Add parallel Print Page Options

Sabbath healing

After this there was a Jewish festival, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate in the north city wall is a pool with the Aramaic name Bethsaida. It had five covered porches, and a crowd of people who were sick, blind, lame, and paralyzed sat there.[a] A certain man was there who had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, knowing that he had already been there a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

The sick man answered him, “Sir,[b] I don’t have anyone who can put me in the water when it is stirred up. When I’m trying to get to it, someone else has gotten in ahead of me.”

Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” Immediately the man was well, and he picked up his mat and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath.

10 The Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It’s the Sabbath; you aren’t allowed to carry your mat.”

11 He answered, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’”

12 They inquired, “Who is this man who said to you, ‘Pick it up and walk’?” 13 The man who had been cured didn’t know who it was, because Jesus had slipped away from the crowd gathered there.

14 Later Jesus found him in the temple and said, “See! You have been made well. Don’t sin anymore in case something worse happens to you.” 15 The man went and proclaimed to the Jewish leaders that Jesus was the man who had made him well.

16 As a result, the Jewish leaders were harassing Jesus, since he had done these things on the Sabbath. 17 Jesus replied, “My Father is still working, and I am working too.” 18 For this reason the Jewish leaders wanted even more to kill him—not only because he was doing away with the Sabbath but also because he called God his own Father, thereby making himself equal with God.

Work of the Father and the Son

19 Jesus responded to the Jewish leaders, “I assure you that the Son can’t do anything by himself except what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. 20 The Father loves the Son and shows him everything that he does. He will show him greater works than these so that you will marvel. 21 As the Father raises the dead and gives life, so too does the Son give life to whomever he wishes. 22 The Father doesn’t judge anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son 23 so that everyone will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever doesn’t honor the Son doesn’t honor the Father who sent him.

24 “I assure you that whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and won’t come under judgment but has passed from death into life.

25 “I assure you that the time is coming—and is here!—when the dead will hear the voice of God’s Son, and those who hear it will live. 26 Just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. 27 He gives the Son authority to judge, because he is the Human One.[c] 28 Don’t be surprised by this, because the time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice. 29 Those who did good things will come out into the resurrection of life, and those who did wicked things into the resurrection of judgment. 30 I can’t do anything by myself. Whatever I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just. I don’t seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.

Witnesses to Jesus

31 “If I testify about myself, my testimony isn’t true. 32 There is someone else who testifies about me, and I know his testimony about me is true. 33 You sent a delegation to John, and he testified to the truth. 34 Although I don’t accept human testimony, I say these things so that you can be saved. 35 John was a burning and shining lamp, and, at least for a while, you were willing to celebrate in his light.

36 “I have a witness greater than John’s testimony. The Father has given me works to do so that I might complete them. These works I do testify about me that the Father sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me testifies about me. You have never even heard his voice or seen his form, 38 and you don’t have his word dwelling with you because you don’t believe the one whom he has sent. 39 Examine the scriptures, since you think that in them you have eternal life. They also testify about me, 40 yet you don’t want to come to me so that you can have life.

41 “I don’t accept praise from people, 42 but I know you, that you don’t have God’s love in you. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you don’t receive me. If others come in their own name, you receive them. 44 How can you believe when you receive praise from each other but don’t seek the praise that comes from the only God?

45 “Don’t think that I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, the one in whom your hope rests. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, because Moses wrote about me. 47 If you don’t believe the writings of Moses, how will you believe my words?”

Footnotes

  1. John 5:3 Critical editions of the Gk New Testament do not include the following addition waiting for the water to move. Sometimes an angel would come down to the pool and stir up the water. Then the first one going into the water after it had been stirred up was cured of any sickness.
  2. John 5:7 Or Lord
  3. John 5:27 Or Son of Man

After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,

and there is in Jerusalem by the sheep-[gate] a pool that is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porches,

in these were lying a great multitude of the ailing, blind, lame, withered, waiting for the moving of the water,

for a messenger at a set time was going down in the pool, and was troubling the water, the first then having gone in after the troubling of the water, became whole of whatever sickness he was held.

and there was a certain man there being in ailment thirty and eight years,

him Jesus having seen lying, and having known that he is already a long time, he saith to him, `Dost thou wish to become whole?'

