John 7
Common English Bible
Jesus goes to Jerusalem
7 After this Jesus traveled throughout Galilee. He didn’t want to travel in Judea, because the Jewish authorities wanted to kill him. 2 When it was almost time for the Jewish Festival of Booths, 3 Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee. Go to Judea so that your disciples can see the amazing works that you do. 4 Those who want to be known publicly don’t do things secretly. Since you can do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 His brothers said this because even they didn’t believe in him.
6 Jesus replied, “For you, anytime is fine. But my time hasn’t come yet. 7 The world can’t hate you. It hates me, though, because I testify that its works are evil. 8 You go up to the festival. I’m not going to this one because my time hasn’t yet come.” 9 Having said this, he stayed in Galilee. 10 However, after his brothers left for the festival, he went too—not openly but in secret.
11 The Jewish leaders were looking for Jesus at the festival. They kept asking, “Where is he?” 12 The crowds were murmuring about him. “He’s a good man,” some said, but others were saying, “No, he tricks the people.” 13 No one spoke about him publicly, though, for fear of the Jewish authorities.
Jesus teaches in the temple
14 Halfway through the festival, Jesus went up to the temple and started to teach. 15 Astonished, the Jewish leaders asked, “He’s never been taught! How has he mastered the Law?”
16 Jesus responded, “My teaching isn’t mine but comes from the one who sent me. 17 Whoever wants to do God’s will can tell whether my teaching is from God or whether I speak on my own. 18 Those who speak on their own seek glory for themselves. Those who seek the glory of him who sent me are people of truth; there’s no falsehood in them. 19 Didn’t Moses give you the Law? Yet none of you keep the Law. Why do you want to kill me?”
20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon. Who wants to kill you?”
21 Jesus replied, “I did one work, and you were all astonished. 22 Because Moses gave you the commandment about circumcision (although it wasn’t Moses but the patriarchs), you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If a man can be circumcised on the Sabbath without breaking Moses’ Law, why are you angry with me because I made an entire man well on the Sabbath? 24 Don’t judge according to appearances. Judge with right judgment.”
25 Some people from Jerusalem said, “Isn’t he the one they want to kill? 26 Here he is, speaking in public, yet they aren’t saying anything to him. Could it be that our leaders actually think he is the Christ? 27 We know where he is from, but when the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.”
28 While Jesus was teaching in the temple, he exclaimed, “You know me and where I am from. I haven’t come on my own. The one who sent me is true, and you don’t know him. 29 I know him because I am from him and he sent me.” 30 So they wanted to seize Jesus, but they couldn’t because his time hadn’t yet come.
31 Many from that crowd believed in Jesus. They said, “When the Christ comes, will he do more miraculous signs than this man does?” 32 The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about Jesus, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent guards to arrest him.
33 Therefore, Jesus said, “I’m still with you for a little while before I go to the one who sent me. 34 You will look for me, but you won’t find me, and where I am you can’t come.”
35 The Jewish opposition asked each other, “Where does he intend to go that we can’t find him? Surely he doesn’t intend to go where our people have been scattered and are living among the Greeks! He isn’t going to teach the Greeks, is he? 36 What does he mean when he says, ‘You will look for me, but you won’t find me, and where I am you can’t come’?”
37 On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and shouted,
“All who are thirsty should come to me!
38 All who believe in me should drink!
As the scriptures said concerning me,[a]
Rivers of living water will flow out from within him.”
39 Jesus said this concerning the Spirit. Those who believed in him would soon receive the Spirit, but they hadn’t experienced the Spirit yet since Jesus hadn’t yet been glorified.
40 When some in the crowd heard these words, they said, “This man is truly the prophet.” 41 Others said, “He’s the Christ.” But others said, “The Christ can’t come from Galilee, can he? 42 Didn’t the scripture say that the Christ comes from David’s family and from Bethlehem, David’s village?” 43 So the crowd was divided over Jesus. 44 Some wanted to arrest him, but no one grabbed him.
45 The guards returned to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked, “Why didn’t you bring him?”
46 The guards answered, “No one has ever spoken the way he does.”
47 The Pharisees replied, “Have you too been deceived? 48 Have any of the leaders believed in him? Has any Pharisee? 49 No, only this crowd, which doesn’t know the Law. And they are under God’s curse!”
