John 17
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Jesus Prays for Himself
17 Jesus spoke these things, looked up to heaven, and said:
Father,
the hour has come.
Glorify Your Son
so that the Son(A) may glorify You,(B)
2 for You gave Him authority
over all flesh;[a](C)
so He may give eternal life(D)
to all You have given Him.(E)
3 This is eternal life:
that they may know You, the only(F) true(G) God,
and the One You have sent(H)—Jesus Christ.(I)
4 I have glorified You on the earth
by completing the work You gave Me to do.
5 Now, Father,(J) glorify Me in Your presence
with that glory(K) I had with You
before the world existed.(L)
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
6 I have revealed Your name(M)
to the men You gave Me(N) from the world.(O)
They were Yours, You gave them to Me,(P)
and they have kept Your word.(Q)
7 Now they know that all things
You have given to Me are from You,
8 because the words that You gave Me,(R)
I have given them.
They have received them
and have known for certain
that I came from You.(S)
They have believed that You sent Me.
9 I pray[b] for them.
I am not praying for the world
but for those You have given Me,(T)
because they are Yours.
10 Everything I have is Yours,
and everything You have is Mine,(U)
and I have been glorified in them.
11 I am no longer in the world,
but they are in the world,
and I am coming to You.(V)
Holy(W) Father,
protect[c] them by Your name(X)
that You have given Me,
so that they may be one(Y) as We are(Z) one.
12 While I was with them,
I was protecting them by Your name
that You have given Me.
I guarded(AA) them and not one of them is lost,
except the son of destruction,[d]
so that the Scripture(AB) may be fulfilled.(AC)
13 Now I am coming to You,
and I speak these things in the world
so that they may have My joy completed in them.
14 I have given them Your word.
The world hated(AD) them
because they are not of the world,(AE)
as I am not of the world.(AF)
15 I am not praying
that You take them out of the world
but that You protect them from the evil one.(AG)
16 They are not of the world,
as I am not of the world.(AH)
17 Sanctify[e](AI) them by the truth;(AJ)
Your word is truth.
18 As You sent Me into the world,(AK)
I also have sent them into the world.
19 I sanctify Myself for them,
so they also may be sanctified by the truth.
Jesus Prays for All Believers
20 I pray not only for these,
but also for those who believe in Me
through their message.
21 May they all be one,(AL)
as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You.(AM)
May they also be one[f] in Us,
so the world may believe You sent Me.
22 I have given them the glory(AN) You have given Me.
May they be one as We are one.
23 I am in them and You are in Me.(AO)
May they be made completely one,
so the world may know You have sent Me
and have loved(AP) them as You have loved Me.(AQ)
24 Father,
I desire those You have given Me
to be with Me where I am.(AR)
Then they will see My glory,
which You have given Me
because You loved Me before the world’s foundation.
25 Righteous Father!
The world has not known You.
However, I have known You,(AS)
and these have known that You sent Me.
26 I made Your name(AT) known to them
and will make it known,
so the love You have loved Me with
may be in them and I may be in them.(AU)
Footnotes
- John 17:2 Or people
- John 17:9 Lit ask (throughout this passage)
- John 17:11 Lit keep (throughout this passage)
- John 17:12 The one destined for destruction, loss, or perdition
- John 17:17 Set apart for special use
- John 17:21 Other mss omit one
John 17
The Message
Jesus’ Prayer for His Followers
17 1-5 Jesus said these things. Then, raising his eyes in prayer, he said:
Father, it’s time.
Display the bright splendor of your Son
So the Son in turn may show your bright splendor.
You put him in charge of everything human
So he might give real and eternal life to all in his care.
And this is the real and eternal life:
That they know you,
The one and only true God,
And Jesus Christ, whom you sent.
I glorified you on earth
By completing down to the last detail
What you assigned me to do.
And now, Father, glorify me with your very own splendor,
The very splendor I had in your presence
Before there was a world.
* * *
6-12 I spelled out your character in detail
To the men and women you gave me.
They were yours in the first place;
Then you gave them to me,
And they have now done what you said.
They know now, beyond the shadow of a doubt,
That everything you gave me is firsthand from you,
For the message you gave me, I gave them;
And they took it, and were convinced
That I came from you.
They believed that you sent me.
I pray for them.
I’m not praying for the God-rejecting world
But for those you gave me,
For they are yours by right.
Everything mine is yours, and yours mine,
And my life is on display in them.
For I’m no longer going to be visible in the world;
They’ll continue in the world
While I return to you.
Holy Father, guard them as they pursue this life
That you conferred as a gift through me,
So they can be one heart and mind
As we are one heart and mind.
As long as I was with them, I guarded them
In the pursuit of the life you gave through me;
I even posted a lookout.
And not one of them got away,
Except for the rebel bent on destruction
(the exception that proved the rule of Scripture).
* * *
13-19 Now I’m returning to you.
I’m saying these things in the world’s hearing
So my people can experience
My joy completed in them.
I gave them your word;
The godless world hated them because of it,
Because they didn’t join the world’s ways,
Just as I didn’t join the world’s ways.
I’m not asking that you take them out of the world
But that you guard them from the Evil One.
They are no more defined by the world
Than I am defined by the world.
Make them holy—consecrated—with the truth;
Your word is consecrating truth.
In the same way that you gave me a mission in the world,
I give them a mission in the world.
I’m consecrating myself for their sakes
So they’ll be truth-consecrated in their mission.
* * *
20-23 I’m praying not only for them
But also for those who will believe in me
Because of them and their witness about me.
The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind—
Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
So they might be one heart and mind with us.
Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.
The same glory you gave me, I gave them,
So they’ll be as unified and together as we are—
I in them and you in me.
Then they’ll be mature in this oneness,
And give the godless world evidence
That you’ve sent me and loved them
In the same way you’ve loved me.
* * *
24-26 Father, I want those you gave me
To be with me, right where I am,
So they can see my glory, the splendor you gave me,
Having loved me
Long before there ever was a world.
Righteous Father, the world has never known you,
But I have known you, and these disciples know
That you sent me on this mission.
I have made your very being known to them—
Who you are and what you do—
And continue to make it known,
So that your love for me
Might be in them
Exactly as I am in them.
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Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson