John 7
International Standard Version
The Unbelief of Jesus’ Brothers
7 After this, Jesus traveled[a] throughout Galilee, because he didn’t want to travel[b] in Judea, since the Jewish leaders[c] there were trying to kill him. 2 Now the Jewish Festival of Tents[d] was approaching. 3 So his brothers told him, “You should leave this place and go to Judea, so that your disciples can see the actions that you’re doing, 4 since no one acts in secret if he wants to be known publicly. If you’re going to do these things, you should reveal yourself to the world!” 5 Not even his brothers believed in him.
6 Jesus told them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.[e] 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify against it that its actions are evil. 8 Go up to the festival yourselves. I am not going to this festival yet,[f] because my time hasn’t fully come.” 9 After saying this, he remained in Galilee.
Jesus Arrives in Jerusalem
10 But after his brothers had gone up to the festival, he went up himself, not openly but, as it were,[g] in secret. 11 The Jewish leaders[h] kept looking for him at the festival, asking, “Where is that man?” 12 And there was a great deal of discussion about him among the crowds.[i] Some were saying, “He is a good man,” while others were saying, “No, he is deceiving the crowds!” 13 Nevertheless, no one would speak openly about him because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders.[j]
Jesus Openly Declares His Authority
14 Halfway through the festival, Jesus went up to the Temple and began teaching. 15 The Jewish leaders[k] were astonished and remarked, “How can this man be so educated when he has never gone to school?”
16 Jesus replied to them, “My teaching is not mine but comes from the one who sent me. 17 If anyone wants to do his will, he’ll know whether this teaching is from God or whether I’m speaking on my own. 18 The one who speaks on his own seeks his own praise. But the one who seeks the praise of him who sent him is genuine, and there’s nothing false in him. 19 Moses gave you the Law, didn’t he? Yet none of you is keeping the Law. Why are you trying to kill me?”
20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is trying to kill you?”
21 Jesus answered them, “I performed one action, and all of you are astonished. 22 Moses gave you circumcision—not that it is from Moses, but from the Patriarchs—and so you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the Law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because I made a man perfectly well on the Sabbath? 24 Stop judging by appearances, but judge with righteous judgment!”
Is This the Messiah?
25 Then some of the people of Jerusalem began saying, “This is the man they are trying to kill, isn’t it? 26 And look, he is speaking in public, and they are not saying anything to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Messiah?[l] 27 We know where this man comes from. But when the Messiah[m] comes, no one will know where he comes from.”
28 At this point Jesus, still teaching in the Temple, shouted, “So you know me and know where I’ve come from? I haven’t come on my own accord. But the one who sent me is true, and he’s the one you don’t know. 29 I know him because I’ve come from him, and he sent me.”
30 Because of this, the Jewish leaders[n] kept trying to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him because his hour had not yet come. 31 However, many in the crowd believed in him. They kept saying, “When the Messiah[o] comes, he won’t do more signs than this man has done, will he?”
Officers are Sent to Arrest Jesus
32 The Pharisees heard the crowd debating these things about him, so the high priests and the Pharisees sent officers to arrest Jesus.[p]
33 Then Jesus said, “I’ll be with you only a little while longer, and then I’m going back to the one who sent me. 34 You’ll look for me but won’t find me.[q] And where I am, you cannot come.”
35 Then the Jewish leaders[r] asked one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we won’t be able to find him? Surely he’s not going to the Dispersion[s] among the Greeks and teach the Greeks, is he? 36 What does this statement mean that he said, ‘You’ll look for me but won’t find me,’ and, ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”
Rivers of Living Water
37 On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and shouted, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me[t] and drink! 38 The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have rivers of living water flowing from his heart.” 39 Now he said this about the Spirit, whom those who were believing in him were to receive, because the Spirit[u] was not yet present[v] and Jesus had not yet been glorified.
Division among the People
40 When they heard these words, some in the crowd were saying, “This really is the Prophet,” 41 while others were saying, “This is the Messiah!”[w]
But some were saying, “The Messiah[x] doesn’t come from Galilee, does he? 42 Doesn’t the Scripture say that the Messiah[y] is from David’s family and from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?” 43 So there was a division in the crowd because of him. 44 Some of them were wanting to seize him, but no one laid hands on him.
The Unbelief of the Authorities
45 Then the officers returned to the high priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him?”
46 The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like that!”
47 Then the Pharisees replied to them, “You haven’t been deceived, too, have you? 48 None of the authorities or Pharisees has believed in him, have they? 49 But this mob that does not know the Law—they’re under a curse!”
50 One of their own, Nicodemus (the man who had previously met with Jesus),[z] asked them, 51 “Surely our Law does not condemn[aa] a person without first hearing from him and finding out what he is doing, does it?”
52 They answered him, “You aren’t from Galilee, too, are you? Search and see that no prophet comes from Galilee.” 53 Then all of them went to their own homes.
