John 7
J.B. Phillips New Testament
Jesus delays his arrival at the festival
7 1-9 After this, Jesus moved about in Galilee but decided not to do so in Judea since the Jews were planning to take his life. A Jewish festival, “The feast of the tabernacles”, was approaching and his brothers said to him, “You ought to leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples can see what you are doing, for nobody works in secret if he wants to be known publicly. If you are going to do things like this, let the world see what you are doing.” For not even his brothers had any faith in him. Jesus replied by saying, “It is not yet the right time for me, but any time is right for you. You see, it is impossible for you to arouse the world’s hatred, but I provoke hatred because I show the world how evil its deeds really are. No, you go up to the festival; I shall not go up now, for it is not yet time for me to go.” And after these remarks he remained where he was in Galilee.
10-13 Later, after his brothers had gone up to the festival, he went up himself, not openly but as though he did not want to be seen. Consequently, the Jews kept looking for him at the festival and asking “Where is that man?” And there was an undercurrent of discussion about him among the crowds. Some would say, “He is a good man”, others maintained that he was not, but that he was “misleading the people”. Nobody, however, spoke openly about him for fear of the Jews.
Jesus openly declares his authority
14-15 But at the very height of the festival, Jesus went up to the Temple and began teaching. The Jews were amazed and remarked, “How does this man know all this—he has never been taught?”
16-18 Jesus replied to them, “My teaching is not really mine but comes from the one who sent me. If anyone wants to do God’s will, he will know whether my teaching is from God or whether I merely speak on my own authority. A man who speaks on his own authority has an eye for his own reputation. But the man who is considering the glory of God who sent him is a true man. There can be no dishonesty about him.
19 “Did not Moses give you the Law? Yet not a single one of you obeys the Law. Why are you trying to kill me?”
20 The crowd answered, “You must be mad! Who is trying to kill you?”
21-24 Jesus answered them, “I have done one thing and you are all amazed at it. Moses gave you circumcision (not that it came from Moses originally but from your forefathers), and you will circumcise a man even on the Sabbath. If a man receives the cutting of circumcision on the Sabbath to avoid breaking the Law of Moses, why should you be angry with me because I have made a man’s body perfectly whole on the Sabbath? You must not judge by the appearance of things but by the reality!”
25-27 Some of the people of Jerusalem, hearing him talk like this, were saying, “Isn’t this the man whom they are trying to kill? It’s amazing—he talks quite openly and they haven’t a word to say to him. Surely our rulers haven’t decided that this really is Christ! But then, we know this man and where he comes from—when Christ comes, no one will know where he comes from.”
Jesus makes more unique claims
28-29 Then Jesus, in the middle of his teaching, called out in the Temple, “So you know me and know where I have come from? But I have not come of my own accord; I am sent by one who is true and you do not know him! I do know him, because I come from him and he has sent me here.”
30-31 Then they attempted to arrest him, but actually no one laid a finger on him because the right moment had not yet come. Many of the crowd believed in him and kept on saying, “When Christ comes, is he going to show greater signs than this man?”
32-34 The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things about him, and they and the chief priests (of the Temple) sent officers to arrest him. Then Jesus said, “I shall be with you only a little while longer and then I am going to him who sent me. You will look for me then but you will never find me. You cannot come where I shall be.”
35-36 This made the Jews say to each other, “Where is he going to hide himself so that we cannot find him? Surely he’s not going to our refugees among the Greeks to teach Greeks? What does he mean when he says, ‘You will look for me and you will never find me’ and ‘You cannot come where I shall be’?”
37-42 Then, on the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If any man is thirsty, he can come to me and drink! The man who believes in me, as the scripture says, will have rivers of living water flowing from his inmost heart.” (Here he was speaking about the Spirit which those who believe in him would receive. The Holy Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified.) When they heard these words, some of the people were saying, “This really is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is Christ!” But some said, “And does Christ come from Galilee? Don’t the scriptures say that Christ will be descended from David, and will come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?”
43-44 So the people were in two minds about him—some of them wanted to arrest him, but so far no one laid hands on him.
45 Then the officers returned to the Pharisees and chief priests, who said to them, “Why haven’t you brought him?”
46 “No man ever spoke like that!” they replied.
47-49 “Has he pulled the wool over your eyes, too?” retorted the Pharisees. “Have any of the authorities or any of the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, who know nothing about the Law, is damned anyway!”
50-51 One of their number, Nicodemus (the one who had previously been to see Jesus), remarked to them, “But surely our Law does not condemn the accused without hearing what he has to say, and finding out what he has done?”
52 “Are you a Galilean, too?” they answered him. “Look where you will—you won’t find any prophet comes out of Galilee!”
