John 14
EasyEnglish Bible
Jesus is the way to the Father
14 Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Do not be sad or afraid. Believe in God, and also believe in me. 2 There are many rooms in my Father's house. I will go now so that I can prepare a place for you there. If it was not true, I would not have told you this. 3 After I have prepared a place for you, I will return. Then I will take you so that you will be with me. You will be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I will go.’
5 Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you will go. So how can we know the way to get there?’ 6 Jesus answered, ‘I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. Nobody comes to the Father except by me. 7 If you really know me, you will also know my Father. From now on, you do know him and you have seen him.’
8 Philip said, ‘Lord, show the Father to us. That is all that we need.’ 9 Jesus answered, ‘I have been with all of you for a long time. But still you do not seem to know me, Philip! Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. So why do you say, “Show the Father to us”? 10 I am in the Father and the Father is in me. You should believe that. The words that I say to you do not come from me myself. But the Father lives in me, and he is doing his work. 11 I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Believe me when I say that. You have seen the things that I have done. So, if you do not believe my words, believe because of my work. 12 I tell you this: Whoever believes in me will do the same things that I have been doing. Yes, he will do even greater things than these, because I will go to my Father. 13 Ask me to help you. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it for you. In that way, the Son will show everyone how great the Father is. 14 Yes, you should ask me for anything in my name.[a] I will do it for you.’
Jesus promises to send God's Spirit
15 Jesus then said, ‘If you love me, do what I have told you to do. 16 I will ask the Father to help you with this. He will send another Helper to be with you. That Helper will stay with you for ever. 17 He is God's Spirit and he shows you what is true. The people who belong to this world cannot receive him. That is because they cannot see him. They cannot know who he is. But you know him because he stays with you. And he will be in you. 18 I will not let you remain alone, like children without parents. I will come to you.
19 Soon, the people who belong to this world will not see me any more. But you will see me. Because I continue to live, you also will live. 20 On that day, you will know that I am in my Father. You will know that you are in me and I am in you. 21 Those people who obey my commands are the ones who really love me. They accept my words and they do what I say. My Father will love everyone who loves me. I also will love them and I will show myself to them.’
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, ‘Lord, why will you show yourself only to us? Why will you not show yourself also to the people who belong to this world?’
23 Jesus replied, ‘Everyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them. And my Father and I will come to them and we will make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my message. These words that you hear are not my own. No, they come from the Father, who sent me. 25 I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Father will send the Holy Spirit to be with you. He will be your Helper. He will come in my name, and he will teach you all things.[b] He will help you to remember everything that I have told you.
27 I will go away but I will give you a gift of peace. It is mine to give and yours to keep. It is not like a gift that this world gives. Do not let yourselves be sad. Do not be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, “I will go away, but I will return to you.” If you loved me, you would be happy because of that. You would be happy because I will go to the Father. And he is greater than I am. 29 I have told you this now, before it happens. So then, when it does happen, you will believe. 30 I will not talk with you much more, because the ruler of this world will come soon. He has no power over me. 31 But the people who belong to this world must learn about me. They must know that I love the Father. I do everything that he tells me to do. I must show that to them. Now get up, we must go from here.’
Footnotes
- 14:14 Jesus says that his disciples should ask for things ‘in his name’. This means ‘because they are his’. So they will ask only for things that God is happy to give to them.
- 14:26 ‘In my name’ here means that the Holy Spirit is like Jesus himself. He teaches us the things that Jesus wants us to learn.
John 14
Lexham English Bible
Jesus’ Farewell Discourse
14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe[a] in God; believe[b] also in me. 2 In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places; but if not, I would have told you, because[c] I am going away to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, so that where I am, you may be also. 4 And you know the way where I am going.”
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How are we able to know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known[d] my Father also. From now on[e] you know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Am I with you so long a time and you have not known me, Philip? The one who has seen me has seen the Father! How can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’ 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak from myself, but the Father residing in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if not, believe because of the works themselves. 12 Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in me, the works that I am doing he will do also, and he will do greater works[f] than these because I am going to the Father. 13 And whatever[g] you ask in my name, I will do this, in order that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.[h]
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, in order that he may be with you forever[i]— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world is not able to receive, because it does not see him or know him.[j] You know him, because he resides with you and will be in you.
18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you. 19 Yet a little time and the world will see me no longer, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 The one who has my commandments and keeps them—that one is the one who loves me. And the one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will reveal myself to him.”
22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, why[k] is it that you are going to reveal yourself to us and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and will take up residence with him.[l] 24 The one who does not love me does not keep my words, and the word that you hear is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me. 25 These things I have spoken to you while[m] residing with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name—that one will teach you all things, and will remind you of everything that I said to you.
27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you—not as the world gives, I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them[n] be afraid. 28 You have heard that I said to you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I am. 29 And now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe. 30 I will no longer speak much with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has no power[o] over[p] me. 31 But so that the world may know that I love the Father, and just as the Father has commanded me, thus I am doing. Get up, let us go from here!
Footnotes
- John 14:1 Or simply “Believe”; the verb form can be either indicative (e.g., KJV, NAB, NLT) or imperative (e.g., NIV, NRSV, ESV)
- John 14:1 Like the previous verb “believe” this form could also be either indicative or imperative, though most English versions regard it as imperative
- John 14:2 A large number of manuscripts, many of them later, lack “because”
- John 14:7 Some manuscripts have “If you have known me, you will know”
- John 14:7 Some manuscripts have “And from now on”
- John 14:12 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- John 14:13 Literally “anything which”
- John 14:14 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- John 14:16 Literally “for the age”
- John 14:17 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- John 14:22 Some manuscripts have “and why”
- John 14:23 Literally “will make abode with him”
- John 14:25 Here “while” is supplied as a component of the participle (“residing”) which is understood as temporal
- John 14:27 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- John 14:30 Literally “nothing”
- John 14:30 Literally “in”
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