John 8:23-44

English Standard Version

²³He said to them, ^(A)“You are from below; I am from above. ^(B)You are of this world; ^(C)I am not of this world. ²⁴I told you that you ^(D)would die in your sins, for ^(E)unless you believe that ^(F)I am he you will die in your sins.” ²⁵So they said to him, ^(G)“Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. ²⁶I have much to say about you and much to judge, but ^(H)he who sent me is true, and I declare ^(I)to the world ^(J)what I have heard from him.” ²⁷They did not understand that ^(K)he had been speaking to them about the Father. ²⁸So Jesus said to them, “When you have ^(L)lifted up the Son of Man, ^(M)then you will know that ^(N)I am he, and that ^(O)I do nothing on my own authority, but ^(P)speak just as the Father taught me. ²⁹And ^(Q)he who sent me is with me. ^(R)He has not left me alone, for ^(S)I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” ³⁰As he was saying these things, ^(T)many believed in him.

The Truth Will Set You Free

³¹So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ^(U)“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, ³²and you will ^(V)know the truth, and the truth ^(W)will set you free.” ³³They answered him, ^(X)“We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

³⁴Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(Y)everyone who practices sin is a slave^[a] to sin. ³⁵^(Z)The slave does not remain in the house forever; ^(AA)the son remains forever. ³⁶So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. ³⁷I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet ^(AB)you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. ³⁸^(AC)I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard ^(AD)from your father.”

You Are of Your Father the Devil

³⁹They answered him, ^(AE)“Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, ^(AF)“If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, ⁴⁰but now ^(AG)you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth ^(AH)that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. ⁴¹You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, ^(AI)“We were not born of sexual immorality. We have ^(AJ)one Father—even God.” ⁴²Jesus said to them, ^(AK)“If God were your Father, you would love me, for ^(AL)I came from God and ^(AM)I am here. ^(AN)I came not of my own accord, but ^(AO)he sent me. ⁴³^(AP)Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot ^(AQ)bear to hear my word. ⁴⁴^(AR)You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. ^(AS)He was a murderer from the beginning, and ^(AT)does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. ^(AU)When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.