⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’^[a](A) Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. ⁴⁶ No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God;^(B) only he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.^{(C) 48} I am the bread of life.^{(D) 49} Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died.^{(E) 50} But here is the bread that comes down from heaven,^(F) which anyone may eat and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread^(G) that came down from heaven.^(H) Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”^(I)

⁵² Then the Jews^(J) began to argue sharply among themselves,^(K) “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

⁵³ Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh^(L) of the Son of Man^(M) and drink his blood,^(N) you have no life in you. ⁵⁴ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.^{(O) 55} For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. ⁵⁶ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.^{(P) 57} Just as the living Father sent me^(Q) and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”^{(R) 59} He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

Many Disciples Desert Jesus

⁶⁰ On hearing it, many of his disciples^(S) said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”^(T)

⁶¹ Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you?^{(U) 62} Then what if you see the Son of Man^(V) ascend to where he was before!^{(W) 63} The Spirit gives life;^(X) the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit^[b] and life. ⁶⁴ Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known^(Y) from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.^{(Z) 65} He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”^(AA)

⁶⁶ From this time many of his disciples^(AB) turned back and no longer followed him.

⁶⁷ “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.^(AC)

⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him,^(AD) “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.^{(AE) 69} We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”^(AF)

⁷⁰ Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you,^(AG) the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!”^{(AH) 71} (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot,^(AI) who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)^(AJ)