John 16
Holman Christian Standard Bible
16 “I have told you these things to keep you from stumbling. 2 They will ban you from the synagogues.(A) In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering service(B) to God. 3 They will do these things because they haven’t known(C) the Father or Me. 4 But I have told you these things so that when their time[a] comes you may remember(D) I told them to you. I didn’t tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you.
The Counselor’s Ministry
5 “But now I am going away(E) to Him who sent Me, and not one of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’(F) 6 Yet, because I have spoken these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth.(G) It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send Him to you.(H) 8 When He comes, He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: 9 About sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father(I) and you will no longer see Me; 11 and about judgment,(J) because the ruler of this world(K) has been judged.(L)
12 “I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now.(M) 13 When the Spirit of truth(N) comes, He will guide you into all the truth.(O) For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak whatever He hears. He will also declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me, because He will take from what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 Everything the Father(P) has is Mine.(Q) This is why I told you that He takes from what is Mine and will declare it to you.(R)
Sorrow Turned to Joy
16 “A little while(S) and you will no longer see Me;(T) again a little while and you will see Me.”[b]
17 Therefore some of His disciples said to one another, “What is this He tells us: ‘A little while and you will not see Me; again a little while and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’(U)?” 18 They said, “What is this He is saying,[c] ‘A little while’? We don’t know what He’s talking about!”
19 Jesus knew they wanted to question Him, so He said to them, “Are you asking one another about what I said, ‘A little while and you will not see Me; again a little while and you will see Me’?
20 “I assure you: You will weep and wail,(V) but the world will rejoice. You will become sorrowful,(W) but your sorrow will turn to joy. 21 When a woman is in labor she has pain(X) because her time has come. But when she has given birth to a child,(Y) she no longer remembers the suffering because of the joy that a person has been born into the world. 22 So you also have sorrow[d] now. But I will see you again. Your hearts will rejoice,(Z) and no one will rob you of your joy.(AA) 23 In that day you will not ask Me anything.
“I assure you: Anything you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.(AB) 24 Until now you have asked for nothing in My name.(AC) Ask and you will receive,(AD) so that your joy may be complete.(AE)
Jesus the Victor
25 “I have spoken these things to you in figures of speech. A time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. 26 In that day you will ask(AF) in My name.(AG) I am not telling you that I will make requests to the Father on your behalf. 27 For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved(AH) Me and have believed that I came from God.[e](AI) 28 I came from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”(AJ)
29 “Ah!” His disciples said. “Now You’re speaking plainly and not using any figurative language. 30 Now we know that You know everything(AK) and don’t need anyone to question You. By this we believe that You came from God.”(AL)
31 Jesus responded to them, “Do you now believe? 32 Look: An hour is coming, and has come,(AM) when each of you will be scattered to his own home, and you will leave Me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.(AN) 33 I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”
Footnotes
- John 16:4 Other mss read when the time
- John 16:16 Other mss add because I am going to the Father
- John 16:18 Other mss omit He is saying
- John 16:22 Other mss read will have sorrow
- John 16:27 Other mss read from the Father
John 16
The Message
16 1-4 “I’ve told you these things to prepare you for rough times ahead. They are going to throw you out of the meeting places. There will even come a time when anyone who kills you will think he’s doing God a favor. They will do these things because they never really understood the Father. I’ve told you these things so that when the time comes and they start in on you, you’ll be well-warned and ready for them.
The Friend Will Come
4-7 “I didn’t tell you this earlier because I was with you every day. But now I am on my way to the One who sent me. Not one of you has asked, ‘Where are you going?’ Instead, the longer I’ve talked, the sadder you’ve become. So let me say it again, this truth: It’s better for you that I leave. If I don’t leave, the Friend won’t come. But if I go, I’ll send him to you.
8-11 “When he comes, he’ll expose the error of the godless world’s view of sin, righteousness, and judgment: He’ll show them that their refusal to believe in me is their basic sin; that righteousness comes from above, where I am with the Father, out of their sight and control; that judgment takes place as the ruler of this godless world is brought to trial and convicted.
12-15 “I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t handle them now. But when the Friend comes, the Spirit of the Truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is. He won’t draw attention to himself, but will make sense out of what is about to happen and, indeed, out of all that I have done and said. He will honor me; he will take from me and deliver it to you. Everything the Father has is also mine. That is why I’ve said, ‘He takes from me and delivers to you.’
16 “In a day or so you’re not going to see me, but then in another day or so you will see me.”
Joy Like a River Overflowing
17-18 That stirred up a hornet’s nest of questions among the disciples: “What’s he talking about: ‘In a day or so you’re not going to see me, but then in another day or so you will see me’? And, ‘Because I’m on my way to the Father’? What is this ‘day or so’? We don’t know what he’s talking about.”
19-20 Jesus knew they were dying to ask him what he meant, so he said, “Are you trying to figure out among yourselves what I meant when I said, ‘In a day or so you’re not going to see me, but then in another day or so you will see me’? Then fix this firmly in your minds: You’re going to be in deep mourning while the godless world throws a party. You’ll be sad, very sad, but your sadness will develop into gladness.
21-23 “When a woman gives birth, she has a hard time, there’s no getting around it. But when the baby is born, there is joy in the birth. This new life in the world wipes out memory of the pain. The sadness you have right now is similar to that pain, but the coming joy is also similar. When I see you again, you’ll be full of joy, and it will be a joy no one can rob from you. You’ll no longer be so full of questions.
23-24 “This is what I want you to do: Ask the Father for whatever is in keeping with the things I’ve revealed to you. Ask in my name, according to my will, and he’ll most certainly give it to you. Your joy will be a river overflowing its banks!
25-28 “I’ve used figures of speech in telling you these things. Soon I’ll drop the figures and tell you about the Father in plain language. Then you can make your requests directly to him in relation to this life I’ve revealed to you. I won’t continue making requests of the Father on your behalf. I won’t need to. Because you’ve gone out on a limb, committed yourselves to love and trust in me, believing I came directly from the Father, the Father loves you directly. First, I left the Father and arrived in the world; now I leave the world and travel to the Father.”
29-30 His disciples said, “Finally! You’re giving it to us straight, in plain talk—no more figures of speech. Now we know that you know everything—it all comes together in you. You won’t have to put up with our questions anymore. We’re convinced you came from God.”
31-33 Jesus answered them, “Do you finally believe? In fact, you’re about to make a run for it—saving your own skins and abandoning me. But I’m not abandoned. The Father is with me. I’ve told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I’ve conquered the world.”
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Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson