Lazarus Dies

11 A man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village where Mary and her sister Martha lived. ² Mary would later pour perfume on the Lord. She would also wipe Jesus’ feet with her hair. It was her brother Lazarus who was sick in bed. ³ So the sisters sent a message to Jesus. “Lord,” they told him, “the one you love is sick.”

⁴ When Jesus heard this, he said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory. God’s Son will receive glory because of it.” ⁵ Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶ So after he heard Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was for two more days. ⁷ And then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

Jesus Comforts the Sisters of Lazarus

¹⁷ When Jesus arrived, he found out that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. ¹⁸ Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem. ¹⁹ Many Jews had come to Martha and Mary. They had come to comfort them because their brother was dead. ²⁰ When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him. But Mary stayed at home.

²¹ “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “I wish you had been here! Then my brother would not have died. ²² But I know that even now God will give you anything you ask for.”

²³ Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

²⁴ Martha answered, “I know he will rise again. This will happen when people are raised from the dead on the last day.”

²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even if they die. ²⁶ And whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

²⁷ “Yes, Lord,” she replied. “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God. I believe that you are the one who is supposed to come into the world.”

Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead

³⁸ Once more Jesus felt very sad. He came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone in front of the entrance. ³⁹ “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad smell. Lazarus has been in the tomb for four days.”

⁴⁰ Then Jesus said, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you will see God’s glory?”

⁴¹ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up. He said, “Father, I thank you for hearing me. ⁴² I know that you always hear me. But I said this for the benefit of the people standing here. I said it so they will believe that you sent me.”

⁴³ Then Jesus called in a loud voice. He said, “Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴ The dead man came out. His hands and feet were wrapped with strips of linen. A cloth was around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the clothes he was buried in and let him go.”