John 7
Christian Standard Bible Anglicised
The Unbelief of Jesus’s Brothers
7 After this, Jesus travelled in Galilee,(A) since he did not want to travel in Judea(B) because the Jews(C) were trying to kill him.(D) 2 The Jewish Festival of Shelters[a](E) was near. 3 So his brothers(F) said to him, ‘Leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples can see your works(G) that you are doing. 4 For no one does anything in secret while he’s seeking public recognition. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.’ 5 (For not even his brothers believed in him.)
6 Jesus told them, ‘My time(H) has not yet arrived, but your time is always at hand. 7 The world cannot hate(I) you, but it does hate me because I testify about it – that its works are evil. 8 Go up to the festival yourselves. I’m not going up to this festival,[b] because my time has not yet fully come.’ 9 After he had said these things, he stayed in Galilee.
Jesus at the Festival of Shelters
10 After his brothers had gone up to the festival, then he also went up, not openly but secretly. 11 The Jews were looking for him at the festival and saying, ‘Where is he? ’ 12 And there was a lot of murmuring about him among the crowds. Some were saying, ‘He’s a good(J) man.’ Others were saying, ‘No, on the contrary, he’s deceiving(K) the people.’ 13 Still, nobody was talking publicly about him for fear of the Jews.
14 When the festival was already half over, Jesus went up into the temple(L) and began to teach. 15 Then the Jews were amazed and said, ‘How is this man so learned,(M) since he hasn’t been trained? ’
16 Jesus answered them, ‘My teaching isn’t mine but is from the one who sent me.(N) 17 If anyone wants to do his will,(O) he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own. 18 The one who speaks on his own seeks his own glory;(P) but he who seeks the glory(Q) of the one who sent him is true,(R) and there is no unrighteousness in him.(S) 19 Didn’t Moses(T) give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law.(U) Why are you trying to kill me? ’
20 ‘You have a demon! ’ the crowd responded. ‘Who is trying to kill you? ’
21 ‘I performed one work,(V) and you are all amazed,’ Jesus answered. 22 ‘This is why Moses has given you circumcision(W) #– #not that it comes from Moses but from the fathers(X) #– #and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.(Y) 23 If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath(Z) so that the law of Moses(AA) won’t be broken, are you angry at me because I made a man entirely well on the Sabbath? 24 Stop judging(AB) according to outward appearances; rather judge according to righteous judgement.’
The Identity of the Messiah
25 Some of the people of Jerusalem(AC) were saying, ‘Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? 26 Yet, look, he’s speaking publicly and they’re saying nothing to him. Can it be true that the authorities(AD) know he is the Messiah?(AE) 27 But we know where this man is from.(AF) When the Messiah comes, nobody will know where he is from.’
28 As he was teaching in the temple,(AG) Jesus cried out, ‘You know me and you know where I am from. Yet I have not come on my own, but the one who sent me(AH) is true. You don’t know him;(AI) 29 I know him because I am from him, and he sent me.’(AJ)
30 Then they tried to seize him. Yet no one laid a hand on him because his hour had not yet come. 31 However, many from the crowd believed in him and said, ‘When the Messiah comes, he won’t perform more signs than this man has done,(AK) will he? ’ 32 The Pharisees(AL) heard the crowd murmuring these things about him, and so the chief priests(AM) and the Pharisees sent servants[c] to arrest him.
33 Then Jesus said, ‘I am only with you for a short time.(AN) Then I’m going to the one who sent me.(AO) 34 You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.’(AP)
35 Then the Jews(AQ) said to one another, ‘Where does he intend to go that we won’t find him? He doesn’t intend to go to the Jewish people dispersed[d](AR) among the Greeks(AS) and teach the Greeks, does he? 36 What is this remark he made: “You will look for me, and you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come”(AT)? ’
The Promise of the Spirit
37 On the last and most important day of the festival,(AU) Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me[e](AV) and drink.(AW) 38 The one who believes in me,(AX) as the Scripture(AY) has said, will have streams of living water(AZ) flow(BA) from deep within him.’ 39 He said this about the Spirit.(BB) Those who believed in Jesus were going to receive the Spirit,(BC) for the Spirit[f] had not yet been given[g] because Jesus had not yet been glorified.
The People Are Divided over Jesus
40 When some from the crowd heard these words, they said, ‘This truly is the Prophet.’(BD) 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(BE) say that the Messiah comes from David’s(BF) offspring[h] and from the town of Bethlehem,(BG) where David lived? ’ 43 So the crowd was divided(BH) because of him. 44 Some of them wanted to seize him,(BI) but no one laid hands on him.
Debate over Jesus’s Claims
45 Then the servants(BJ) came to the chief priests(BK) and Pharisees, who asked them, ‘Why didn’t you bring him? ’
46 The servants answered, ‘No man ever spoke like this! ’[i](BL)
47 Then the Pharisees responded to them, ‘Are you fooled(BM) too? 48 Have any of the rulers(BN) or Pharisees believed in him? 49 But this crowd, which doesn’t know the law, is accursed.’
50 Nicodemus(BO) – 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? ’(BP)
52 ‘You aren’t from Galilee(BQ) too, are you? ’ they replied. ‘Investigate and you will see that no prophet arises from Galilee.’(BR)
[The earliest manuscripts do not include 7:53–8:11.][j]
[53 Then each one went to his house.