50 Nicodemus, who was one of them and had come to Jesus earlier, said, 51 “Our Law doesn’t judge someone without first hearing him and learning what he is doing, does it?”
52 They answered him, “You are not from Galilee too, are you? Look it up and you will see that the prophet doesn’t come from Galilee.”
Pharisees test Jesus
53 They each went to their own homes,
Footnotes
- John 7:38 Or Whoever is thirsty should come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, just as the scriptures said, rivers of living water will flow out from within them.
约翰福音 7
Chinese Union Version Modern Punctuation (Simplified)
7 这事以后，耶稣在加利利游行，不愿在犹太游行，因为犹太人想要杀他。 2 当时犹太人的住棚节近了， 3 耶稣的弟兄就对他说：“你离开这里上犹太去吧，叫你的门徒也看见你所行的事。 4 人要显扬名声，没有在暗处行事的。你如果行这些事，就当将自己显明给世人看。” 5 因为连他的弟兄说这话，是因为不信他。 6 耶稣就对他们说：“我的时候还没有到，你们的时候常是方便的。 7 世人不能恨你们，却是恨我，因为我指证他们所做的事是恶的。 8 你们上去过节吧！我现在不上去过这节，因为我的时候还没有满。” 9 耶稣说了这话，仍旧住在加利利。
众人为耶稣纷纷议论
10 但他弟兄上去以后，他也上去过节，不是明去，似乎是暗去的。 11 正在节期，犹太人寻找耶稣，说：“他在哪里？” 12 众人为他纷纷议论，有的说：“他是好人。”有的说：“不然，他是迷惑众人的。” 13 只是没有人明明地讲论他，因为怕犹太人。
14 到了节期，耶稣上殿里去教训人。 15 犹太人就稀奇说：“这个人没有学过，怎么明白书呢？” 16 耶稣说：“我的教训不是我自己的，乃是那差我来者的。 17 人若立志遵着他的旨意行，就必晓得这教训或是出于神，或是我凭着自己说的。 18 人凭着自己说，是求自己的荣耀；唯有求那差他来者的荣耀，这人是真的，在他心里没有不义。
不可按外貌定是非
19 “摩西岂不是传律法给你们吗？你们却没有一个人守律法！为什么想要杀我呢？” 20 众人回答说：“你是被鬼附着了！谁想要杀你？” 21 耶稣说：“我做了一件事，你们都以为稀奇。 22 摩西传割礼给你们（其实不是从摩西起的，乃是从祖先起的），因此你们也在安息日给人行割礼。 23 人若在安息日受割礼，免得违背摩西的律法，我在安息日叫一个人全然好了，你们就向我生气吗？ 24 不可按外貌断定是非，总要按公平断定是非。”
25 耶路撒冷人中有的说：“这不是他们想要杀的人吗？ 26 你看，他还明明地讲道，他们也不向他说什么，难道官长真知道这是基督吗？ 27 然而我们知道这个人从哪里来，只是基督来的时候，没有人知道他从哪里来。” 28 那时，耶稣在殿里教训人，大声说：“你们也知道我，也知道我从哪里来。我来并不是由于自己，但那差我来的是真的，你们不认识他。 29 我却认识他，因为我是从他来的，他也是差了我来。”
打发差役捉拿耶稣
30 他们就想要捉拿耶稣，只是没有人下手，因为他的时候还没有到。 31 但众人中间有好些信他的，说：“基督来的时候，他所行的神迹岂能比这人所行的更多吗？” 32 法利赛人听见众人为耶稣这样纷纷议论，祭司长和法利赛人就打发差役去捉拿他。 33 于是耶稣说：“我还有不多的时候和你们同在，以后就回到差我来的那里去。 34 你们要找我，却找不着，我所在的地方你们不能到。” 35 犹太人就彼此对问说：“这人要往哪里去，叫我们找不着呢？难道他要往散住希腊中的犹太人那里去教训希腊人吗？ 36 他说‘你们要找我，却找不着，我所在的地方你们不能到’，这话是什么意思呢？”
渴者当来就耶稣
37 节期的末日，就是最大之日，耶稣站着高声说：“人若渴了，可以到我这里来喝！ 38 信我的人就如经上所说，从他腹中要流出活水的江河来。” 39 耶稣这话是指着信他之人要受圣灵说的。那时还没有赐下圣灵来，因为耶稣尚未得着荣耀。 40 众人听见这话，有的说：“这真是那先知！” 41 有的说：“这是基督。”但也有的说：“基督岂是从加利利出来的吗？ 42 经上岂不是说基督是大卫的后裔，从大卫本乡伯利恒出来的吗？” 43 于是众人因着耶稣起了纷争。 44 其中有人要捉拿他，只是无人下手。
没有人像耶稣说话
45 差役回到祭司长和法利赛人那里，他们对差役说：“你们为什么没有带他来呢？” 46 差役回答说：“从来没有像他这样说话的！” 47 法利赛人说：“你们也受了迷惑吗？ 48 官长或是法利赛人岂有信他的呢？ 49 但这些不明白律法的百姓是被咒诅的！” 50 内中有尼哥迪慕，就是从前去见耶稣的，对他们说： 51 “不先听本人的口供，不知道他所做的事，难道我们的律法还定他的罪吗？” 52 他们回答说：“你也是出于加利利吗？你且去查考，就可知道加利利没有出过先知。”
John 7
EasyEnglish Bible
Jesus and his brothers
7 After this, Jesus visited many places in Galilee. He did not want to visit Judea because the Jewish leaders there wanted to kill him. 2 It was almost time for the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles.[a] 3 So Jesus' brothers said to him, ‘You should leave this place and you should go to Judea. Then your disciples will see the great things that you do. 4 Nobody does things secretly if he wants everyone to know him. You are doing these things, so you should show yourself to everybody.’ 5 Even his own brothers did not believe in him.
