John 8-9

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

8 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

² Early in the morning (at dawn), He came back into the temple [^[a]court], and the people came to Him in crowds. He sat down and was teaching them,

³ When the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery. They made her stand in the middle of the court and put the case before Him.

⁴ Teacher, they said, This woman has been caught in the very act of adultery.

⁵ Now Moses in the Law commanded us that such [women—offenders] shall be stoned to death. But what do You say [to do with her—what is Your sentence]?^(A)

⁶ This they said to try (test) Him, hoping they might find a charge on which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger.

⁷ However, when they persisted with their question, He raised Himself up and said, Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.

⁸ Then He bent down and went on writing on the ground with His finger.

⁹ They listened to Him, and then they began going out, conscience-stricken, one by one, from the oldest down to the last one of them, till Jesus was left alone, with the woman standing there before Him in the center of the court.

¹⁰ When Jesus raised Himself up, He said to her, Woman, where are your accusers? Has no man condemned you?

¹¹ She answered, No one, Lord! And Jesus said, I do not condemn you either. Go on your way and from now on sin no more.

¹² Once more Jesus addressed the crowd. He said, I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will not be walking in the dark, but will have the Light which is Life.

¹³ Whereupon the Pharisees told Him, You are testifying on Your own behalf; Your testimony is not valid and is worthless.

¹⁴ Jesus answered, Even if I do testify on My own behalf, My testimony is true and reliable and valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.

¹⁵ You [set yourselves up to] judge according to the flesh (by what you see). [You condemn by external, human standards.] I do not [set Myself up to] judge or condemn or sentence anyone.

¹⁶ Yet even if I do judge, My judgment is true [My decision is right]; for I am not alone [in making it], but [there are two of Us] I and the Father, Who sent Me.

¹⁷ In your [own] Law it is written that the testimony (evidence) of two persons is reliable and valid.^(B)

¹⁸ I am One [of the Two] bearing testimony concerning Myself; and My Father, Who sent Me, He also testifies about Me.

¹⁹ Then they said to Him, Where is this ^[b]Father of Yours? Jesus answered, You know My Father as little as you know Me. If you knew Me, you would know My Father also.

²⁰ Jesus said these things in the treasury while He was teaching in the temple [^[c]court]; but no one ventured to arrest Him, because His hour had not yet come.

²¹ Therefore He said again to them, I am going away, and you will be looking for Me, and you will die in (under the curse of) your sin. Where I am going, it is not possible for you to come.

²² At this the Jews began to ask among themselves, Will He kill Himself? Is that why He says, Where I am going, it is not possible for you to come?

²³ He said to them, You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world (of this earthly order); I am not of this world.

²⁴ That is why I told you that you will die in (under the curse of) your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He [Whom I claim to be—if you do not adhere to, trust in, and rely on Me], you will die in your sins.

²⁵ Then they said to Him, Who are You anyway? Jesus replied, [Why do I even speak to you!] I am exactly what I have been telling you from the first.

²⁶ I have much to say about you and to judge and condemn. But He Who sent Me is true (reliable), and I tell the world [only] the things that I have heard from Him.

²⁷ They did not perceive (know, understand) that He was speaking to them about the Father.

²⁸ So Jesus added, When you have lifted up the Son of Man [on the cross], you will realize (know, understand) that I am He [for Whom you look] and that I do nothing of Myself (of My own accord or on My own authority), but I say [exactly] what My Father has taught Me.

²⁹ And He Who sent Me is ever with Me; My Father has not left Me alone, for I always do what pleases Him.

³⁰ As He said these things, many believed in Him [trusted, relied on, and adhered to Him].

³¹ So Jesus said to those Jews who had believed in Him, If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples.

³² And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.

³³ They answered Him, We are Abraham’s offspring (descendants) and have never been in bondage to anybody. What do You mean by saying, You will be set free?

³⁴ Jesus answered them, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, Whoever commits and practices sin is the slave of sin.

³⁵ Now a slave does not remain in a household permanently (forever); the son [of the house] does remain forever.

³⁶ So if the Son liberates you [makes you free men], then you are really and unquestionably free.

³⁷ [Yes] I know that you are Abraham’s offspring; yet you plan to kill Me, because My word has no entrance (makes no progress, does not find any place) in you.

³⁸ I tell the things which I have seen and learned at My Father’s side, and your actions also reflect what you have heard and learned from your father.

³⁹ They retorted, Abraham is our father. Jesus said, If you were [truly] Abraham’s children, then you would do the works of Abraham [follow his example, do as Abraham did].

⁴⁰ But now [instead] you are wanting and seeking to kill Me, a Man Who has told you the truth which I have heard from God. This is not the way Abraham acted.

⁴¹ You are doing the works of your [own] father. They said to Him, We are not illegitimate children and born out of fornication; we have one Father, even God.

⁴² Jesus said to them, If God were your Father, you would love Me and respect Me and welcome Me gladly, for I proceeded (came forth) from God [out of His very presence]. I did not even come on My own authority or of My own accord (as self-appointed); but He sent Me.

⁴³ Why do you misunderstand what I say? It is because you are unable to hear what I am saying. [You cannot bear to listen to My message; your ears are shut to My teaching.]

⁴⁴ You are of your father, the devil, and it is your will to practice the lusts and gratify the desires [which are characteristic] of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a falsehood, he speaks what is natural to him, for he is a liar [himself] and the father of lies and of all that is false.

⁴⁵ But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me [do not trust Me, do not rely on Me, or adhere to Me].

⁴⁶ Who of you convicts Me of wrongdoing or finds Me guilty of sin? Then if I speak truth, why do you not believe Me [trust Me, rely on, and adhere to Me]?

⁴⁷ Whoever is of God listens to God. [Those who belong to God hear the words of God.] This is the reason that you do not listen [to those words, to Me]: because you do not belong to God and are not of God or in harmony with Him.

⁴⁸ The Jews answered Him, Are we not right when we say You are a Samaritan and that You have a demon [that You are under the power of an evil spirit]?

⁴⁹ Jesus answered, I am not possessed by a demon. On the contrary, I honor and reverence My Father and you dishonor (despise, vilify, and scorn) Me.

⁵⁰ However, I am not in search of honor for Myself. [I do not seek and am not aiming for My own glory.] There is One Who [looks after that; He] seeks [My glory], and He is the Judge.

⁵¹ I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone observes My teaching [lives in accordance with My message, keeps My word], he will by no means ever see and experience death.

⁵² The Jews said to Him, Now we know that You are under the power of a demon (^[d]insane). Abraham died, and also the prophets, yet You say, If a man keeps My word, he will never taste of death into all eternity.

⁵³ Are You greater than our father Abraham? He died, and all the prophets died! Who do You make Yourself out to be?

⁵⁴ Jesus answered, If I were to glorify Myself (magnify, praise, and honor Myself), I would have no real glory, for My glory would be nothing and worthless. [My honor must come to Me from My Father.] It is My Father Who glorifies Me [Who extols Me, magnifies, and praises Me], of Whom you say that He is your God.

⁵⁵ Yet you do not know Him or recognize Him and are not acquainted with Him, but I know Him. If I should say that I do not know Him, I would be a liar like you. But I know Him and keep His word [obey His teachings, am faithful to His message].

⁵⁶ Your forefather Abraham was extremely happy at the hope and prospect of seeing My day (My incarnation); and he did see it and was delighted.^(C)

⁵⁷ Then the Jews said to Him, You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?

⁵⁸ Jesus replied, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, before Abraham was born, I Am.^(D)

⁵⁹ So they took up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus, by mixing with the crowd, concealed Himself and went out of the temple [^[e]enclosure].

9 As He passed along, He noticed a man blind from his birth.

² His disciples asked Him, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?

³ Jesus answered, It was not that this man or his parents sinned, but he was born blind in order that the workings of God should be manifested (displayed and illustrated) in him.

⁴ We must work the works of Him Who sent Me and be busy with His business while it is daylight; night is coming on, when no man can work.

