Believers Who Have Died

¹³ Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed^(A) about those who sleep in death,^(B) so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.^{(C) 14} For we believe that Jesus died and rose again,^(D) and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.^{(E) 15} According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord,^(F) will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.^{(G) 16} For the Lord himself will come down from heaven,^(H) with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel^(I) and with the trumpet call of God,^(J) and the dead in Christ will rise first.^{(K) 17} After that, we who are still alive and are left^(L) will be caught up together with them in the clouds^(M) to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord^(N) forever. ¹⁸ Therefore encourage one another^(O) with these words.

³² When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”^(A)

³³ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved^(B) in spirit and troubled.^{(C) 34} “Where have you laid him?” he asked.

“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

³⁵ Jesus wept.^(D)

³⁶ Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”^(E)

³⁷ But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man^(F) have kept this man from dying?”^(G)

Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead

³⁸ Jesus, once more deeply moved,^(H) came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.^{(I) 39} “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”^(J)

⁴⁰ Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe,^(K) you will see the glory of God?”^(L)

⁴¹ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up^(M) and said, “Father,^(N) I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴² I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here,^(O) that they may believe that you sent me.”^(P)

⁴³ When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”^{(Q) 44} The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen,^(R) and a cloth around his face.^(S)

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”