UK.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