6 So Jesus said to them, ‘It is not the right time for me yet. For you, any time is right. 7 People who belong to this world cannot hate you. But they hate me. The things that they do are very bad. And I tell them that those things are wrong. That is why they hate me. 8 You should go to the festival. I will not go to it now, because it is not the right time for me yet.’ 9 After Jesus said that, he stayed in Galilee.
Jesus goes to the Festival of Tabernacles
10 Some time after his brothers had gone, Jesus also went to the festival. But he did not let other people know that he was going. Instead, he went secretly. 11 The Jewish leaders were looking for him at the festival. They asked, ‘Where is that man?’ 12 People in the crowd were talking quietly to each other about Jesus. Some people said, ‘He is a good man.’ But other people said, ‘No, he is telling the people things that are not true.’ 13 But nobody spoke in public places about him, because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders.
14 In the middle of the time of the festival, Jesus went to the temple. He started to teach in the yard there. 15 The Jewish leaders were very surprised. They asked, ‘How does this man know so much? He has not learned in our schools.’ 16 Jesus answered, ‘What I teach does not come from me. No, it comes from the one who sent me. 17 Anyone who chooses to do what God wants will know about my teaching. They will know whether it comes from God, or whether it comes from my own thoughts. 18 A person who teaches his own ideas wants people to think that he himself is great. But I want to show that the one who sent me is great. A person like that is honest and there is nothing false in him. 19 Moses gave God's Law to you. But not one of you obeys that Law. Why are you trying to kill me?’
20 The crowd answered, ‘You have a demon in you! Nobody is trying to kill you!’
21 Jesus replied, ‘I did one miracle on the day of rest, and all of you were surprised. 22 Moses gave you a law that you must circumcise your sons. Your ancestors taught that, even before Moses was born. So you will agree to circumcise a boy, even on the day of rest.[b] 23 You will do that so that you obey Moses' law. So you should not be angry with me because I made a man completely well on the day of rest. 24 Do not quickly decide whether something is right or wrong just because of what you see. Instead, think about it carefully. Then you will judge in a right way.’
The people talk about whether Jesus is the Messiah
25 Some of the people in Jerusalem began to say, ‘This is the man that our leaders want to kill. 26 But look! He is speaking to the crowds, and the leaders are not saying anything against him! Perhaps they really think that he is the Messiah! 27 But we know where this man came from. When the Messiah comes, nobody will know that. Nobody will know where he has come from.’
