John 17
English Standard Version
The High Priestly Prayer
17 When Jesus had spoken these words, (A)he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, (B)the hour has come; (C)glorify your Son that the Son may (D)glorify you, 2 since (E)you have given him authority over all flesh, (F)to give eternal life to all (G)whom you have given him. 3 (H)And this is eternal life, (I)that they know you, (J)the only (K)true God, and (L)Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I (M)glorified you on earth, (N)having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, (O)glorify me in your own presence with the glory (P)that I had with you (Q)before the world existed.
6 (R)“I have manifested your name to the people (S)whom you gave me out of the world. (T)Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything (U)that you have given me is from you. 8 For I have given them (V)the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that (W)I came from you; and (X)they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am praying for them. (Y)I am not praying for the world but for those (Z)whom you have given me, for (AA)they are yours. 10 (AB)All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and (AC)I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but (AD)they are in the world, and (AE)I am coming to you. (AF)Holy Father, (AG)keep them in your name, (AH)which you have given me, (AI)that they may be one, (AJ)even as we are one. 12 (AK)While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have (AL)guarded them, and (AM)not one of them has been lost except (AN)the son of destruction, (AO)that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now (AP)I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have (AQ)my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 (AR)I have given them your word, and (AS)the world has hated them (AT)because they are not of the world, (AU)just as I am not of the world. 15 I (AV)do not ask that you (AW)take them out of the world, but that you (AX)keep them from (AY)the evil one.[a] 16 (AZ)They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 (BA)Sanctify them[b] in the truth; (BB)your word is truth. 18 (BC)As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And (BD)for their sake (BE)I consecrate myself,[c] that they also (BF)may be sanctified[d] in truth.
20 “I do not (BG)ask for these only, but also for those (BH)who will believe in me through their word, 21 (BI)that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that (BJ)they also may be in (BK)us, so that the world (BL)may believe that you have sent me. 22 (BM)The glory that you have given me (BN)I have given to them, (BO)that they may be one even as we are one, 23 (BP)I in them and you in me, (BQ)that they may become perfectly one, (BR)so that the world may know that you sent me and (BS)loved them even as (BT)you loved me. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be (BU)with me (BV)where I am, (BW)to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me (BX)before the foundation of the world. 25 (BY)O righteous Father, even though (BZ)the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 (CA)I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love (CB)with which you have loved me may be in them, and (CC)I in them.”
Footnotes
- John 17:15 Or from evil
- John 17:17 Greek Set them apart (for holy service to God)
- John 17:19 Or I sanctify myself; or I set myself apart (for holy service to God)
- John 17:19 Greek may be set apart (for holy service to God)
John 17
Contemporary English Version
Jesus Prays
17 After Jesus had finished speaking to his disciples, he looked up toward heaven and prayed:
Father, the time has come for you to bring glory to your Son, in order that he may bring glory to you. 2 And you gave him power over all people, so he would give eternal life to everyone you give him. 3 (A) Eternal life is to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, the one you sent. 4 I have brought glory to you here on earth by doing everything you gave me to do. 5 Now, Father, give me back the glory I had with you before the world was created.
6 You have given me some followers from this world, and I have shown them what you are like. They were yours, but you gave them to me, and they have obeyed you. 7 They know that you gave me everything I have. 8 I told my followers what you told me, and they accepted it. They know I came from you, and they believe you are the one who sent me. 9 I am praying for them, but not for those who belong to this world.[a] My followers belong to you, and I am praying for them. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine, and they will bring glory to me.
11 Holy Father, I am no longer in the world. I am coming to you, but my followers are still in the world. So keep them safe by the power of the name you have given me. Then they will be one with each other, just as you and I are one. 12 (B) While I was with them, I kept them safe by the power you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost, except the one who had to be lost. This happened so that what the Scriptures say would come true.
13 I am on my way to you. But I say these things while I am still in the world, so my followers will have the same complete joy that I do. 14 I have told them your message. But the people of this world hate them, because they don't belong to this world, just as I don't.
15 Father, I don't ask you to take my followers out of the world, but keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They don't belong to this world, and neither do I. 17 Your word is the truth. So let this truth make them completely yours. 18 I am sending them into the world, just as you sent me. 19 I have given myself completely for their sake, so they may belong completely to the truth.
20 I am not praying just for these followers. I am also praying for everyone else who will have faith because of what my followers will say about me. 21 I want all of them to be one with each other, just as I am one with you and you are one with me. I also want them to be one with us. Then the people of this world will believe that you sent me.
22 I have honored my followers in the same way you honored me, in order that they may be one with each other, just as we are one. 23 I am one with them, and you are one with me, so they may become completely one. Then this world's people will know that you sent me. They will know that you love my followers as much as you love me.
24 Father, I want everyone you have given me to be with me, wherever I am. Then they will see the glory you have given me, because you loved me before the world was created. 25 Good Father, the people of this world don't know you. But I know you, and my followers know that you sent me. 26 I told them what you are like, and I will tell them even more. Then the love you have for me will become part of them, and I will be one with them.
Footnotes
- 17.9 world: See the note at 12.31.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
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