John 15
Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Vine and the Branches
15 “I am(A) the true vine, and My Father is the vineyard keeper. 2 Every branch in Me that does not produce fruit He removes,(B) and He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. 3 You are already clean(C) because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.(D)
5 “I am the vine;(E) you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit,(F) because you can do nothing without Me. 6 If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown aside(G) like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire,(H) and they are burned.(I) 7 If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.(J) 8 My Father is glorified(K) by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be[a] My disciples.
Christlike Love
9 “As the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you. Remain in My love.(L) 10 If you keep My commands you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commands and remain in His love.(M)
11 “I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.(N) 12 This is My command: Love one another as I have loved(O) you. 13 No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life(P) for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you slaves anymore, because a slave doesn’t know what his master[b](Q) is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from My Father. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you.(R) I appointed you that you should go out and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask(S) the Father in My name,(T) He will give you.(U) 17 This is what I command you: Love one another.
Persecutions Predicted
18 “If the world hates(V) you, understand that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen(W) you out of it, the world hates you. 20 Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’(X) If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word,(Y) they will also keep yours. 21 But they will do all these things to you on account of My name,(Z) because they don’t know(AA) the One who sent Me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin.[c](AB) Now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 The one who hates Me also hates My Father.(AC) 24 If I had not done the works(AD) among them that no one else has done,(AE) they would not have sin.(AF) Now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father. 25 But this happened so that the statement written in their scripture might be fulfilled:(AG) They hated Me for no reason.(AH)[d]
Coming Testimony and Rejection
26 “When the Counselor(AI) comes, the One I will send to you from the Father(AJ)—the Spirit of truth(AK) who proceeds from the Father—He will testify about Me. 27 You also will testify,(AL) because you have been with Me from the beginning.
Footnotes
- John 15:8 Or and become
- John 15:15 Or lord
- John 15:22 To have sin is an idiom that refers to guilt caused by sin.
- John 15:25 Ps 69:4
John 15
1599 Geneva Bible
15 1 By the parable of the vine, 2 and the branches, 5, 6 he declareth how the disciples may bear fruit. 12, 17 He commendeth mutual love. 18 He exhorteth them to bear afflictions patiently, 20 by his own example.
1 I [a]am that true vine, and my Father is that husbandman.
2 (A)Every branch that beareth not fruit in me, he taketh away: and everyone that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3 (B)Now are ye clean through the word, which I have spoken unto you.
4 Abide in me, and I in you: as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am that vine: ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me can ye do nothing.
6 (C)If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and withereth: and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they burn.
7 (D)[b]If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask what ye will, and it shall be done to you.
8 [c]Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit, and be made my disciples.
9 [d]As the father hath loved me, so have I loved you: [e]continue in that my love.
10 If ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love, as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
12 (E)This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you.
13 Greater love than this hath no man, when any man bestoweth his life for his friends.
14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
15 [f]Henceforth call I you not servants: for the servant knoweth not what his master doeth: but I have called you friends: for all things that I have heard of my Father, have I made known to you.
16 [g]Ye [h]have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, (F)that ye go and bring forth fruits, and that your fruit remain, that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my Name, he may give it you.
17 These things command I you, that ye love one another.
18 [i]If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before you.
19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
20 Remember the word that I said unto you, (G)The servant is not greater than his master. (H)If they have persecuted me, they will persecute you also: if they have kept my word, they will also keep yours.
21 [j]But (I)all these things will they do unto you for my Name’s sake, because they have not known him that sent me.
22 [k]If I had not come and spoken unto them, they should not have had sin: but now have they no cloak for their sin.
23 He that hateth me, hateth my Father also.
24 If I had not done works among them which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen, and have hated both me, and my Father.
25 But it is that the word might be fulfilled, that is written in their [l]Law, (J)They hated me without a cause.
26 [m]But when that Comforter shall come, (K)whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth of the Father, he shall testify of me.
27 And ye shall witness also, because ye have been with me from the beginning.
Footnotes
- John 15:1 We are of nature dry and fit for nothing but the fire: Therefore that we may live and be fruitful, we must first be grafted into Christ, as it were into a vine by the Father’s hand: and then be daily shred with a continual meditation of the word and the cross; otherwise it shall not avail any man at all to have been grafted, unless he cleave fast unto the vine, and so draw juice out of it.
