Jesus prays for himself

17 After Jesus said this, he looked up to heaven. He said, ‘Father, the time has now arrived. Show everyone how great your Son is. So then I, the Son, can show how great you are. ² You gave me authority over all people. You did this so that I could give people life for ever. Those are the people that you gave to me. ³ What does it mean for people to live with you for ever? It means that they know you, the one who is the only true God. They also know me, Jesus Christ, the one that you have sent. ⁴ I have shown people here on the earth how great you are. In that way, I have finished the work that you gave to me to do. ⁵ So, Father, now that I return to you, show people how great I am. Before the world began, I had great glory with you. Show again that I am great like that.’

Jesus prays for his disciples

⁶ ‘You gave some people to me who were from this world.^[a] I have shown them who you are. They were yours and you gave them to me. They have obeyed your message. ⁷ Everything that I have comes from you. Now they know that you gave me everything. ⁸ I gave to them the message that you gave to me. They accepted that message. They know certainly that I came from you. They believe that you sent me.

⁹ I pray for them. I am not praying for the people who belong to this world. No, I am praying for those people that you have given to me. I am praying for them because they are yours. ¹⁰ Everything that I have is yours. And everything that you have is mine. These people have shown how great I am. ¹¹ I will not remain in the world any longer. I will return to you now. But they will still be here in the world. Holy Father, please keep them safe in your name. That is the powerful name that you gave to me. Then they can be united in the same way that you and I are united. ¹² While I was with them, I kept them safe in the power of your name. That is the name that you gave to me. I kept them safe so that only one of them turned away from you. That was the man who had to become lost. The Bible already said that it would happen in that way.^[b]

¹³ Now, Father, I will come to you. I am saying these things while I am still in the world. Then these people, my disciples, can be completely happy. I want them to be completely happy in the same way that I am happy. ¹⁴ I have given your message to them. The world's people have hated them because they do not belong to the world. They do not belong to the world, in the same way that I do not belong to the world. ¹⁵ I am not asking that you will take them out of the world. But I ask you to keep them safe from the Devil. ¹⁶ They do not belong to the world, in the same way that I do not belong to the world. ¹⁷ Help them to belong completely to you, as they follow the truth. Your message is the truth. ¹⁸ I have sent them into the world, in the same way that you sent me into the world. ¹⁹ On their behalf I give myself to you, so that I belong completely to you. Then they also can completely belong to you, as they follow the truth.’

Jesus prays for everyone who will believe in him

²⁰ ‘I do not pray only for these people, my disciples. I pray also for those people who will believe in me because of my disciples' message. ²¹ I pray that all of them will become united. You, Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray that they also will be united in us. Then the world's people will believe that you sent me. ²² I have given to them the same honour that you gave to me. Now they can be united in the same way that you and I are united. ²³ I will be in them, and you will be in me, so that they can be completely united. As a result, the world's people will know that you sent me. They will also know that you love my own people as you love me.

²⁴ Father, you have given these people to me. I want them to be with me where I am. Then they will see how great I am. You made me great because you loved me. You loved me even before the world began. ²⁵ Father, you always do what is right. The world's people do not know you, but I know you. These disciples know that you have sent me. ²⁶ I have shown them what you are like. And I will continue to show them what you are like. Then they will love other people, in the same way that you love me. And I myself will be in them.’