John 16:16-28

English Standard Version

Your Sorrow Will Turn into Joy

¹⁶^(A)“A little while, and you will see me no longer; and ^(B)again a little while, and you will see me.” ¹⁷So ^(C)some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ^(D)‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ^(E)‘because I am going to the Father’?” ¹⁸So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? ^(F)We do not know what he is talking about.” ¹⁹^(G)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, ^(H)you will weep and lament, but ^(I)the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but ^(J)your sorrow will turn into joy. ²¹^(K)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^(L)So also you have sorrow now, but ^(M)I will see you again, and ^(N)your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. ²³^(O)In that day you will ^(P)ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(Q)whatever you ask of the Father in my name, ^(R)he will give it to you. ²⁴Until now you have asked nothing in my name. ^(S)Ask, and you will receive, ^(T)that your joy may be full.

I Have Overcome the World

²⁵“I have said these things to you in figures of speech. ^(U)The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. ²⁶In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; ²⁷^(V)for the Father himself loves you, because ^(W)you have loved me and ^(X)have believed that I came from God.^[a] ²⁸^(Y)I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now ^(Z)I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”