John 7
Good News Translation
Jesus and His Brothers
7 After this, Jesus traveled in Galilee; he did not want to travel in Judea, because the Jewish authorities there were wanting to kill him. 2 (A)The time for the Festival of Shelters was near, 3 so Jesus' brothers said to him, “Leave this place and go to Judea, so that your followers will see the things that you are doing. 4 People don't hide what they are doing if they want to be well known. Since you are doing these things, let the whole world know about you!” (5 Not even his brothers believed in him.)
6 Jesus said to them, “The right time for me has not yet come. Any time is right for you. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me, because I keep telling it that its ways are bad. 8 You go on to the festival. I am not going[a] to this festival, because the right time has not come for me.” 9 He said this and then stayed on in Galilee.
Jesus at the Festival of Shelters
10 After his brothers had gone to the festival, Jesus also went; however, he did not go openly, but secretly. 11 The Jewish authorities were looking for him at the festival. “Where is he?” they asked.
12 There was much whispering about him in the crowd. “He is a good man,” some people said. “No,” others said, “he fools the people.” 13 But no one talked about him openly, because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities.
14 The festival was nearly half over when Jesus went to the Temple and began teaching. 15 The Jewish authorities were greatly surprised and said, “How does this man know so much when he has never been to school?”
16 Jesus answered, “What I teach is not my own teaching, but it comes from God, who sent me. 17 Whoever is willing to do what God wants will know whether what I teach comes from God or whether I speak on my own authority. 18 Those who speak on their own authority are trying to gain glory for themselves. But he who wants glory for the one who sent him is honest, and there is nothing false in him. 19 Moses gave you the Law, didn't he? But not one of you obeys the Law. Why are you trying to kill me?”
20 “You have a demon in you!” the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?”
21 Jesus answered, “I performed one miracle, and you were all surprised. 22 (B)Moses ordered you to circumcise your sons (although it was not Moses but your ancestors who started it), and so you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. 23 (C)If a boy is circumcised on the Sabbath so that Moses' Law is not broken, why are you angry with me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? 24 Stop judging by external standards, and judge by true standards.”
Is He the Messiah?
25 Some of the people of Jerusalem said, “Isn't this the man the authorities are trying to kill? 26 Look! He is talking in public, and they say nothing against him! Can it be that they really know that he is the Messiah? 27 But when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from. And we all know where this man comes from.”
28 As Jesus taught in the Temple, he said in a loud voice, “Do you really know me and know where I am from? I have not come on my own authority. He who sent me, however, is truthful. You do not know him, 29 but I know him, because I come from him and he sent me.”
30 Then they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31 But many in the crowd believed in him and said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more miracles than this man has?”
Guards Are Sent to Arrest Jesus
32 The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things about Jesus, so they and the chief priests sent some guards to arrest him. 33 Jesus said, “I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I shall go away to him who sent me. 34 You will look for me, but you will not find me, because you cannot go where I will be.”
35 The Jewish authorities said among themselves, “Where is he about to go so that we shall not find him? Will he go to the Greek cities where our people live, and teach the Greeks? 36 He says that we will look for him but will not find him, and that we cannot go where he will be. What does he mean?”
Streams of Life-Giving Water
37 (D)On the last and most important day of the festival Jesus stood up and said in a loud voice, “Whoever is thirsty should come to me, and 38 (E)whoever believes in me should drink. As the scripture says, ‘Streams of life-giving water will pour out from his side.’”[b] 39 Jesus said this about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were going to receive. At that time the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not been raised to glory.
Division among the People
40 Some of the people in the crowd heard him say this and said, “This man is really the Prophet!”[c]
41 Others said, “He is the Messiah!”
But others said, “The Messiah will not come from Galilee! 42 (F)The scripture says that the Messiah will be a descendant of King David and will be born in Bethlehem, the town where David lived.” 43 So there was a division in the crowd because of Jesus. 44 Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.
The Unbelief of the Jewish Authorities
45 When the guards went back, the chief priests and Pharisees asked them, “Why did you not bring him?”
46 The guards answered, “Nobody has ever talked the way this man does!”
47 “Did he fool you, too?” the Pharisees asked them. 48 “Have you ever known one of the authorities or one Pharisee to believe in him? 49 This crowd does not know the Law of Moses, so they are under God's curse!”
50 (G)One of the Pharisees there was Nicodemus, the man who had gone to see Jesus before. He said to the others, 51 “According to our Law we cannot condemn people before hearing them and finding out what they have done.”
52 “Well,” they answered, “are you also from Galilee? Study the Scriptures and you will learn that no prophet ever comes 53 [d] from Galilee.”
Footnotes
- John 7:8 I am not going; some manuscripts have I am not yet going.
- John 7:38 Jesus' words in verses 37-38 may be translated: “Whoever is thirsty should come to me and drink. 38 As the scripture says, ‘Streams of life-giving water will pour out from within anyone who believes in me.’”