The ailing man answered him, `Sir, I have no man, that, when the water may be troubled, he may put me into the pool, and while I am coming, another doth go down before me.'

Jesus saith to him, `Rise, take up thy couch, and be walking;'

and immediately the man became whole, and he took up his couch, and was walking, and it was a sabbath on that day,

10 the Jews then said to him that hath been healed, `It is a sabbath; it is not lawful to thee to take up the couch.'

11 He answered them, `He who made me whole -- that one said to me, Take up thy couch, and be walking;'

12 they questioned him, then, `Who is the man who is saying to thee, Take up thy couch and be walking?'

13 But he that was healed had not known who he is, for Jesus did move away, a multitude being in the place.

14 After these things, Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said to him, `Lo, thou hast become whole; sin no more, lest something worse may happen to thee.'

15 The man went away, and told the Jews that it is Jesus who made him whole,

16 and because of this were the Jews persecuting Jesus, and seeking to kill him, because these things he was doing on a sabbath.

17 And Jesus answered them, `My Father till now doth work, and I work;'

18 because of this, then, were the Jews seeking the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the sabbath, but he also called God his own Father, making himself equal to God.

19 Jesus therefore responded and said to them, `Verily, verily, I say to you, The Son is not able to do anything of himself, if he may not see the Father doing anything; for whatever things He may do, these also the Son in like manner doth;

20 for the Father doth love the Son, and doth shew to him all things that He himself doth; and greater works than these He will shew him, that ye may wonder.

21 `For, as the Father doth raise the dead, and doth make alive, so also the Son doth make alive whom he willeth;

22 for neither doth the Father judge any one, but all the judgment He hath given to the Son,

23 that all may honour the Son according as they honour the Father; he who is not honouring the Son, doth not honour the Father who sent him.

24 `Verily, verily, I say to you -- He who is hearing my word, and is believing Him who sent me, hath life age-during, and to judgment he doth not come, but hath passed out of the death to the life.

25 `Verily, verily, I say to you -- There cometh an hour, and it now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and those having heard shall live;

26 for, as the Father hath life in himself, so He gave also to the Son to have life in himself,

27 and authority He gave him also to do judgment, because he is Son of Man.

28 `Wonder not at this, because there doth come an hour in which all those in the tombs shall hear his voice,

29 and they shall come forth; those who did the good things to a rising again of life, and those who practised the evil things to a rising again of judgment.

30 `I am not able of myself to do anything; according as I hear I judge, and my judgment is righteous, because I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father who sent me.

31 `If I testify concerning myself, my testimony is not true;

32 another there is who is testifying concerning me, and I have known that the testimony that he doth testify concerning me is true;

33 ye have sent unto John, and he hath testified to the truth.

34 `But I do not receive testimony from man, but these things I say that ye may be saved;

35 he was the burning and shining lamp, and ye did will to be glad, for an hour, in his light.

36 `But I have the testimony greater than John's, for the works that the Father gave me, that I might finish them, the works themselves that I do, they testify concerning me, that the Father hath sent me.

37 `And the Father who sent me Himself hath testified concerning me; ye have neither heard His voice at any time, nor His appearance have ye seen;

38 and His word ye have not remaining in you, because whom He sent, him ye do not believe.

39 `Ye search the Writings, because ye think in them to have life age-during, and these are they that are testifying concerning me;

40 and ye do not will to come unto me, that ye may have life;

41 glory from man I do not receive,

42 but I have known you, that the love of God ye have not in yourselves.

43 `I have come in the name of my Father, and ye do not receive me; if another may come in his own name, him ye will receive;

44 how are ye able -- ye -- to believe, glory from one another receiving, and the glory that [is] from God alone ye seek not?

45 `Do not think that I will accuse you unto the Father; there is who is accusing you, Moses -- in whom ye have hoped;

46 for if ye were believing Moses, ye would have been believing me, for he wrote concerning me;

47 but if his writings ye believe not, how shall ye believe my sayings?'