John 15
New King James Version
The True Vine
15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 (A)Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He [a]takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear (B)more fruit. 3 (C)You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 (D)Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much (E)fruit; for without Me you can do (F)nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, (G)he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words (H)abide in you, (I)you[b] will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 (J)By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; (K)so you will be My disciples.
Love and Joy Perfected
9 “As the Father (L)loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 (M)If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and (N)that your joy may be full. 12 (O)This is My (P)commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 (Q)Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 (R)You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, (S)for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 (T)You did not choose Me, but I chose you and (U)appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father (V)in My name He may give you. 17 These things I command you, that you love one another.
The World’s Hatred
18 (W)“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 (X)If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet (Y)because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, (Z)‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. (AA)If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 But (AB)all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. 22 (AC)If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, (AD)but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 (AE)He who hates Me hates My Father also. 24 If I had not done among them (AF)the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have (AG)seen and also hated both Me and My Father. 25 But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, (AH)‘They hated Me without a cause.’
The Coming Rejection
26 (AI)“But when the [c]Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, (AJ)He will testify of Me. 27 And (AK)you also will bear witness, because (AL)you have been with Me from the beginning.
Footnotes
- John 15:2 Or lifts up
- John 15:7 NU omits you will
- John 15:26 Comforter, Gr. Parakletos
John 15
English Standard Version
I Am the True Vine
15 “I am the (A)true vine, and my Father is (B)the vinedresser. 2 (C)Every branch in me that does not bear fruit (D)he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, (E)that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already (F)you are clean (G)because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 (H)Abide (I)in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; (J)you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that (K)bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me, (L)he is thrown away like a branch and withers; (M)and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If (N)you abide in me, and my words abide in you, (O)ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 (P)By this my Father is glorified, that you (Q)bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 (R)As the Father has loved me, (S)so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 (T)If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as (U)I have kept (V)my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, (W)that my joy may be in you, and that (X)your joy may be full.
12 (Y)“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 (Z)Greater love has no one than this, (AA)that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are (AB)my friends (AC)if you do what I command you. 15 (AD)No longer do I call you servants,[a] for the servant (AE)does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for (AF)all that I have heard from my Father (AG)I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but (AH)I chose you and appointed you that you should go and (AI)bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that (AJ)whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, (AK)so that you will love one another.
The Hatred of the World
18 (AL)“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 (AM)If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because (AN)you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: (AO)‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, (AP)they will also persecute you. (AQ)If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But (AR)all these things they will do to you (AS)on account of my name, (AT)because they do not know him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, (AU)they would not have been guilty of sin,[b] but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 (AV)Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 (AW)If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, (AX)they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have (AY)seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But (AZ)the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: (BA)‘They hated me without a cause.’
26 “But (BB)when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, (BC)he will bear witness about me. 27 And (BD)you also will bear witness, (BE)because you have been with me (BF)from the beginning.
Footnotes
- John 15:15 Or bondservants, or slaves (for the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface); likewise for servant later in this verse and in verse 20
- John 15:22 Greek they would not have sin; also verse 24
John 15
New American Standard Bible
Jesus Is the Vine—Followers Are Branches
15 “(A)I am the true vine, and My Father is the (B)vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He [a]prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3 (C)You are already [b]clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 (D)Remain in Me, [c]and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit [d]of itself [e]but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him [f](E)bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in Me, he is (F)thrown away like a branch and dries up; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, (G)ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 My (H)Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so [g](I)prove to be My disciples. 9 Just as (J)the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you; remain in My love. 10 (K)If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love; just as (L)I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. 11 (M)These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your (N)joy may be made full.
Disciples’ Relation to Each Other
12 “This is (O)My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 (P)Greater love has no one than this, that a person will (Q)lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My (R)friends if (S)you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because (T)all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 (U)You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and (V)bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that (W)whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. 17 This (X)I command you, that you love one another.
Disciples’ Relation to the World
18 “(Y)If the world hates you, [h]you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but (Z)I chose you out of the world, (AA)because of this the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘(AB)A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, (AC)they will persecute you as well; if they (AD)followed My word, they will follow yours also. 21 But all these things they will do to you (AE)on account of My name, (AF)because they do not know the One who sent Me. 22 (AG)If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have [i]sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 The one who hates Me hates My Father also. 24 (AH)If I had not done among them (AI)the works which no one else did, they would not have [j]sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. 25 But this has happened so that the word that is written in their (AJ)Law will be fulfilled: ‘(AK)They hated Me for no reason.’
26 “When the [k](AL)Helper comes, (AM)whom I will send to you from the Father, namely, (AN)the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, (AO)He will testify about Me, 27 and [l](AP)you are testifying as well, because you have been with Me (AQ)from the beginning.
Footnotes
- John 15:2 Lit cleans; used to describe pruning
- John 15:3 I.e., pruned like a branch
- John 15:4 Or I also remain in you
- John 15:4 Lit from
- John 15:4 Lit if it does not remain
- John 15:5 Lit this one bears
- John 15:8 Or become My disciples
- John 15:18 Or (command) know that
- John 15:22 I.e., guilt
- John 15:24 I.e., responsibility for their sin
- John 15:26 Or Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor
- John 15:27 Or (command) testify, you as well
John 15
International Children’s Bible
Jesus Is Like a Vine
15 “I am the true vine; my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that does not produce fruit. And he trims and cleans every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce even more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the words I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can produce fruit alone. It must remain in the vine. It is the same with you. You cannot produce fruit alone. You must remain in me.
5 “I am the vine, and you are the branches. If a person remains in me and I remain in him, then he produces much fruit. But without me he can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, then he is like a branch that is thrown away. That branch dies. People pick up dead branches, throw them into the fire, and burn them. 7 Remain in me and follow my teachings. If you do this, then you can ask for anything you want, and it will be given to you. 8 You should produce much fruit and show that you are my followers. This brings glory to my Father. 9 I loved you as the Father loved me. Now remain in my love. 10 I have obeyed my Father’s commands, and I remain in his love. In the same way, if you obey my commands, you will remain in my love. 11 I have told you these things so that you can have the same joy I have. I want your joy to be the fullest joy.
12 “This is my command: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 The greatest love a person can show is to die for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I don’t call you servants now. A servant does not know what his master is doing. But now I call you friends because I have made known to you everything I heard from my Father. 16 You did not choose me; I chose you. And I gave you this work, to go and produce fruit. I want you to produce fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you anything you ask for in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
Jesus Warns His Followers
18 “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, then it would love you as it loves its own. But I have chosen you out of the world. So you don’t belong to it. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: A servant is not greater than his master. If people did wrong to me, they will do wrong to you, too. And if they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours, too. 21 They will do all this to you because of me. They don’t know the One who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 He who hates me also hates my Father. 24 I did works among them that no one else has ever done. If I had not done those works, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen what I did, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this happened so that what is written in their law would be true: ‘They hated me for no reason.’[a]
26 “I will send you the Helper[b] from the Father. He is the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father. When he comes, he will tell about me. 27 And you also must tell people about me because you have been with me from the beginning.
Footnotes
- 15:25 ‘They . . . reason.’ These words could be from Psalm 35:19 or Psalm 69:4.
- 15:26; 16:7 Helper “Counselor,” or “Comforter.” Jesus is talking about the Holy Spirit.
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.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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