- John 7:40 See 1.21.
- John 7:53 no prophet ever comes; one manuscript has the Prophet will not come.
John 7
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Unbelief of Jesus’s Brothers
7 After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He did not wish to go about in Judea because the Jews were looking for an opportunity to kill him.(A) 2 Now the Jewish Festival of Booths[a] was near.(B) 3 So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples also may see the works you are doing,(C) 4 for no one who wants[b] to be widely known acts in secret. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 (For not even his brothers believed in him.)(D) 6 Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.(E) 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify against it that its works are evil.(F) 8 Go to the festival yourselves. I am not[c] going to this festival, for my time has not yet fully come.” 9 After saying this, he remained in Galilee.
Jesus at the Festival of Booths
10 But after his brothers had gone to the festival, then he also went, not publicly but, as it were,[d] in secret. 11 The Jews were looking for him at the festival and saying, “Where is he?” 12 And there was considerable complaining about him among the crowds. While some were saying, “He is a good man,” others were saying, “No, he is deceiving the crowd.”(G) 13 Yet no one would speak openly about him for fear of the Jews.(H)
14 About the middle of the festival Jesus went up into the temple and began to teach. 15 The Jews were astonished at it, saying, “How does this man have such learning, when he has never been taught?”(I) 16 Then Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine but his who sent me.(J) 17 Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own.(K) 18 Those who speak on their own seek their own glory, but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and there is nothing unjust in him.(L)
19 “Did not Moses give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why are you looking for an opportunity to kill me?”(M) 20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is trying to kill you?”(N) 21 Jesus answered them, “I performed one work, and all of you are astonished. 22 Because of this Moses gave you circumcision (it is, of course, not from Moses but from the patriarchs), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.(O) 23 If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath in order that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because I healed a man’s whole body on the Sabbath?(P) 24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”(Q)
Is This the Christ?
25 Now some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is not this the man whom they are trying to kill? 26 And here he is, speaking openly, but they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Messiah?[e] 27 Yet we know where this man is from, but when the Messiah[f] comes no one will know where he is from.”(R) 28 Then Jesus cried out as he was teaching in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I am from. I have not come on my own. But the one who sent me is true, and you do not know him.(S) 29 I know him because I am from him, and he sent me.”(T) 30 Then they tried to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him because his hour had not yet come.(U) 31 Yet many in the crowd believed in him and were saying, “When the Messiah[g] comes, will he do more signs than this man has done?”[h](V)
Officers Are Sent to Arrest Jesus
32 The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering such things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent temple police to arrest him. 33 Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little while longer, and then I am going to him who sent me.(W) 34 You will search for me, but you will not find me, and where I am, you cannot come.”(X) 35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?(Y) 36 What does he mean by saying, ‘You will search for me, but you will not find me’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”
Rivers of Living Water
37 On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me,(Z) 38 and let the one who believes in me drink. As[i] the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart[j] shall flow rivers of living water.’ ”(AA) 39 Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive, for as yet there was no Spirit[k] because Jesus was not yet glorified.(AB)
Division among the People
40 When they heard these words, some in the crowd said, “This is really the prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is the Messiah.”[l] But some asked, “Surely the Messiah[m] does not come from Galilee, does he?(AC) 42 Has not the scripture said that the Messiah[n] is descended from David and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?”(AD) 43 So there was a division in the crowd because of him. 44 Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.
The Unbelief of Those in Authority
45 Then the temple police went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why did you not arrest him?” 46 The police answered, “Never has anyone spoken like this!” 47 Then the Pharisees replied, “Surely you have not been deceived, too, have you? 48 Has any one of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him?(AE) 49 But this crowd, which does not know the law, they are accursed.” 50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus[o] before and who was one of them, asked, 51 “Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?”(AF) 52 They replied, “Surely you are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee.”
The Woman Caught in Adultery
[[53 Then each of them went home,
Footnotes
- 7.2 Or Tabernacles
- 7.4 Other ancient authorities read wants it
- 7.8 Other ancient authorities add yet
- 7.10 Other ancient authorities lack as it were
- 7.26 Or the Christ
- 7.27 Or the Christ
- 7.31 Or the Christ
- 7.31 Other ancient authorities read is doing
- 7.38 Or come to me and drink.
