John 16:12-22

New International Version

¹² “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.^{(A) 13} But when he, the Spirit of truth,^(B) comes, he will guide you into all the truth.^(C) He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. ¹⁵ All that belongs to the Father is mine.^(D) That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

The Disciples’ Grief Will Turn to Joy

¹⁶ Jesus went on to say, “In a little while^(E) you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”^(F)

¹⁷ At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’^(G) and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”^{(H) 18} They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”

¹⁹ Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? ²⁰ Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn^(I) while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.^{(J) 21} A woman giving birth to a child has pain^(K) because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. ²² So with you: Now is your time of grief,^(L) but I will see you again^(M) and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.^(N)