The Death of Lazarus

11 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of (A)Mary and her sister Martha. (B)It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”

When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, (C)He stayed two more days in the place where He was. Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”

The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to (D)stone You, and are You going there again?”

Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? (E)If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the (F)light of this world. 10 But (G)if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus (H)sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”

12 Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.” 13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.

14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.”

16 Then (I)Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”

I Am the Resurrection and the Life

17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about [a]two miles away. 19 And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.

20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. 21 Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that (J)whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 Martha said to Him, (K)“I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

25 Jesus said to her, “I am (L)the resurrection and the life. (M)He who believes in Me, though he may (N)die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, (O)I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

Jesus and Death, the Last Enemy

28 And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.” 29 As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but [b]was in the place where Martha met Him. 31 (P)Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, [c]saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.”

32 Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she (Q)fell down at His feet, saying to Him, (R)“Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

33 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. 34 And He said, “Where have you laid him?”

They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”

35 (S)Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”

37 And some of them said, “Could not this Man, (T)who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?”

Lazarus Raised from the Dead

38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a (U)stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”

Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”

40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would (V)see the glory of God?” 41 Then they took away the stone [d]from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but (W)because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with (X)graveclothes, and (Y)his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

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Footnotes

  1. John 11:18 Lit. 15 stadia
  2. John 11:30 NU was still
  3. John 11:31 NU supposing that she was going
  4. John 11:41 NU omits from the place where the dead man was lying

Lazarus Dies at Bethany

11 Now a man was sick—Lazarus from Bethany,(A) the village of Mary and her sister Martha.(B) Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair,(C) and it was her brother Lazarus who was sick. So the sisters sent a message to him: “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

When Jesus heard it, he said, “This sickness will not end in death but is for the glory of God,(D) so that the Son of God(E) may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus. So when he heard that he was sick, he stayed two more days in the place where he was. Then after that, he said to the disciples, “Let’s go to Judea(F) again.”

“Rabbi,”(G) the disciples told him, “just now the Jews tried to stone you,(H) and you’re going there again?”

“Aren’t there twelve hours in a day?” Jesus answered. “If anyone walks during the day, he doesn’t stumble, because he sees the light of this world.(I) 10 But if anyone walks during the night,(J) he does stumble, because the light is not in him.”

11 He said this, and then he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep,(K) but I’m on my way to wake him up.”

12 Then the disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will get well.”

13 Jesus, however, was speaking about his death, but they thought he was speaking about natural sleep. 14 So Jesus then told them plainly, “Lazarus has died. 15 I’m glad for you that I wasn’t there so that you may believe. But let’s go to him.”

16 Then Thomas(L) (called “Twin”[a]) said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go too so that we may die with him.”

The Resurrection and the Life

17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb(M) four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem(N) (less than two miles[b] away). 19 Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother.

20 As soon as Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. 22 Yet even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”

23 “Your brother will rise(O) again,” Jesus told her.

24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”(P)

25 Jesus said to her, “I am(Q) the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me,(R) even if he dies, will live.(S) 26 Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.(T) Do you believe this?”

27 “Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe you are the Messiah,(U) the Son(V) of God, who comes into the world.”(W)

Jesus Shares the Sorrow of Death

28 Having said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.”

29 As soon as Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him.(X) 30 Jesus had not yet come into the village but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 The Jews who were with her in the house consoling her saw that Mary got up quickly and went out. They followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb(Y) to cry there.

32 As soon as Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet(Z) and told him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died!”

33 When Jesus saw her crying, and the Jews who had come with her crying, he was deeply moved[c] in his spirit(AA) and troubled. 34 “Where have you put him?” he asked.

“Lord,” they told him, “come and see.”

35 Jesus wept.(AB)

36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved(AC) him!” 37 But some of them said, “Couldn’t he who opened the blind man’s eyes(AD) also have kept this man from dying?”

The Seventh Sign: Raising Lazarus from the Dead

38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.(AE) 39 “Remove the stone,” Jesus said.

Martha, the dead man’s sister, told him, “Lord, there is already a stench because he has been dead four days.”

40 Jesus said to her, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory(AF) of God?”(AG)

41 So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Father, I thank(AH) you that you heard me.(AI) 42 I know that you always hear me, but because of the crowd standing here I said this, so that they may believe you sent(AJ) me.” 43 After he said this, he shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out bound hand and foot with linen strips and with his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unwrap him and let him go.”

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Footnotes

  1. 11:16 Gk Didymus
  2. 11:18 Lit fifteen stadia; one stadion = 600 feet
  3. 11:33 Or angry, also in v. 38

The Death of Lazarus

11 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany,(A) the village of Mary and her sister Martha.(B) (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.)(C) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love(D) is sick.”

