John 7:40-52

Christian Standard Bible

The People Are Divided over Jesus

⁴⁰ When some from the crowd heard these words, they said, “This truly is the Prophet.”^{(A) 41} Others said, “This is the Messiah.” But some said, “Surely the Messiah doesn’t come from Galilee, does he? ⁴² Doesn’t the Scripture^(B) say that the Messiah comes from David’s^(C) offspring^[a] and from the town of Bethlehem,^(D) where David lived?” ⁴³ So the crowd was divided^(E) because of him. ⁴⁴ Some of them wanted to seize him,^(F) but no one laid hands on him.

Debate over Jesus’s Claims

⁴⁵ Then the servants^(G) came to the chief priests^(H) and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him?”

⁴⁶ The servants answered, “No man ever spoke like this!” ^[b](I)

⁴⁷ Then the Pharisees responded to them, “Are you fooled^(J) too? ⁴⁸ Have any of the rulers^(K) or Pharisees believed in him? ⁴⁹ But this crowd, which doesn’t know the law, is accursed.”

⁵⁰ Nicodemus^(L)—the one who came to him previously and who was one of them—said to them, ⁵¹ “Our law doesn’t judge a man before it hears from him and knows what he’s doing, does it?” ^(M)

⁵² “You aren’t from Galilee^(N) too, are you?” they replied. “Investigate and you will see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”^(O)