16 “I have told you these things to keep you from stumbling. ² They will ban you from the synagogues.^(A) In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering service^(B) to God. ³ They will do these things because they haven’t known^(C) the Father or Me. ⁴ But I have told you these things so that when their time^[a] comes you may remember^(D) I told them to you. I didn’t tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you.

The Counselor’s Ministry

⁵ “But now I am going away^(E) to Him who sent Me, and not one of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’^{(F) 6} Yet, because I have spoken these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. ⁷ Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth.^(G) It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send Him to you.^{(H) 8} When He comes, He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: ⁹ About sin, because they do not believe in Me; ¹⁰ about righteousness, because I am going to the Father^(I) and you will no longer see Me; ¹¹ and about judgment,^(J) because the ruler of this world^(K) has been judged.^(L)

¹² “I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now.^{(M) 13} When the Spirit of truth^(N) comes, He will guide you into all the truth.^(O) For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak whatever He hears. He will also declare to you what is to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify Me, because He will take from what is Mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵ Everything the Father^(P) has is Mine.^(Q) This is why I told you that He takes from what is Mine and will declare it to you.^(R)

Sorrow Turned to Joy

¹⁶ “A little while^(S) and you will no longer see Me;^(T) again a little while and you will see Me.”^[b]

¹⁷ Therefore some of His disciples said to one another, “What is this He tells us: ‘A little while and you will not see Me; again a little while and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’^(U)?” ¹⁸ They said, “What is this He is saying,^[c] ‘A little while’? We don’t know what He’s talking about!”

¹⁹ Jesus knew they wanted to question Him, so He said to them, “Are you asking one another about what I said, ‘A little while and you will not see Me; again a little while and you will see Me’?

²⁰ “I assure you: You will weep and wail,^(V) but the world will rejoice. You will become sorrowful,^(W) but your sorrow will turn to joy. ²¹ When a woman is in labor she has pain^(X) because her time has come. But when she has given birth to a child,^(Y) she no longer remembers the suffering because of the joy that a person has been born into the world. ²² So you also have sorrow^[d] now. But I will see you again. Your hearts will rejoice,^(Z) and no one will rob you of your joy.^{(AA) 23} In that day you will not ask Me anything.

“I assure you: Anything you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.^{(AB) 24} Until now you have asked for nothing in My name.^(AC) Ask and you will receive,^(AD) so that your joy may be complete.^(AE)

Jesus the Victor

²⁵ “I have spoken these things to you in figures of speech. A time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. ²⁶ In that day you will ask^(AF) in My name.^(AG) I am not telling you that I will make requests to the Father on your behalf. ²⁷ For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved^(AH) Me and have believed that I came from God.^{[e](AI) 28} I came from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”^(AJ)

²⁹ “Ah!” His disciples said. “Now You’re speaking plainly and not using any figurative language. ³⁰ Now we know that You know everything^(AK) and don’t need anyone to question You. By this we believe that You came from God.”^(AL)

³¹ Jesus responded to them, “Do you now believe? ³² Look: An hour is coming, and has come,^(AM) when each of you will be scattered to his own home, and you will leave Me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.^{(AN) 33} I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”