When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory(E) so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”(F)

“But Rabbi,”(G) they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you,(H) and yet you are going back?”

Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light.(I) 10 It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”

11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend(J) Lazarus has fallen asleep;(K) but I am going there to wake him up.”

12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.(L)

14 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

16 Then Thomas(M) (also known as Didymus[a]) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Jesus Comforts the Sisters of Lazarus

17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.(N) 18 Now Bethany(O) was less than two miles[b] from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.(P) 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.(Q)

21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.(R) 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”(S)

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection(T) at the last day.”(U)

25 Jesus said to her, “I am(V) the resurrection and the life.(W) The one who believes(X) in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing(Y) in me will never die.(Z) Do you believe this?”

27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah,(AA) the Son of God,(AB) who is to come into the world.”(AC)

28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher(AD) is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him.(AE) 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her,(AF) noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

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.”(AG)

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

“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

35 Jesus wept.(AJ)

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

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

Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead

38 Jesus, once more deeply moved,(AN) came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.(AO) 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.”(AP)

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

41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up(AS) and said, “Father,(AT) 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,(AU) that they may believe that you sent me.”(AV)

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

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

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Footnotes

  1. John 11:16 Thomas (Aramaic) and Didymus (Greek) both mean twin.
  2. John 11:18 Or about 3 kilometers

The Death of Lazarus

11 1-3 A man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. This was the same Mary who massaged the Lord’s feet with aromatic oils and then wiped them with her hair. It was her brother Lazarus who was sick. So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Master, the one you love so very much is sick.”

When Jesus got the message, he said, “This sickness is not fatal. It will become an occasion to show God’s glory by glorifying God’s Son.”

5-7 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, but oddly, when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed on where he was for two more days. After the two days, he said to his disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.”

They said, “Rabbi, you can’t do that. The Jews are out to kill you, and you’re going back?”

9-10 Jesus replied, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in daylight doesn’t stumble because there’s plenty of light from the sun. Walking at night, he might very well stumble because he can’t see where he’s going.”

11 He said these things, and then announced, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. I’m going to wake him up.”

12-13 The disciples said, “Master, if he’s gone to sleep, he’ll get a good rest and wake up feeling fine.” Jesus was talking about death, while his disciples thought he was talking about taking a nap.

14-15 Then Jesus became explicit: “Lazarus died. And I am glad for your sakes that I wasn’t there. You’re about to be given new grounds for believing. Now let’s go to him.”

16 That’s when Thomas, the one called the Twin, said to his companions, “Come along. We might as well die with him.”

17-20 When Jesus finally got there, he found Lazarus already four days dead. Bethany was near Jerusalem, only a couple of miles away, and many of the Jews were visiting Martha and Mary, sympathizing with them over their brother. Martha heard Jesus was coming and went out to meet him. Mary remained in the house.

21-22 Martha said, “Master, if you’d been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. Even now, I know that whatever you ask God he will give you.”

23 Jesus said, “Your brother will be raised up.”

24 Martha replied, “I know that he will be raised up in the resurrection at the end of time.”

25-26 “You don’t have to wait for the End. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live. And everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all. Do you believe this?”

27 “Yes, Master. All along I have believed that you are the Messiah, the Son of God who comes into the world.”

28 After saying this, she went to her sister Mary and whispered in her ear, “The Teacher is here and is asking for you.”

29-32 The moment she heard that, she jumped up and ran out to him. Jesus had not yet entered the town but was still at the place where Martha had met him. When her sympathizing Jewish friends saw Mary run off, they followed her, thinking she was on her way to the tomb to weep there. Mary came to where Jesus was waiting and fell at his feet, saying, “Master, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

33-34 When Jesus saw her sobbing and the Jews with her sobbing, a deep anger welled up within him. He said, “Where did you put him?”

34-35 “Master, come and see,” they said. Now Jesus wept.

36 The Jews said, “Look how deeply he loved him.”

37 Others among them said, “Well, if he loved him so much, why didn’t he do something to keep him from dying? After all, he opened the eyes of a blind man.”

38-39 Then Jesus, the anger again welling up within him, arrived at the tomb. It was a simple cave in the hillside with a slab of stone laid against it. Jesus said, “Remove the stone.”

The sister of the dead man, Martha, said, “Master, by this time there’s a stench. He’s been dead four days!”

40 Jesus looked her in the eye. “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

41-42 Then, to the others, “Go ahead, take away the stone.”

They removed the stone. Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and prayed, “Father, I’m grateful that you have listened to me. I know you always do listen, but on account of this crowd standing here I’ve spoken so that they might believe that you sent me.”

43-44 Then he shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” And he came out, a cadaver, wrapped from head to toe, and with a kerchief over his face.

Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him loose.”

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