Footnotes
- John 7:1 Lit. walked
- John 7:1 Lit. to walk
- John 7:1 I.e. Judean leaders; lit. the Jews
- John 7:2 Or Booths; also called Feast of Tabernacles
- John 7:6 Lit. ready
- John 7:8 Other mss. lack yet
- John 7:10 Other mss. lack as it were
- John 7:11 I.e. Judean leaders; lit. The Jews
- John 7:12 Other mss. read crowd
- John 7:13 I.e. Judean leaders; lit. the Jews
- John 7:15 I.e. Judean leaders; lit. the Jews
- John 7:26 Or Christ
- John 7:27 Or Christ
- John 7:30 I.e. Judean leaders; lit. the Jews
- John 7:31 Or Christ
- John 7:32 Lit. him
- John 7:34 Other mss. lack me
- John 7:35 I.e. Judean leaders; lit. the Jews
- John 7:35 Or Diaspora; i.e. the Jewish communities outside the land of Israel
- John 7:37 Other mss. lack to me
- John 7:39 Other mss. read Holy Spirit
- John 7:39 Other mss. read given
- John 7:41 Or Christ
- John 7:41 Or Christ
- John 7:42 Or Christ
- John 7:50 Lit. him
- John 7:51 Or judge
John 7
World English Bible
7 After these things, Jesus was walking in Galilee, for he wouldn’t walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him. 2 Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was at hand. 3 His brothers therefore said to him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that your disciples also may see your works which you do. 4 For no one does anything in secret while he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, reveal yourself to the world.” 5 For even his brothers didn’t believe in him.
6 Jesus therefore said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. 7 The world can’t hate you, but it hates me, because I testify about it, that its works are evil. 8 You go up to the feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, because my time is not yet fulfilled.”
9 Having said these things to them, he stayed in Galilee. 10 But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly, but as it were in secret. 11 The Jews therefore sought him at the feast, and said, “Where is he?” 12 There was much murmuring among the multitudes concerning him. Some said, “He is a good man.” Others said, “Not so, but he leads the multitude astray.” 13 Yet no one spoke openly of him for fear of the Jews. 14 But when it was now the middle of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple and taught. 15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How does this man know letters, having never been educated?”
16 Jesus therefore answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone desires to do his will, he will know about the teaching, whether it is from God or if I am speaking from myself. 18 He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory, but he who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. 19 Didn’t Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill me?”
20 The multitude answered, “You have a demon! Who seeks to kill you?”
21 Jesus answered them, “I did one work and you all marvel because of it. 22 Moses has given you circumcision (not that it is of Moses, but of the fathers), and on the Sabbath you circumcise a boy. 23 If a boy receives circumcision on the Sabbath, that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because I made a man completely healthy on the Sabbath? 24 Don’t judge according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”
25 Therefore some of them of Jerusalem said, “Isn’t this he whom they seek to kill? 26 Behold, he speaks openly, and they say nothing to him. Can it be that the rulers indeed know that this is truly the Christ? 27 However, we know where this man comes from, but when the Christ comes, no one will know where he comes from.”
28 Jesus therefore cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, “You both know me, and know where I am from. I have not come of myself, but he who sent me is true, whom you don’t know. 29 I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.”
30 They sought therefore to take him; but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31 But of the multitude, many believed in him. They said, “When the Christ comes, he won’t do more signs than those which this man has done, will he?” 32 The Pharisees heard the multitude murmuring these things concerning him, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to arrest him.
33 Then Jesus said, “I will be with you a little while longer, then I go to him who sent me. 34 You will seek me and won’t find me. You can’t come where I am.”
35 The Jews therefore said among themselves, “Where will this man go that we won’t find him? Will he go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What is this word that he said, ‘You will seek me, and won’t find me;’ and ‘Where I am, you can’t come’?”
37 Now on the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink! 38 He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, from within him will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But he said this about the Spirit, which those believing in him were to receive. For the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus wasn’t yet glorified.
40 Many of the multitude therefore, when they heard these words, said, “This is truly the prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “What, does the Christ come out of Galilee? 42 Hasn’t the Scripture said that the Christ comes of the offspring[a] of David, (A) and from Bethlehem,(B) the village where David was?” 43 So a division arose in the multitude because of him. 44 Some of them would have arrested him, but no one laid hands on him. 45 The officers therefore came to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said to them, “Why didn’t you bring him?”
46 The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this man!”
47 The Pharisees therefore answered them, “You aren’t also led astray, are you? 48 Have any of the rulers or any of the Pharisees believed in him? 49 But this multitude that doesn’t know the law is cursed.”
50 Nicodemus (he who came to him by night, being one of them) said to them, 51 “Does our law judge a man unless it first hears from him personally and knows what he does?”
52 They answered him, “Are you also from Galilee? Search and see that no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.”(C)
53 Everyone went to his own house,
Footnotes
- 7:42 or, seed
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