³³ They answered him, ^(A)“We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

⁹ And do not presume to say to yourselves, ^(A)‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from ^(B)these stones to raise up children for Abraham.

You Are of Your Father the Devil

³⁹ They answered him, ^(A)“Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, ^(B)“If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did,

³⁷ I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet ^(A)you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you.

⁴ And there were those who said, “We have borrowed money for ^(A)the king's tax on our fields and our vineyards. ⁵ Now ^(B)our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children are as their children. Yet ^(C)we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but it is not in our power to help it, for other men have our fields and our vineyards.”

⁶ I was very angry when I heard ^(D)their outcry and these words. ⁷ I took counsel with myself, and I brought charges against the nobles and the officials. I said to them, ^(E)“You are exacting interest, each from his brother.” And I held a great assembly against them ⁸ and said to them, “We, as far as we are able, ^(F)have bought back our Jewish brothers who have been sold to the nations, but you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us!” They were silent and could not find a word to say.