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Sorrow Turned to Joy

16 (A)A little while, and (B)you will no longer see Me; and again a little while, and (C)you will see Me.” 17 Some of His disciples then said to one another, “What is this He is telling us, (D)A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because (E)I go to the Father’?” 18 So they were saying, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is talking about.” 19 (F)Jesus knew that they were wishing to question Him, and He said to them, “Are you deliberating together about this, that I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me’? 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, that (G)you will cry and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but (H)your sorrow will be turned into joy. 21 (I)Whenever a woman is in labor she has sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the suffering because of the joy that a [a]child has been born into the world. 22 Therefore (J)you too have sorrow now; but (K)I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.

I Have Overcome the World

23 (L)And on that day (M)you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, (N)if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. 24 (O)Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your (P)joy may be made complete.

25 “These things I have spoken to you in (Q)figures of speech; (R)an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech, but will tell you openly of the Father. 26 (S)On that day (T)you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; 27 for (U)the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and (V)have believed that (W)I came forth from the Father. 28 (X)I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and (Y)going to the Father.”

29 His disciples *said, “Behold, now You are speaking openly and are not [b]using (Z)a figure of speech. 30 Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we (AA)believe that You (AB)came from God.” 31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? 32 Behold, (AC)an hour is coming, and has already come, for (AD)you to be scattered, each to (AE)his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet (AF)I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. 33 These things I have spoken to you, so that (AG)in Me you may have peace. (AH)In the world you have tribulation, but (AI)take courage; (AJ)I have overcome the world.”

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Footnotes

  1. John 16:21 Lit human being
  2. John 16:29 Lit saying a proverb

16 “In a little while you are not going to see me anymore, and again in a little while you will see me, because I am going away to the Father.”[a]

17 Therefore some of his disciples asked one another, “What does he mean when he tells us, ‘In a little while you are not going to see me, and again in a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going away to the Father’?” 18 So they kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he’s saying.”

19 Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you trying to determine with one another what I meant by saying, ‘In a little while you are not going to see me, and again in a little while you will see me’? 20 Amen, Amen, I tell you: You will weep and wail, but the world will rejoice. You will become sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth has pain, because her time has come. But when she has delivered the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, because of her joy that a person has been born into the world.

22 “So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again. Your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. 23 In that day you will not ask me anything. Amen, Amen, I tell you: Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask, and you will receive, so that your joy may be made complete.

25 “I have told you these things using figurative language. A time is coming when I will no longer speak to you using figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name, and I am not telling you that I will make requests of the Father on your behalf. 27 For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father and have come into the world. Now I am going to leave the world and go to the Father.”

29 “Yes!” his disciples said. “Now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative language. 30 Now we know that you know everything and do not need to have anyone ask you anything. For this reason we believe that you came from God.”

31 Jesus answered them, “Now do you believe? 32 Listen, a time is coming, in fact it is here, when you will be scattered, everyone to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not going to be alone, because the Father is with me. 33 I have told you these things, so that you may have peace in me. In this world you are going to have trouble. But be courageous! I have overcome the world.”

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Footnotes

  1. John 16:16 Some witnesses to the text omit because I am going away to the Father.