Footnotes
- 7:2 Or Tabernacles, or Booths
- 7:8 Other mss add yet
- 7:32 Or temple police, or officers, also in vv. 45,46
- 7:35 Gk diaspora; Jewish people scattered throughout Gentile lands
- 7:37 Other mss omit to me
- 7:39 Other mss read Holy Spirit
- 7:39 Lit the Spirit was not yet
- 7:42 Lit seed
- 7:46 Other mss read like this man
- 7:53–8:11 Other mss include all or some of the passage after Jn 7:36,44,52; 21:25; or Lk 21:38.
John 7
Tree of Life Version
Anticipating Hostility at Sukkot
7 After these events, Yeshua was walking about in the Galilee. He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Judean leaders wanted to kill Him. 2 Now the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles[a] was near. 3 Therefore His brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go to Judea, so Your disciples also may see the works You are doing. 4 No one who wants to be well known does everything in secret. If You are doing these things, show Yourself to the world!” 5 For not even His brothers were trusting in Him.
6 Therefore Yeshua said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always at hand. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify that its works are evil. 8 You go on up to the Feast. I’m not going to this feast, because My time hasn’t yet fully come.” 9 After saying these things, He stayed in the Galilee.
10 But after His brothers went to the Feast, He also went, not openly but secretly. 11 Then the Judean leaders were searching for Him at the Feast and kept asking, “Where is that fellow?” 12 There was a lot of murmuring about Him in the crowds. Some were saying, “He is good.” But others were saying, “Not so! He leads the people astray.” 13 Yet no one spoke openly about Him for fear of the Judean leaders.
Teaching at the Temple
14 About halfway through the Feast, Yeshua went up to the Temple and began teaching. 15 Then the Judean leaders were amazed, saying, “How does this man know so much, having never been taught?”[b]
16 Yeshua answered, “My teaching is not from Me, but from Him who sent Me. 17 If anyone wants to do His will, he will know whether My teaching comes from God or it is Myself speaking. 18 Whoever speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true and there is no unrighteousness in Him. 19 Hasn’t Moses given you the Torah? Yet none of you keeps it. Why are you trying to kill Me?”
20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who’s trying to kill you?”
21 Yeshua answered, “I did one good work, and all of you are amazed. 22 Because Moses has given you circumcision (though it is not from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a man on Shabbat. 23 If a man receives circumcision on Shabbat so that the Torah of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry that I healed a man’s whole body on Shabbat? 24 Do not judge by appearance, but judge righteously.”
25 Then some of the people from Jerusalem were saying, “Isn’t this the person they’re trying to kill? 26 Look, He speaks openly and they’re saying nothing to Him. Can it be that the leaders know He is the Messiah? 27 But we know where this person is from. But the Messiah, whenever He may come, no one knows where He is from.”
28 Then, while teaching in the Temple courts, Yeshua cried out, “You know both who I am and where I am from! I have not come on My own, but the One who sent Me is true. You do not know Him, 29 but I know Him because I am from Him and He sent Me.”
30 Then they were trying to seize Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. 31 Yet many from the crowd believed in Him and were saying, “When the Messiah comes, He won’t perform more signs than this person has, will He?” 32 The Pharisees heard people in the crowd murmuring these things about Him, and the ruling kohanim and Pharisees sent guards to arrest Him.
33 Yeshua said, “I am with you only a little while longer, and then I am going to the One who sent Me. 34 You will look for Me but will not find Me. Where I am, you cannot come.”
35 The Judean leaders then said among themselves, “Where is this person about to go that we shall not find Him? He’s not going to the Diaspora to teach the Greeks, is He? 36 What did He mean by saying, ‘You will look for Me but will not find Me. Where I am, you cannot come’?”
Satisfying Spiritual Thirst
37 On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Yeshua stood up and cried out loudly, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture says, ‘out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” [c] 39 Now He said this about the Ruach, whom those who trusted in Him were going to receive; for the Ruach[d] was not yet given, since Yeshua was not yet glorified.
40 When they heard these words, some of the crowd said, “This man really is the Prophet.” 41 Others were saying, “This is the Messiah.” Still others were saying, “The Messiah doesn’t come from the Galilee, does He? 42 Didn’t the Scripture say that the Messiah comes from the seed of David and from Bethlehem, David’s town?” [e] 43 So a division arose in the crowd because of Yeshua. 44 Some wanted to capture Him, but no one laid hands on Him.
Religious Adversaries
45 Then the guards returned to the ruling kohanim and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring Him?”
46 “Never has anyone spoken like this man,” the guards answered.
47 The Pharisees responded, “You haven’t been led astray also, have you? 48 Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in Him? 49 No, but this mob that doesn’t know the Torah—they are cursed!”
50 Nicodemus, the one who had come to Yeshua before and was one of them, said to them, 51 “Our Torah doesn’t judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he’s doing, does it?”
52 They answered him, “You aren’t from the Galilee too, are you? Search, and see that no prophet comes out of the Galilee!”[f]
53 Then everyone went to his own house.
Footnotes
- John 7:2 cf. Deut. 16:16.
- John 7:15 Lit. knows letters, not having learned.
- John 7:39 cf. Isa. 44:3, 55:1, 58:11; Ezek. 47; Zech. 14:8.
- John 7:39 Some mss. read Holy Spirit (Heb. Ruach ha-Kodesh).
- John 7:43 cf. Mic. 5:1(2).
- John 7:52 The earliest manuscripts do not include John 7:53-8:11. Others locate the passage after 7:36 or after 21:25.
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Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.