John 7:40-53 (New International Version)

 ⁴⁰On hearing his words, some of the people said, "Surely this man is the Prophet."

 ⁴¹Others said, "He is the Christ."

   Still others asked, "How can the Christ come from Galilee? ⁴²Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come from David's family^[a] and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?" ⁴³Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. ⁴⁴Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.

Unbelief of the Jewish Leaders

 ⁴⁵Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, "Why didn't you bring him in?"

 ⁴⁶"No one ever spoke the way this man does," the guards declared.

 ⁴⁷"You mean he has deceived you also?" the Pharisees retorted. ⁴⁸"Has any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? ⁴⁹No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them."

 ⁵⁰Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, ⁵¹"Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?"

 ⁵²They replied, "Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet^[b] does not come out of Galilee."

((The earliest and most reliable manuscripts and other ancient witnesses do not have John 7:53-8:11.))

 ⁵³Then each went to his own home.