- John 15:7 He abideth in Christ, which resteth in his doctrine, and therefore bringeth forth good fruit: And the Father will deny such an one nothing.
- John 15:8 As who would say, Herein shall my Father be glorified, and herein also shall you be my disciples, if you bring forth much fruit.
- John 15:9 The love of the Father towards the Son, and of the Son towards us, and ours towards God and our neighbor, are joined together with an inseparable knot: and there is nothing more sweet and pleasant than it is. Now this love showeth itself by its effects: a most perfect example whereof, Christ himself exhibited unto us.
- John 15:9 That is, in that love, wherewith I love you: which love is on both parts.
- John 15:15 The doctrine of the Gospel (as it is uttered by Christ’s own mouth) is a most perfect and absolute declaration of the counsel of God, which pertaineth to our salvation, and is committed unto the Apostles.
- John 15:16 Christ is the author and preserver of the ministry of the Gospel, even to the world’s end, but the ministers have above all things need of prayer and brotherly love.
- John 15:16 This place teacheth us plainly, that our salvation cometh from the only favor and gracious goodness of the everlasting God towards us, and of nothing that we do or can deserve.
- John 15:18 It ought not only not to fear, but rather confirm the faithful ministers of Christ, when they shall be hated of the world as their Master was.
- John 15:21 The hatred that the world beareth against Christ, proceedeth of the blockishness of the mind, which notwithstanding is voluntary blind, so that the world can pretend no excuse to cover their fault.
- John 15:22 As who would say, If I had not come, these men would not have stuck to have said still before God’s judgment seat, that they are religious, and void of sin: but seeing I came to them, and they clean refuse me, they can have no cloak for their wickedness.
- John 15:25 Sometime by this word, Law, are meant the five books of Moses, but in this place, the whole Scripture: for the place alleged is in the Psalms.
- John 15:26 Against the rage of the wicked, we shall stand surely by the inward testimony of the holy Ghost: But the holy Ghost speaketh no otherwise, than he spake by the mouth of the Apostles.
John 15
Complete Jewish Bible
15 “I am the real vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 Every branch which is part of me but fails to bear fruit, he cuts off; and every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes, so that it may bear more fruit. 3 Right now, because of the word which I have spoken to you, you are pruned. 4 Stay united with me, as I will with you — for just as the branch can’t put forth fruit by itself apart from the vine, so you can’t bear fruit apart from me.
5 “I am the vine and you are the branches. Those who stay united with me, and I with them, are the ones who bear much fruit; because apart from me you can’t do a thing. 6 Unless a person remains united with me, he is thrown away like a branch and dries up. Such branches are gathered and thrown into the fire, where they are burned up.
7 “If you remain united with me, and my words with you, then ask whatever you want, and it will happen for you. 8 This is how my Father is glorified — in your bearing much fruit; this is how you will prove to be my talmidim.
9 “Just as my Father has loved me, I too have loved you; so stay in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will stay in my love — just as I have kept my Father’s commands and stay in his love. 11 I have said this to you so that my joy may be in you, and your joy be complete.
12 “This is my command: that you keep on loving each other just as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than a person who lays down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends, if you do what I command you. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a slave doesn’t know what his master is about; but I have called you friends, because everything I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, I chose you; and I have commissioned you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last; so that whatever you ask from the Father in my name he may give you. 17 This is what I command you: keep loving each other!
18 “If the world hates you, understand that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, the world would have loved its own. But because you do not belong to the world — on the contrary, I have picked you out of the world — therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too; if they kept my word, they will keep yours too. 21 But they will do all this to you on my account, because they don’t know the One who sent me.
22 “If I had not come and spoken to them, they wouldn’t be guilty of sin; but now, they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done in their presence works which no one else ever did, they would not be guilty of sin; but now, they have seen them and have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this has happened in order to fulfill the words in their Torah which read, ‘They hated me for no reason at all.’[a]
26 “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send you from the Father — the Spirit of Truth, who keeps going out from the Father — he will testify on my behalf. 27 And you testify too, because you have been with me from the outset.
Footnotes
- John 15:25 Psalms 35:19; 69:5(4)
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.