Dispute Over Jesus’ Testimony

¹² When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am^(A) the light of the world.^(B) Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”^(C)

¹³ The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.”^(D)

¹⁴ Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going.^(E) But you have no idea where I come from^(F) or where I am going. ¹⁵ You judge by human standards;^(G) I pass judgment on no one.^{(H) 16} But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me.^{(I) 17} In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true.^{(J) 18} I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.”^(K)

¹⁹ Then they asked him, “Where is your father?”

“You do not know me or my Father,”^(L) Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”^{(M) 20} He spoke these words while teaching^(N) in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put.^(O) Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.^(P)

Dispute Over Who Jesus Is

²¹ Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die^(Q) in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”^(R)

²² This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”

²³ But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.^{(S) 24} I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he,^(T) you will indeed die in your sins.”

²⁵ “Who are you?” they asked.

“Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. ²⁶ “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy,^(U) and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”^(V)

²⁷ They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. ²⁸ So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up^[a] the Son of Man,^(W) then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.^{(X) 29} The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone,^(Y) for I always do what pleases him.”^{(Z) 30} Even as he spoke, many believed in him.^(AA)

Dispute Over Whose Children Jesus’ Opponents Are

³¹ To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching,^(AB) you are really my disciples. ³² Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”^(AC)

³³ They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants^(AD) and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

³⁴ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.^{(AE) 35} Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.^{(AF) 36} So if the Son sets you free,^(AG) you will be free indeed. ³⁷ I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me,^(AH) because you have no room for my word. ³⁸ I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence,^(AI) and you are doing what you have heard from your father.^[b]”^(AJ)

³⁹ “Abraham is our father,” they answered.

“If you were Abraham’s children,”^(AK) said Jesus, “then you would^[c] do what Abraham did. ⁴⁰ As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me,^(AL) a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God.^(AM) Abraham did not do such things. ⁴¹ You are doing the works of your own father.”^(AN)

“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”^(AO)

⁴² Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me,^(AP) for I have come here from God.^(AQ) I have not come on my own;^(AR) God sent me.^{(AS) 43} Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. ⁴⁴ You belong to your father, the devil,^(AT) and you want to carry out your father’s desires.^(AU) He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.^{(AV) 45} Yet because I tell the truth,^(AW) you do not believe me! ⁴⁶ Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? ⁴⁷ Whoever belongs to God hears what God says.^(AX) The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

Jacob Flees From Laban

31 Jacob heard that Laban’s sons^(A) were saying, “Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father.”^{(B) 2} And Jacob noticed that Laban’s attitude toward him was not what it had been.^(C)

³ Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Go back^(D) to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”^(E)

⁴ So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to come out to the fields where his flocks were. ⁵ He said to them, “I see that your father’s^(F) attitude toward me is not what it was before,^(G) but the God of my father has been with me.^{(H) 6} You know that I’ve worked for your father with all my strength,^{(I) 7} yet your father has cheated^(J) me by changing my wages^(K) ten times.^(L) However, God has not allowed him to harm me.^{(M) 8} If he said, ‘The speckled ones will be your wages,’ then all the flocks gave birth to speckled young; and if he said, ‘The streaked ones will be your wages,’^(N) then all the flocks bore streaked young. ⁹ So God has taken away your father’s livestock^(O) and has given them to me.^(P)

¹⁰ “In breeding season I once had a dream^(Q) in which I looked up and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled or spotted. ¹¹ The angel of God^(R) said to me in the dream,^(S) ‘Jacob.’ I answered, ‘Here I am.’^{(T) 12} And he said, ‘Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted,^(U) for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you.^{(V) 13} I am the God of Bethel,^(W) where you anointed a pillar^(X) and where you made a vow^(Y) to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land.^(Z)’”

¹⁴ Then Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we still have any share^(AA) in the inheritance of our father’s estate? ¹⁵ Does he not regard us as foreigners?^(AB) Not only has he sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us.^{(AC) 16} Surely all the wealth that God took away from our father belongs to us and our children.^(AD) So do whatever God has told you.”

