John 11
New American Standard Bible
The Death and Resurrection of Lazarus
11 Now a certain man was sick: Lazarus of (A)Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister (B)Martha. 2 And it was the Mary who (C)anointed (D)the Lord with [a]ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “(E)Lord, behold, (F)he whom You love is sick.” 4 But when Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not [b]meant for death, but is for (G)the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” 5 (Now Jesus loved (H)Martha and her sister, and Lazarus.) 6 So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was. 7 Then after this He *said to the disciples, “(I)Let’s go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples *said to Him, “(J)Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking (K)to stone You, and yet You are going there again?” 9 Jesus replied, “(L)Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks during the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks during the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in [c]him.” 11 This He said, and after this He *said to them, “Our (M)friend Lazarus (N)has fallen asleep; but I am going so that I may awaken him from sleep.” 12 The disciples then said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will [d]come out of it.” 13 Now (O)Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about [e]actual sleep. 14 So Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus died, 15 and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let’s go to him.” 16 (P)Therefore Thomas, who was called [f](Q)Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s also go, so that we may die with Him!”
17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb (R)four days. 18 Now (S)Bethany was near Jerusalem, about [g]fifteen stadia away; 19 and many of (T)the Jews had come to (U)Martha and Mary, (V)to console them about their brother. 20 So then (W)Martha, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but (X)Mary [h]stayed in the house. 21 Martha then said to Jesus, “(Y)Lord, (Z)if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 Even now I know that (AA)whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” 23 Jesus *said to her, “Your brother will rise from the dead.” 24 Martha *said to Him, “(AB)I know that he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “(AC)I am the resurrection and the life; the one who believes in Me will live, even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me (AD)will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have come to believe that You are (AE)the [i]Christ, the Son of God, and [j](AF)He who comes into the world.”
28 When she had said this, she (AG)left and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, “(AH)The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard this, she *got up quickly and came to Him.
30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but (AI)was still at the place where Martha met Him. 31 (AJ)Then the Jews who were with her in the house and were (AK)consoling her, when they saw that Mary had gotten up quickly and left, they followed her, thinking that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 So when Mary came to the place where Jesus was, she saw Him and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “(AL)Lord, (AM)if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 Therefore when Jesus saw her weeping, and (AN)the Jews who came with her also weeping, He (AO)was deeply moved in spirit and [k](AP)was troubled, 34 and He said, “Where have you laid him?” They *said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus (AQ)wept. 36 So (AR)the Jews were saying, “See how He (AS)loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could this man, who (AT)opened the eyes of the man who was blind, not have also [l]kept this man from dying?”
38 So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, *came to the tomb. Now it was a (AU)cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus *said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, *said to Him, “Lord, by this time [m]there will be a stench, for he has been dead (AV)four days.” 40 Jesus *said to her, “(AW)Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” 41 So they removed the (AX)stone. And Jesus (AY)raised His eyes, and said, “(AZ)Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 But I knew that You always hear Me; nevertheless, (BA)because of the [n]people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that (BB)You sent Me.” 43 And when He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 Out came the man who had died, (BC)bound hand and foot with wrappings, and (BD)his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus *said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
45 (BE)Therefore many of the Jews (BF)who came to Mary, and (BG)saw what He had done, believed in Him. 46 But some of them went to the (BH)Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done.
Conspiracy to Kill Jesus
47 Therefore (BI)the chief priests and the Pharisees (BJ)convened a (BK)council meeting, and they were saying, “What are we [o]doing in regard to the fact that this man is performing many [p](BL)signs? 48 If we let Him go on like this, all the people will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take over both our [q](BM)place and our nation.” 49 But one of them, (BN)Caiaphas, (BO)who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, 50 nor are you taking into account that (BP)it is in your best interest that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish instead.” 51 Now he did not say this [r]on his own, but (BQ)as he was high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation; 52 and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also (BR)gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53 So from that day on they (BS)planned together to kill Him.
54 Therefore Jesus (BT)no longer continued to walk publicly among the Jews, but went away from there to the region near the wilderness, into a city called (BU)Ephraim; and there He stayed with the disciples.
55 Now (BV)the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up to Jerusalem from the country prior to the Passover, (BW)in order to [s]purify themselves. 56 So they (BX)were looking for Jesus, and saying to one another as they stood in the temple area, “What do you think; that He will not come to the feast at all?” 57 Now (BY)the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he was to report it, so that they might arrest Him.