28 Jesus was still teaching in the yard of the temple. He shouted, ‘Yes, you say that you know me. And you know where I came from. But I have not come because I myself decided to come. He who sent me is true. You do not know him. 29 But I know him because I have come from him. He is the one who sent me.’ 30 When they heard this, they tried to take hold of him. But nobody could put their hands on him, because it was not yet the right time. 31 But many people in the crowd believed in Jesus. They said, ‘This man has done so many miracles. Surely he is the Messiah! Nobody could do more miracles than he has done.’
32 The Pharisees heard what these people were saying quietly about Jesus. Then the leaders of the priests and the Pharisees sent some of their officers to take him away.
33 Jesus said, ‘I will be with you for only a short time. Then I will return to the one who sent me. 34 You will look for me, but you will not find me. You cannot go to the place where I will be.’ 35 The Jewish leaders asked each other, ‘What is he trying to tell us? Where can he go so that we cannot find him? Perhaps he will go to our people who have gone away to live among the Greek people.[c] Perhaps he will go to teach the Greek people. 36 He said, “You will look for me, but you will not find me.” And he also said, “You cannot go to the place where I will be.” What does he mean?’
Streams of water that give life to people
37 The last day of the festival was the most important day. On that day, Jesus stood up and he spoke with a loud voice. He said, ‘If anyone is thirsty, he should come to me so that he may drink. 38 It says in the Bible, “God will cause streams of water to pour out from anyone who believes in me. Water that gives life will come out from inside that person.” ’ 39 Jesus was speaking about God's Spirit, who would come to people some time after that. Those people who believed in Jesus would receive God's Spirit at that later time. But God had not yet given his Spirit to people, because he had not yet raised Jesus back up to heaven.[d]
The people argue about who Jesus is
40 The people in the crowd heard Jesus say these words. Some of them said, ‘Surely this man must be the Prophet from God that we have been waiting for!’ 41 Other people said, ‘This man is the Messiah.’ But some other people said, ‘The Messiah will not come from Galilee! 42 The Bible says that the Messiah will come from King David's family.[e] He will come from Bethlehem, the town where David lived.’ 43 In this way the people had different thoughts about Jesus. 44 Some people wanted to take hold of him. But nobody could put their hands on him to take him away.
45 The officers returned to the leaders of the priests and the Pharisees. The leaders asked their officers, ‘Why did you not bring Jesus here?’ 46 The officers answered, ‘Nobody has ever spoken great things like this man speaks.’ 47 The Pharisees replied, ‘He seems to have made you believe his lies! 48 None of the Pharisees or our leaders believe in him. 49 But this crowd does not know what God's Law teaches. God will surely punish them.’
50 Nicodemus spoke to them. He himself was one of the Pharisees. He was the man who had gone to speak with Jesus before. He said, 51 ‘We must find out first what this man has done. Then we can decide if it is right to punish him. Our law says that we must listen to him first.’ 52 They answered Nicodemus, ‘Perhaps you come from Galilee, as well as him! Study what the Bible teaches. You will learn that no prophet of God ever comes from Galilee.’ 53 [Then everyone went to his own home.][f]
Footnotes
- 7:2 The Festival of Tabernacles continued for a week. See Leviticus 23:34, where it is called the Feast of Huts. The people built huts from branches and they lived in these small huts during the festival. This helped them to remember what God had done. A long time before this, their ancestors had left Egypt and they had lived in huts like this. God had brought them out of Egypt so that they did not have to be slaves there any longer. The festival happened each year, after Israel's people had brought in all the harvest from the fields. It was a time for the people to thank God because he was so good to them.
- 7:22 God had told Israel's people that they must circumcise every boy. To circumcise means to cut off the skin that covers the end of a boy's or a man's sex part. It was a mark to show that Israel's people had agreed to obey God. It showed that they belonged to God's people, Israel. They circumcised a boy eight days after he was born. Even if the eighth day was their day of rest, they circumcised the baby on that day.
- 7:35 Greek people come from the country called Greece. When Jesus lived on the earth, Greek people also lived in many other countries.
- 7:39 Many verses in the Old Testament speak about ‘water’ that gives us life. See Isaiah 44:3; 58:11 and Zechariah 13:1; 14:8. The Jews would read these verses aloud at the Festival of Tabernacles.
- 7:42 The Bible that the Jews read was the Old Testament.
- 7:53 Many old translations do not have this verse.
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