The Death of Lazarus

11 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany,^(A) the village of Mary and her sister Martha.^{(B) 2} (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.)^{(C) 3} So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love^(D) is sick.”

⁴ When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory^(E) so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” ⁵ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶ So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, ⁷ and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”^(F)

⁸ “But Rabbi,”^(G) they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you,^(H) and yet you are going back?”

⁹ Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light.^{(I) 10} It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”

¹¹ After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend^(J) Lazarus has fallen asleep;^(K) but I am going there to wake him up.”

¹² His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” ¹³ Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.^(L)

¹⁴ So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, ¹⁵ and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

¹⁶ Then Thomas^(M) (also known as Didymus^[a]) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Jesus Comforts the Sisters of Lazarus

¹⁷ On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.^{(N) 18} Now Bethany^(O) was less than two miles^[b] from Jerusalem, ¹⁹ and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.^{(P) 20} When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.^(Q)

²¹ “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.^{(R) 22} But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”^(S)

²³ Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

²⁴ Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection^(T) at the last day.”^(U)

²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am^(V) the resurrection and the life.^(W) The one who believes^(X) in me will live, even though they die; ²⁶ and whoever lives by believing^(Y) in me will never die.^(Z) Do you believe this?”

²⁷ “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah,^(AA) the Son of God,^(AB) who is to come into the world.”^(AC)

²⁸ After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher^(AD) is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” ²⁹ When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. ³⁰ Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him.^{(AE) 31} When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her,^(AF) noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

³² When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”^(AG)

³³ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved^(AH) in spirit and troubled.^{(AI) 34} “Where have you laid him?” he asked.

“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

³⁵ Jesus wept.^(AJ)

³⁶ Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”^(AK)

³⁷ But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man^(AL) have kept this man from dying?”^(AM)

Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead

³⁸ Jesus, once more deeply moved,^(AN) came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.^{(AO) 39} “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”^(AP)

⁴⁰ Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe,^(AQ) you will see the glory of God?”^(AR)

⁴¹ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up^(AS) and said, “Father,^(AT) I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴² I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here,^(AU) that they may believe that you sent me.”^(AV)

⁴³ When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”^{(AW) 44} The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen,^(AX) and a cloth around his face.^(AY)

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

⁴⁵ Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary,^(AZ) and had seen what Jesus did,^(BA) believed in him.^{(BB) 46} But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. ⁴⁷ Then the chief priests and the Pharisees^(BC) called a meeting^(BD) of the Sanhedrin.^(BE)

“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs.^{(BF) 48} If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”

⁴⁹ Then one of them, named Caiaphas,^(BG) who was high priest that year,^(BH) spoke up, “You know nothing at all! ⁵⁰ You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”^(BI)

⁵¹ He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, ⁵² and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.^{(BJ) 53} So from that day on they plotted to take his life.^(BK)

⁵⁴ Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea.^(BL) Instead he withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.

⁵⁵ When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover,^(BM) many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing^(BN) before the Passover. ⁵⁶ They kept looking for Jesus,^(BO) and as they stood in the temple courts they asked one another, “What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the festival at all?” ⁵⁷ But the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who found out where Jesus was should report it so that they might arrest him.

Jesus Prays to Be Glorified

17 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven^(A) and prayed:

Jesus Prays for His Disciples

Jesus Prays for All Believers

Paul’s Vision and His Thorn

12 I must go on boasting.^(A) Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations^(B) from the Lord. ² I know a man in Christ^(C) who fourteen years ago was caught up^(D) to the third heaven.^(E) Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows.^{(F) 3} And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— ⁴ was caught up^(G) to paradise^(H) and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. ⁵ I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses.^{(I) 6} Even if I should choose to boast,^(J) I would not be a fool,^(K) because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, ⁷ or because of these surpassingly great revelations.^(L) Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh,^(M) a messenger of Satan,^(N) to torment me. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.^{(O) 9} But he said to me, “My grace^(P) is sufficient for you, for my power^(Q) is made perfect in weakness.^(R)”^(S) Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight^(T) in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships,^(U) in persecutions,^(V) in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.^(W)

Paul’s Concern for the Corinthians

¹¹ I have made a fool of myself,^(X) but you drove me to it. I ought to have been commended by you, for I am not in the least inferior to the “super-apostles,”^[a](Y) even though I am nothing.^{(Z) 12} I persevered in demonstrating among you the marks of a true apostle, including signs, wonders and miracles.^{(AA) 13} How were you inferior to the other churches, except that I was never a burden to you?^(AB) Forgive me this wrong!^(AC)

¹⁴ Now I am ready to visit you for the third time,^(AD) and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions but you. After all, children should not have to save up for their parents,^(AE) but parents for their children.^{(AF) 15} So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well.^(AG) If I love you more,^(AH) will you love me less? ¹⁶ Be that as it may, I have not been a burden to you.^(AI) Yet, crafty fellow that I am, I caught you by trickery! ¹⁷ Did I exploit you through any of the men I sent to you? ¹⁸ I urged^(AJ) Titus^(AK) to go to you and I sent our brother^(AL) with him. Titus did not exploit you, did he? Did we not walk in the same footsteps by the same Spirit?

¹⁹ Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? We have been speaking in the sight of God^(AM) as those in Christ; and everything we do, dear friends,^(AN) is for your strengthening.^{(AO) 20} For I am afraid that when I come^(AP) I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be.^(AQ) I fear that there may be discord,^(AR) jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition,^(AS) slander,^(AT) gossip,^(AU) arrogance^(AV) and disorder.^{(AW) 21} I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved^(AX) over many who have sinned earlier^(AY) and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery^(AZ) in which they have indulged.