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John 8:12-59
New American Standard Bible 1995
John 8:12-59
New American Standard Bible 1995
Jesus Is the Light of the World
12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “(A)I am the Light of the world; (B)he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to Him, “(C)You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not [a]true.” 14 Jesus answered and said to them, “(D)Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is [b]true, for I know (E)where I came from and where I am going; but (F)you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15 (G)You judge [c]according to the flesh; (H)I am not judging anyone. 16 But even (I)if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me. 17 Even in (J)your law it has been written that the testimony of (K)two men is [d]true. 18 I am He who testifies about Myself, and (L)the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.” 19 So they were saying to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father; (M)if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.” 20 These words He spoke in (N)the treasury, as (O)He taught in the temple; and no one seized Him, because (P)His hour had not yet come.
21 Then He said again to them, “I go away, and (Q)you will seek Me, and (R)will die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come.” 22 So (S)the Jews were saying, “Surely He will not kill Himself, will He, since He says, ‘(T)Where I am going, you cannot come’?” 23 And He was saying to them, “(U)You are from below, I am from above; (V)you are of this world, (W)I am not of this world. 24 Therefore I said to you that you (X)will die in your sins; for unless you believe that [e](Y)I am He, (Z)you will die in your sins.” 25 So they were saying to Him, “Who are You?” Jesus said to them, “[f]What have I been saying to you from the beginning? 26 I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you, but (AA)He who sent Me is true; and (AB)the things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world.” 27 They did not realize that He had been speaking to them about the Father. 28 So Jesus said, “When you (AC)lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that [g](AD)I am He, and (AE)I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. 29 And He who sent Me is with Me; (AF)He [h]has not left Me alone, for (AG)I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” 30 As He spoke these things, (AH)many came to believe in Him.
The Truth Will Make You Free
31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “(AI)If you continue in My word, then you are truly (AJ)disciples of Mine; 32 and (AK)you will know the truth, and (AL)the truth will make you free.” 33 They answered Him, “(AM)We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, (AN)everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. 35 (AO)The slave does not remain in the house forever; (AP)the son does remain forever. 36 So if the Son (AQ)makes you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are (AR)Abraham’s descendants; yet (AS)you seek to kill Me, because My word [i]has no place in you. 38 I speak the things which I have seen [j]with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from (AT)your father.”
39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is (AU)our father.” Jesus *said to them, “(AV)If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. 40 But as it is, (AW)you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has (AX)told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. 41 You are doing the deeds of (AY)your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; (AZ)we have one Father: God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, (BA)you would love Me, (BB)for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have (BC)not even come on My own initiative, but [k](BD)He sent Me. 43 Why do you not understand [l](BE)what I am saying? It is because you cannot (BF)hear My word. 44 (BG)You are of (BH)your father the devil, and (BI)you want to do the desires of your father. (BJ)He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because (BK)there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks [m]a lie, he (BL)speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of [n]lies. 45 But because (BM)I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If (BN)I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 (BO)He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”
48 (BP)The Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a (BQ)Samaritan and (BR)have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not (BS)have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. 50 But (BT)I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges. 51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone (BU)keeps My word he will never (BV)see death.” 52 (BW)The Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You (BX)have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, ‘If anyone (BY)keeps My word, he will never (BZ)taste of death.’ 53 Surely You (CA)are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “(CB)If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; (CC)it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’; 55 and (CD)you have not come to know Him, (CE)but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be (CF)a liar like you, (CG)but I do know Him and (CH)keep His word. 56 (CI)Your father Abraham (CJ)rejoiced [o]to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” 57 (CK)So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham [p]was born, (CL)I am.” 59 Therefore they (CM)picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus [q](CN)hid Himself and went out of the temple.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- John 8:13 Or valid
- John 8:14 Or valid
- John 8:15 I.e. by a carnal standard
- John 8:17 I.e. valid or admissible
- John 8:24 Most authorities associate this with Ex 3:14, I AM WHO I AM
- John 8:25 Or That which I have been saying to you from the beginning
- John 8:28 Lit I AM (v 24 note)
- John 8:29 Or did not leave
- John 8:37 Or makes no progress
- John 8:38 Or in the presence of
- John 8:42 Lit that One
- John 8:43 Or My way of speaking
- John 8:44 Lit the lie
- John 8:44 Lit it
- John 8:56 Lit in order that he might see
- John 8:58 Lit came into being
- John 8:59 Lit was hidden
John 8:12-59
New International Version
John 8:12-59
New International Version
Dispute Over Jesus’ Testimony
12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am(A) the light of the world.(B) Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”(C)
13 The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.”(D)
14 Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going.(E) But you have no idea where I come from(F) or where I am going. 15 You judge by human standards;(G) I pass judgment on no one.(H) 16 But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me.(I) 17 In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true.(J) 18 I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.”(K)
19 Then they asked him, “Where is your father?”
“You do not know me or my Father,”(L) Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”(M) 20 He spoke these words while teaching(N) in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put.(O) Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.(P)
Dispute Over Who Jesus Is
21 Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die(Q) in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”(R)
22 This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”
23 But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.(S) 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he,(T) you will indeed die in your sins.”
25 “Who are you?” they asked.
“Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. 26 “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy,(U) and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”(V)
27 They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. 28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up[a] the Son of Man,(W) then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.(X) 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone,(Y) for I always do what pleases him.”(Z) 30 Even as he spoke, many believed in him.(AA)
Dispute Over Whose Children Jesus’ Opponents Are
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching,(AB) you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”(AC)
33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants(AD) and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”
34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.(AE) 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.(AF) 36 So if the Son sets you free,(AG) you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me,(AH) because you have no room for my word. 38 I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence,(AI) and you are doing what you have heard from your father.[b]”(AJ)
39 “Abraham is our father,” they answered.
“If you were Abraham’s children,”(AK) said Jesus, “then you would[c] do what Abraham did. 40 As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me,(AL) a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God.(AM) Abraham did not do such things. 41 You are doing the works of your own father.”(AN)
“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”(AO)
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me,(AP) for I have come here from God.(AQ) I have not come on my own;(AR) God sent me.(AS) 43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil,(AT) and you want to carry out your father’s desires.(AU) He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.(AV) 45 Yet because I tell the truth,(AW) you do not believe me! 46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 Whoever belongs to God hears what God says.(AX) The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
Jesus’ Claims About Himself
48 The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan(AY) and demon-possessed?”(AZ)
49 “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. 50 I am not seeking glory for myself;(BA) but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”(BB)
52 At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed!(BC) Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham?(BD) He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”
54 Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself,(BE) my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.(BF) 55 Though you do not know him,(BG) I know him.(BH) If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word.(BI) 56 Your father Abraham(BJ) rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it(BK) and was glad.”
57 “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”
58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born,(BL) I am!”(BM) 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him,(BN) but Jesus hid himself,(BO) slipping away from the temple grounds.
New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995) 
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