The one who believes in me, as - 7.38 Gk out of his belly
- 7.39 Other ancient authorities read for as yet the Spirit (others, Holy Spirit) had not been given
- 7.41 Or the Christ
- 7.41 Or the Christ
- 7.42 Or the Christ
- 7.50 Gk him
John 7
Complete Jewish Bible
7 After this, Yeshua traveled around in the Galil, intentionally avoiding Y’hudah because the Judeans were out to kill him. 2 But the festival of Sukkot in Y’hudah was near; 3 so his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go into Y’hudah, so that your talmidim can see the miracles you do; 4 for no one who wants to become known acts in secret. If you’re doing these things, show yourself to the world!” 5 (His brothers spoke this way because they had not put their trust in him.) 6 Yeshua said to them, “My time has not yet come; but for you, any time is right. 7 The world can’t hate you, but it does hate me, because I keep telling it how wicked its ways are. 8 You, go on up to the festival; as for me, I am not going up to this festival now, because the right time for me has not yet come.” 9 Having said this, he stayed on in the Galil.
10 But after his brothers had gone up to the festival, he too went up, not publicly but in secret. 11 At the festival, the Judeans were looking for him. “Where is he?” they asked. 12 And among the crowds there was much whispering about him. Some said, “He’s a good man”; but others said, “No, he is deceiving the masses.” 13 However, no one spoke about him openly, for fear of the Judeans.
14 Not until the festival was half over did Yeshua go up to the Temple courts and begin to teach. 15 The Judeans were surprised: “How does this man know so much without having studied?” they asked. 16 So Yeshua gave them an answer: “My teaching is not my own, it comes from the One who sent me. 17 If anyone wants to do his will, he will know whether my teaching is from God or I speak on my own. 18 A person who speaks on his own is trying to win praise for himself; but a person who tries to win praise for the one who sent him is honest, there is nothing false about him. 19 Didn’t Moshe give you the Torah? Yet not one of you obeys the Torah! Why are you out to kill me?” 20 “You have a demon!” the crowd answered. “Who’s out to kill you?” 21 Yeshua answered them, “I did one thing; and because of this, all of you are amazed. 22 Moshe gave you b’rit-milah — not that it came from Moshe but from the Patriarchs — and you do a boy’s b’rit-milah on Shabbat. 23 If a boy is circumcised on Shabbat so that the Torah of Moshe will not be broken, why are you angry with me because I made a man’s whole body well on Shabbat? 24 Stop judging by surface appearances, and judge the right way!”
25 Some of the Yerushalayim people said, “Isn’t this the man they’re out to kill? 26 Yet here he is, speaking openly; and they don’t say anything to him. It couldn’t be, could it, that the authorities have actually concluded he’s the Messiah? 27 Surely not — we know where this man comes from; but when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he comes from.” 28 Whereupon Yeshua, continuing to teach in the Temple courts, cried out, “Indeed you do know me! And you know where I’m from! And I have not come on my own! The One who sent me is real. But him you don’t know! 29 I do know him, because I am with him, and he sent me!”
30 At this, they tried to arrest him; but no one laid a hand on him; because his time had not yet come. 31 However, many in the crowd put their trust in him and said, “When the Messiah comes, will he do more miracles than this man has done?”
32 The P’rushim heard the crowd whispering these things about Yeshua; so the head cohanim and the P’rushim sent some of the Temple guards to arrest him. 33 Yeshua said, “I will be with you only a little while longer; then I will go away to the One who sent me. 34 You will look for me and not find me; indeed, where I am, you cannot come.” 35 The Judeans said to themselves, “Where is this man about to go, that we won’t find him? Does he intend to go to the Greek Diaspora and teach the Greek-speaking Jews? 36 And when he says, ‘You will look for me and not find me; indeed, where I am, you cannot come’ — what does he mean?”
37 Now on the last day of the festival, Hoshana Rabbah, Yeshua stood and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him keep coming to me and drinking! 38 Whoever puts his trust in me, as the Scripture says, rivers of living water will flow from his inmost being!” 39 (Now he said this about the Spirit, whom those who trusted in him were to receive later — the Spirit had not yet been given, because Yeshua had not yet been glorified.)
40 On hearing his words, some people in the crowd said, “Surely this man is ‘the prophet’”; 41 others said, “This is the Messiah.” But others said, “How can the Messiah come from the Galil? 42 Doesn’t the Tanakh say that the Messiah is from the seed of David[a] and comes from Beit-Lechem,[b] the village where David lived?” 43 So the people were divided because of him. 44 Some wanted to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him.
45 The guards came back to the head cohanim and the P’rushim, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?” 46 The guards replied, “No one ever spoke the way this man speaks!” 47 “You mean you’ve been taken in as well?” the P’rushim retorted. 48 “Has any of the authorities trusted him? Or any of the P’rushim? No! 49 True, these ‘am-ha’aretz do, but they know nothing about the Torah, they are under a curse!”
50 Nakdimon, the man who had gone to Yeshua before and was one of them, said to them, 51 “Our Torah doesn’t condemn a man — does it? — until after hearing from him and finding out what he’s doing.” 52 They replied, “You aren’t from the Galil too, are you? Study the Tanakh, and see for yourself that no prophet comes from the Galil!” [c] 53 Then they all left, each one to his own home.
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.