John 7:40-53

Good News Translation

Division among the People

⁴⁰ Some of the people in the crowd heard him say this and said, “This man is really the Prophet!”^[a]

⁴¹ Others said, “He is the Messiah!”

But others said, “The Messiah will not come from Galilee! ^42 (A)The scripture says that the Messiah will be a descendant of King David and will be born in Bethlehem, the town where David lived.” ⁴³ So there was a division in the crowd because of Jesus. ⁴⁴ Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.

The Unbelief of the Jewish Authorities

⁴⁵ When the guards went back, the chief priests and Pharisees asked them, “Why did you not bring him?”

⁴⁶ The guards answered, “Nobody has ever talked the way this man does!”

⁴⁷ “Did he fool you, too?” the Pharisees asked them. ⁴⁸ “Have you ever known one of the authorities or one Pharisee to believe in him? ⁴⁹ This crowd does not know the Law of Moses, so they are under God's curse!”

^50 (B)One of the Pharisees there was Nicodemus, the man who had gone to see Jesus before. He said to the others, ⁵¹ “According to our Law we cannot condemn people before hearing them and finding out what they have done.”

⁵² “Well,” they answered, “are you also from Galilee? Study the Scriptures and you will learn that no prophet ever comes ^53 [b] from Galilee.”