53 So they broke up their meeting and went home,
John 7
Young's Literal Translation
7 And Jesus was walking after these things in Galilee, for he did not wish to walk in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him,
2 and the feast of the Jews was nigh -- that of tabernacles --
3 his brethren, therefore, said unto him, `Remove hence, and go away to Judea, that thy disciples also may behold thy works that thou dost;
4 for no one in secret doth anything, and himself seeketh to be in public; if thou dost these things -- manifest thyself to the world;'
5 for not even were his brethren believing in him.
6 Jesus, therefore, saith to them, `My time is not yet present, but your time is always ready;
7 the world is not able to hate you, but me it doth hate, because I testify concerning it that its works are evil.
8 Ye -- go ye up to this feast; I do not yet go up to this feast, because my time hath not yet been fulfilled;'
9 and saying these things to them, he remained in Galilee.
10 And when his brethren went up, then also he himself went up to the feast, not manifestly, but as in secret;
11 the Jews, therefore, were seeking him, in the feast, and said, `Where is that one?'
12 and there was much murmuring about him among the multitudes, some indeed said -- `He is good;' and others said, `No, but he leadeth astray the multitude;'
13 no one, however, was speaking freely about him, through fear of the Jews.
14 And it being now the middle of the feast, Jesus went up to the temple, and he was teaching,
15 and the Jews were wondering, saying, `How hath this one known letters -- not having learned?'
16 Jesus answered them and said, `My teaching is not mine, but His who sent me;
17 if any one may will to do His will, he shall know concerning the teaching, whether it is of God, or -- I do speak from myself.
18 `He who is speaking from himself his own glory doth seek, but he who is seeking the glory of him who sent him, this one is true, and unrighteousness is not in him;
19 hath not Moses given you the law? and none of you doth the law; why me do ye seek to kill?'
20 The multitude answered and said, `Thou hast a demon, who doth seek to kill thee?'
21 Jesus answered and said to them, `One work I did, and ye all wonder,
22 because of this, Moses hath given you the circumcision -- not that it is of Moses, but of the fathers -- and on a sabbath ye circumcise a man;
23 if a man doth receive circumcision on a sabbath that the law of Moses may not be broken, are ye wroth with me that I made a man all whole on a sabbath?
24 judge not according to appearance, but the righteous judgment judge.'
25 Certain, therefore, of the Jerusalemites said, `Is not this he whom they are seeking to kill?
26 and, lo, he doth speak freely, and they say nothing to him; did the rulers at all know truly that this is truly the Christ?
27 but this one -- we have known whence he is; and the Christ, when he doth come, no one doth know whence he is.'
28 Jesus cried, therefore, in the temple, teaching and saying, `Ye have both known me, and ye have known whence I am; and I have not come of myself, but He who sent me is true, whom ye have not known;
29 and I have known Him, because I am from Him, and He did send me.'
30 They were seeking, therefore, to seize him, and no one laid the hand on him, because his hour had not yet come,
31 and many out of the multitude did believe in him, and said -- `The Christ -- when he may come -- will he do more signs than these that this one did?'
32 The Pharisees heard the multitude murmuring these things concerning him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers that they may take him;
33 Jesus, therefore, said to them, `Yet a little time I am with you, and I go away unto Him who sent me;
34 ye will seek me, and ye shall not find; and where I am, ye are not able to come.'
35 The Jews, therefore, said among themselves, `Whither is this one about to go that we shall not find him? -- to the dispersion of the Greeks is he about to go? and to teach the Greeks;
36 what is this word that he said, Ye will seek me, and ye shall not find? and, Where I am, ye are not able to come?'
37 And in the last, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, `If any one doth thirst, let him come unto me and drink;
38 he who is believing in me, according as the Writing said, Rivers out of his belly shall flow of living water;'
39 and this he said of the Spirit, which those believing in him were about to receive; for not yet was the Holy Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
40 Many, therefore out of the multitude, having heard the word, said, `This is truly the Prophet;'
41 others said, `This is the Christ;' and others said, `Why, out of Galilee doth the Christ come?
42 Did not the Writing say, that out of the seed of David, and from Bethlehem -- the village where David was -- the Christ doth come?'
43 A division, therefore, arose among the multitude because of him.
44 And certain of them were willing to seize him, but no one laid hands on him;
45 the officers came, therefore, unto the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, `Wherefore did ye not bring him?'
46 The officers answered, `Never so spake man -- as this man.'
47 The Pharisees, therefore, answered them, `Have ye also been led astray?
48 did any one out of the rulers believe in him? or out of the Pharisees?
49 but this multitude, that is not knowing the law, is accursed.'
50 Nicodemus saith unto them -- he who came by night unto him -- being one of them,
51 `Doth our law judge the man, if it may not hear from him first, and know what he doth?'
52 They answered and said to him, `Art thou also out of Galilee? search and see, that a prophet out of Galilee hath not risen;'
53 and each one went on to his house, but Jesus went on to the mount of the Olives.
The New Testament in Modern English by J.B Phillips copyright © 1960, 1972 J. B. Phillips. Administered by The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England. Used by Permission.