²⁵ When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi,^(A) when did You get here?”

²⁶ Jesus answered, “I assure you: You are looking for Me, not because you saw^[a] the signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. ²⁷ Don’t work for the food that perishes^(B) but for the food that lasts for eternal life,^(C) which the Son of Man^(D) will give you, because God the Father^(E) has set His seal of approval on Him.”

²⁸ “What can we do to perform the works of God?” they asked.

²⁹ Jesus replied, “This is the work^(F) of God—that you believe in the One He has sent.”^(G)

³⁰ “What sign then are You going to do so we may see and believe You?” they asked. “What are You going to perform? ³¹ Our fathers ate the manna^(H) in the wilderness,^(I) just as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”^[b](J)[c]

³² Jesus said to them, “I assure you: Moses^(K) didn’t give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the real bread from heaven. ³³ For the bread of God is the One who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

³⁴ Then they said, “Sir, give us this bread always!”

³⁵ “I am^(L) the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to Me^(M) will ever be hungry,^(N) and no one who believes in Me^(O) will ever be thirsty^(P) again. ³⁶ But as I told you, you’ve seen Me,^[d] and yet you do not believe. ³⁷ Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never cast out.^{(Q) 38} For I have come down from heaven,^(R) not to do My will, but the will of Him^(S) who sent Me. ³⁹ This is the will of Him who sent Me: that I should lose none of those He has given Me but should raise^(T) them up on the last day. ⁴⁰ For this is the will of My Father:^(U) that everyone who sees the Son^(V) and believes in Him may have eternal life, and I will raise^(W) him up on the last day.”

⁴¹ Therefore the Jews started complaining about Him because He said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” ⁴² They were saying, “Isn’t this Jesus the son of Joseph,^(X) whose father and mother we know? How can He now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”

⁴³ Jesus answered them, “Stop complaining among yourselves. ⁴⁴ No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws^[e] him, and I will raise him up on the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets:^(Y) And they will all be taught by God.^(Z)[f] Everyone who has listened to and learned from the Father^(AA) comes to Me— ⁴⁶ not that anyone has seen the Father^(AB) except the One who is from God.^(AC) He has seen the Father.^(AD)

⁴⁷ “I assure you: Anyone who believes^[g] has eternal life. ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your fathers ate the manna^(AE) in the wilderness,^(AF) and they died. ⁵⁰ This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that anyone may eat of it and not die.^{(AG) 51} I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live^(AH) forever.^(AI) The bread that I will give for the life^(AJ) of the world is My flesh.”^(AK)

⁵² At that, the Jews argued^(AL) among themselves,^(AM) “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?”

⁵³ So Jesus said to them, “I assure you: Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man^(AN) and drink His blood,^(AO) you do not have life in yourselves. ⁵⁴ Anyone who eats My flesh and drinks My blood^(AP) has eternal life, and I will raise^(AQ) him up on the last day, ⁵⁵ because My flesh is real food and My blood is real drink. ⁵⁶ The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood lives in Me, and I in him.^{(AR) 57} Just as the living^(AS) Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on Me will live^(AT) because of Me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the manna^[h] your fathers ate—and they died. The one who eats this bread will live forever.”^(AU)

⁵⁹ He said these things while teaching in the synagogue^(AV) in Capernaum.^(AW)