John 17
New King James Version
Jesus Prays for Himself
17 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, (A)the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, 2 (B)as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He [a]should give eternal life to as many (C)as You have given Him. 3 And (D)this is eternal life, that they may know You, (E)the only true God, and Jesus Christ (F)whom You have sent. 4 (G)I have glorified You on the earth. (H)I have finished the work (I)which You have given Me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify Me together [b]with Yourself, with the glory (J)which I had with You before the world was.
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
6 (K)“I have [c]manifested Your name to the men (L)whom You have given Me out of the world. (M)They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 7 Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. 8 For I have given to them the words (N)which You have given Me; and they have received them, (O)and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that (P)You sent Me.
9 “I pray for them. (Q)I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. 10 And all Mine are Yours, and (R)Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 (S)Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, (T)keep[d] through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one (U)as We are. 12 While I was with them [e]in the world, (V)I kept them in [f]Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and (W)none of them is [g]lost (X)except the son of [h]perdition, (Y)that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them Your word; (Z)and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, (AA)just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but (AB)that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 (AC)Sanctify[i] them by Your truth. (AD)Your word is truth. 18 (AE)As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 And (AF)for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.
Jesus Prays for All Believers
20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who [j]will believe in Me through their word; 21 (AG)that they all may be one, as (AH)You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the (AI)glory which You gave Me I have given them, (AJ)that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; (AK)that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
24 (AL)“Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; (AM)for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father! (AN)The world has not known You, but (AO)I have known You; and (AP)these have known that You sent Me. 26 (AQ)And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love (AR)with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”
Footnotes
- John 17:2 M shall
- John 17:5 Lit. alongside
- John 17:6 revealed
- John 17:11 NU, M keep them through Your name which You have given Me
- John 17:12 NU omits in the world
- John 17:12 NU Your name which You gave Me. And I guarded them; (or it;)
- John 17:12 destroyed
- John 17:12 destruction
- John 17:17 Set them apart
- John 17:20 NU, M omit will
John 17
Contemporary English Version
Jesus Prays
17 After Jesus had finished speaking to his disciples, he looked up toward heaven and prayed:
Father, the time has come for you to bring glory to your Son, in order that he may bring glory to you. 2 And you gave him power over all people, so he would give eternal life to everyone you give him. 3 (A) Eternal life is to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, the one you sent. 4 I have brought glory to you here on earth by doing everything you gave me to do. 5 Now, Father, give me back the glory I had with you before the world was created.
6 You have given me some followers from this world, and I have shown them what you are like. They were yours, but you gave them to me, and they have obeyed you. 7 They know that you gave me everything I have. 8 I told my followers what you told me, and they accepted it. They know I came from you, and they believe you are the one who sent me. 9 I am praying for them, but not for those who belong to this world.[a] My followers belong to you, and I am praying for them. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine, and they will bring glory to me.
11 Holy Father, I am no longer in the world. I am coming to you, but my followers are still in the world. So keep them safe by the power of the name you have given me. Then they will be one with each other, just as you and I are one. 12 (B) While I was with them, I kept them safe by the power you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost, except the one who had to be lost. This happened so that what the Scriptures say would come true.
13 I am on my way to you. But I say these things while I am still in the world, so my followers will have the same complete joy that I do. 14 I have told them your message. But the people of this world hate them, because they don't belong to this world, just as I don't.
15 Father, I don't ask you to take my followers out of the world, but keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They don't belong to this world, and neither do I. 17 Your word is the truth. So let this truth make them completely yours. 18 I am sending them into the world, just as you sent me. 19 I have given myself completely for their sake, so they may belong completely to the truth.
20 I am not praying just for these followers. I am also praying for everyone else who will have faith because of what my followers will say about me. 21 I want all of them to be one with each other, just as I am one with you and you are one with me. I also want them to be one with us. Then the people of this world will believe that you sent me.
22 I have honored my followers in the same way you honored me, in order that they may be one with each other, just as we are one. 23 I am one with them, and you are one with me, so they may become completely one. Then this world's people will know that you sent me. They will know that you love my followers as much as you love me.
24 Father, I want everyone you have given me to be with me, wherever I am. Then they will see the glory you have given me, because you loved me before the world was created. 25 Good Father, the people of this world don't know you. But I know you, and my followers know that you sent me. 26 I told them what you are like, and I will tell them even more. Then the love you have for me will become part of them, and I will be one with them.
Footnotes
- 17.9 world: See the note at 12.31.
John 17
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
17 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said,[a] “Father, the hour has come; glorify thy Son that the Son may glorify thee, 2 since thou hast given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom thou hast given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. 4 I glorified thee on earth, having accomplished the work which thou gavest me to do; 5 and now, Father, glorify thou me in thy own presence with the glory which I had with thee before the world was made.[b]
6 “I have manifested thy name to the men whom thou gavest me out of the world; thine they were, and thou gavest them to me, and they have kept thy word. 7 Now they know that everything that thou hast given me is from thee; 8 for I have given them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from thee; and they have believed that thou didst send me. 9 I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world but for those whom thou hast given me, for they are thine; 10 all mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to thee. Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in thy name, which thou hast given me; I have guarded them, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them thy word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil one.[c] 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth. 18 As thou didst send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth.
20 “I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 The glory which thou hast given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them even as thou hast loved me. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom thou hast given me, may be with me where I am, to behold my glory which thou hast given me in thy love for me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, the world has not known thee, but I have known thee; and these know that thou hast sent me. 26 I made known to them thy name, and I will make it known, that the love with which thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
Footnotes
- 17.1-26 The priestly prayer of Jesus, before his sacrifice.
- 17.5 declares his pre-existence.
- John 17:15 Or from evil
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