⁵ As long as I am in the world, I am the world’s Light.

⁶ When He had said this, He spat on the ground and made clay (mud) with His saliva, and He spread it [as ointment] on the man’s eyes.

⁷ And He said to him, Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam—which means Sent. So he went and washed, and came back seeing.

⁸ When the neighbors and those who used to know him by sight as a beggar saw him, they said, Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?

⁹ Some said, It is he. Others said, No, but he looks very much like him. But he said, Yes, I am the man.

¹⁰ So they said to him, How were your eyes opened?

¹¹ He replied, The Man called Jesus made mud and smeared it on my eyes and said to me, Go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and I obtained my sight!

¹² They asked him, Where is He? He said, I do not know.

¹³ Then they conducted to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind.

¹⁴ Now it was on the Sabbath day that Jesus mixed the mud and opened the man’s eyes.

¹⁵ So now again the Pharisees asked him how he received his sight. And he said to them, He smeared mud on my eyes, and I washed, and now I see.

¹⁶ Then some of the Pharisees said, This Man [Jesus] is not from God, because He does not observe the Sabbath. But others said, How can a man who is a sinner (a bad man) do such signs and miracles? So there was a difference of opinion among them.

¹⁷ Accordingly they said to the blind man again, What do you say about Him, seeing that He opened your eyes? And he said, He is [He must be] a prophet!

¹⁸ However, the Jews did not believe that he had [really] been blind and that he had received his sight until they called (summoned) the parents of the man.

¹⁹ They asked them, Is this your son, whom you reported as having been born blind? How then does he see now?

²⁰ His parents answered, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind.

²¹ But as to how he can now see, we do not know; or who has opened his eyes, we do not know. He is of age. Ask him; let him speak for himself and give his own account of it.

²² His parents said this because they feared [the leaders of] the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should acknowledge Jesus to be the Christ, he should be expelled and excluded from the synagogue.

²³ On that account his parents said, He is of age; ask him.

²⁴ So the second time they summoned the man who had been born blind, and said to him, Now give God the glory (praise). This ^[f]Fellow we know is only a sinner (a wicked person).

²⁵ Then he answered, I do not know whether He is a sinner and wicked or not. But one thing I do know, that whereas I was blind before, now I see.

²⁶ So they said to him, What did He [actually] do to you? How did He open your eyes?

²⁷ He answered, I already told you and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Can it be that you wish to become His disciples also?

²⁸ And they stormed at him [they jeered, they sneered, they reviled him] and retorted, You are His disciple yourself, but we are the disciples of Moses.

²⁹ We know for certain that God spoke with Moses, but as for this Fellow, we know nothing about where He hails from.

³⁰ The man replied, Well, this is astonishing! Here a Man has opened my eyes, and yet you do not know where He comes from. [That is amazing!]

³¹ We know that God does not listen to sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and a worshiper of Him and does His will, He listens to him.

³² Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind.

³³ If this Man were not from God, He would not be able to do anything like this.

³⁴ They retorted, You were wholly born in sin [from head to foot]; and do you [presume to] teach us? So they cast him out [threw him clear outside the synagogue].

³⁵ Jesus heard that they had put him out, and meeting him He said, Do you believe in and adhere to the Son of Man ^[g]or the Son of God?

³⁶ He answered, Who is He, Sir? Tell me, that I may believe in and adhere to Him.

³⁷ Jesus said to him, You have seen Him; [in fact] He is talking to you right now.

³⁸ He called out, Lord, I believe! [I rely on, I trust, I cleave to You!] And he worshiped Him.

³⁹ Then Jesus said, I came into this world for judgment [as a Separator, in order that there may be ^[h] separation between those who believe on Me and those who reject Me], to make the sightless see and to make those who see become blind.

⁴⁰ Some Pharisees who were near, hearing this remark, said to Him, Are we also blind?

⁴¹ Jesus said to them, If you were blind, you would have no sin; but because you now claim to have sight, your sin remains. [If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but because you insist, We do see clearly, you are unable to escape your guilt.]