¹⁷ Then Jacob put his children and his wives^(AE) on camels,^{(AF) 18} and he drove all his livestock ahead of him, along with all the goods he had accumulated^(AG) in Paddan Aram,^[a](AH) to go to his father Isaac^(AI) in the land of Canaan.^(AJ)

¹⁹ When Laban had gone to shear his sheep,^(AK) Rachel stole her father’s household gods.^{(AL) 20} Moreover, Jacob deceived^(AM) Laban the Aramean^(AN) by not telling him he was running away.^{(AO) 21} So he fled^(AP) with all he had, crossed the Euphrates River,^(AQ) and headed for the hill country of Gilead.^(AR)

Laban Pursues Jacob

²² On the third day^(AS) Laban was told that Jacob had fled.^{(AT) 23} Taking his relatives^(AU) with him^(AV), he pursued Jacob for seven days and caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead.^{(AW) 24} Then God came to Laban the Aramean^(AX) in a dream at night and said to him,^(AY) “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”^(AZ)

²⁵ Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead^(BA) when Laban overtook him, and Laban and his relatives camped there too. ²⁶ Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done?^(BB) You’ve deceived me,^(BC) and you’ve carried off my daughters like captives in war.^{(BD) 27} Why did you run off secretly and deceive me? Why didn’t you tell me,^(BE) so I could send you away with joy and singing to the music of timbrels^(BF) and harps?^{(BG) 28} You didn’t even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters goodbye.^(BH) You have done a foolish thing. ²⁹ I have the power to harm you;^(BI) but last night the God of your father^(BJ) said to me, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’^{(BK) 30} Now you have gone off because you longed to return to your father’s household.^(BL) But why did you steal^(BM) my gods?^(BN)”

³¹ Jacob answered Laban, “I was afraid, because I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force.^{(BO) 32} But if you find anyone who has your gods, that person shall not live.^(BP) In the presence of our relatives, see for yourself whether there is anything of yours here with me; and if so, take it.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the gods.^(BQ)

³³ So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent^(BR) and into the tent of the two female servants,^(BS) but he found nothing.^(BT) After he came out of Leah’s tent, he entered Rachel’s tent. ³⁴ Now Rachel had taken the household gods^(BU) and put them inside her camel’s saddle^(BV) and was sitting on them. Laban searched^(BW) through everything in the tent but found nothing.

³⁵ Rachel said to her father, “Don’t be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence;^(BX) I’m having my period.^(BY)” So he searched but could not find the household gods.^(BZ)

³⁶ Jacob was angry and took Laban to task. “What is my crime?” he asked Laban. “How have I wronged^(CA) you that you hunt me down?^{(CB) 37} Now that you have searched through all my goods, what have you found that belongs to your household?^(CC) Put it here in front of your relatives^(CD) and mine, and let them judge between the two of us.^(CE)

³⁸ “I have been with you for twenty years now.^(CF) Your sheep and goats have not miscarried,^(CG) nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. ³⁹ I did not bring you animals torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for whatever was stolen^(CH) by day or night.^{(CI) 40} This was my situation: The heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night, and sleep fled from my eyes.^{(CJ) 41} It was like this for the twenty years^(CK) I was in your household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters^(CL) and six years for your flocks,^(CM) and you changed my wages^(CN) ten times.^{(CO) 42} If the God of my father,^(CP) the God of Abraham^(CQ) and the Fear of Isaac,^(CR) had not been with me,^(CS) you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands,^(CT) and last night he rebuked you.^(CU)”

⁴³ Laban answered Jacob, “The women are my daughters, the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks.^(CV) All you see is mine. Yet what can I do today about these daughters of mine, or about the children they have borne? ⁴⁴ Come now, let’s make a covenant,^(CW) you and I, and let it serve as a witness between us.”^(CX)

⁴⁵ So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.^{(CY) 46} He said to his relatives, “Gather some stones.” So they took stones and piled them in a heap,^(CZ) and they ate there by the heap. ⁴⁷ Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed.^[b](DA)

⁴⁸ Laban said, “This heap^(DB) is a witness between you and me today.”^(DC) That is why it was called Galeed. ⁴⁹ It was also called Mizpah,^[c](DD) because he said, “May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other. ⁵⁰ If you mistreat^(DE) my daughters or if you take any wives besides my daughters, even though no one is with us, remember that God is a witness^(DF) between you and me.”^(DG)

⁵¹ Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is this heap,^(DH) and here is this pillar^(DI) I have set up between you and me. ⁵² This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness,^(DJ) that I will not go past this heap to your side to harm you and that you will not go past this heap^(DK) and pillar to my side to harm me.^{(DL) 53} May the God of Abraham^(DM) and the God of Nahor,^(DN) the God of their father, judge between us.”^(DO)

So Jacob took an oath^(DP) in the name of the Fear of his father Isaac.^{(DQ) 54} He offered a sacrifice^(DR) there in the hill country and invited his relatives to a meal.^(DS) After they had eaten, they spent the night there.

⁵⁵ Early the next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters^(DT) and blessed^(DU) them. Then he left and returned home.^[d](DV)