Footnotes
- John 11:2 Or perfume
- John 11:4 Lit toward death
- John 11:10 Or it; i.e., the world
- John 11:12 Lit be saved
- John 11:13 Lit the slumber of sleep
- John 11:16 I.e., the Twin
- John 11:18 Possibly 2 miles or 3 km; a Roman stadion perhaps averaged 607 ft. or 185 m
- John 11:20 Lit was sitting
- John 11:27 I.e., Messiah
- John 11:27 The Coming One was a Messianic title
- John 11:33 Lit troubled Himself
- John 11:37 Lit done so that this man also would not die
- John 11:39 Lit he stinks
- John 11:42 Lit crowd
- John 11:47 Or doing? For this
- John 11:47 I.e., confirming miracles
- John 11:48 Possibly meaning the temple
- John 11:51 Lit from himself
- John 11:55 I.e., undergo required cleansing rituals
John 11
The Voice
John points to stories where Jesus returns to the issue of faith again and again. The crowds are fickle, believing sometimes and not others. The religious leaders refuse to believe because Jesus doesn’t fit their paradigms. The disciples and close friends constantly face situations that challenge their faith, and this especially happens when Lazarus dies. John is implicitly urging his readers to have faith in Christ, even in difficult times, because He is the source of life and well being.
11 There was a certain man who was very ill. He was known as Lazarus from Bethany, which is the hometown of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 Mary did a beautiful thing for Jesus. She anointed the Lord with a pleasant-smelling oil and wiped His feet with her hair. Her brother Lazarus became deathly ill, 3 so the sisters immediately sent a message to Jesus which said, “Lord, the one You love is very ill.” 4 Jesus heard the message.
Jesus: His sickness will not end in his death but will bring great glory to God. As these events unfold, the Son of God will be exalted.
5 Jesus dearly loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. 6 However, after receiving this news, He waited two more days where He was.
Jesus (speaking to the disciples): 7 It is time to return to Judea.
Disciples: 8 Teacher, the last time You were there, some Jews attempted to execute You by crushing You with stones. Why would You go back?
Jesus: 9 There are 12 hours of daylight, correct? If anyone walks in the day, that person does not stumble because he or she sees the light of the world. 10 If anyone walks at night, he will trip and fall because he does not have the light within. 11 (Jesus briefly pauses.) Our friend Lazarus has gone to sleep, so I will go to awaken him.
Disciples: 12 Lord, if he is sleeping, then he will be all right.
13 Jesus used “sleep” as a metaphor for death, but the disciples took Him literally and did not understand. 14 Then Jesus spoke plainly.
Jesus: Lazarus is dead, 15 and I am grateful for your sakes that I was not there when he died. Now you will see and believe. Gather yourselves, and let’s go to him.
Thomas, the Twin (to the disciples): 16 Let’s go so we can die with Him.
17-18 As Jesus was approaching Bethany (which is about two miles east of Jerusalem), He heard that Lazarus had been in the tomb four days. 19 Now many people had come to comfort Mary and Martha as they mourned the loss of their brother. 20 Martha went to meet Jesus when word arrived that He was approaching Bethany, but Mary stayed behind at the house.
Martha: 21 Lord, if You had been with us, my brother would not have died. 22 Even so I still believe that anything You ask of God will be done.
Jesus: 23 Your brother will rise to life.
Martha: 24 I know. He will rise again when everyone is resurrected on the last day.
Jesus: 25 I am the resurrection and the source of all life; those who believe in Me will live even in death. 26 Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never truly die. Do you believe this?
Martha: 27 Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Anointed, the Liberating King, God’s own Son who we have heard is coming into the world.
28 After this Martha ran home to Mary.
Martha (whispering to Mary): Come with me. The Teacher is here, and He has asked for you.
29 Mary did not waste a minute. She got up and went 30 to the same spot where Martha had found Jesus outside the village. 31 The people gathered in her home offering support and comfort assumed she was going back to the tomb to cry and mourn, so they followed her. 32 Mary approached Jesus, saw Him, and fell at His feet.
Mary: Lord, if only You had been here, my brother would still be alive.
33 When Jesus saw Mary’s profound grief and the moaning and weeping of her companions, He was deeply moved by their pain in His spirit and was intensely troubled.
Jesus: 34 Where have you laid his body?
Jews: Come and see, Lord.
35 As they walked, Jesus wept; 36 and everyone noticed how much Jesus must have loved Lazarus. 37 But others were skeptical.
Others: If this man can give sight to the blind, He could have kept him from dying.
They are asking, if Jesus loves Lazarus so much, why didn’t He get here much sooner?
38 Then Jesus, who was intensely troubled by all of this, approached the tomb—a small cave covered by a massive stone.
Jesus: 39 Remove the stone.
Martha: Lord, he has been dead four days; the stench will be unbearable.
Jesus: 40 Remember, I told you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God.
41 They removed the stone, and Jesus lifted His eyes toward heaven.
Jesus: Father, I am grateful that You have heard Me. 42 I know that You are always listening, but I proclaim it loudly so that everyone here will believe You have sent Me.
43 After these words, He called out in a thunderous voice.
Jesus: Lazarus, come out!
44 Then, the man who was dead walked out of his tomb bound from head to toe in a burial shroud.
Jesus: Untie him, and let him go.
