John 15:16-16:24

English Standard Version

¹⁶You did not choose me, but ^(A)I chose you and appointed you that you should go and ^(B)bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that ^(C)whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. ¹⁷These things I command you, ^(D)so that you will love one another.

The Hatred of the World

¹⁸^(E)“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. ¹⁹^(F)If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because ^(G)you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. ²⁰Remember the word that I said to you: ^(H)‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, ^(I)they will also persecute you. ^(J)If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. ²¹But ^(K)all these things they will do to you ^(L)on account of my name, ^(M)because they do not know him who sent me. ²²If I had not come and spoken to them, ^(N)they would not have been guilty of sin,^[a] but now they have no excuse for their sin. ²³^(O)Whoever hates me hates my Father also. ²⁴^(P)If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, ^(Q)they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have ^(R)seen and hated both me and my Father. ²⁵But ^(S)the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ^(T)‘They hated me without a cause.’

²⁶“But ^(U)when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, ^(V)he will bear witness about me. ²⁷And ^(W)you also will bear witness, ^(X)because you have been with me ^(Y)from the beginning.

16 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. ²^(Z)They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, ^(AA)the hour is coming when ^(AB)whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. ³And they will do these things ^(AC)because they have not known the Father, nor me. ⁴But ^(AD)I have said these things to you, that when ^(AE)their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.

The Work of the Holy Spirit

“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, ^(AF)because I was with you. ⁵But now ^(AG)I am going to him who sent me, and ^(AH)none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ ⁶But because I have said these things to you, ^(AI)sorrow has filled your heart. ⁷Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for ^(AJ)if I do not go away, ^(AK)the Helper will not come to you. But ^(AL)if ^(AM)I go, ^(AN)I will send him to you. ⁸^(AO)And when he comes, he will ^(AP)convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: ⁹concerning sin, ^(AQ)because they do not believe in me; ¹⁰^(AR)concerning righteousness, ^(AS)because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; ¹¹^(AT)concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world ^(AU)is judged.

¹²“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³When ^(AV)the Spirit of truth comes, ^(AW)he will ^(AX)guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but ^(AY)whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. ¹⁴He will ^(AZ)glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵^(BA)All that the Father has is mine; ^(BB)therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

Your Sorrow Will Turn into Joy

¹⁶^(BC)“A little while, and you will see me no longer; and ^(BD)again a little while, and you will see me.” ¹⁷So ^(BE)some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ^(BF)‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ^(BG)‘because I am going to the Father’?” ¹⁸So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? ^(BH)We do not know what he is talking about.” ¹⁹^(BI)Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? ²⁰Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(BJ)you will weep and lament, but ^(BK)the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but ^(BL)your sorrow will turn into joy. ²¹^(BM)When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. ²²^(BN)So also you have sorrow now, but ^(BO)I will see you again, and ^(BP)your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. ²³^(BQ)In that day you will ^(BR)ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(BS)whatever you ask of the Father in my name, ^(BT)he will give it to you. ²⁴Until now you have asked nothing in my name. ^(BU)Ask, and you will receive, ^(BV)that your joy may be full.