Once again Jesus amazes everyone around Him. How does He raise Lazarus? What kind of man can speak life into death’s darkness? Throughout His time on earth, those around Him are continually surprised by Jesus. He is unique. How does He have power over death? It takes a while, but more and more His followers become convinced this is no ordinary man.
45 As a result, many of the Jews who had come with Mary saw what happened and believed in Him. 46 But some went to the Pharisees to report what they witnessed Jesus doing. 47 As a result of these reports—and on short notice—the chief priests and Pharisees called a meeting of the high council.
Pharisees: What are we going to do about this man? He is performing many miracles. 48 If we don’t stop this now, every man, woman, and child will believe in Him. You know what will happen next? The Romans will think He’s mounting a revolution and will destroy our temple. It will be the end of our nation.
Caiaphas, the High Priest That Year: 49 You have no idea what you are talking about; 50 what you don’t understand is that it’s better for you that one man should die for the people so the whole nation won’t perish.
51 His speech was more than it seemed. As high priest that year, Caiaphas prophesied (without knowing it) that Jesus would die on behalf of the entire nation, 52 and not just for the children of Israel—He would die so all God’s children could be gathered from the four corners of the world into one people. 53 In that moment, they cemented their intentions to have Jesus executed.
54 From that day forward, Jesus refrained from walking publicly among the people in Judea. He withdrew to a small town known as Ephraim, a rural area near the wilderness, where He set up camp with His disciples.
55 The Passover was approaching, and Jews everywhere traveled to Jerusalem early so they could purify themselves and prepare for Passover. 56 People were looking for Jesus, hoping to catch a glimpse of Him in the city. All the while, some Jews were discussing Him in the temple.
Some Jews: Do you think He will decide not to come to Jerusalem this year for the feast?
57 In the midst of this confusion, the Pharisees and the chief priests ordered that if anyone knew the whereabouts of Jesus of Nazareth, it must be reported immediately so they could arrest Him.
John 11
New Living Translation
The Raising of Lazarus
11 A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. 2 This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair.[a] Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. 3 So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.”
4 But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” 5 So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, 6 he stayed where he was for the next two days. 7 Finally, he said to his disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.”
8 But his disciples objected. “Rabbi,” they said, “only a few days ago the people[b] in Judea were trying to stone you. Are you going there again?”
9 Jesus replied, “There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world. 10 But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light.” 11 Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.”
12 The disciples said, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!” 13 They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died.
14 So he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.”
16 Thomas, nicknamed the Twin,[c] said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go, too—and die with Jesus.”
17 When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. 18 Bethany was only a few miles[d] down the road from Jerusalem, 19 and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. 20 When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”
23 Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”
25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life.[e] Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”
27 “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.” 28 Then she returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, “The Teacher is here and wants to see you.” 29 So Mary immediately went to him.
30 Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the place where Martha met him. 31 When the people who were at the house consoling Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to Lazarus’s grave to weep. So they followed her there. 32 When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33 When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him,[f] and he was deeply troubled. 34 “Where have you put him?” he asked them.
They told him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Then Jesus wept. 36 The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!” 37 But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?”
38 Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. 39 “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them.
But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.”
40 Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” 41 So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” 43 Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”
The Plot to Kill Jesus
45 Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this happen. 46 But some went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the leading priests and Pharisees called the high council[g] together. “What are we going to do?” they asked each other. “This man certainly performs many miraculous signs. 48 If we allow him to go on like this, soon everyone will believe in him. Then the Roman army will come and destroy both our Temple[h] and our nation.”
49 Caiaphas, who was high priest at that time,[i] said, “You don’t know what you’re talking about! 50 You don’t realize that it’s better for you that one man should die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed.”
51 He did not say this on his own; as high priest at that time he was led to prophesy that Jesus would die for the entire nation. 52 And not only for that nation, but to bring together and unite all the children of God scattered around the world.
53 So from that time on, the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus’ death. 54 As a result, Jesus stopped his public ministry among the people and left Jerusalem. He went to a place near the wilderness, to the village of Ephraim, and stayed there with his disciples.
55 It was now almost time for the Jewish Passover celebration, and many people from all over the country arrived in Jerusalem several days early so they could go through the purification ceremony before Passover began. 56 They kept looking for Jesus, but as they stood around in the Temple, they said to each other, “What do you think? He won’t come for Passover, will he?” 57 Meanwhile, the leading priests and Pharisees had publicly ordered that anyone seeing Jesus must report it immediately so they could arrest him.
Footnotes
- 11:2 This incident is recorded in chapter 12.
- 11:8 Greek Jewish people; also in 11:19, 31, 33, 36, 45, 54.
- 11:16 Greek Thomas, who was called Didymus.
- 11:18 Greek was about 15 stadia [about 2.8 kilometers].
- 11:25 Some manuscripts do not include and the life.
- 11:33 Or he was angry in his spirit.
- 11:47 Greek the Sanhedrin.
- 11:48 Or our position; Greek reads our place.
- 11:49 Greek that year; also in 11:51.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
